© 1977 Margaret Graves Gilbert
© 1977 The Urantia Book Fellowship (formerly Urantia Brotherhood)
“…a cult — a symbolism of rituals, slogans, or goals — ” (UB 87:7.10)
What is a pattern? On the lowest level of our perception, we see it as a space-time phenomenon, the weaving of relationships into a meaning. Aesthetically, this is the relationship of colors, of textures, of sounds. Psychologically, it is the relationship of motives, of desires, of actions. Spiritually, it is “unspeakable” except through symbols.
Paradise is the existence center of pattern. Paradise itself is non-personal and patterns may be organizations of non-personal matter.
Taking an object arbitrarily from our sensory experience, a stone, we sce that a stone in and of itself could be non-living and non-organic. But if we use the stone as a symbol, it becomes the “Rock of Ages” and unfolds in layers and layers of meaning until we perceive the strength of God-a personal quality. So have the impersonal and personal been reunited through the symbol.
To grow a new cult, the soil is a new symbolism which will bear the fruit of new patterns made visible in rituals, slogans, or goals. In the cyclical process, these rituals, slogans, or goals will wear out, drop to the ground and enrich the soil of a renewed symbolism.
It seems much easier to understand this process than to produce a result. One stumbling block to the production of new patterns is our conception of “sacredness”the cult must be “sacred,” the symbols “sacred,” the ritual “sacred.” Any ridiculous thing will do as long as it is “sacred.”
Instead of making religion a sacred part of life, let us reverse ourselves and see the totality of life as religion, then we should see everywhere the patterns of the new cult.
—Margaret Graves Gilbert