IntroductionWELMEK Sept. l6, l992
Stillness & Hearing The Thought Adjuster
Greetings to all who have gathered here this evening. This is WELMEK, your teacher and guide. I am once again honored to be in your presence, for it is truly quite a sight for those of us to witness the humans of the world come and hear and share with us this evening. There are many gathered that you are unable to see. They too are amazed as well as full of love at this sight. Your group has responded well to the impressions made, to the leadings given, and we anticipate much growth in the future. I am also pleased to see so many of you try in earnest to follow what we have asked and apply it in your daily life. Many of you are witnessing the change already that we have spoke of, and I assure you this is only the beginning. We have a visitor with us this evening who would like to share a few words. One moment.
ANDREA: Greetings. My name is Andrea
A. I am a teacher who has been assigned to a group in another are
A. It pleases me to be able to speak to you, for this is my first attempt; and I must say I am excited because it is obviously a success. This does not always happen, therefore, my excitement. I can't tell you how fortunate you are to have one such as
WELMEK to guide you through your earthly careers in your search for better understanding and attunement with the Father. He is so dominated by love, in time all of you will know this more fully. I too have witnessed many unusual things in my short time on your world. While I was prepared, in a sense, before I came here, I can tell you there is nothing quite like the actual experience of your world. For where I hail, we too were on a world that had been settled in Light and Life for many thousands of years. I am deeply moved by what I have seen and am even more motivated than ever to do my best to help all of the mortals that I am in charge of to accomplish their goal, their search for the Father. I extend my love to you all and wish you nothing but God's love. Go in peace and always do what your teacher asks. He will never mislead you.
WELMEK: I believe we will have many teachers and others speak to you throughout the course of our association. You are all receptive and eager to know more, and this provides an environment conducive to receptivity. I am pleased tonight to announce to you the successful completion of transmission with one of your brothers. We have been working together for a few days now, and he is able to receive my message and to clearly speak on my behalf. I wish that you give him encouragement and he will also be there for you for these private sessions which I wish to have with all who are willing to share themselves with me. I will end my transmission through David and have his brother, Michael, take over. Last week, each of you were asked to bring a question concerning that which would contribute most to your spiritual growth. Tonight I would like for those of you who are willing to ask that question, and I will attempt to provide an answer. Let's begin.
Q. WELMEK, this is Sarah, and I've given a lot of thought to this question because there are so many areas that I feel I need help. This is an area that you and I have discussed before, but I really feel like I need a booster shot from you on this. The question is, how to maintain a positive attitude and a level of self-confidence and patience in my everyday life so that I do not block the spiritual flow?
A. Essentially it is a matter of practice of the things that we have spoken of before. Again, remember the lesson, the statement in your text "Of all human knowledge that which is of greatest value is to know the religious life of Jesus and how he lived it." As you think about this question, you will come to understand that it has little or nothing to do with when he was born and how old he was and certain experiences in his life. It has everything to do with the manifold problems that he faced and how he handled each of these.
As you read through the text, you will find that whenever the difficulties in his life came, he went off to commune with the Father. You are comprised of spiritual and mental and physical energy. You must nourish each of these. Daily communion, daily seeking of the stillness with the Father is of the utmost importance. This will keep you totally centered on what is real, what is of greatest value, and that is the spiritual reality.
When you are grounded in this spiritual reality and you can, and you are aware of this presence, it will help you remain strong. It will provide a much broader perspective for you as you face each of your daily problems. The second most important thing is to learn to look at each of your brothers and sisters and to look at the spirit presence within them. Again, if you looked at them and you saw Michael, our Creator Son residing within them, how would you speak to them? How would you treat them? Would you not go out of your way to do anything to help them? It is difficult, but you must try to do this. Look at them and know that each one of them is loved by God, and each one of them is full of potential and full of love, but yet blocked by the barriers of human existence of not understanding but wishing to rise above this.
Speak to them, treat them in a way that you would Michael and you will help them release this love within themselves. To do this is probably the greatest pleasure, the greatest satisfaction, the greatest service you will ever derive from any of your experiences, as a human and beyond in your universe career. Service is the greatest satisfaction in the universe.
Q. During my daily routine with all the distractions that I encounter, how can I maintain more or less constant communion with the Father the way Jesus did?
A. Again, it is a matter of practice. When you practice something each day, no matter what it is, at first you find that you struggle, that you fumble, that you are awkward, that you are easily distracted from what you are doing. But with anything, and try to think of something in your life that you have learned to do and learned to do well, what you will find is that over time it becomes much easier and you wonder "Why did I ever have so much difficulty with this, it's really quite simple." Everything is simple once you understand it, but to get to that point it requires much practice.
When you find yourself distracted and you break the consciousness of the presence of God try to regain that and see how much longer you can hold it the next time. To be able to live each moment as if in the presence of God is truly something that we are all, including those of us who are teachers, are continuing to try to do. We know it is difficult, your Father has said "Be you perfect, even as I am perfect."
This perfection truly comes to the extent that it can be experienced when you can live each moment in that way, to live each moment as if you are in the presence of God. Do not be discouraged when you find that this is difficult. Do not be discouraged if you must try over and over to regain the sense of His presence. If you practice seeking the stillness daily, this will get you off to a good start particularly if you are able to practice this in the morning. If you are not able to practice this for a while in the morning, at least stop and pause. Make a conscious recognition of the Father and His presence in your life.
This will get you off to a good start each day. When you find a brief rest or a break in the routine of your daily life, pause, only for a few minutes and think of the Father, think of that stillness again. After a while you will find that it will become easier and easier to regain that sense of the presence of God. In your meditations and your seeking the stillness, when you try to still your minds, many of you experience the constant flow of thoughts of various kinds running through your minds. The mind is naturally active, and so it is not an easy thing to still the mind. But as you practice this over time, it too becomes easier; so that when you want, you can immediately still your mind at a moment's notice. This is the same type of thing that will happen with practicing the presence of God. You must continue to do it; and when you find it difficult, don't worry about it, just keep trying. If you seek, you will receive.
Q. WELMEK, this is Mark. I've pondered that question and found it very difficult inside myself to answer it. It seems that my limitations only come from my own human qualities. I really don't know what question to ask concerning this. I guess I'm confused and feel that my only limitation to my spiritual growth is my own human inefficiencies, if you will. Does this make sense?
A. Of course. It is not easy in one sense. Again, you are of animal origin. You have a biochemical nature. All of these things make it more difficult for the Adjuster and the angels and other spirit influences to communicate to your minds. You should not, again, become discouraged when you realize that you're human. This is your Page 3 first life, this is your beginning. You will not necessarily achieve total perfection in this one short life. The important thing is that you continue to try, that you continue to seek guidance from the Father. In time, if you continue, all of these questions, all of these apparent stumbling blocks will become clear to you and you will see how to circumvent them or how to overcome them. It is mostly a matter of what you desire to be. If your desire is for inner peace and inner happiness, if your desire it to allow God's love to flow through you, there is literally nothing that can stand in your way. Continue to try and all of these things will become more clear to you.
Q. My question was just answered, thank you.
A. Let me comment on the practice of seeking the stillness again, because I know this is something that most of you do struggle with. First, allow your body to become relaxed. Find a comfortable position. It does not matter whether you are sitting up or lying down. It only matters that you try to relax your body. Secondly, you must first focus your mind; and the best and highest thing to focus your mind on is God. Think of what you have in your life to be thankful for. Think of the love you have for your family, your children. Think of the wonderful things, the beautiful things that life holds and thank the Father for this. By first focusing on this thanksgiving or worship, you are in a sense, blocking out the other thoughts that tend to interfere with your mind. Then when you finish that and you are ready to try and still your mind and listen for the inner guidance of your Adjuster, when you find that a thought of "What will I wear tomorrow?" "What will I take in my lunch tomorrow?" all of the endless daily tasks that fill your minds..when these kinds of thoughts begin to come back in, simply re-focus. Re-focus, picture in your mind, if you will, the Father. Picture yourself humble before Him, telling Him that you love Him and that you need His love and guidance. Each time you are distracted, re-focus on this in your own mind. Re-focus on this thought, this image, and then try to become still again. In time this may help you to block out the more routine and daily thoughts that, again, pass through your active mind.
Q. WELMEK, this is Scott. You've answered some of the questions or touched on some of the questions, but one of the things I deal with on a day-to-day basis is temptation of the distractions. I'm tempted to pay attention to the distractions whether or not they're important to my daily living. How best can I deal with this?
A. Can you be more specific?
Q. You answered part of it when you said to seek the stillness. But I think also, where I'm working, when I have a few moments to myself, then I either seek the stillness and find God within or find something less spiritual to think about or do? How can I deal with that or what should I do?
A. Can you give me an example?
Q. Today, for example, I had a few minutes this afternoon after having finished doing work for one of the co-workers doing what I was supposed to do; and instead of working on something else or whatever, I worked on one of my own things until that person came back with another assignment.
A. I don't understand your question. Are you asking is this something you should not do?
Q. Perhaps.
A. Each of you on this planet at its state of evolution must go and make a living every day, and the drudgery and monotony of the types of functions that you must sometimes perform is very difficult to overcome. One of the morontia mota states that the true poet can see poetry in the routine affairs of the commonplace existence. Think about this statement; and if you come to understand it, it will make dealing with the drudgery of your daily work much easier. Here are some helps that you might find when you find yourself dealing with the drudgery of the daily tasks. First, take a few moments to seek to look at something beautiful. If you can, go outside, go to a window, look outside. Take a few moments to look at flowers, trees. . .if there were paintings, anything you might find in your immediate environment that you consider beautiful to look at. You will find this restful to your soul. Another thing that can help, is when you have a few moments in between the tasks that you must perform, in the morning think of a question that you want an answer to, and in these few moments that you have, think of this question. This will elevate your mind above the routine affairs of your daily tasks and allow you a brief rest from these tasks. It will also refresh your soul and even refresh your mind somewhat. Thirdly, when you are moving around in between tasks, or you are engaged in not so much work conversation, but in social or casual conversation, practice looking at the person you are talking with and thinking about the potential that is there within them, the love that they want to get out. Picture Michael within them. What would they be like if they were filled with love. How might they be different? How might your relationship with them be different? All of these tasks, all of these things can be helpful in dealing with your daily work, can help you rest and elevate your mind and spirit to help you get through the day a little bit easier. Does that help with your question?
Q. Yes, very much. Thank you.
A. WELMEK, my question is how can I build a closer relationship with the Father and a trusting relationship? I know in the past you've recommended prayer in a conversational sense, and I found this very helpful among daily practices. But I wondered if you had any other suggestions. Also I think it would be helpful to have a clearer understanding of how the universe works and maybe you could suggest any Urantia papers that might explain that and clarify that for me.
A. How the universe works is universe career measured in your time in billions of years, so there is no way that I can condense this into a few words. The Urantia Book is the most advanced teaching on this subject that you will find. Study it, think about it, discuss the concepts with your brothers and sisters, because it is written on many levels. And every time you go back and study it more you will find deeper and deeper understandings. Yet you must also realize that from the perspectives on high, the Urantia Book is, in a certain sense, a primer, an elementary grade book. This is not to discourage you; it is simply to address your question that I and all of my fellow beings have much, much to learn yet. We may understand more than you do but we are not that far removed from you, and we have an endless universe career to yet master and to understand. Take what you have and study it, and I think you will find that it will be more than able to help you for much of your life. Would you repeat the first part of your question, please?
Q. Do you have any suggestions that can help me build a closer relationship with the Father? In the past you've suggested prayer in a conversational form, and I found this very helpful; but I wondered if there were some other avenues I could use to expand on this and also to help build trust.
A. Building the relationship with the Father is not something that you do once and it stops. It is an experience that continually grows and deepens, just as your relationship with any other being would be. Never think that because you do this for a while that your understanding has become saturated somehow. Do not be discouraged if you do not feel significant leaps or degrees in your understanding day by day. It is a gradual process that goes on. I and my associates continue also to work with this. Your question about trust is perhaps best answered by trying to understand and look at parent-child relationships. The Adjuster is there to guide you in your life, to guide you in your understanding of the universe, to guide you in your understanding and appreciation and communication with God. When obstacles or lessons are placed in your life path, the basic human reaction is to want to run away, to find a way to avoid the problem, to pretend it does not exist, or to in a sense try to wish it away. Most of you by now have come to the realization that it simply does not work that way. If you avoid it this time, it will simply come around in some new form, some new disguise. If you look at the love that you have for your own children, and you look at how you guide them, would you ask a young child, a 4 or 5- year-old to study calculus or some high form of mathematics? Of course you would not, and your reasoning would be that this lesson is beyond the current readiness, the current capability of this child. As you search your mind as a parent, you try to guide your child in steps, in small increments of understanding that broaden and enlighten their understanding but are not too much truth, too much light for them to understand or too complex for what their mind can comprehend at that time.
The Adjuster guides you in this same loving way. There is never a task, never a challenge that you are given that the Adjuster cannot guide your through. The secret is you do not ask for the help of Page 6 the Adjuster. You use your own minds, you use your own wills to solve the problem, and often you find that this is not enough, that this does not produce the kinds of solutions that you want. If you believe that you truly have a fragment of the Father residing within you who loves you and is willing to be your guide, it baffles me why you would not turn to this person. You turn to friends, you turn to therapists or other types of experts in your society. Their understanding, their knowledge, is..cannot even begin to measure up to the knowledge and understanding and the love for you that the Adjuster has. Therefore, why do you turn exclusively to these sources when you have the most wonderful source imaginable within you?
Q.WELMEK, I have a question. In one of your transcripts you suggested that we speak to Michael, go through Michael, because it is through understanding him, his mind, that we understand the Father's will in the universe of Nebadon. That was how I interpreted it. The Urantia Book tells us that the attitude of saving faith should be centered on God alone. I pray to both; each is a distinct personality. Can you clarify this a little more?
A. There is really no discrepancy. As you grow, your understanding and comprehension of the Father, the Universal Father, the First Source and Center of all things will grow. Michael was simply saying that in terms of what humans can initially grasp and understand, for all intents and purposes, he was the Father. He represented the nature and the qualities of the Father. Does that answer, or do you need more elaboration?
Q. A little more. When I'm going into the stillness, trying to reach the Adjuster, or allow the Adjuster to reach me more easily, can I also do this with Michael? Can he reach out in the same way as the Father when we reach out to him?
A. Let me first make one thing clear. Michael does not wish for you to worship him. Worship is only for the Father. Perhaps it will help you if you think of a family relationship. The Universal Father is your parent, not really male, not really female. He is all these things and more. But because He is a personality whom you can communicate with, we use these gender or sex terms, like father or mother. But the Father is more than male or female. Think of Him as the parent. Think of Michael as your elder brother. Think of your angels who look after you as your elder sisters. They are all interested and contribute to your welfare. Worship the Father, ask for the Father's guidance. But you can also talk with and ask for Michael's guidance; and you can also talk with and ask for your elder sisters' or your angels' guidance.
Q.WELMEK, I would like to address tolerance. In times past, there has been times when I have lost control of my actions and gone into a screaming and yelling match because of the intolerance of the actions of somebody else. I have been working on this, and it's now getting to the point where it's not quite all under control, but it's getting much better. What I am now experiencing though is that I am more in control of my actions as far as the outward manifestations of it, but I still feel that anguish, that problem of the person's actions are still on me. It's not an explosive outward manifestation, but I still feel that anguish and I feel myself almost getting out of control. Is there anything that you can advise for helping me with this area?
A. First, understand that within each of you is an innate sense of what is true, what is right and what is fair. In a world, on a world like Urantia it is so far from a perfected world that every day you encounter endless situations where people are not acting as they should in a loving way, where people are not dealt with fairly, where people do not speak the truth. You must realize that when you see these things it should naturally activate or trigger within you a response to these actions that they are not right and they are not fair. But at the same time, you must place them within a broader perspective of understanding. You know that your world has experienced many problems and is not as advanced and as far developed as it should be. You know that each of your brothers and sisters is living their first life. You know that none of them have perfect parents to guide them. You know that most of them do not seek the guidance of the Father within. They do not understand and fully appreciate the love that is there for them to tap into. So if you think about all of those things, and those things can fill your understanding, why would you look at them any different than you would when a young child does something that is considered misbehaving. When you look at the young child, you do not grow angry, you do not grow intolerant, you conclude that they simply do not know any better yet. You and humans in this first world are still little children in bigger bodies.
You must understand that all of your brothers and sisters have not had perfect upbringings. They still have many faults, many character flaws, many things that they need to work out. If this is part of your understanding and your attitude towards them is one of love and one of trying to help, would not that turn your attitude to really more one of compassion than intolerance?
Q. I'm not certain I would go along with compassion because they are not children, they should know better in many cases.
A. If you feel that their actions are unrighteous, and if you feel that they are consciously and willingly committing these acts, then you must decide in your own mind what to do. Remember that even Jesus in the temple felt righteous indignation when he saw a supposed house of worship being used for all sort of unfairness and wickedness. You must decide in any given situation how important is this action that you seem to respond to? For example, when Jesus was walking down the road and he found a man beating his wife, what did he do?
Q. He stopped and he picked him up, he physically picked him up, if it's the one you're talking about and held him at arm's length.
A. In his mind he saw an action that he felt was intolerable and needed immediate correction, so he decided to take some action. Again, in each situation you cannot address every little personality conflict, every little problem that comes up in your life, or you would be doing nothing but constantly doing that all day long. You must come to understand and allow these things to simply flow and decide which ones are important enough to address and which ones are not. You must also keep in mind that others may see you and some of your actions in the same way. If you are able to do this, this will increase your ability to be a little more forgiving in your attitude for their lack of perfection. Throughout your universe career, even when you are far beyond the life in the flesh, you will have differences of opinion with your brothers and sisters. As you grow you will not always understand their actions and you will sometimes feel resentment and some of these same feelings, though perhaps not as extreme because the actions would not be as extreme as they are on your world. But these are things which you must look at, try to understand..why are they acting that way? If you can talk with them one-on-one, ask them why they did such an action. Try to understand what they have done and why they are doing it. As you go about your daily work it is not practical to do this with everyone. There are times when you see these actions and you cannot correct every problem of everyone that you meet. You must simply pass on and let it go by and hope that someone else in their life will be able to address this problem with them.
Q. If you're looking at this person, and this person in your opinion and in the opinion of others is insecure, that's a very difficult thing for me to address to that person, to bring that up. There's a defense mechanism on that other person that will deny. At this point in time I'm not sure if I should just turn away from it. I made my attempt and it's something that that person has to dwell on, and myself.
A. Again, you cannot correct every problem of every person that you encounter. It is really better to establish a relationship with someone before you attempt to deal with many of these things. Concerning your more casual or work acquaintances, simply try to do a few things. One, do not feed or focus on the inappropriate behavior. Change the subject, excuse yourself, walk away, do not feed or focus upon their behavior. If you are being addressed in an angry tone, remember that a soft answer can turn away wrath. When other people are upset or upset with you, if they see love and calmness in your eyes, it will, many times, have a calming effect upon them. Sometimes at that moment and in those circumstances that is really all they can do.
Q. WELMEK, you told me that in time my deficiencies would disappear by doing the Father's will. I believe that but I need your help now. Because of my health I am supposed to be getting a lot of rest. I feel my body getting sick again because I have been so busy with going to school and studying, attending Urantia meetings and taking care of my family. Is there anything I can do to keep me from collapsing like I have many times in the last couple of years, so that I don't start missing Urantia meetings?
A. There are many demands on all of you. You all have many responsibilities. You must try to seek guidance to sort out what is truly important, what are truly your priorities. On my world, in light and life, we only had to toil a few hours a day to do our work or our job, and the rest of the time we had for our families and for our development. When you find life becoming too complex and that there are too many demands, you must sort them out. You must set some priorities. You must wrestle with the issue of how important is working long hours to you? How important is making a lot of money to you, if in fact this detracts from your time for what you feel may be more important things. I would address this with you as an individual preferably in a personal session where we might go into more detail. For the purpose of yourself and the group in a general way, you try to simplify your life. You must also try to manage your time, to decide what is most important and to be sure you take at least some time each day to do those things which are most important to your spiritual health, your physical health. These things must be addressed each day, and they should be the highest priority in your life. If you find that your day is so filled with other things that you have no time for these things, then I would suggest that you take some time and re-think your priorities, re-think what is life all about, re-think what is most important.
Q. WELMEK, what can I do to help myself show more love to my brothers and sisters so they will feel loved?
A. Basically, as you seek the stillness each day, as you grow in your love and your knowledge of God, it is a gradual thing and you will find that others will see this in you. You may not always know how it works or why it works, but if you meet someone, simply try to be still and remember the presence of God, look for Michael in them, and allow God's love to flow through you to them. They will see in you something that is different from your brothers and sisters, and their spirit and their angels will work to impress upon their minds the fact that there was something different about you and that perhaps they should seek you out and try to discern what it is that is different about you. At that time, you may find yourself in a situation where you can then try to help them find the Father within them and they in turn will find that same love and inner happiness that you will find. That is the most important thing that you can do for them.
If they come to you and they are troubled, remember Jesus did most of even his ministry by simply listening. Through the listening process, you serve as an echo or as a sounding board, so that their ideas and their thoughts may bounce back to them and they can in a sense hear what they are really saying. This impresses upon their mind in a different level of their consciousness and somehow can help them break through to hearing this at a different level and they might see then an answer or realize that their problem was perhaps not as great as they thought. In addition, there may come a time when, while they are speaking, in your own mind ask the Father, "Father, is there anything I can do or say that might help this person?" Allow your mind to be still and you might find that sometimes some words will come through you to the other person and you will not know where they came from, but that does not really matter. What really matters is that the relationship and the interaction between your spirits has helped both of you.
Q. WELMEK, I had one question when we started tonight..now I have three. I'm intrigued by a couple things that you said that I'd like to follow up on. One had to do with situations where people become stuck when attempting to focus on the stillness or get in touch with the stillness; and your suggestion was you should focus on the image of God. Can you give any instruction as to what that image should be?
A. No. Each of your minds is somewhat different, and it does not matter what the image is that comes to your mind, whether it is a being with or without a beard or types of garments. None of these things are necessarily important. What is important is that when you think of the Father, imagine in your mind the most beautiful, glorious, loving, understanding, sympathetic, compassionate being that you can possibly imagine. And whether..whatever image comes to your mind, whatever visual image might come to your mind, to portray these qualities is really not important. What is important is that you are focusing upon these qualities. Do you understand?
Q. Yes. Second question, and I believe that you may have just answered that. What is the specific process by which you ask the Adjuster to assist you in solving a spiritual problem or assisting of it?
A. If your child came to you, or if your child was very troubled, what would you want your child to do?
Q. I would want my child to be less troubled.
A. Would you want your child to come and talk about their problems with you so that you might hope to somehow help them?
Q. Sure.
A. Remember, the same holds true. God is your Father. When you are troubled, go to Him and talk to Him just as you would talk to the same image of this being who is, again, all-loving and all- understanding. The Father wants you to come to Him to share your troubles, your fears, your anxieties, whatever it is that bothers you, and talk it over with Him just as you would want your child to come to you to share their problems with you so that you might be able to help them. But when you have talked this over with the Father, allow some time to still your mind to listen for an answer. Many people, when they pray, are in a sense talking with God in this way; but when they finish, they..it's as if they just walked away. They asked a question of someone and walked away before they gave a person a chance to answer. You will find that the answer may not come immediately, it may not come directly, but do not initially be concerned with this.
As explained before, there are layers of the mind and there are many obstacles and barriers to overcome for clear and direct communication from the highest or superconscious level of your mind to your subconscious or conscious layers.
What the Adjuster often does is plant his guidance or his thoughts in the higher levels of your mind, but it might take a night, it might take a day, it might take a few days for this to filter down into the level of your conscious mind. Therefore, in experience, what you find is that you might be walking, or driving, or sitting still or reading or anything and all of a sudden a thought comes into your mind; and you're not sure where it came from and you suddenly realize that that is the answer to what you were wondering or questioning about. So do not be concerned if you do not hear the voice immediately. As you develop and as you progress through the circles as your text states, when you reach the first circle you will actually begin to more immediately hear the contact with the Adjuster.
But do not be concerned with this. Simply do your best and keep doing this each day; and in time you will find that you will grow and your contact with the Adjuster will grow. In the meantime, remember that if you seek you will receive. Pray, worship, and then still your mind to listen for the Adjuster's guidance; and the answer in some way will come through. It might come through your mind, it might come through someone that you meet, who might say, or in conversation give the answer to your question. It might come in a variety of ways. You must learn to listen for this guidance and be aware and sensitive to it coming in various ways.
Q. Thank you. My final question..what can I and others here do who are interested, to assist their spouses and other family members in developing the desire to grow spiritually?
A. The same that you would do for any of your brothers and sisters. Most people have doubts about spiritual realities. Most people want a sign. Look at Jesus' life. Here was the Creator, the Master of a local universe in human flesh. You would think that everyone would flock to him to hear his words, to sit at his feet, to listen for his guidance and to feel his love. And yet many did not listen. Many even walked away. But those that stayed..what was it that they were attracted to? They saw in him the love of the Father coming through him. They saw a wisdom, an understanding, a love, a patience, a tolerance, all of the fruits of the spirit; and that is what drew them to him.
Your friends and your spouses know you as well as any human probably knows you. If you continue to seek the stillness, to pray, forgive yourself, forgive others and to treat others as if you are in the presence of God, you will find that you will begin changing and that people will see you differently. Your spouses and your friends will see the sign that they are looking for, because they will see that in fact these teachings, this spiritual guidance that you have been seeking is truly having an effect upon you. This is the most powerful, the most significant thing that you can do.
There are really no magic words, no particular explanations. That does not mean that if they ask questions you should not try to answer them to the best of your ability and to engage in dialogue with them. But it is simply to say that there is no magic answer, so to speak. The real answer is in whether you are changing because they know you and they will see these changes; and they know that these are having a positive effect upon you. If they see that, hopefully their own spirit can impress this upon their mind; and if they are a truth seeker, they will want to know more and they will ask how it is that you made this change, how it is that you are calmer and more loving. If they do not respond, there is little that you can do.
Remember the lesson when Jesus passed by the boy and did not ask him questions; and the young lad he traveled with asked him why he did not approach this boy as he did so many others. Jesus simply said he must continue to go through more psychological conflict until his mind opens to God and is ready to turn away from his own answer to seek God's help to answer the problems of his life. It is difficult and it is painful when you see loved ones in this situation. Think of it again as a young child that no matter how much you want them to understand, no matter how much you want to take their pain away, you must allow the child to grow at their own way and with their own experience.
And so it is also with your spouses or other family members or other friends, all of your brothers and sisters. Do the best that you can, but the most important thing is to focus on your own growth because this is the most powerful testimony, the most powerful evidence that you can possibly offer.
Q.WELMEK, I have a question that relates to personal power. I find myself confused about (?) actions and what constitutes true self- confidence and what constitutes more of an ego, power-seeking kind of a reaction. In dynamics with people I'm no longer sure where I should be and what actions I should take to correct some of the lack of development that I think I have missed and am really not sure how to pull some of those pieces and that seems to be one of my biggest troubles.
A. There is always the issue of balance in life. Life is comprised of opposites. In humans, in order to understand something, you must often understand what it is not. Things have a positive and a negative side, a positive and a negative whole, so to speak. One of the things that attracted the apostles to the Master so much was the balance of his personality. He could be on the one hand very mild mannered and seemingly meek, but on the other hand he could be courageous to do the things he did in the temple and to face his death in the way that he did. Always seek to be balanced in these things. A healthy respect for yourself is valuable. However, if it goes to an extreme it can result in the exaltation of your own ego, self-aggrandizement, and it can distort your personality. As you struggle to find this balance in your life, try to discern what is your motivation. Remember that the work is important; the self is not.
Therefore, look at a situation and try to ask yourself why am I doing this, what is the benefit? Is my desire to be of service to my brothers and sisters or do I do this because I want exaltation and applause or recognition for my own ego, for my own actions. Throughout the universe there are recognitions for achievement, and there is nothing wrong, again, with taking a healthy, prideful attitude in your accomplishments. If your children come home, and they have done well on their tests in school, there is nothing wrong with them taking pride in the fact that they worked hard and that they did well.
Apply these same criteria to yourself. How does it feel? Does it feel good? Does it feel balanced? What is your motivation? Who is being served? These are questions that can help you in trying to find this balance.
Q.WELMEK, part of my question is in relation to other people, when there's...when somebody else attempts to invade or control you or extend their personal power in a way that can be destructive or at least a type I interpret that way, and that is part of my question too. It's hard for me to know what action to take in this situation. Somehow I was taught in many things to back off and let that happen by means of being more loving, but I know that's wrong for me because I already struggled with that line between when allowing someone to act and try to understand, but when that's something that impacts harshly, how do I decide how I can take a stand for myself?
A. Again, this is difficult. It is similar to the question that Bob asked earlier about intolerance; and the answer is similar. You must decide in your own mind how injurious, how harmful is this demand or this action on the part of this other person to my own spiritual, mental or physical well-being? If it is something that you can tolerate and for the sake of the future of a relationship you do not feel it is that important, then you may accept it and not find that it will do you any damage.
However, you know in your own heart and your own mind what is important to your own spiritual, mental and physical well-being and if someone asks you to do something that would be in your mind injurious to that, then you must stand and you must make it clear to them that you will not allow them to take those actions against you.
Q.WELMEK, my question is how can I discipline my mind to eradicate some of these wild imaginings I have, preconceived notions of the future or things that may or may not materialize? It's essentially a matter of trust that in time all things will be worked out. In the meantime, how do I do the daily mindal discipline to learn to love and trust more freely?
A. There is a saying that "Truth is stranger than fiction." Think about this. As you seek inner guidance and as you become aware that you are a child of the universe and that you have an eternity to grow, gather new experience, to love, to share, to see beautiful things beyond your imagination, you will begin to see that you don't have to worry about imagining things. You begin to look at each new day and ask and begin to think "What will this day unfold?" "What new lessons will be brought?" "What new people will I meet?" "What new experiences will be brought into my life?" If you begin to look at each day in this way, you will find that you do not have to manufacture things.
You simply look at each day in wonderment at the new things that will be brought into your life and simply allow each day to unfold. It is a change in perspective, but it is important to focus on each and to look at each day as a new opportunity, a new chance for new experiences, and beauty and love to be brought into your life and for you to share beauty and love with others.
KARLA: WELMEK, this concludes our assignment questions. Do you want to take other questions, or do you have a lesson?
WELMEK: I will entertain a few more questions if there are any. KARLA: Might I suggest that those people that have not..that this is their first attendance, if they have questions that we give them priority.
Q. WELMEK, my name is David. This is my second time here; I was here first over the Labor Day weekend. I come from a community about an hour away, and I have primarily studied the Course in Miracles and have participated in a group that studies A Course in Miracles. But many of us in this study group have read some of the Urantia Book, and all of us who have read it have been greatly inspired by the fourth section, the life of Jesus. I've read the transcripts and have been really helped by that. I personally would absolutely love to have our own teacher. Is this appropriate for a group like ours?
A. To have a teacher is appropriate for any group that so desires. Continue in your study and we will see what can be done.
Q. Marva is on vacation this week, but she asked me to ask this for her. During her personal session last week, you spoke of the "Essence of the Child", and she was so moved. She was not able to get it on tape, she had run out of tape; but she thought it would be wonderful for the group to hear it; and she asked me to ask you if you would repeat that.
A. The essence of the child has to do with the attitude that one takes towards the Father, towards the guidance of the Father. There is a statement in your text that says Jesus was childlike but he was not childish. There is a big difference in these two attitudes. Think in your own minds of how a young child, let us say of 4, 5 or 6 years of age comes to you and looks to you. When you look in their eyes, what do you see? You see hope, you see the future, you see wonderment, you see love. All of the potential that exists within the human being is especially present when you look into the eyes of a young child. Understand that while you are older and you look around and you see others in adult bodies, all of that same potential, all of that same essence that strikes you when you see a young child is there within each of you.
You must simply learn to look beyond the physical presence to discern that young child, that essence of the child, within each of your brothers and sisters. Within each of them is a spirit that longs for love, for companionship, for beauty, for all of the good things that life has to offer. If you look at this child and you see this beauty and all of this essence, you see the highest and the most beautiful that exists within humans. If you can learn to see this still resident in each of your brothers and sisters, no matter what age, then you are truly learning to see them as Michael wants you to see them; and just as you would treat this child in a loving, guiding, considerate, compassionate way, so also if you see this child in each of your brothers and sisters you can also treat them in that same way.
Q. WELMEK, this is Jill. Last week, you brought up that people were not (?) so that we could teach them and guide them and tonight you said something also about situations in our life. It brought up a point that I was really curious about and that is to what degree do you and the Thought Adjusters have control over things that happen to us?
A. Remember that these things are well-explained in the text; but I will summarize. First, remember that the Thought Adjuster looks at your heredity, your spiritual receptivity, your intellectual capacity, the ability of the two to interrelate. Based upon the combination of all of these factors, on Divinington, which is the residence of the Adjusters, they are able to project a life pattern for you.
That Adjuster who can best guide you through that experience volunteers to indwell you. Therefore, in a sense, a life path has been determined for you. However, the Adjuster will attempt to lead you, attempt to guide you, but will not go against your free will. Therefore, whether you follow this life path is up to you. If you make other determinations, the Adjuster must make adjustments. He will find ways to lead you to the lessons that he believes are most important for your development and new circumstances, new life settings will be developed to allow you to experience these things.
Q. WELMEK, this is Dennis. I was curious to sort out a way of coming into a closer sense of relationship with the Adjuster. You mentioned tonight that you should think of the Adjuster as a person, and I was wondering if it's helpful to think of the Adjuster in a distinct way...a more familiar way than with the Father, or did you mean to make that distinction?
A. You should think of the Father as I described earlier. Think of the most wonderful, loving, good being that you can imagine. Again, what mental description or image comes into your mind doesn't really matter. There are different times and different situations and different circumstances. Think in your own life, there may be some times when you want to talk over something with your father, there may be some times when you want to talk it over with your elder brother, or your elder sisters. All of these are available to you. You must decide, at a particular time, what you feel is right, what you wish to do. But, I would emphasize that you should spend some time in worship, and talking with the Father each day. If you talk with your elder brother and your elder sisters, that is fine; but you should not ignore or not have contact with the Father each day.
WELMEK: As we grow in this experience together, I can see a pattern that your questions grow more focused and more directed towards the issue of your spiritual growth and your love for your brothers and sisters. This is our intent and this is as it should be, and I am very pleased to see this happening. We meet together as a group once each week. Do not allow yourself to fall into the trap of coming to this group once each week and thinking that that is all you need to do or that that is your spiritual exercise for the week. Not only should you continue to seek the stillness, to worship and to pray each day, not only should you practice forgiveness of others and yourself and the love of your brothers and sisters each day, but as you think of these questions that trouble you, I encourage you to seek out,during the week, your brothers and your sisters.
Call them on the phone, have lunch, visit, whatever it is, but share your thoughts, your concerns and your questions with them. You will find that they can be a great source of enlightenment and comfort to you. You will find that as you do this your love for them will grow, and their love for you will grow. This will greatly aid in the unity of spirit and love that is important for this group to grow as a group. I am here and I am happy to help and to answer your questions. But ultimately it is the Adjuster, your inner guide, and your brothers and sisters who will be and provide your support and your answers if there comes a time when I am not available. Therefore, begin now to seek out your brothers and sisters and seek out the Father each day.
May God be with you during this week. Go in peace.
END