2011-08-14-Personal Counsel
Rio Rancho #183
Contents
• 1 Heading
o 1.1 Topic: Personal Counsel
o 1.2 Group: Rio Rancho TeaM
• 2 Facilitators
o 2.1 Teacher: Trieste
o 2.2 TR: Gerdean
• 3 Session
o 3.1 Opening
o 3.2 Lesson
3.2.1 Relationship
3.2.2 Reality
3.2.3 Conflict
3.2.4 Action
3.2.5 Inner Life
3.2.6 Human Condition
3.2.7 Fanaticism
o 3.3 Dialogue
3.3.1 Busyness
o 3.4 Closing
Topic: Personal Counsel
Group: Rio Rancho TeaM
Facilitators
Teacher: Trieste
TR: Gerdean
Session
Opening
TRIESTE: May I come in? I am Trieste, Gerdean’s personal teacher … of personality peculiarities. Everybody’s got some … more than enough to deal with … but they are often close enough to others in design that object lessons can be learned from them. If it is true that you can learn from others’ experience as well as your own, then these moments of sharing are not only looks into the personal teacher/student relationship, but into your own character as well.
Lesson
Relationship
TRIESTE: I preface my words today because I would like to take advantage of the unscheduled opportunity to interject a word or two on behalf of my charge, Gerdean, and some of the quandaries her mind has been engaging in for some time. What we have here is a conflict of interest and we also have a discrepancy between the heart and the head that are unresolved. There are other dimensions involved, and values are being buffeted about and so there is agitation, conflict in her such that it is appropriate for me to attempt to get her attention and perhaps get something through to her.
Let me try to be affirmative without being defensive. We are representations. Are we real — we who you speak with in this fashion? We are as real as you choose to let us be. For the reality is that which has lasting value. And so, if there is any lasting value in our relationship, whether it itself is real or not, whether I am real or not, is for the Supreme to decide. The Supreme will take what it can use and put it to God’s good. I personally don’t see that any of you are doing anything detrimental to God, Michael, or His mission to raise His children — on all the worlds, including Urantia … to be a part of the evolving universe.
How you damage one another and yourselves in your differing perspectives is for your experience, for your decision-making, for your learning. The universe is one vast school and you will always be working with someone and so you will always be learning one thing or another about yourself and about others, about relationship, and through it all about the Infinite Upholder, the Universal Father, the Divine Maker. Into His hands we commend our spirit.
Reality
The rest of us are shadows of the one pure I AM, even though we may be created perfect, for there is only one original I AM. All else is a reflection thereof. And it, at that point, becomes something to contend with, something to think about, to define, to conjure, to assimilate, to imagine, to try on for size, to listen for, and to seek after. We share that quality, those of us who are born perfect and those of us who are evolving finite creatures (and a range of other beings with other characteristics) but which are all advancing in the paradigms throughout the evolving worlds and the morontia worlds.
But now we’ve gone too far. We need to reel it in, this fish we caught, out in space, in Paradise; bring it up here on shore where we can take a look at it. We have this fish now in front of us. Is it the living water? No. Is it God? No. Is it Paradise? No. But it is what we are dealing with. This is the bread of life. This is the materialization of immaterial reality, the shadow of Reality.
And so, even though the Light shines upon you and within you and from you, you are, even so, living in the shadows of a temporal existence. You are protected from the full light of the Sun for if you should see it you would surely die, so great is its brilliance, power and energy. You could not withstand its presence. Its presence must be buffered so that you can handle it at your stage of development, and God is willing to diminish himself greatly, even down to a tiny spark of Light within your mind as the Pilot Light, that “true light which lights every man who comes into the world.”
Conflict
And the pilot light, in the dark, sees things that the mind may construe as phantoms, ghosts, visions. Shadows may appear to be something other than what they are, and yet without the omniscient perspective, you have to deal with your perceptions in faith of it being the lily pad upon which you are to step. Gerdean has conflicts on where to step, and so it seems to her she is simply sitting still, not going anywhere. This troubles her because she wants to be a part of the sociology that surrounds the Monjoronson aura but does not want to acquiesce to its authority.
She is also conflicted by her profound loyalty to the original fifth epochal revelation, in terms of it being a book. There is, of course, a big difference between the book and the life that you live after being aware of certain greater realities and dimensions in the academic part of your brain. When you believe an authority, for whatever reason, your mind is expanded to include the beneficence of that authority, and there is no greater beneficence than that which has introduced you to your sonship experience.
Action
If you consider the work of the spirit of worship, you will realize that those who have been reborn of the spirit have been born by something that triggered that desire to know God and God answered in such a way as to permanently alter your approach to life, your perception of what it is and your assurance of what you have to do within it. And then to come along and find yourself in a quandary as relevant, pertinent, critically important, etc., etc., as to affect that sense of security, that standing – culturally, spiritually, communally and otherwise – there is reason to sit there on that lily pad and wait until you are prompted to leap in one direction or another.
There is nothing wrong with finding a good lily pad and making yourself comfortable upon it. After all, where do you have to go? When you need to act, you will be prompted to act. Any one of the adjutant mind-spirits can trigger the spirit of truth to say “this is the way” and the divine Spark to lend the energy to complete the task. It does not require names, personalities, faces, characters, creatures, landscaping or anything else to recognize the voice of God when it speaks to you.
But that doesn’t mean that talking to others in your mind is not a worthy pastime. In fact, I will take you back to the days when psycho-babble was still fairly new. We’ve gotten distracted.
Alright, we were distracted by a vision of a moment in time, standing in the kitchen of your friend Philip, back when he lived here in Albuquerque in your first year of sobriety. It was a value lesson he gave you. He told you he could not be depended upon to “be there.” He needed you to know that and you heard that and it was contrary to your need for what love is which promises to always be there. The difference is: one is human; one is divine. That’s where we got distracted.
Inner Life
It was during that era. There was a poster on the wall that said: “Psycho-babble Spoken Here.” And this was true because a lot of recovery is sitting around talking about what you’re thinking about and feeling, and connecting the dots and finding insight into your character – especially in terms of your relationships with others because having relationships is the first surefire way to find out how imperfect you are (and also have revealed to you other truths about yourself which may not be entirely welcome) but the benefits of a loving relationship far outweigh the awkward moments of personal learning that all people endure in relationships, and so you have an idea of what all these voices are in your mind.
It used to be that they were the voice of your mother, your father, your preacher, your teacher, your coach, your neighbor, a bully, a nun, the little girl, the different voices that you bring with you as to which one to follow, which one takes up more room in your head. Why is it lingering there? Is it someone you need to forgive? Did something occur at that time, at that era that you have not realized, that constitutes reason for review? Was there a precious memory there is worthy of framing, so as to look back upon it as the superb moment of a great friendship, to give you strength on rainy days. What do these experiences that come to your mind, come to your mind for?
Human Condition
There are so many insights into the human condition as it works its way into a spiritual consciousness and then acts out on this new consciousness in order to bring about the changes in the finite world that it has learned from these mental machinations that we do … you in your personal lives, in your minds, according to your personal nature; we in our minds, in our orders of being according to our nature … and on up into Paradise where Father exists within the nature of His character, which is perfect.
The only thing is, you see, it’s often uncomfortable, even difficult, to refuse to take a stand or try to convince someone or try to sell your idea or tout your belief or sing forth your praises when and as people want you to. Living needs to be spontaneous. As you learn to be self-acting in God-consciousness, spirit-led creatures of the realm, you can act in grace and naturally and not need the regimen, the militancy that is the sub-flooring of the foundation upon which the reality stands. [Recess]
Reneau suggested you have your finger in a lot of pies and reiterated half a dozen major projects or commitments you are involved in. I could add another half dozen before we get down into the dreary details of life. And so indeed it is no wonder you feel pulled in several directions, why you feel you are letting people down, why you feel in the way, why you feel opposed.
[Greetings to Grayce, Amayonnaising Grayce]
TRIESTE: Let’s see. Where were we? Well, you just have to learn to prioritize yourself. And frankly your interests will vary, according to a number of things, usually the calendar, sometimes the season, or any number of variables, but what a great life it is you enjoy! Your playroom is totally replete and you are quite adept at amusing yourself within your confines of civility and graciousness most of the time but you still have a long way to go toward learning how to work well with other children. Especially with your character, as it is. You need to balance yourself and this I see you attempting to do.
Fanaticism
No one can really trust a fanatic, and so it does not behoove you to develop fanaticism toward any one thing (– not that I am suggesting you should be fanatical over several!) But, of course, there is a difference between enthusiasm and fanaticism. No one should have to apologize for how they feel or how they perceive reality. It is what it is. All you can judge – if judge you must – is how those perceptions and/or beliefs impact on you or on others in your community. But that is a community matter, and that, for now, is outside our range of conversation.
You do well to take care of yourself and to recognize your limitations, your physical limitations in particular. You are balancing that rather well. You don’t want to become an invalid and you do exercise by remaining involved in lo these many projects that keep you hopping, be they dead-lines, events, or the cycle of the moon.
Dialogue
Busyness
TRIESTE: How rude we are to talk all day without inviting the association and participation of Reneau here, your loyal friend and companion and playmate. What’s new with you, my dear?
Reneau: There’s a wedding coming up. My daughter’s getting married, so there are a lot of activities surrounding that.
TRIESTE: Are you quite involved in those processes?
Reneau: More or less. My involvement, fortunately, is minimal. The bride is more or less directing the show, so I am just looking on.
TRIESTE: Being the mother of the bride.
Reneau: I can just sit back and be supportive.
TRIESTE: These are memorable times, and making memories — happy ones hopefully — are what enriches your otherwise —
Reneau: Humdrum life.
TRIESTE: — stressful existence on this planet. No, it’s not humdrum at all! It’s–
Reneau: We have special occasions once in a while that help a lot.
TRIESTE: Well, just getting in your car and getting on the highway is a stressful thing. You don’t realize it because you have become accustomed to it, but it places stress on your system, it taxes adrenalin and takes energy.
Reneau: And working.
TRIESTE: Keeping schedules, fulfilling obligations, being appropriately politically correct while expressing your honest opinion, even conversing can be an effort.
Reneau: It’s nice to be able to find the time to sit back and enjoy celestial babble.
TRIESTE: Another thing that helps is to sit out in nature. Jesus understood this well. Just go out, stand in the sun, take in the largess of the horizon, the clouds, the winds, the colors, the shadows. Smell it, feel it, taste it, thus feel refreshed. The pause that refreshes is to connect to your cosmic Source. Lift your countenance in recognition of the Light.
And what a beautiful shadow it is of greater reality. One would not know by looking at it that it was not anything but 100% pure reality, and so it is: 100% pure finite reality. So this wedding will take place in nature?
Reneau: Yes. In the National Forest, at a nice little park setting, with a lodge type shelter.
TRIESTE: Rural Santa Fe.
Reneau: Yes.
TRIESTE: Are you having a community supper surrounding the birthday of Christ Michael?
Reneau: Our group? We might. I don’t know. We haven’t discussed it yet so I’m not sure what the plans are.
TRIESTE: So there is no annual tradition.
Reneau: Yes! Yes, there is. I just don’t know who prepared what. They’d have to tell me that tomorrow when our group meets, but we’ll talk about that. Hopefully we’ll get together.
TRIESTE: Well, it’s not required you know.
Reneau: It’s a nice gesture.
TRIESTE: It’s just like establishing any new habit that has reason to be commemorated.
Reneau: Well, like anybody else’s birthday!
TRIESTE: There are a number of people who intend to have an hour of remembrance of the Master’s birth and life here on his birthday between noon and 1:00, wherever they may live, so that the hour will revolve completely around the world and the world will have spent a glorious hour connecting to Christ consciousness at that time of his birth: noon, August 21st.
Reneau: How about that? Okay.
TRIESTE: Everyone is, of course, invited to join in. There’s that, in this busy age of technology. More and more meetings are taking place in cyberspace or on some spiritual circuit. I am feeling a lag in the T/R and would probably serve to sign off for the afternoon. There is always another time, should you want to reconnect with our work together.
Closing
Reneau: We sure appreciate it, so much. It’s nice to hear from you. Have a good day.
TRIESTE: Au revoir.
