© 2011 Guy de Viron, Chris Ragetly, Agnes Lazar, Max Masotti, Jean-François Drouet, Jean Duveau, Octavie Jung, Robert Lamoureux, Jean Royer, Jean-Claude Romeuf, Eileen Caddy, Moussa Ndiaye, Dominique Ronfet
© 2011 French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book
¶ Edito: The Eternal
It is with some concern that I sign this present Editorial!
For the first time, I am taking the risk of calling on your talents as intimate storytellers to address two themes that are currently dear to me: on the one hand, Paul's personality, which, for me, has been wrongly criticized, and on the other hand, the eternal feminine. What unites these subjects?
Their spiritual contribution to our Urantian humanity!
The first, despite his apparent misogyny, founded Christianity.
The second, despite centuries of obscurantism and machismo, remains an undeniable source of inspiration!
Is this sufficient, fair, appropriate? What should we expect from it?
Can things be improved? While this is hotly debated among our Quebec sisters, what are we doing at home?
. . .
Guy
Editor’s note (editor’s note):
The Links are quarterly and appear on the 15th of March, June, September and December! They are first sent to subscribers in digital form (PDF format) on these same dates and then, as far as possible, in their “paper” form. As AFLUB prints are grouped with other periodicals, it is possible that the deadline for the paper format is longer. As for the texts intended to be published within the Link concerned, they must imperatively arrive 30 days before the aforementioned publication date and approved by our president, Dominique Ronfet, director of publication. Thank you for your understanding.
Guy from Viron
¶ The President’s Note
Spring, meeting, exchange, spring…
Our next meeting (Lumières from May 5 to 8) should, as always, help us to “recognize” ourselves!
Who are we?
What are we doing in this association whose gestation seems so long to some?
What future, what development can our current of thought take?
These questions will also be addressed from July 11 to 18 in Chicago: a dynamic and, let’s not forget, original center of what brings us together at this time.
At least in the outward appearance of the Urantia Papers.
But for now let us return to our Lights.
It’s been a year since we last spoke.
Let us not neglect this pleasure of sharing among ourselves, in the often humorous tone that characterizes any good reader of the UB, our deep reflections on Religion in the Human Experience (Fasc 100). And find a little light, who knows, through the answers that will be given to a panel of questions prepared by our friend Jean Royer. Without forgetting the Lubéron sun!
There you have it, you know everything, or almost everything.
See you very soon then.
Dominique Ronfet
¶ Practice: Be efficient
Efficiency is the ability to produce something, to achieve the desired results while maintaining at its highest level that which allows this production. To be efficient, two elements are needed: what is produced and what has the capacity to produce. He who does not focus on the objective and neglects the means will not go very far. Hence the need to adopt good habits.
Developing Spiritual Habits
Habits save a considerable amount of time and energy. They contribute vitally to the efficiency and economy of our lives. All human development is based on this ability to translate previous progress into habits, thus making it possible to consciously make further progress.
Excerpts from Marvin Gawryn and Co.
¶ Departure: James Fressac
At the end of February of this year, one of our regional intermediaries from the Poitou-Charentes region, Mr. James Fressac, a long-time reader of The Urantia Book and former Rosicrucian, left us for the morontia world. The UB was a real revelation to him. His dearest wish was to form a study group in his region, a wish that we hope will be granted soon.
For this friend, the way to perfection opened in the company of his Adjuster.
We wish him a good journey accompanied by the fraternal feelings of all the members of the AFLUB.
Looking forward to seeing you again, James!
Johanna Beukers
¶ Reminder: AFLLU Meeting
Simple reminder:
the dates of our meeting*: from Thursday May 5, 6 p.m. to Sunday May 8, 2 p.m.
The theme: Religion in the human experience (see attached PDF file)
The place: Our Lady of Lights
(http://www.notredamedelumieres.com%%0%%
Finally, you will understand that for a good organization we need you to let us know as soon as possible your wish to participate in this meeting.
Please know that we are at your disposal for any request for additional information.
For those who wish to drive down and can accommodate and share travel costs, please let us know.
So see you soon in this magnificent place which always leaves participants with delicious memories.
* During this meeting, positions on the Board of Directors as well as the position of Secretary will be submitted to the votes of the members. Do not forget to return your powers to us if you could not join this meeting.
Dominique Ronfet
¶ Note XLV: The Deity
In The Urantia Book the term “Deity” is applied to various divine personalities, whether solitary, existentially associated, or experientially associated, but the term can also refer to nondivine personalities. In the introduction, a Divine Counselor points out several levels on which total Deity functions.
The term God always denotes personality. Deity may, or may not, refer to divinity personalities. (UB 0:2.10)
Chris Ragetly
¶ Reflection 01: Semi 2
My mind is the “uterus” in which the meeting of the Divine and myself takes place. Place of fertilization, nesting and gestation of the product of the Nature of God and the human. At the end of this gestation, a behavioral readjustment is expected of me. This right action satisfies my whole being. I no longer feel any lack, I taste fullness…
Just like the pregnant woman I was three times, I quickly realize that a new element has penetrated my being. I put myself in a “state of gestation”. I put myself in a slow motion (less exteriority and more cocooning-interiority). I grant myself this slow motion and this state of inner silence to accompany this internal movement of which I do not perceive much at the beginning except the certainty and the confidence that something different to me, human Agnes, of whom I have gone around, is about to take shape. I watch for the first movements in my thoughts, while having a healthy lifestyle that keeps away all mental poisons…, as a woman, I watched for the first blows against my uterine wall. And, in this attitude of slow motion and silence, the manifestations are not long in coming.
Agnes Lazar
¶ Maxi Quiz No. 5: The questions
Central Universe
- Seven cases characterize the human personality that becomes aware of itself. Which ones?
- The original Son Michael never incarnated, but he went through the experience of the spiritual ascension of creatures seven times. But where did he have his experiences?
- The UB tells us about Superuniversal Pupils. Who are these Superuniversal Pupils?
Max Masotti
¶ Testimony: Twilight
Death and Transfiguration
Why are you knocking on my window, little moth? Is it my light dress that attracted you? Like your wings, it is colored with the pastel glow of twilight. You seem to me to be in very bad shape. Could this be your last dance? Your final interpretation of the death of the swan! But then, you make me shiver… Are you the sign of death, of my imminent death? I know… The disease that I was told was incurable, a rare case of algodystrophy. But, so soon! I kept the hope of a remission. Already, I had to interrupt my career. I could no longer stand the hours and hours of work at the bar… for a few minutes on stage. And yet, these moments are the goal that artists seek. For Alain, the philosopher, dance is the first of the arts, the primordial artistic language. To transmit the emotion of the author in osmosis with the audience. There is here, through gestures, sounds and breathing, something of another order that allows us to generate a communion and to feel the absolute of the ONE, living in all. The shared spectacle of beauty contributes to the transformation of the world, to its elevation.
Jean-François Drouet
¶ Suggestion #1: Paul
An extraordinary character, I would like “this Paul” to be somewhat rehabilitated, on the one hand because he is and remains a pillar of Christianity if not the founder and on the other hand because he did not benefit directly from the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth!
But what a character, “this Paul”! How was he able to take his pilgrim’s staff and travel so many territories during his four journeys?
A new religion was suddenly born with the worship of the divine Christ (the divine Jesus), so be it!
But how could this have been possible?
Was Paul misguided? Did his morontia and spirit associates fail?
Where did he draw his inexhaustible energy, his visions, his intrepid faith?
Will he be reproached ad vitam aeternam for his “bad” Christianity, his misogyny?
But could he have undertaken all his work if he had been accompanied by a “joint actress”?
Anyway, if you can answer me, I would be happy if this could be the subject of some articles in a future Link!
To your pens. Thanks in advance.
The Editorial Staff
¶ About: Forgive
Rather than dwelling on the offense of the damage,
rather than dreaming of revenge or vengeance,
they stop the evil by themselves…
Forgiveness is the most powerful act
that it may be given to men to accomplish.
The event that could have caused brutality to grow
in the world serves the growth of love.
Jean Duveau
The arid desert burns my eyes and my feet.
I move forward, the hot air projects mirages.
The wind at my back, my heart trapped
Secretly hopes to take a turn:
Through awareness, a new perspective
Let the burdens of the journey be carried away…
Suddenly, gushing after the rain
A carpet of flowers of all colors.
Amazed, I move forward for a new start!
I feel like a child
Eyes wide open.
Beauty was staring me in the face.
Back to the fears that cause so much havoc…
I kept moving forward and climbed a peak
Octavia Jung
¶ Relaxation: The praise of fatigue
You tell me, sir, that I have bad luck,
That with this life that I lead, I ruin myself,
That nothing is gained by over-spending:
You tell me, finally, that I am tired.
Yes, sir, I am tired: and I flatter myself about it!
I'm tired in everything, my voice, my heart, my spleen,
I fall asleep exhausted, I wake up tired,
But thank God, sir, I don't care.
Or, when I do care, I make a fool of myself.
Fatigue is often just a boast...
We're never as tired as we think we are!
And even if that were the case, wouldn't we have the right to do so?
I am not talking to you about dark weariness,
That we have, when the body is worn out by habits,
Has only pale reasons to move...
When you have made yourself your only horizon.
When you have nothing to lose, to win or to defend.
Robert Lamoureux
¶ Reflection 02: On understanding The Urantia Book
I have been browsing through a number of blogs and other forums on the Internet that discuss The Urantia Book. It is remarkable how few people understand what they read. Most simply take in what they want (or can) to see. It occurred to me that Jesus' apostles did not understand half of what he was saying, but it is true that when he spoke to them, he was actually speaking to an entire universe. And I thought: if these close ones did not understand him, what about the simple disciples? It seems that this did not trouble Jesus unduly and that he thought that faith was enough.
To return to the readers of our time, there are several categories, the hostile and the friendly, the hostile are subdivided into skeptics and fundamentalists, the latter coming from Christian circles for whom history ended with the New Testament; but we will have to reckon with other fundamentalists in times to come. As for the skeptics, they call themselves either atheists or scientists and they are most often content to repeat that the science of the Urantia Book is outdated, without seeing that their own notion of science is even more so. For example, almost everywhere we find that the book says that man has 48 chromosomes, whereas it has been known since 1956 that he has 46. Now, if the word chromosome is known to the revelators, it is found only once, and, for man, the expression linked to 48 is not chromosomes but 'trait determiners', which is correct for sex cells because of the presence of X and Y chromosomes, although no cell normally has this number. See Halvorson's study in UbtheNews, unfortunately only in English.
Jean Royer
¶ Reflection 03: The resurrection of Ganid
The resurrection of Ganid seen by his guardian angel
In the dim light of the resurrection room Ganid opens his eyes.
“Welcome to you, Ganid,” I said in his native tongue.
“I am your guardian angel and you are now on the first world of the Father’s houses.”
Jean Royer
¶ Reflection 04: Universal Levels of Reality
It may seem that the translation into French of "Transcendentals, This superfinite level (antecedently) follows finite progression" into "Ce niveau suprafini suit la progression finie (en l'anticipant)", could be confusing. It must be understood that the plans for the creation of the Master Universe are under the control of the Architects of the Master Universe. There were plans for the genesis of the finite which were therefore prior to the finite and at this moment there are plans for the formation of the exterior spaces which will be inhabited after the Age of the Supreme. The Transcendental level therefore does not follow the progression of the finite at the same time as it anticipates it. This level preceded the finite and prepares its continuation. It prepares the Age of the Ultimate and follows its spatial direction. To say that it follows the progression of the finite at the same time as it anticipates it seems to me to be an error. This would contravene the logic of creation: a square cannot be round!
Jean-Claude Romeuf
¶ Meditation: The Little Voice
Happy Live
The more you receive, the more you have to give. Do not hold anything back for yourself, but give, give and keep giving, and in this way make room for more and more things to fill you.
Live according to the Spirit, walk in the ways of the Spirit and become one with all life. I want only the best and the highest for you.
Never be afraid to rely on the best. Never feel that you are unworthy of having the best or that you do not deserve it.
This is your true inheritance, but you must claim it; you must accept it and rely on it. It is yours, it is My gift to you.
E. Caddy
¶ Excerpts from The Life of the Masters
Love
The Tree of Life is located in the midst of God's paradise, in the depths of our souls. The abundant and rich fruit that grows and ripens with the greatest perfection, the most accomplished, the most life-giving fruit, is Love. Those who perceive its true character have defined it as the greatest healing force in the world. Love never fails to answer a demand of the human heart. The divine principle of Love can be used to meet every need of humanity and to dispel every sadness, infirmity, or miserable situation that harass it.
Through the understanding and right use of Love, through its subtle and limitless influence, all the wounds of the world can be healed. When Love spreads its wings, it seeks the barren places of the human heart, the places of life that are wasted. Its touch redeems humanity.
Baird T. Spalding
¶ Suggestion #2: Feminine Nature
In his seminars, Moussa Ndiaye described feminine nature in all its facets!
If this eternal feminine deserves its place in history books and anthologies, it could just as well figure within the AFLUB itself and therefore have a few lines devoted to it in the Link.
So, call on all those who have imagination and a little time to describe or conjugate spiritual femininity.
What is the contribution of the presence of our "Joint Actresses" in our Urantian life? Then imagine the criteria for future collaboration!
Moussa Ndiaye
¶ Maxi Quiz No. 5: The Answers
Central Universe
-
- Moral decision, the highest wisdom.(UB 16:8.8)
- Spiritual choice, discernment of truth. UB 16:8.9
- Selfless love, brotherly service. UB 16:8.10
- Intentional cooperation, group loyalty.(UB 16:8.11)
- Cosmic insight, understanding of universal meanings. UB 16:8.12
- Consecration of personality, devotion to doing the will of the Father with all one’s heart.(UB 16:8.13)
- Worship, when one sincerely pursues divine values and loves the divine Giver of Values with all one’s heart.(UB 16:8.14)
- On the 7 circuits of Havona.(UB 21:0.4)
- All ascenders arriving on the superuniverse training worlds become wards of the Ancients of Days.(UB 30:4.22)
¶ Brother Dom's Little Corner
- Why is it so difficult to grasp THE Truth?
- You mean having, and keeping, a certainty?
- Yes, if you prefer.
- Hmmm…maybe it's because of the weather.
- The weather??
- Yes, we can ask ourselves, like Bergson, if “duration” does not add a dimension which interferes with our capacity to understand reality.
- Since it is not possible to “precisely and simultaneously determine the exact position and speed of a moving object, any attempt to measure one inevitably results in a change in the other” UB 65:6.1?
Dominique Ronfet
¶ Imprint
Le Lien Urantien is the journal of the French-speaking Association of Readers of the Urantia Book, a member of the UAI, the International Urantia Association.
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| afflu@urantia.fr | |
| Site | www.urantia.fr / http://forum.urantia.fr |
| Publication Director | Dominique Ronfet, d.ronfet@noos.fr |
| Editor in Chief | Guy de Viron, guydeviron@bluewin.ch |
| Reading Committee | Jean Royer, Max Masotti |
| Subscription | €20 per year (quarterly publication 4 issues) |
| Legal deposit | December 1997 — ISSN 1285-1116 |
| Print run | 125 copies © 1955 URANTIA Foundation |
All rights reserved. Materials from The Urantia Book are used with permission. Any artistic depictions, interpretations, opinions or conclusions implied or stated are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of URANTIA Foundation or its affiliates.