1996-11-12. Tomas Discusses Money, Economics, Tithing, Progress
Butler PA #9
Topic: Tomas Discusses Money
Group: Butler TeaM
Teacher: Tomas
TR: Gerdean
TOMAS: Good evening, friends. This is Tomas.
Hunnah: My goodness. You came in awfully fast.
TOMAS: I have been here.
Hunnah: Oh, okay.
TOMAS: I have been waiting for the door to open.
Hunnah: You know what we forgot to do? We forgot to sing “Happy Birthday” to Gerdean. We’ll have to do that before she goes home.
TOMAS: You may do that, of course.
Hunnah: Would you like to sing?
TOMAS: I have wished her Happy Birthday; she was not listening. Like you had a day today, she had a day yesterday. Some people like for you to think that every day is peaches and cream, but your heritage as a mortal of the realm disallows such a fantasy, for it is only natural that sometimes you allow for your own vestiges to shed themselves, and like you, Hunnah, it is wise to avoid encounters with those who might be inclined to be confrontational about your right to have a sloughing attitude. It is also okay to call someone in order that you might acknowledge to yourself that you are merely undergoing a rough day and that it will pass.
Dialogue
Growth
Hunnah: There’s a song that’s popular and it goes something like, “Mama said there’d be days like this; there’ll be days like this, Mama said.” ( Group laughter ) I have noticed in the past that before I would go on a retreat I would often do a lot of weeping and I decided to comfort myself that the reason I was feeling so irritable was because I had an upcoming event which would introduce another teaching consciousness, so I thought the animal in me was feeling crowded.
TOMAS: It is something like that, yes, for your growth cycles are cyclic- and as you roll along the path of life you become accustomed to the highs and lows that even out, but even so, there are certain mood swings that go along with the ride. The difficulty, of course, is when you refuse to feel the bad feelings but insist only on maintaining the good feelings, when if the truth be known, it can feel good to feel sadness on occasion; it can feel good to experience a poignant and meaningful pain, providing you appropriately let go and allow the next phase of the cycle of growth to come into being.
Even feeling feisty or argumentative is a natural part of your growth process. For those of you who think that being in a state of grace precludes these natural uprisings of the lower realms, you are mistaken, for even in your lower realms you can be aware of grace as an attainment that you have known and that you will know but that today it has eluded your grasp.
Hunnah: The energies seem to be very active, for me, and I don’t usually notice it much, but the last — I guess couple of weeks — I am more aware of them. My daughter remarks sometimes that it’s really powerful, it’s distracting. I don’t know. Maybe it’s my imagination but it seems….
TOMAS: Yes, the energies are up-stepped. They have been upstepping increasingly and I could cite examples according to different time frames, but in your more immediate time frame, you ought to recall that just prior to Michael’s birthday I remarked about the momentum picking up, and that it often does pick up, as hundreds and thousands of people acknowledge the Creator Son. This was augmented, of course, by the IC96 conference in Arizona and your own more local environment was actuated in Grailville. It has its growth ramifications, for there are new teachers coming on-line, there are more personal teachers making contact with their mortal beings, and so there is indeed yet another upstepping.
Add to this the more mundane qualifiers of your season and the weather and you have every right to perceive a quickening. The cold spell that has descended upon you has thrust a part of your psyche into the deep of winter; it is not ready for the deep of winter and so it feels some pressure. Also, the holidays that are celebrated in your culture are just around the corner and that always adds a quickening of either anticipation or dread, or a combination thereof, all of this contributing to a sense of things going on and many of them over which you have no control.
This feeling of life going on without your being in control is also enough to put you into a bit of an emotional lather, but as you have observed, it only lasts for a brief time because life goes on and you find yourself once more in that cyclic pattern of ascension and growth, back on your even keel of ascension, and others are also doing the same.
Hunnah: I’m sensing some of the change of . .. I went ahead and made a decision to take Reiki III and I don’t think I’ll regret it. Nobody is beating my door down but that is all right. It’s part of the package. Is there anything that you want to know about tonight?
Money, Economics
TOMAS: Thank you for asking. I am not wondering much about anything in particular, but I am mindful that you have asked for a lesson having to do with money. Would that be something that you would be interested in?
Hunnah: Yes. Well, I heard a sermon recently on tithing, and because of the nature of the way the program comes — television — the people have to have some money in their pocket, but I was wondering if you could move this subject up as high as possible so that we can understand it a little bit. We have different attitudes, we ourselves, regarding money, and frequently it is based on how we appear in society and I just thought maybe I’d bring the subject up and see if you wanted to do anything with it.
TOMAS: I will give you a lesson based upon my understanding of your need to appreciate the symbol of exchange, and in order for me to lift it up it will be necessary for me to begin not at the beginning but farther back in order to get a scope, if you will.
You read in your lesson last week about early physical manifestations of spirit appreciation, that is, that physical items came to hold great power, Your lesson referenced rocks and stones as well as flags and so forth and money is much like the other evolved symbols in this way:
As women, as a woman, you are certainly familiar with your history that in the more primitive societies you were regarded as property, and even in more recent years the dowry was something that was included in the parcel of wife for she brought, then, the qualities of merchandise and goods and crafts which would contribute to her value and the value of the husband, the property owner. Also, I the example comes to the mind of this T/R of slavery, that human beings were sold into slavery and brought to your country and they were demeaned by labeling them and treating them as property, a lesser station – lesser in both cases, for the human will dignity was reduced to being property only.
As you evolve — as women have found a degree of liberation, and as slavery as it was known is abolished and all men are free, at least in political terms, the symbol then of wealth has been altered to exclude humankind in this glaring manner, although many, many remnants remain, such as in the phrase “slave-wages” which provide the worker only a modicum of remuneration for his efforts, not truly enough to develop a quality of life but essentially to keep him or her occupied for the gain of the employer.
These examples are yet again part of your modern history of economics. Your money symbols are representative of the old method of barter become sophisticated. He who has money in your society has power, and this truly is what this symbol represents – Power!
Hunnah: I was thinking about abundance and that the opportunity to have money is more available than it has been in the past and the credit card gives instant gratification. We don’t seem to have evolved sufficiently to meet the challenge of….
TOMAS: All right. Let me respond further. It is not true that money is more abundant these days. That is a false affluence, a false financial footing, for as you outlined, it is based on debt and the wealth that is so acceptable today is only going to cost future generations dearly. It is a fallacy to assume that just because people have access to money that they have wealth, and having money and not knowing how to use or what it’s true purpose is contributes greatly to the damage of the relationships of individuals.
The problem with your economy today is that the symbol represents a power that has not been fostered through the spirit. The true wealth of all humankind is spiritual, and money is to be a method of exchange, not a wielding of power. The economics, then, therefore, of Urantia will change and change drastically. It behooves you to have an understanding of the value of money and the purpose of money, not in terms of your frame of reference from a material standpoint, but from a frame of reference of it being provided to foster and further the light of real truth.
Let me site as an example how money can function as a part of a kingdom-believer’s way of life, for it has been said to ‘seek ye first the Kingdom and all things will be added unto you.” If you therefore seek the kingdom and see that there is something the Father would have you do, or if there is something you would do for the Fat her, and you make that decision in your inner being to serve, then the wherewithal for you to serve will be provided as a symbol to you of your ability to follow through with that perception of God’s will.
Leah: Could you repeat that?
TOMAS: If it is that you do not hear me, we could replay it. If you have a question, perhaps I should hear what it is that you are not clear about. However, I can say, again, that it has been said, to “seek ye first the kingdom and all things will be added unto you,” and so if you feel that you are being guided or led to do a certain thing, and that is what the Father’s will is for you, if you have made this decision in the spirit, in good faith, then that which is necessary for it to come to be, will become available, will be manifested so that His will can be done.
It is a matter of establishing your priorities. It is also a matter of correcting the ills of an economy that buys flash and glitter for current self-gratification at the expense of future generations and many, many other unbalanced circumstances. Money in and of itself is a symbol of exchange and there is no evil in an exchange. The symbol itself is far superior indeed to the exchange, for example, of women for camels, or Africans for fabric, of Indians for liquor.
It is of benefit when everyone can speak the same language, using the same symbol, but it must be a balanced symbol, in order for the exchange to be fair, and as your planet stands now, your symbol is unbalanced because it is not being properly used. Your priorities have it backwards! You would say, “I have the money, now what can I do with it to do God’s will?” or “What can I do to serve myself?” when in fact it is “Here’s how I would like to serve. I will await the manifestation of the appropriate avenue of action and necessary funding, in order that His will may be done.”
Hunnah: It just seems like it’s very slow to grow and develop.
TOMAS: It is slow to grow and develop because, as I said, money is power and there is little that is more intoxicating to the evolved animal than power. I think about your superman cartoons and your glamorous stars as well as your politicians. I know how the human animal behaves and how highly he places self-gratification on his list of priorities. Creature comforts have been long in coming, have finally been attained by the majority, but it will not do to wallow now in creature comfort at the expense of the future or of those less fortunate still.
Loreenia: It may be in a sophisticated way but slave labor still exists in a fashion. Many of the temporaries have been sold out by their companies not retiring them to decent wages because, you sign a contract (indistinguishable} and many people don’t even know this exists. The harder they work . . .
TOMAS: I did recently speak on “sincere fairness” and pointed out that in the kingdoms of men it is often the case that it is not fair and certainly your economic structure is not fair to anyone these days. Even those who have great wealth carry an onerous burden of guilt and responsibility.
It is time, perhaps, to allude to the Master’s outrage at the unbalance of wealth, and your economy — national and global — has been a long time in attaining its current position, which, I might add, includes a phenomenal debt, but it is because it is based on power over another individual and not on the power of God himself, which regards all humankind as His children.
It cannot please anyone to see that there are children on Urantia who are starving to death, who are covered with sores, who have no medical attention, It cannot please a sensitive person to witness the deplorable conditions in your own cities, ghettos and barrios, having to do with the unfairness of your financial system. The women and children, nay all of you from top to bottom, left to right, are in the throes of a great injustice in terms of your economy and it needs corrected.
The new rage, for example, of “he who dies with the most toys wins” is not honorable. It is crass materialism and contributes nothing to the value of quality home life or meaningful interpersonal relationships, wherein the fruits of the spirit may be manifested, wherein the creative inner life of God may be shared. A great simplifying is in order. The national debt must be discharged and it must begin with each of you ascertaining for yourself what your needs are, based not upon capitalism, but upon your own individual circumstances. And, if you seek to serve, your needs will be met in order that you might serve just as the apostles needs were met long ago.
Leah: I was thinking about the apostles. Theirs was a unique situation.
TOMAS: This is true. In fact, after Jesus left and the apostles went out to teach and preach, they had to maintain their own way, their own livelihood. Some returned to their former field of endeavor, but always have there been those who have set out as apostles to serve and they have been taken care of. Your Peace Pilgrim is certainly a shining example. If is their joy to serve; they seek not the things of this world.
Those of you who seek the things of this world may do so. There certainly are things for the taking. But have you furthered the evolution of humankind in the spirit and in the flesh by your taking? The question is do you serve money or does money serve you? It is a symbol of exchange. What you exchange and your motives for exchange are your personal contribution to the economy.
When you brought up the subject, Hunnah, you made reference to televangelistic types, those who–
Hunnah: Oh! There was one who brought up the subject of tithing. I really liked his program, but I mentioned it because we just happened to have the subject and I hoped you would talk about it. And I was just thinking that money in the hands of an enlightened man is not the same as money in the hands of an unenlightened man.
Loreenia: The big problem is money and power. They believe they have power over others.
Hunnah: Well, no. Frequently they need to invest their money to make it work, so (indistinguishable). I remember, over the years, the anxiety I would feel in buying groceries, if I was able to manage my money enough to be able to pay for it, and that — nobody knows its difficult, for, or, “Don’t get yourself in (financial) trouble!” It offers a lot for soul development.
TOMAS: It does indeed. It is a worthy study. It is an on-going worthy study, and those who have money and those who don’t alike are interested in the subject, and what they are interested in is the ability to accomplish things and to stand upright in their society because it is a symbol of acceptability and ability to accomplish things. It has not always been that way. It is a goal, in fact.
Your evolved religions have discussed and impressed upon some of you that the godly man is rewarded by prosperity, and many of them have established a creed and appropriate lifestyle to support that premise. It is a premise that fits their needs, perhaps, but it is not a premise that answers the entire question.
The case for prosperity is tricky because it is natural to want to prosper, even in the spirit, and it is natural to expect that the symbol that indicates you have attained prosperity will be forthcoming but, as you well know, that is not always the case. And so it is important that you base your initial and fundamental prosperity on the spirit, on your relationship with spirit, on your qualify relationship with yourself, on your richness of relationship with your family in the spirit, and in the flesh.
But prosperity in terms of dollars only is moral, spiritual and emotional bankruptcy. Money cannot love. God is love. And so unless your money serves you in bringing about His will on Urantia, it is a misuse of funds.
When you are in a situation to wonder about your motives, sit down and review your quandary in terms of the fruits of the spirit. Look at the situation with enlightened honesty. Be sincerely fair. Have courageous loyalty to the highest ideals, and so on down the line, in order that you will know in your heart that you have done right with the material manifestation of your inner state of being.
You who have read the Course in Miracles and other philosophies along these lines understand the concept that the material world is illusion, that it is a mere shadow of the true reality. And so looking at money in those terms, it is nothing. It is certainly not the Holy Grail that so many mortals scramble around their entire life in search of and in adulation to. If the material life is a shadow of the greater reality, then money also is a shadow of the greater reality and as we work together in these private sessions in this teaching platform, discussing, becoming familiar with, developing, fostering, nurturing, commending, celebrating the real You, the True Reality, then it stands to reason that as you manifest this higher reality in your material life, the symbols of your material life will also beget the fruits of the spirit as a reflection of you, as a reflection of the Father.
Also, in regard to money, remember the parable of the steward, that it is good to put money to work, that it is better to let money make money than to sit idle, buried, not helping anyone, not even gathering interest, and so as it says in the Urantia Book, “Money serves by being spent.” It serves as well by being invested in those things that will garner benefit for the future — not only the future of your personal life and that of your mortal family, but for the kingdom, the Greater Family, the family of man, and the future one world of Urantia.
Are there questions?
Tithing
Leah: There are people who are talented, have spiritual messages for us, and other messages for us, and who charge huge sums o’ money, and I just wondered about that. As I said before, it says in the gospels that the laborer is worthy his due, but there are some people who think that when people carry a spiritual message they should not receive any compensation. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but I don’t think they need huge amounts. I just wonder if you care to elaborate.
TOMAS: Yes, thank you. “Freely have you received; freely give.” That which is of the Father cannot be reduced to a symbol. The living gospel is alive and is not for sale.
That nonetheless many human beings are garnering great profit from their craft is most unfortunate, but it is also the legacy of the evolved religions. It is a way of taking advantage of the masses who opt to turn their authority over to a charismatic, powerful and, yes, successful “man of God” to speak those words which they themselves would hear if they were not looking for God outside themselves.
When and as a being, a mortal being, serves, it is, again, a reflection, it is that shadow of light, it is that which is material, and that which is of time and space belongs to the material realm, can be divided up, and so I would not begrudge anyone from charging by the hour for their services, for their skills. But the charlatan who would profit by his devotees is unworthy to be called an apostle,
Freely have you received; freely give that which is from the Lord. If it from you, if it is your creation, then you must claim it as your creation in order to charge for it. Has that been helpful?
Leah: It’s been helpful. I’m thinking of the seminar or workshop or things that cost anywhere from about $300 to $1,000. I understand the appeal to the masses and they usually have a nice place, a resort area or something, and some people go there for a retreat or a vacation, but it sometimes seems like some of the things I would be interested in … and I feel that I could afford to go to them … but it does seem exorbitant. But I wonder about the people who could no way afford to go to them but they certainly would be interested in them.
TOMAS: Such is exclusivity born of wealth. It is a way of remaining above the masses, of keeping their hands clean, it is not all-inclusive, but esoteric, for a true kingdom-builder, a worker in the field, commingles with the common man, on he who has not the wherewithal to spend such funds on such fineries as enlightenment. Recall that Jesus took his message to the common man who heard him gladly. There is no law that says you must have wealth in order to teach the gospel or believe the gospel.
This refers again back to the true wealth of the individual, which is his soul. It is simply a matter of the disease of your economic structure that will one day topple and be rebuilt. Have mercy, when that day comes, on those who do not know how to live without the material trappings of elegance and warmth and comfort. See then how their truths hold up. Have mercy and sincere fairness. Many of these individuals do not know what it ‘s like to be hungry.
Many of these individuals do use portions of their profits to help evolve the planet. They contribute to research and to ecology. It is perhaps unfortunate that they don’t proclaim their motives,
Leah: It almost sounds like a Robin Hood type thing, taking the money from the ones who would put it out there for something else and then giving it to the poor. I’m sure there are quite a number of these people who do . .. I know there’s a few. Richard Simmons has given a lot of money away. Quite a few people do those things.
I was just wondering. We get those spiritualist newspapers or newsletters in the stores and they talk about these different workshops and we look at these $500-$1,000 and I’d like to go to that, but … it’s true that some of those people do give gifts to other organizations. I don’t know. I just have mixed feelings about that.
TOMAS: It strikes me as representing spiritual snobbery.
Leah: Hmmm. I understand your attitude but I still keep thinking about how clever they are in being able to tap into that level and divert it into another direction.
T’OMAS: Let me point out to you that cleverness is no substitute for true character, and this is an example of what free will will do, for you have every right to admire their skill in garnering funds for their spiritual “gifts,” for their ability to enthuse people and activate energies which truly will contribute to the uplifting of Urantia in the long run, but your quiet and humble and earnest work in the field, as you are doing it is causing greater growth by its simple truth. No one will have to tear down what you have said in order to rebuild themselves again, for you are speaking only truth. You are not promoting more scaffolding.
Leah: This has been an interesting conversation, and I still keep thinking of money versus credit and money is our symbol of exchange given to the worker who pays the bills with money. Gerdean and I had a conversation about barter and, as it stands right now, money is our medium of exchange.
TOMAS: Your symbol, yes, which is infinitely superior to exchanging people.
Loreenia: We’ve come a long way, but still have a long way to go.
TOMAS: That is the case.
Hunnah: It’s really hard to keep your opinion to yourself — us … individually — and still manage our own affairs practically, to the highest level. It’s a challenge.
Leah: Yes, today I bought a silly looking tree and then I listened to Tomas talking about starving people and I want to feel guilty but I don’t really feel guilty about it, but I thought, “Oh, how frivolous of me.”
TOMAS: I want to state that by discussing the starving children, I was not inferring that you should not enjoy your own fruits of your own labors. It was not to inflict guilt that I set forth that example, for it is well known that there are millions of needy individual and we have heard already more than enough about eating everything on your plate because of the starving children in Ethiopia. Right?
Group: Yes.
Progress
Loreenia: It came to my mind the other day, Tomas, that we in America — and other places — we take our wealth and we build houses to house our cars and there are people on the street that have no homes. It seems a very large mis-adjustment of funds.
TOMAS: It is because, my dear, you are only evolving to a level of understanding the greater family. Remember that you were once a mere clan, a tribe. You have evolved now to a nation. You have evolved a level of family loyalty, perhaps, that sees the family of man but is not responsible for it yet. Look with gratitude upon your history, which has brought you to this point and look to the future with enthusiasm for its rightful correction and expansion into inculcating all of humankind into its family.
When your societies become more evolved, you will establish yourselves a little more differently and sharing with your brothers and sisters will be more natural. You will begin to see each other as common allies instead of competitors, or as friends instead of predators, and so you will begin to bond and build your civilizations to be more inclusive. It is a goal, one that we appreciate your looking at.
Do not become angry at what you see today, for it serves no purpose to be angry without having some direction, and your most feasible direction is to ask for God’s guidance for you in how to bridge those gaps between you and your brothers and sisters that will enable them and you to face a broader tomorrow together as the family of man who can help each other.
Remember that Christian story about feeding each other with the long spoons and think in terms of taking your long spoons with you wherever you go that you may begin to feed your neighbor, that he may begin to also feed you. It. is not possible nor necessary to destroy the home, the basic nuclear institution, for it is the backbone of civilization, the cultural seat, and worthy of its attainment , but there are other aspects of family, extended family, surrogate family, spiritual family, kindred spirits, and all those which will come into an understanding of itself which will create great waves in the great ocean. These can begin even now. These small pockets of fraternity can begin to coalesce, coagulate and co-operate even now and do wondrous work toward building a new future.
Loreenia: I have come across people, and myself included, who long for groups of kindred spirits to, say, have homes where they live together and share, help each other, more than what we’re doing at the present time. Say groups of 10 or 12, and help each other, financially, spiritually and whatever way possible, then be helpful to each group, as it were.
TOMAS: Indeed.
Loreenia: This seems to come down to a collective consciousness of certain individuals I’ve spoken to.
TOMAS: Yes. And as you learn to have unity in diversity you will begin to join forces and apply yourselves much more readily, and it will require much less money to do so. Like the family of four, its pro-rata share is less than four separate individuals who must pay almost the full price of a family of four to pay for its residence, transportation, and so forth. Whereas this banding together in the ideals of family life fosters fraternity and fellowship without being based on economics, but it contributes to a healthy system of economics.
Loreenia: It also helps to break that power hold of certain individuals over one or two individuals who are collectively together working. One powerful individual with a lot of money can’t control a collective. If you had ten people in a nearer area than that one landlord, then that one person can’t do that as easily as one individual over the others.
TOMAS: Your plans are being evolved even as you voice them, as often is the case; however, it may not be for you to look around to see who is going to do it, but see how you can do it for yourself and others, and see then if the wherewithal is not forthcoming to bring that about. That is a proper use of money – to serve.
Loreenia: I’ve had that in mind now for some time, as well as other things.
TOMAS: We also are working on such things, and are excited about the prospects. Have you any other questions of me this evening, group, having to do with our topic of conversation or anything else?
Ruth: Tomas, this is Ruth. Can I ask you something?
TOMAS: Yes.
Ruth: I have a cousin who was recently injured. He was doing a bike ride to benefit. MS or CF and he was injured by a truck and I talked to him Monday and asked him how he was feeling and he is not doing well. But when I write to him, would you help me with my words’? I don’t understand the reason this happened to him and I’m sure he doesn’t either. I’m sure there’s a purpose for it. I would just be very appreciative if you would help me.
TOMAS: Indeed, daughter, I would be glad to help you in your task. Call upon me when you sit down, pen in hand, and see if we can’t come up with the appropriate soul attitude which will express your heart’s concerns and desires for his recovery and his spiritual growth. The mysteries of life are not always known but it is important, when difficult experiences overtake us, that we find it an opportunity to seek understanding from the spirit, that we grasp hold of the lasting reality that it might then help us to understand how to walk this earth plane more graciously, more trustingly, more willingly.
It is not always for us to know why it is that certain things happen; sometimes painful, sometimes irreparable, but the spirit is enduring, the true reality is stronger than the material reality. It is that which will endure. It is that which will provide infinite joy and grace and strength for you to teach. None of us do this alone. No matter what experience life offers, there are others who also know the experience and it is often our opportunity and privilege to give what we have received to teach and to preach the good tidings of the reality of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.
Ruth: Thank you, Tomas.
Closing
TOMAS: Thank you, Ruth. My children, it grows late.
Hunnah: We’re like a pack of sleepy dogs here after having our big meal. It’s a problem for the hostess. I will have to make a change; I don’t know what it’s going to be but I appreciate your patience.
TOMAS: I tell you what, my dear. I will scratch you behind your ear and appreciate your wagging tail (laughter). You are a loyal friend, indeed.
I have enjoyed our discourse. I hope I have not ruffled any feathers anywhere. But, rather I hope I have provided some food for thought and stimuli for verbal exchange among you, that you might better understand yourselves the power and influence of this symbol of value in the material realms.
Until we meet again, dear flock. Farewell.
