© 2005 Nancy Johnson
© 2005 The Urantia Book Fellowship
| On Removing The Barrier to a Civilized Discussion Of Eugenics | Volume 6, Number 1, 2005 (Summer) — Index | At Home In The Universe |
(Editor’s Note: Words in bold type throughout indicate emphasis by the author.)
In the second paragraph of the Foreword the author, a Divine Counselor, states a dual purpose for providing us with this fifth epochal revelation: (1) to expand cosmic consciousness and (2) enhance spiritual perception.
The first fifty years we have concentrated largely on the second purpose, to enhance spiritual perception. I propose that we concentrate much more energy in the next fifty years on the first purpose, expanding cosmic consciousness.
We have our individual interpretations of what cosmic consciousness might mean, but, and more importantly, what does it mean to the revelators?
In the Foreword where meanings are laid out, we read “Cosmic consciousness implies the recognition of a First Cause, the one and only uncaused reality.” [UB 0:2.2]
This appears on the surface to be a very simple statement, but there must be something in that word “recognition” that’s pretty all-encompassing, because what follows is the rest of the Foreword! It’s mind-boggling to a new reader. Nevertheless, the Divine Counselor ends that paper by assuring us that the spirit forces of the Thought Adjuster and the Spirit of Truth “conspire to enable material man to grasp the reality of spiritual values and to comprehend the philosophy of universe meanings.” [UB 0:12.13] I suspect he intended the words “grasp” and “comprehend” to be as all-encompassing as the word “recognition” used earlier.
Remember that curious paragraph in Paper 114, Section 7 (The Reserve Corps of Destiny), which reads: “The cosmic reserve corps of universe-conscious citizens on Urantia now numbers over one thousand mortals whose insight of cosmic citizenship far transcends the sphere of their terrestrial abode, but I am forbidden to reveal the real nature of the function of this unique group of living human beings.” [UB 114:7.13] This doesn’t refer to the reserve corps of destiny but, rather, to the cosmic reserve corps of universe-conscious citizens on Urantia–whose insight of cosmic citizenship far transcends the sphere of their terrestrial abode. This is the only place it’s mentioned.
It doesn’t make much sense that they slipped that paragraph in there until you connect it to the first stated purpose of bringing us this revelation: to expand cosmic consciousness. “Over one thousand” members is a pitifully small number when you consider that we have over six billion mortals on this planet. I believe the paragraph was inserted because they wanted to stimulate our curiosity and steer us toward a focused study which could prepare us for this corps. With The Urantia Book spreading abroad because of so many translations made or in the making, it’s conceivable that we could increase this number to 100,000 or even a million in the next fifty years.
But are we adequately prepared to assist readers of translations to grasp the heavier concepts of the book? At Barcelona a reader from Estonia (I think) said he was surprised that we had not developed more training materials to help them. We have the capability to produce visual aids in 3D as well as animated, pulsating videos that would help all readers to grasp the concepts of the I AM, the Trinity, and the Seven Absolutes of Infinity and to see the relationships involved in the triunities. We could show the pattern of Paradise as it is revealed on Havona and repeated over and over again throughout creation.
How many times have you heard at study groups or elsewhere, “Why don’t we skip this paper. It’s too hard to understand!” If it’s so difficult for English-speaking readers to understand our own language, how much more difficult it must be for those studying from a translation. Pictures, especially moving ones, cross over the language barrier, and it’s the best thing we can do to help them in their studies. But first we must understand it ourselves.
I don’t think we’ll be issued certificates of achievement to let us know we’ve actually qualified for this corps, but the revelators did tell us how to study the book. I know there must be quite a few readers who are close, if not already, at this level of understanding. I don’t think they’ve purposely tried to qualify for membership in this reserve corps of cosmic-conscious citizens, but shouldn’t we all? I believe we “owe it” to our planetary helpers to make this conscious effort, because teamwork and a unified focus would establish a powerful comprehension dynamic.
The revelators make it very clear that we can only achieve cosmic consciousness by understanding the purpose of creation from the Paradise viewpoint. They’ve given us a LOT of information, but we have to put it together like a jigsaw puzzle.
First of all, it’s important to realize that “growing spiritually” is a subjective experience. It’s between the individual and the Father–getting to know him better, love him more, and desire to make his will for our lives our will for our lives. That’s very personal and subjective. It’s also experiential and therefore contributes to the evolution of the Supreme Being. In this sense, being subjective is necessary and good.
REALITY, on the other hand, can be comprehended only from an objective study. Paradise Reality is total objectivity. We have to step aside from ourselves to see reality from the Paradise viewpoint, because our finite minds and cultural biases interfere with our ability to comprehend at this level. And comprehend is the best we can do, because we cannot experientially know what is ancestral to the Supreme. Even so, our experience within the Supreme can be greatly enhanced by a comprehension of what is antecedent to the Supreme if we desire to participate at this level.
The tool we have to work with is mind, and we do well to recognize both its limitations and its possibilities. Finite (subjective) mind will not be of much help. Only morontia mind–soul mind–can begin to penetrate these mysteries, especially for those who have attained the third psychic circle. It is at this point that the Thought Adjuster can begin to morontiaize the mind of his mortal subject, and that subject then becomes less dependent on the adjutant mind spirits. [UB 110:6.14,20] Even more encouraging is that the soul, with the collaboration of some spirit of Deity, such as the Adjuster, can function above the morontia level. [UB 111:3.2]
We can conclude that there is divine purpose in this paradox of subjective/objective consciousness. In the subjective experience of growing spiritually, achieving the psychic circles, and transferring the seat of our identity to the soul we have allowed our Thought Adjusters to spiritualize our minds. Within the frame of spiritualized consciousness, he can reveal to us the objective realities of Paradise.
Research thus far has indicated that the first thing we must do is come to recognize and understand the Paradise PATTERN as it is revealed on Havona and repeated over and over throughout creation. “…pattern is pattern and remains pattern; only copies are multiplied.” [UB 0:6.10] (See Part 2 of this article, authored by Stephen Zendt).
Paradise is the Absolute Pattern and can be fully comprehended only by an Absolute Being. The Father I AM is one, yet the pattern of one contains within itself a mosaic of many. This is best understood by close examination of the philosophic concept of the I AM. We are told of the I AM as triune and as sevenfold. As triune—the Paradise Trinity—he is three. They have the same and equal personality, but they are distinguishable because they differ in attributes and function. With the I AM as sevenfold—the Seven Absolutes of Infinity—all potentials are actualizable. “It is a truth that the Absolutes are manifestations of the I AM-First Source and Center. . . it is both fact and truth that all reality is predicated upon their eternity existence and infinity relationships.” [UB 105:3.10] The material creation is brought into existence by and through these infinity relationships, which include both deified and undeified reality and which is described mainly in Papers 104 and 105. An animated video narrating and illustrating the functional relationships of the triunities would facilitate our grasp and comprehension of these inner workings.
Our heavenly Father desires to reveal himself to the creatures of his making. Knowing full well that from outside of Paradise we cannot “see the forest for the trees,” he provides the perfect universe of Havona as a display of what is contained in the Paradise pattern. Havona is a material creation of a billion worlds inhabited by myriads of perfect spiritual beings. They know and love their creator, and he knows and loves them.
Havona then becomes the pattern for the seven superuniverses of time and space and the evolution of the Supreme Being, the finite God of experience. Those who take origin in the seven superuniverses start out as “other than perfect” and are given the opportunity to become perfect, even as the Father in heaven is perfect, through living experience. He knows and loves us, and we grow to know and love him. Whatever our experiences, they will not become truly meaningful until we learn to unify them according to our understanding of the Paradise pattern. Were it not for revelation–personal, group, or epochal–we wouldn’t have a clue about how to unify our experiences. (See Part 3 of this article, authored by Jean-Pierre Heudier.)
I think the effort the readership at large has made toward spiritual growth since the book was printed is highly commendable and has prepared the soil for the challenge of the next fifty years. It’s an idea whose time has come, and I believe it’s urgent for the progress of our world that we take the challenge seriously. To be truly effective, the teachers should be ready before the students appear.
Nancy Johnson first read The Urantia Book in 1976 and has ever since been involved in Brotherhood/Fellowship activities and projects, including being a founding member of the North Texas Society. She typed The Urantia Book into an electronic format and created a text retrieval program which she has used for extensive research. Nancy has also served on the Publications Committee for many years and typeset both Uversa Press editions of The Urantia Book.
| On Removing The Barrier to a Civilized Discussion Of Eugenics | Volume 6, Number 1, 2005 (Summer) — Index | At Home In The Universe |