© 2006 Eduardo Altuzarra
© 2006 Urantia Association of Spain
Neither neophytes nor those who, considering themselves seekers of truth, have not felt within themselves the force that draws them to the threshold of REALITY will find answers in this dissertation.
That force is like a subtle signal, like a distant musical note, like a vibration. It’s perceptible to the soul; it’s silent, and it’s also something like a hieroglyph. It can become like a key that attempts to open the doors of a heart called to identify the signal.
It can manifest itself in many different ways. An unexpected event, a perspective on the future, an interesting reading, even this reasoning. Anything, at a given moment, can give you the clue that, from that moment on, a profound change can occur in your thinking and your mind. Think about it; it could be the beginning of a transformation.
For those who consider themselves bearers of this type of force, it’s easy to find signs here that can guide them in the steps they should take in the not-too-distant future. This isn’t a procedure or a rule. It’s simply a matter of manifesting references that other beings have already experienced, in very different ways.
We can begin by saying that almost all people in the world’s most developed nations wake up to the reality of a new day with their usual daily chores. You could say we’re hooked on the usual, mundane, almost daily flow of life. We don’t concern ourselves with much else. We’re accustomed to not pausing to reflect, for a few moments, on the possibility of gaining a broader view of reality.
We all know that human beings are born, live, reproduce, and, at the end of our days, die. We are buried or cremated, and peace rests here and glory in heaven. Truly, that’s reality. But is that all? Then what? Because that’s really only part of reality.
Have you ever, upon waking, given thanks for this new day? NO. We must keep in mind that each day we live is like a treasure, like an empty trunk that we fill with a variety of ideas, thoughts, emotions, and feelings.
Eternity, for example, is considered by many to be a notion tucked away in a neat and tidy compartment called religion. We rarely pause long enough to reflect on life after death. Most of us only dare to consider our mortality in the midst of a difficult life crisis.
Religion, for many people today, has gained a bad reputation. More and more people see religion as a bureaucratic organization more concerned with self-perpetuation than with eternal values.
When making this argument, we also have to take into account the large number of members associated with a wide range of esoteric and New Age movements who do pause to reflect and meditate, but ultimately end up dissatisfied.
Based on these arguments, the fact that we reflect too little, the disappointment some suffer with the behavior of religious institutions, and those who, even when they stop to think, end up confused. It could be said that, to approach the doors of a broader reality, we must try to modify and transform some aspects of our way of thinking.
Today, science and technology, which should go hand in hand, along with philosophy and religion, but have never done so since the beginning of time, are giving us, for example, a new vision of the infinite Cosmos and the magnitude of the created Universe. With their instruments, they are showing us the thousands of galaxies and the number of planets orbiting other suns within those galaxies. Human beings, seekers of truth, cannot help but stop, think, and ask if there is life in places similar to ours like here.
Friends, today may very well be the day we can begin to change certain ideas and theories, as well as transform mental and cosmic processes. There will be several decisions we must make, and one of the first will be to develop ourselves evolutionarily into a consciousness that will allow us to progress in cosmic reality in a conscious and responsible manner.
We will hardly get started on something if we don’t first consider our thoughts.
I invite you to read Annie Besant’s book “The Power of Thought.” It’s a theosophical work that helps us understand the way and manner of thinking.
A human being yearning to have some control over their way of thinking must know that they must devote more time to thoughts than to observing and contemplating lived experiences. If you spend five minutes reading every day, spend ten minutes consciously thinking about what you read. If you spend time socializing, think twice as much about them.
Trying to advance a broader view of reality involves desiring, aspiring, aspiring, and wanting to develop those actions. We should all know that thoughts become words. Words become actions. Actions establish habits. Habits develop character, and ultimately, character draws you toward a destination. What destination would you like to reach?
That question is unlikely to have an answer if we don’t think about it first. To think lucidly in transcendental situations, we must eradicate fear and uncertainty from our minds, something that often plagues us when we try to find solutions or correct answers to consequential questions.
If you are confused and lack the strength or courage, withdraw! … meditate… reflect… observe and refocus; perhaps the dark and stormy clouds behind which reality looms will dissipate. Clouds that prevent you from seeing and observing the broad horizons where the means rest, that is, the ideas, thoughts, and words that you will return to in order to comfort your state and, in this way, be able to continue overcoming the path you must travel. It is not an easy task; conflict is inevitable, since doubt always accompanies us, so we must strengthen our belief, our faith, and our hope.
Human existence drives innate desires in every creature. From childhood, we seek answers to all our questions. Throughout our lives, they are not always answered, and if some are, we do not always understand and interpret them correctly within the parameters of reality. Some are answered by parents, others by social and religious educators. We also receive answers from friends and acquaintances. Other times, we get answers from books, newspapers, and other media outlets. All of this motivates us and causes us to experience things in a multitude of ways. The truth is that not all of us experience them in the same way, and reality confirms how some people jump straight into action, while others entertain themselves for part or all of their lives with thousands of hobbies, with no other concern than letting the days pass.
Certain questions and the outcome of certain answers almost always motivate the type of person who defines themselves as a tireless explorer, a seeker of truth. They are independent thinkers, possessing a realistic spirit. They tend to put into practice balanced and moderate experiences of an intellectual, moralistic, and religious nature. Consequently, this type of person acquires knowledge, experiences situations in very diverse ways at specific times and in different places, shaping the person to develop in habitual actions, thus acquiring a very specific personality.
When the time comes, a human being of these characteristics faces the dilemma of not all questions having been answered, or at least not fully understood. For example: Where is the beginning of our origin? Why don’t we see the horizon of our destiny? Does everything end with death? Are we fulfilled correctly? Does life continue after death in any way? What is this eternity? The answers to these questions and many others, even after they have been answered, are not all equal or identical. Upon reflection, we find that not all of them fit our criteria of what is certain or uncertain, of good or bad, of right or wrong… In a word, could it be true?
Since the beginning of humanity, it has been filled with realities, stories, beliefs, research, dogmas, and legends. Because of all this, and because of the supremacy of life itself, human beings have evolved, but given our inevitable errors, we fail to find the truth. We fail to penetrate reality. Error is part of our way of thinking, and we make mistakes every day when interpreting things. Reason is a valued human capacity, but our intelligence is not fully developed and does not react successfully to situations that are difficult to interpret or understand.
Pilar Varela, a Spanish psychologist, says in her book “The Thinking Machine”: … we are all irrational for a good part of our time and the more complicated the decisions we have to make, the more irrational we are; to such an extent that we reach such a pessimistic and adverse character that we no longer have the capacity to solve and understand problems, leading to irrational behavior and error being not the exception, but the norm.
Some argue that, since reality is infinite, our brain is incapable of encompassing it, and when it comes to making decisions and lacking complete information, we err and make mistakes. Knowing this shouldn’t discourage us. On the other hand, if we have to wait to gather all the data, we’ll never settle on a solution, a correct interpretation, or a clear understanding. Therefore, we run a slight risk of becoming distracted or paralyzed. Therefore, we must keep in mind that, to progress in a balanced manner, we must know how to think, discern, feel, intuit, and reason, even with the risk of error.
Trying to know where good and evil, what is true and what is uncertain, is no easy task. Finding the truth is a dilemma. Truth is like the justification for our beliefs. Truth is relative; what is true today may be false tomorrow.
It is difficult for us to find answers to the many questions we ask ourselves in this life we live, in which we are only now taking our first steps toward what will possibly be a journey into the unknown. We will always base our research and contrasts on three very broad fields: science, philosophy, and religion.
For all of this, and taking into account the desire to understand in a reasoned and conscious manner, we first observe that humanity and everything that surrounds it exists through evolution, as demonstrated by science and its progressive advancement.
Secondly, we will take into account that, according to the philosophies responsible for studying human beings and their behavior in this nature and beyond, there are things apart from the material and energetic that are so subtle and so little visible that it demonstrates that there is something more than the merely visual and that complements every natural and human structure.
Finally, we look at religion, the true paradigm of diverse civilizations. Religion, when properly studied, shows us how an Almighty God, creator of all things visible and invisible (that is, creator of EVERYTHING), maintains order throughout the creation of all things in very different ways, forms, and means. This God allows everything to develop in a completely natural manner according to a Law in time and space through spiritual creatures, let’s call them angels.
Upon further reflection, we come to the conclusion that our interest will be to know more and better about what science establishes, its research and discoveries; what the philosophy of human values and ethics express; and, finally, what is revealed, written, and developed by the various religions. It is possible that, in the face of all this, we may gain a broader, more comprehensive, and wiser vision of the reality in which we live, harboring the hope that everything does not end here.
If we review some episodes in history, we observe how human beings, according to Darwinian theory, emerge from the progressive evolutionary advancement of animal life. It is very clear, as scientists acknowledge, that they can manipulate life, possessing molecular and chemical substances and research processes to alter different reproductive fields. However, some scientific circles are also very clear that no human being, no matter how intelligent, is capable of setting a cell in motion and implanting “the spark of life” within it.
Philosophical principles uphold mythical or religious theories about the origin, formation, and organization of the universe (cosmogony); studies of the formal structures of being (ontology); its relationship to space, time, motion, and natural laws (cosmology); the study of being in resemblance to the Creator (theology); the study and research of the structures of the individual mind (psychology); and the theory, nature, and foundations of knowledge (epistemology). From this whole set of reflections, it can be deduced that, as lovers of wisdom (philosophy), there can exist a filiation between human beings, the world in general, and the Absolute; what is revealed clarifies how their filiation exists.
According to Christian and Jewish religious history, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was empty…God formed man from the dust of the ground in his own image and likeness, and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.” The two great themes of the Quran, the religious book followed by Muslims, are monotheism and the power of God, who is the sole creator of the universe, of humankind, and of spirits, and is benevolent and just. Some of the names he receives are the Omniscient or the Almighty. The essence of Buddhism, which predates Christianity, is lost in the thousand and one sects created around this philosophical religion; its Four Truths, the law of “conditioned production” (pratitya samutpada), and the annihilation of the “self” appear to be its fundamental principles.
It involves establishing a plan of work and study in the fields of discernment, grounds fertile with wisdom and knowledge, from the most ancient to the most modern. This entails hard and constant work that must be carried out with perseverance. Only those who have set a goal for themselves will be able to accomplish the task at hand. Through searching and patient analysis, conscious and tolerant experience, and profound and realistic reflection, they must navigate the river of life to bring the ship that carries all their faith, hope, and destiny to a safe harbor.
In the early stages, and due to our own implicit belief, given our upbringing and shared environment, the idea of trying to understand the existence of the divine fragment passes through our way of thinking. According to some theories, human beings—only human beings!—that is, people, are bearers of something invisible, yet real, called a spiritual Guide. It is therefore a matter of developing this aspect and of being able to see the effects that the invisible has on the visible. In reality, we are embarking, against ourselves, on a battle where the light of the spirit must triumph over the darkness of matter.
The battle takes place amidst the storms of life itself, which constantly threaten to extinguish the torch of wisdom and knowledge. Some, though not many, manage to radiate around themselves the clarity of the higher state they reflect. Their faith is tested and leads to knowledge. Their power is almost superhuman because it is absolutely selfless, given that they possess the sense of things and discernment.
To put it mildly, their soul is purified, and they receive the baptism of the Spirit, ready to assume the responsibility of loving and understanding their fellow human beings, of fraternizing and uniting with each and every one of them. Study and practices, which at one time seemed to have nothing to do with inner growth and evolution, discipline the neophyte and prepare him for the possible union with his spiritual Guide.
Thus, even in this present life, amidst so much incoherence that surrounds us, it is possible for those who sincerely desire to approach and drink from the fountain of wisdom. Those who achieve this end attain the highest destiny a human being can attain. If we persevere in these goals, free from all material interests, adapting our existence to the rules of life, our Guide may possibly hear the call and try to guide us along the path most desired by all mortals: that of happiness.
Happiness comes from dedication. Dedication that we must apply to fulfilling those projects developed in our reflections and put into practice with reason and effort. At all times, we must feel capable of achieving our established goals without allowing our “gray matter,” our “ego,” to fill us with doubts, fears, and uncertainties.
This “adventure” we will attempt to live is achieved by placing our complete trust in the Universal Father through our spiritual guide, for, in truth, His expression manifests within us through that “internal dialogue” that every human being must engage in for their own progress. In this way, we will learn to expand and perform acts of humility. We will learn to appreciate goodness and mercy and place our trust in our future destiny, for otherwise, few things would make sense.
If we spend our time on mental entertainment, frustrated dreams, pointless ramblings, etc., we will not be acting correctly. Instead, we will try to act consciously, with logical behavior, allowing God’s will to be revealed for human beings. We will strive to be consistent between what we say and do, listening to those who speak to us and correcting us, since all this brings happiness.
Awakening and emerging from sleep is nothing more or less than activating our personal mind, which thinks, perceives, and feels. It moves our entire body, especially our intelligence. In this way, feelings and emotions will begin to emanate from the depths of our hearts, which we will share with the human beings around us; this, in turn, will help us achieve a deep, strong, and fraternal bond with all of them, which will enhance our brotherhood in the broadest and most expansive sense of the word.
We will experience pain, joy, love, heartbreak, satisfaction, and dissatisfaction. If we discern and use reason well, we will realize that love, joy, and satisfaction bring us happiness.
Happiness is a state surrounded by concepts that belong to the understanding; it is not the end of any impulse but rather the accompaniment of all satisfaction. Happiness is never presented as a good in itself, since to understand what happiness is, one must understand the good or goods that produce it.
From all of this, it is understood that happiness has no meaning without the goods that make it happy. As Saint Thomas aptly said, “it is a perfect good of an intellectual nature.” Happiness is not simply a state of the deepest and most subtle part of our body, such as the soul, but something the soul receives from outside, for otherwise, such happiness would not be linked to a true good.
Anthropologists have unearthed fossils that reveal the long history of life. These discoveries raise another question: Are we simply the product of an ancient biochemical accident, a lonely abnormality in a cold, endless universe, here on this hostile world for a short time? Astronomers have detected planets circling other nearby stars. How many more inhabited planets might there be out there? Is there a plan for this vast creation?
Today’s researchers in the various fields of anthropology, paleontology, mythology, etc. are trying to answer many questions. Zecheria Sitchin, a writer and researcher of the origins of humanity, attempts to answer questions such as: Was life imported to Earth from somewhere else? Z. Sitchin explains this in his books titled: “The 12th Planet,” “The Stairway to Heaven,” and “The War of Gods and Men.”
If Australopithecus, considered human, appeared 2 million years ago. If Neanderthals appeared 900,000 years ago and then, suddenly and inexplicably, approximately 35,000 years ago, a new race of humans—Homo sapiens—appeared. What significant events occurred in the intervening years?
Due to the increasing complexity of our society, modern humans are faced with the task of making more adjustments in this generation than they have had to make in the past 2,000 years. Barely a hundred years ago, we would have scoffed at the idea that images and sounds could be transmitted through invisible waves across millions of kilometers. If we project 1,000 years into the future, imagine the wonders and energies humanity could discover. Have you ever thought about that?
It’s common these days to accept the reality of things we can’t see. For example, we readily accept the existence of microscopic bacteria and invisible radio waves. If we were to extend our vision even further, would we marvel at what we still have to learn about God’s spirit creatures—those beings we can’t see because of the limited color range of human vision, beings with whom we can’t communicate because of our primitive spiritual depth?
As we grow, we become more capable of handling more advanced concepts. Similarly, as civilization matures, the image of the universe progresses and expands. At first, it was believed that human beings were alone in the universe, living on a flat world, with the sun and stars orbiting God’s only inhabited creation. Eventually, to the dismay of the church, early astronomers dispelled that notion.
Now we not only know that we orbit the sun, but that our sun also orbits the Milky Way galaxy, and that millions of galaxies in the universe orbit a dark mass whose weight exceeds that of all other stars. This leads us to ask: Could that mass of stars be Paradise?
How did the sun emerge from a nebula, and how did a subsequent burst of tidal gravity create the solar system of planets?
How did life, meticulously planned for Earth, become planted in the ocean, and how does the same saline habitat still circulate through our bodies, immersing all living cells in a “brackish sea”?
How did early humanity evolve to the point of making decisions through free will, leading to the rudimentary concepts of God and an immortal soul?
How do we understand and manage the fickle emotions that run through our animal minds?
Why is family important and why do our early years of life affect our personalities forever?
How did humanity’s sacred books originate, including the truth about the prophets who, as a rule, were killed for trying to expand people’s notions about God, and yet were later glorified in the sacred scriptures?
How did Jesus live before he began teaching? How did he become aware of his divinity and how did he arrange everything for the revelation of God the Father?
How can the nature of God and the cleansing effect of regular, unstructured prayer provide strength through peace of mind?
Finding the answers to these questions can change our way of thinking and bring us closer to reality. It can make us happy. It can help us find meaning in our lives and reveal the true face of God.
We must bring history, research, theories, beliefs, and experiences into the realm of proportion, since they tend to converge on many points. We must not draw imperfect conclusions that, while seemingly correct to us, may be flawed and inconclusive due to the disparity between science, philosophy, and religion today.
In my opinion, all of the above are references to what we call true self-understanding, REALITY, which, as we human beings understand it from a conscious state, with a mortal and finite foundation, is partial, relative, and sometimes confusing. In truth, it all seems more like a never-ending story, but as real as life itself.
I conclude this presentation with the words of S. Ramón y Cajal, who said: “As long as the brain remains a mystery, the universe will continue to be a mystery.”
Note: Some paragraphs of the conclusions have been taken from Kelly Elstrott’s book “The Fifth Revelation”