© 2024 Fernando Carazo
© 2024 Urantia Association of Spain
During the annual meeting of the association held in Ciudad Real in 2023, the proposal arose to create an experiential group, complementary to the study groups, whose main objective was the application of the knowledge acquired through personal reading or by attending formal study groups of The Urantia Book. That is: to tell, to express how we apply the book to daily life, and in turn to listen to other experiences of colleagues, with their difficulties and their benefits.
It was subsequently decided to launch the project and a document was published with the proposal to create the group. This document is available to everyone.
After a period of communication with the members of the association and other known readers of the book, a total of 12 people signed up, and on January 19, 2024, the first official meeting was held, which included personal introductions and the group’s guidelines.
To date, 11 biweekly meetings have been held on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom in the association’s room. The average participation in the group is three-quarters of all members; that is, about 8, 9 or 10 per meeting.
The most important characteristics and dynamics of this group can be summarized as follows:
- It is a basically experiential group and a complement to the study groups.
- The dynamics of the sessions are similar to study groups; you raise your hand when you want to intervene and the order is respected; there is no time limit for interventions or expressions of testimonies; importance is given to turns in response to testimonies or ideas expressed.
- Personal experiences are shared of how we apply the values of The Urantia Book in life.
- Achievements and difficulties are expressed and emotional burden associated with experiences can be released.
- We learn from other people’s experiences.
- We fraternize with the brothers of the group and establish closer bonds of trust.
- We debate about more or less effective methods we have to apply knowledge of The Urantia Book.
- This practice reinforces in us as a whole, the patience of active listening and empathy.
- A specific WhatsApp group for the Circle of Trust has been created, where meetings are complemented with comments, ideas, topic proposals and meeting calls.
The topics covered so far are:
Forgiveness
Personal experiences have been expressed of times when we have had to forgive (or not) people.
Difficulties and barriers have emerged that we have to forgive, and gains and satisfactions when we have achieved it.
The personal evolution that we have acquired by learning to forgive has also been expressed.
Faith
We have been able to see how some have a more lively faith and others a more intellectual one, and what type of experiences both types generate.
Many experiences of personal and spiritual growth have been expressed in events where faith was required, and others in which we have not had enough and we have suffered.
The service
There has been talk of requirements to offer a true service, such as intention (what moves you), that there is joy or satisfaction in doing it, free will, true (from the heart) for the benefit of others.
It has also been commented on how true service increases spiritual value.
Valuable experiences were shared in this regard and there was debate about whether true altruism exists, with a consensus that it does exist.
The truth
Various personal aspects of truth have been discussed: as a living and dynamic reality; as a spiritual experience; as a transcendence of the material; that there is an absolute truth, whether known or not; the truth of BEING as absolute truth; truth versus lies (it is not its opposite); relative truths and tolerance of all personal meanings.
Among the next topics to be discussed are beauty and goodness.