© 2016 Bobbie Dreier and Francis Oliver Lynn
© 2016 The Urantia Book Fellowship
Recently I started a new kind of study group. My husband Steve and I have hosted and attended Urantia Book study groups for forty years. Our regular study group has become family and an anchor in our lives. Study group is a treasured social and educational occasion and continues to enhance my understanding of the teachings. Although we have instituted a short period of silent contemplation I felt the need for something more—something to supplement, not supplant the study experience. The revelation is the basis of my personal religion and I wanted to experience an atmosphere of communion when we met to study— a feeling of fellowship with the divine…the beginning of group worship.” UB 103:4.1
I have a personal prayer life. Conversations with God replaced the rote prayers of my childhood when I began reading The Urantia Book. And sixteen years ago, I began meditating regularly each morning. My intention during this quiet time, my “divine appointment,” is to enhance my relationship with God, to help me keep a consciousness of the reality of spirit through the day. I have a little talk with my Father in heaven and although I don’t expect to hear a voice, I sit in quiet receptivity. Nothing magical or mystical happens during my meditation, but over the years I experienced a growing consciousness of the presence of spirit in my life.
I value the combination of studying the teachings with a group and my personal prayer and meditation time. For some time, however, I’ve had the feeling that we could use the power of the group in worshipful contemplation to spiritualize our study. We are told that “intellectually, socially, and spiritually two moral creatures do not merely double their personal potentials of universe achievement by partnership technique; they more nearly quadruple their attainment and accomplishment possibilities.” UB 43:8.11 Why not consciously multiply our intellectual, social, and spiritual potentials when we gather? Rather than a social occasion I imagined a Urantia Book study group as a place where we could study and share our lives in the spirit, where we could actively apply some of the “habits which favor religious growth… worshipful problem solving, [and] sharing one’s spiritual life with one’s fellows…” UB 100:1.8
The encouragement of group worship is among the purposes of the socialization of religion. I wondered if worshiping together in study group could help us transfer The Urantia Book teachings off the pages and into our lives—to walk the walk as well as we talk the talk. “The worship experience consists in the sublime attempt of the betrothed Adjuster to communicate to the divine Father the inexpressible longings and the unutterable aspirations of the human soul…” UB 5:3.8 Could we, as a group of Urantia Book students share our personal soul longings with each other? Could worshiping together with the encouraging presence of trusted friends foster a level of intimacy that would enable us to support each other’s desire to live the teachings?
For several summers Gard Jameson and I have facilitated Circles of Trust, inspired by Parker Palmer’s A Hidden Wholeness, at preconference retreats. Deep respectful listening was the foundation of the experience. Based on the Quaker practice of “silent waiting, where we expect to come into the presence of God [and]…listen for the still, small voice that comes from God through the inward light…” (Friends General Conference, 2013) the goal was to create a safe space in which we could listen for inner guidance and affirm each other by our loving presence. “Allowing brief reflective silences to fall between speakers…gives everyone time to absorb what has been said…When we listen more deeply to others, we can listen more deeply to ourselves.” (Palmer, pp.119–121) In the retreat we spent time in extended silent meditation and created a level of trust and “soul” sharing by adhering to the following guidelines which encouraged respectful listening and trusting the silence.
We were admonished not to respond to each other based on our knowledge or experience. It was counter intuitive guidance, because we want to help each other and are habituated to giving advice. But the only true answers to our questions would come from our inner teachers. For me the experience of learning to listen and being listened to was transformative, and I decided to create a new study group inspired by my experience.
I called the new group a Circle of Kindred Spirits. The goal was to create a community of readers who consciously support each other’s spiritual journey. It was important to begin with readers who meditate regularly and would willingly suspend the interactive nature of study groups, which encourages discussing, debating, questioning, and explaining passages. I initially invited thirteen friends with whom I had participated in retreats, readers who had a regular meditation practice and those who had expressed an interest in such a project. Among the participants was Francis Oliver Lynn, a longtime reader and Quaker practitioner. The group gathered for the first time on October 5th 2014 and met almost monthly since then with an average attendance of eight although most of the group travels more than an hour to attend. It was my hope that if we succeeded in establishing a process that worked we could then invite others to join us. The structure of the Circle evolved as follows:
The first couple of Circle sessions were very challenging. I encouraged everyone to read A Hidden Wholeness in preparation for the gathering, but initially most of the group had not read it. Unfortunately, as we are all so used to preparing a response instead of listening when someone is speaking, there was no real waiting between comments. We are not used to extended periods of silence and often, someone spoke out of seeming nervousness rather than spiritual insight. In addition, albeit lovingly intended, too much advice was offered, and I felt responsible to keep a safe space for everyone. Although I was reluctant to intervene when the guidelines were not followed I knew that our fragile experiment would fail if we didn’t adhere to the guidelines so that participants felt secure enough to share their inner lives. It was difficult for me because in order to maintain an atmosphere of trust, the facilitator must also be a participant.
A Circle of Trust “has no agenda except to help people listen to their own souls and discern their own truth.” (Palmer, p. 53) But old habits are tenacious and in the beginning we were all learning a new way of sharing our spiritual lives together. On one occasion I gently reminded Francis that he was “advising” after he responded with an explanation to someone’s poignant soul offering. Although seemingly defensive at the time, after prayer and reflection he shared his “listening revelation” in a communication to the group:
“I have realized the wonderful gift of healing experienced through truly listening to one another. The mind, heart, and soul of each person has a need to express its sincere longing for spiritual guidance. What is required of the listeners is not their specific responses, but their receptivity to the divine presence that makes it possible for the soul of the speaker to freely and safely find expression and receive the guidance for which they are seeking.”
As the Circle evolved over the months more participants read Palmer’s book, and with our accumulating experience the value of his process and guidelines became evident. We became keenly aware of how hard it is to truly listen to one another and what a gift it is to be listened to. In the process we were learning how to be authentic with each other—to integrate our inner and outer lives. The level of trust and the depth of inner life sharing became evident. Our Circle of Kindred Spirits had begun with the intention of consciously supporting each other on our Godward quest, not only to study about God, but to worship him and better reveal him in our lives. The group has decided to continue the experiment and I hope we are achieving our goals.
As a longtime Urantia Book reader having read and contemplated the revelation within the structure of the study group, I became aware that studying the teachings was not enough to feed my hungry soul. I needed worshipful communion—prayer and meditation, a daily discipline to put my faith into a practice that went deeper than the exploration of the amazing gift of our revelation. As time went on, I began to participate in a variety of religious forms. My search led me to the Quaker faith.
For twenty years I participated in Quaker faith and practice, marrying in a Quaker Meeting House, directing a Quaker youth conference center, teaching at the Princeton Friends School in New Jersey, and serving as the head of worship and ministry for the Princeton Friends Meeting. These experiences had served quite well to nurture my need for a communal spiritual life, and all the while I continued to participate in Urantia Book study groups, including hosting one for several years.
Yet, there was still something missing. My knowledge of the truth of the Fifth Epochal Revelation was not well received among my Quaker Friends, not one Quaker responded with open and sincere receptivity. The one constant comfort on this journey was my wife, Suzanne, who shares with me many of the same spiritual qualities and quests, so I was not truly alone.
Eventually the participants in the study group I had hosted moved on and so I occasionally attended the study group hosted by Bobbie and Steve Dreier. On one occasion, at the International Conference held at the University of Massachusetts, I attended a morning meditation facilitated by Bobbie. This experience was very similar to the Quaker form of worship—sitting in silence meditating upon the presence of the inner spirit. This was the very first time that I had experienced actual communal worship with kindred spirits of The Urantia Book —and I wanted more.
Last year Bobbie invited Suzanne and me to participate in a group she was forming, a “Circle of Kindred Spirits,” and asked us to read a book written by Parker Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness, The Journey Toward an Undivided Life. Palmer is a Quaker elder and I was being led to an opportunity to finally converge distinct and cherished paths of my spiritual journey into a collective communal experience.
The goal of the group was to enhance our spiritual receptivity—to allow the conspiracy of spiritual forces dwelling within each of us to be activated; perhaps even our unseen friends would delight in guiding our effort. We were utilizing a time honored Quaker worshipful practice in which members simply gather to listen to the deeply felt spiritual responses of each participant. In this format there is a great deal of silence where each person consciously invites the inner teacher to infiltrate their thoughts, and when a person feels moved to speak, prompted by the “ light within,” they do so. However, no one addresses a person directly, or engages in dialogue; people simply speak when they are moved to speak, and the responsibility of each participant is to worshipfully listen and to allow the thoughts expressed to influence their minds in whatever manner that resonates with their inner teacher.
It is essential that periods of silence occur after a person speaks to allow for the absorption of what has been shared. This communal worship sharing is quite useful in allowing for the soul of each person to feel safe and to be fully present within the group. In this process, there is no attempt at convincing, correcting, fixing, helping and advising or coming to a solution or conclusion. The key element to this Quaker practice is listening — divinely listening, a precious gift that encourages inner life sharing—and listening is a practice that is never fully perfected—that ability is of God from whom we receive our guidance.
I discovered that practicing the art of listening that I had become accustomed to while worshiping with Quakers was initially really difficult when combined with the study of The Urantia Book —it was challenging for me to transition from the study group format to the practice of divine listening. On one occasion there was a key moment when, after meditating on a recited phrase, a participant expressed a personal soul-felt struggle. I was deeply moved by what he had said and immediately proceeded to present what I considered a well thought out and possibly helpful perspective. I was initially puzzled when Bobbie gently informed me that I was not following the guidelines. Surely what I had said was of value and it was consistent with the teachings of The Urantia Book, and after all, I did demonstrate my insightful interpretation of the teachings as they pertained to the concern expressed and had generously offered my perspective. I was being of service. I had much to say and admittedly was at times quite passionate in my attempt to present a persuasive explanation for what I considered to be a gracious offering.
After the Circle of Trust session, we processed what had taken place regarding my offering and Bobbie’s response informing me that I was advising and therefore sending an unwelcome ripple upon the fabric of our group trust. The patience and willingness of the group to explore this issue served as a bridge to understanding our process of attempting to achieve and sustain an atmosphere of sublime trust, and most importantly we had reaffirmed the essential value of divine worshipful listening to one another’s inner life struggles. What I realized is that my offering to my brother’s soulful expression was not in the interest of what he truly needed. Instead I was demonstrating my so-called mastery of Urantia Book information, and I was thrilled by the opportunity to showcase my ability to beautifully articulate this understanding in a way that would benefit others—when in fact I was benefiting my own sense of intellectual satisfaction. I subsequently realized that worshipful listening is an essential practice during every form of fellowship.
I have learned that we need to embrace communal experiences and to consciously invite the Spirit of Truth to stir among us, and to communally invite our Thought Adjusters to guide us in worshiping our Father. We must seize upon the opportunity to invite the Holy Spirit of our Creative Mother to guide our conscious thinking as we grapple with decisions in our personal lives and as a community of truth seekers. We can put into practice divine listening when we are in thoughtful study of the revelation, attentively listening to the whisper of the soul within each person’s contributions. Every one of us can consciously offer a silent prayer to open our minds to one another that we may truly share the spiritual gifts that we each possess in abundance. And for me, of supreme value, is that we engage in worship of our Father within a circle of trusting kindred spirits. That is in essence living the faith of Jesus, for in being sublimely soul present, we receive what we are giving for we are collectively embraced in the Spirit of Truth.
Souls Embracing
One Another
True listening
Divine presence
Healing
Souls Expressing
Innermost Thought
Communion
God’s Love
Spirit of Truth
Holy Spirit
Guidance
Souls Sharing
Meditation Prayer Worship
Giving
Receiving
Growing
Godward
It’s been an interesting journey. We came together in a Circle of Kindred Spirits because we felt the need to spiritualize the study of The Urantia Book in an atmosphere of communion and to intentionally support each other’s Godward quest. In addition to engaging our minds and attempting to understand the teachings, we are supporting each other in the process of accessing inner truth, to feel the values and experience the reality of the teachings in our lives. We are trying to “reality-ize!” “Mind knows quantity, reality, meanings. But quality—values—is felt. That which feels is the mutual creation of mind, which knows, and the associated spirit, which reality-izes.” UB 111:3.6
We are learning to love by listening. In the words of one of Palmer’s Circle of Trust participants: “… I learned a new and demanding way to listen, a way unencumbered by my own antipathies and judgments. I learned to listen openly for the soul of another, for that which is genuine and sacred. In a moment of realization I saw that this was the way I could put love into practice—by listening selflessly with complete attention to another. I could do this at any time with anyone I met. I could simply practice love through listening.” (Palmer, p. 143)
Although the challenges of competing commitments and not living in close proximity remain, we have decided to meet bi-monthly as we continue the process. Our experiment with a Circle of Kindred Spirits has begun to fulfill our desire for spiritual community. We are creating a deep level of trust and broadening our level of study by maintaining a consciousness of the spirit within and around us. It is our hope that we are helping each other reveal the spirit of the revelation in our lives. We are striving to perfect the art of divine listening and encourage you to go and do likewise!
Bobbie Dreier is a retired teacher and the grandmother of Matthew (21) and Jason (16). She and her husband Steve will celebrate their 54th wedding anniversary this year. She has worked to foster an “atmosphere of communion” at _Urantia Book gatherings in preconference retreats, daily meditation sessions and worship programs. Currently Bobbie is a member of the Education Committee and has been actively involved in local and national Urantia Book activities with Steve for over 40 years.
Francis Oliver Lynn had the good fortune of discovering The Urantia Book when he was twenty years old. The day after he spent an evening walking on the campus of Notre Dame communing with God, he was given the gift of the Fifth Epochal Revelation. A newly found friend had placed the book in his hands and said, “I have a feeling that this is something that will appeal to you,” an interesting intuition since she had never opened the book. A window into the universe had been opened and Francis has never stopped peering into the nature of God since that moment.