1996-12-01-Tolerance
Spokane #41
Contents
• 1 Heading
o 1.1 Topic: Tolerance
o 1.2 Group: Spokane TeaM
• 2 Facilitators
o 2.1 Teacher: Aaron, Elyon
o 2.2 TR: Simeon
• 3 Session
o 3.1 Opening
o 3.2 Lesson
3.2.1 Journey
3.2.2 Judgment, Forgiveness
o 3.3 Dialogue
3.3.1 Acceptance
3.3.2 Selfhood
3.3.3 Study
3.3.4 Teaching Mission
3.3.5 Tolerance
o 3.4 Closing
Topic: Tolerance
Group: Spokane TeaM
Facilitators
Teacher: Aaron, Elyon
TR: Simeon
Session
Opening
AARON: Hello, dear friends. I am Aaron. It is good to be with you today to offer a few thoughts for you.
Lesson
Journey
Hello, dear friends. I am Aaron. It is good to be with you today to offer a few thoughts for As you witness the unfoldment of this mission you can see the beginnings of a long, steady unfolding process, developments which take years to occur coinciding with your progressive efforts at increasing God-consciousness and spirit awareness. This plan of progression is as it should be, and with these long range perspectives your continued development will not be stilted by the disappointments and the upset of unmet expectation. You are building cosmic stamina, preparing yourselves for a long and arduous journey toward Paradise. The completion of your journey is as now inevitable and yet you can see that it will be an eternity of experiences to you before witnessing the completion of your development toward perfection attainment.
We applaud your consistent dedication and effort toward finding challenge and new experience in your lives and for taking the risks, the opportunities, by the horns and making choices which build character as well as soul. I have personally enjoyed my tenure, my association with all of you, and I will continue to communicate as time permits. The developments in your areas are secure enough to see the sprinklings, the misty beginnings, of light and life as it will develop through your continued dedication toward personal growth and the subsequent reflection of that understanding for your fellows and the surrounding community.
Continue on with the faith of a child, sure of his role in a benign and loving family, a universe that is friendly and willing to cooperate with the citizens of Urantia as it makes its way back into the current affairs and happenings of this universe. Thank you once again for your love and your dedication. I send you my love as well. I will withdraw now leaving the space open for other commentary.
Judgment, Forgiveness
ELYON: (Jonathan): Greetings, fellows of faith, I am Elyon, your guide, one who understands, one who loves you and cares for your continued advancement. I would speak about a topic that brings confusion to some for it entails a bit of a paradox. It is involving the concepts that include the words of tolerance, forbearance, patience, and forgiveness. Spiritual teachings encourage reduction or elimination of judgment as it bears upon the soul of another, their worthwhile-ness, the correctness of their behavior.
The famous line “judge not lest ye be judged” (146:2.6) has fortunately encouraged many to work in this area, yet it is found upon reflection that tolerance, forbearance, forgiveness, and patience imply a retention of a judgment while time transpires in the hope of bringing reconciliation or acceptance. To tolerate implies putting up with another’s beliefs or behaviors, to patiently forbear when your own values differ. It seems that you still retain a judgment against another.
May I turn these words by encouraging you to practice tolerance and patience toward yourself, that, until you reconcile your differences, grow in your ability to accept, learn to tolerate, learn to forgive when you are at odds with another. This is the infusion of love into the arena of judgment which allows the application of wisdom, the recognition of relative values, allows you to avoid the pitfall of ignoring the vertical qualities of growth.
Not all beliefs and opinions are equal; in the ascension of a soul there is ranking. But it is not for the ascender to determine the order of these values in another. When the feelings of separation brought on by judgment arise, do not berate yourself for such attitudes of judgment. Rather forgive both yourself and the other as you apply the wisdom that even the gods apply toward the vast diversity of all creation. By doing so you do not face the frustration of fighting between an ego-derived superiority and the soul-desired equality over and with another. To tolerate can be more than the tolerance of just the apparent offender; it is two fold as you undergo the unfoldment of time wherein experience will provide both yourself and another with the awakenings that bring unity and acceptance.
I do appreciate our time together. I am interested in your welfare, and I recognize your reciprocation in this regard toward myself and my associates. As you take the time to commune with the Father and as you boldly challenge your personal frailties in order to grow, and as you courageously seek to offer spiritual nourishment for others, you walk in the path of Michael. I can at this time take questions and am always desirous to hear your responses and comments.
Dialogue
Acceptance
Bob: Thank you for being around for the past few years. I don’t know if I got the lesson today. I recall a lesson recently where it was said that there is an acceptance beyond tolerance. Is this true?
ELYON:: You have understood my lesson. Acceptance is the transcendence of even forgiveness. However, I have attempted to address the quandary revealed when one must accept another when apparent violation of one’s own values is evident. And so, in order to avoid the tolerance in the feeling of superiority over another, I attempt to help you also to tolerate yourself as you reach toward this acceptance. You know that the Father has forgiven even before you ask, for His orientation is such that forgiveness, which is time oriented, is only an indicator of a state of being that the Father is at all times. This I perceive you have illustrated as an attainment possibility for all ascending souls. Simeon, I have always been pleased with your efforts in this mission. I am eternally grateful for your courageous and pioneering efforts in this area. You know, due to my current morontia state, I can be in your company at any request.
Selfhood
Bob: I appreciate that. I’ve been thinking about the concept of loving the ego. You can’t really love yourself; you can have love for oneself or of oneself. The delineation I made was that love of oneself is more an ego based pride. Love for oneself is to respect the personality and the progressing qualities of your person. Is that correct, or is it possible to love oneself?
ELYON:: I appreciate your work with these subtle words as “of” and “for” for they do provide growth levers wherein you can derive new understanding and deeper insight. It is possible to perceive that love for oneself involves your personality’s ability to love the factors of your self-hood including the expressive avenue of ego, the human traits both superior and inferior, an understanding as if your personality were father and your animal and human aspects were son. You realize the inner spirit is love. That above love of yourself and love for oneself there is love from oneself. This love is unconditional and in such must be love for yourself as well as others.
In a quandary as to the meaning of loving oneself, when feeling all too human and not very divine, exercise the perspective of your Father’s presence, allowing the sense of immersion in His presence will help you to love self. You have spoken of the difference between the observer and the observed; it is a subtle distinction but can help to understand where love of self can lead to pride and love for oneself can lead to the attitude of the Father.
Bob: Thank you. I need to head out
ELYON:: And I give you my love. (interlude while Bob leaves.)
ELYON:: The midwayers on your planet when compiling their version of the life and teachings of Jesus deliberately included the many episodes wherein he said, “my hour has not yet come.” Although often this was in reference to public ministry, the time for action, it is a worthwhile phrase to retain when in need of accepting oneself in light of failure to act according to one’s higher ideals, for the coming hour is still ahead where failure implies the appropriate moment has passed. This is a form of patience, forbearance of oneself, while awaiting the time when you have successfully and perhaps permanently realized the state you desire.
Due to the fact that my words to you are spread widely, I would include a qualification here. I know how intently you work toward improving your spiritual standing, your soul growth, the process required to do so. So, I do not feel this qualification is so necessary to anyone in particular; I must include it for general clarity. Utilization of the phrase “my hour has not yet come” must not be employed as a form of procrastination. Patience is one thing; procrastination is entirely different. Do you have comments?
Study
Tom: I’ve read in the UB how the Master required his apostles to study three hours every evening in preparation for the hour that has not yet come. This is a good idea, isn’t it?
ELYON:: Indeed, and it is much of what the Melchizedek classrooms are about. This study can be in the form of disciplined reading, even writing, the acquirement of knowledgeable understanding. But it also includes worship, prayer, and relationship with spirit, and even more broadly means that it is beneficial for one to work on oneself in order to become a better servant in the uplift program that your planetary administrators seek to spread abroad in this world.
Teaching Mission
Tom: I recall reading where a teacher recommended meeting as much as twice a week. We just read that and went about our business. Would you speak about that again? Is that an admonition that we let slip by?
ELYON:: I offer two perspectives, actually one view with two dimensions. Firstly: as you have been diligent in paying attention to the lessons and working toward effectively utilizing them in your lives, one meeting a week is sufficient. Two would be required if we needed to hammer harder on you to grasp what we encourage you to become. Secondly, I encourage your meeting more often, not to repeat the same procedures we undertake today, but to branch into other projects, to make a time for application as a group or as a subset of this larger group. . …
Each of you have notions of what you would like to accomplish, some of which is accomplished through the enlistment of your fellows’ support. If you are feeling that you are not absorbing our input, then I would be available more often through the week to continue to encourage. If you are feeling that you are grasping my lessons, then I encourage a subsequent meeting to work towards the accomplishment of goals and projects you are developing in yourselves. Does this clarify?
Tom: Yes. What are your thoughts about a group in Sandpoint? Is it about ready to sprout? Are there people available who could relay an instructor?
ELYON:: Yes. Potentials have been developing for some time. To use some of your earth changes terminology, the seismographic readings show much activity.
Tom: Could you expound on that? Can you give me any direction to facilitate that coming about?
ELYON:: In order for a group to coalesce and continue, focus is an important element and determines the orientation of the attendees. So, I would ask you to define a purpose and advertise this, to contact potential group members and inform them of your intentions so that they may make a decision. I do encourage you to be expressive of your work with us teachers, and I encourage the arena of conceptual understanding that is The Urantia Book. The effort of this mission is to reach all, so I would not eliminate asking fellows to attend who are not necessarily readers of the text
. But I know you, as one who has been enlisted in the fifth epochal revelation outreach efforts, would be more happily fulfilled if your focus and content of your meetings were based upon this great expression of the Orvonton commission. There are hungry souls in your area. There are readers who long for the fellowship. There are also a few who are quite independent and only need to experience a group wherein independence is accepted, that conformity is not required. I hope this provides you with some consideration that you may apply.
Tom: Yes, thank you.
Tolerance
Evelyn: I was thinking about what you said about judgment causing feelings of separation. In the past I thought judgment was a hostile regard toward someone. I was hoping that I wasn’t being judgmental in distinguishing between behavior and an individual. It still seems wise to separate yourself from behavior that you don’t want to emulate. That’s not judgment on the person but acting for my own good, to avoid copying or being swayed by behaviors I don’t want to get addicted to. I’ve got weaknesses and others have weaknesses; if they choose to do what they do, that’s fine. But it does cause feelings of separation. I think I understand what you are saying, but maybe I have a wrong understanding of what judgment is.
ELYON:: You have very well illustrated the quandary that one finds oneself in when dealing with truths involved in judgment and non-judgmental-ness and tolerance that leads to acceptance. To avoid judgment in order that you may not condemn another soul is good. To recognize variable behavior is wise. To avoid condemnation through non-judgment at the other extreme is to ignore realities. Here is where tolerance becomes a valuable intermediary. I intend here to illustrate that tolerance and its related actions are transient processes in soul growth which must include reflective application upon oneself, for you have even today expressed the frustration of accepting people while differentiating the merit of actions, actions which as you unfold in your growth take on new meanings.
These new meanings often diffuse the need for tolerance, that understanding that ripens into love.
To summarize my intentions, forgiveness, forbearance, tolerance, and patience are not to be dispensed with, only viewed in light of the larger context of judgment, acceptance, understanding, and love, and that it includes the mirror qualities of applying these to oneself as well as the other. Does this help?
Evelyn: I guess so. If I can be patient with myself, I can go ahead and keep the distance if I feel that is the wiser course when dealing with my reactions to certain behaviors. I don’t feel like I’m judging their souls. If I don’t want to be lazy, I don’t want to hang out with “lazy” people, or while they are in relax mode. That’s just an example. I just don’t think that I’m judging their souls.
ELYON:: It isn’t. It’s recognition of a value placed upon the utilization of time.
Evelyn: I can be tolerant while they judge me as intolerant.
ELYON:: The tolerance implies a desire for a change in the behavior. This tolerance ties into your value, in this case, of utilization of time more actively. It would be better to perceive your tolerance as accepting their desires to behave such as their freewill right and accepting your desires to do otherwise. This removes the comparisons. Tolerance is the way to mend the disruption caused when values are projected upon another independent of their own level of growth.
Evelyn: Thanks.
Tom: Yeah, thanks.
Closing
ELYON:: It is always my pleasure to sit in your company and to exchange expressions of joy and frustration, for it is in these hours of fellowship that we are strengthened for the vicissitudes of life and become better equipped to minister to others who face these very same conflicts. I encourage each of you to review this lesson to extract as many perspectives from these ideas, the different ways of looking at this for it is not a one single approach that is correct and all else wrong. It is the the multiplicity of approaches that will allow you the insight which will aid you when the hour does arise when you need to function be it non-judgmentally through forgiveness, through love, and acceptance. I now take my leave. Farewell.
