© 2021 Olga López
© 2021 Urantia Association of Spain
Newsletter of the Urantia Association of Spain
Light and Life — October 2021
¶ In this number
- Editorial Light and Life - October 2021
- Works – our recommendations of the month
- History and teachings – Chronicles of the life of Jesus
- Children’s Guide to The Urantia Book: God
- Books – our recommendations of the month
- Recommended blog: Urantianos.com
- Video – our recommendation of the month
- Navigating through life – The “Five Bells” Inn
- My favorite paragraph
- Urantia Questionnaire: Luis Coll
- About the Light and Life newsletter
¶ Editorial Light and Life – October 2021
Maria Jose Sanchez Santamaria
Praise the simplicity… of reading
Let’s imagine that, just once, fortune smiled on us by offering us the invaluable gift of an encounter with an angelic creature. In this wonderful situation, it would be plausible that each of the interlocutors would be interested in the life that the other leads. Perhaps the angel, before the mortal’s curiosity, would tell him some heavenly things, never seen on Earth. And in return, when the mortal spoke, what could he say to the angel to keep his interest? Perhaps at first he would try to tell him about some extraordinary event he had experienced or refer him to some singular place on the planet. But after a while he would realize that, for the angel, perhaps the most interesting thing was what for us is the most familiar and ordinary. The simplicity of our daily life would be, in the eyes of the angel, the most “extraordinary”. Showing these creatures our daily life, our life constrained by time and space, ordinary life with its routines and learning, that would be what these beings could admire and find extraordinary in contrast to their perfect lives.
Wouldn’t it then be important to value so many activities and learning from our stay on this planet, which, because they are simple and everyday, we do not recognize as significant and wonderful? Here on Urantia we will be only once. After death, new experiences await us, but these experiences follow the thread of what has been lived on our planet. Do we realize the amount of learning that we are doing now and that we will continue after death?
Well, an example of a daily act of great value that millions of people enjoy on our planet and that we will surely expand in the morontia worlds refers to READING and WRITING. An act that the first civilizers of our planet did not neglect, as we can read in the organization of the hundred of Caligastia thousands of years ago in different working groups:
«4. The faculty for the dissemination and conservation of knowledge. This group organized and directed the purely didactic efforts of those primitive ages. Fad presided over it. Fad’s teaching methods consisted of supervision of the employment system, accompanied by instruction in improved work methods. Fad formulated the first alphabet and introduced a writing system. This alphabet contained twenty-five characters. As writing materials, these primitive peoples used tree bark, clay slabs, stone sheets, a form of parchment made from hammered skins, and a coarse type of paper-like material extracted from wasp nests. Destroyed shortly after the Caligastia disloyalty, Dalamatia’s library contained more than two million separate records and was called “Fad’s house.”
The literacy that the commission chaired by Fad wanted to promote is something that is now available to millions of people and that transforms our lives every day. It was an activity that the celestial beings valued so much that, in this fifth revelation, it was decided to carry out the expansion of the Truth in the form of a book. A book broken down into various documents, sponsored and formulated in English from 1934.
On Wednesday, October 12, 1955, the publication of the complete Urantia Book became a reality. This publication coincided with the anniversary of the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492. It was at this time, according to the members of the contact commission, that the Urantia midwayers sent a formal petition to the rulers of the superuniverse, the Ancients of Days. , in which they requested to impart a new revelation to our world, Urantia. They wanted to include more about Jesus than was contained in the four New Testament gospels. It was not until the times of the fifth epochal revelation that the midwayers received the answer to their previous request: permission to include the fourth part of The Urantia Book, the life and teachings of Jesus.
Now, in the year 2021 and in this month of October, we celebrate the 66th anniversary of its printing on paper and we also have an extraordinary event such as the new revision of the Spanish translation of The Urantia Book. It has culminated a huge effort made by a team for years. A work that has been a logistical challenge, of consensus and respect for the original text, and that we will be able to enjoy in its online version (and soon on physical paper).
And it is that The Urantia Book, its different parts, its marvelous concepts, its unparalleled approach to the figure of our beloved Jesus of Nazareth, will now be more available to millions of readers in the Hispanic world. Wonderful news in a world thirsty for good news.
The old dusty and cornered books already had their moment of splendor, and now they rest on shelves forgotten by readers. But The Urantia Book seeks to become something radically alive and adjusted to our personal circumstances. It is about knowing the Truth with our experience and not only with our intellectual assent in discussions in forums or in investigations. Not just share quotes from the book but act believing that every time we interact with another person, we are enjoying the encounter with the God who lives within us. A personal religion that tries to search for the hidden treasure in the depths of our BEING: God himself, our friend and inseparable companion, our true Self. That would be the true and wonderful LIVING spirituality promoted by The Urantia Book.
They asked the Zen master:
—What is spirituality?
—Spirituality —he answered— is what manages to provide man with his interior transformation.
—But if I apply the traditional methods that the Masters have transmitted to us, isn’t that spirituality?
—It won’t be spirituality if it doesn’t fulfill that function for you. A blanket is no longer a blanket if it doesn’t give you warmth.
—So spirituality changes?
—People change, and so do their needs. So what once was spirituality is no longer so. What often passes for spirituality is nothing more than the written record of past methods.
The Urantia Book exalts precisely this inner transformation, as it seeks to “expand cosmic consciousness and elevate spiritual perception” (0.0.2):
The goal of human self-realization must be spiritual, not material. The only realities worth fighting for are divine, spiritual and eternal. UB 100:2.6
And it is about furthering this magnificent objective for our lives with the new revision of the translation of The Urantia Book into Spanish. A simple element: the book. An extraordinary lesson inside: the personal encounter with God.
An encounter that is available to us on a daily basis, at the turn of the page, thus volatilizing the poverty of material and technocratic neoliberalism that surrounds us. What beauty has the daily life of simplicity! Let’s enjoy reading, let’s enjoy this monthly newsletter from the Urantia Association of Spain, let’s enjoy this amazing existence on this planet, Urantia.
When the Zen master achieved enlightenment, he wrote the following to celebrate: “Oh, marvelous prodigy: I can cut wood and draw water from the well!”
¶ Works – our recommendations of the month
The contraction of space and time (Jeanmarie Chaise)
The intention of the author of this work is, in his own words, “to go deeper into the concepts, particularly those that concern us more directly from the outset, the concepts that affect our present state of being very closely and that they obscure to the point that all the sorrows of the world defeat us; I refer to the concept of space and, perhaps even more, to the concept of time”.
Evolution and creation (Carmelo Martínez)
As expressed by Carmelo in the introduction to this work: “Evolution or creation? The question is not intended to imply that the theory of evolution is going to be rejected and defend some American creationists who interpret the Bible literally (…) The evolution of species is a theory well established by current science that nobody, almost no one doubts it. The purpose is rather to emphasize that, apparently, on this theory the last word has not yet been said ”. If we also add what is stated in The Urantia Book about both concepts, we will have a much more complete vision of that (false) dichotomy.
John the Baptist (Javier Martinez)
Here you have an exhaustive presentation of the figure of John the Baptist, forerunner of the mission of Jesus of Nazareth, as explained and expanded in The Urantia Book. Although he appears in the gospels, not many details were known about his life and his preaching, nor about the fact that he also had his group of disciples. And above all, thanks to the book we know his fate after his time on Earth, in which he is still closely linked to our world.
Link to the video with the presentation
Answers for those who do not believe (Olga López)
In this work, the author reviews and responds to a series of affirmations adopted by modern atheism. The author says in the introduction: “Of course, my answers are not incontestable (they cannot be if the other does not believe or is not predisposed to believe). In The Urantia Book it is said that “The man who knows God does not describe his spiritual experiences to convince the unbelievers, but for the edification and mutual satisfaction of the believers.” (30.5, 1:6.6), so with this exercise what I intend is for us to encourage each other in the face of an environment where non-believers abound ”.
¶ History and teachings – Chronicles of the life of Jesus
JOURNALISTIC ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS ACCORDING TO THE URANTIA BOOK
We present the following installment of the chronicles of the life of Jesus, which on this occasion contains what the revealers tell us in document 126. Within the PDF you will see a button from which you can access the text of the document from the Foundation’s website Urantia.
¶ Children’s Guide to The Urantia Book: God
We begin here a new section containing material for children related to The Urantia Book, which we have taken from the secondary work A Children’s Guide to The Urantia Book, by Mary Livingston. This is the first chapter, dedicated to God, and it begins like this:
“God is the true Father and we are all his children. God lives on the Island of Paradise. All the worlds and all the stars, all things, revolve slowly around the Isles of Paradise. Many people call the Island of Paradise, Heaven. Paradise is very far, truly far, but each one of us will one day be able to reach there to see our Father.”
Download the entire chapter in PDF format
¶ Books – our recommendations of the month
Urantia opens the door for you (Yolanda Silva Solano)
In the words of its author, "aware of the rush and whirlwind in which we live today, this book contains short comments on some phrases from The Urantia Book, because sometimes a little knowledge well digested by our mind is preferable and taken advantage of in our daily life by our soul that great truths that remain only in our intellect to feed our ego.
»The image of Jesus that is on the cover indicates his invitation to find our evolution through The Urantia Book, because “the plan of the teaching is to learn and then put into practice what has been learned.1658” The doors are open for all without exception, “whoever wants to can enter, there are no restrictions, no qualifications, only the desire of those who want to be happy reborn to a new life with Jesus and for Jesus.1536”»
Melchizedek’s Mission (Rick Warren)
In this book, the fourth novel written by the author, it is explained who Machiventa Melchizedek was according to the teachings of The Urantia Book. The novel shows the complete story of the one who “had neither father nor mother”, the emergency Son who volunteered to recover in our world the idea of God that was in danger of disappearing, back in Abraham’s time, and thus prepare the arrival of the Creator Son. His was the third revelation of the time (of the five that our world has had), so it is worth making it known and claiming his figure.
Link with more information about the book and how to obtain it
¶ Recommended Blog: Urantianos.com
Although it is not very updated, it is worth visiting this blog and reading about topics as exciting and of general interest as the enigmas of antiquity (such as the construction of the Egyptian pyramids and their possible link with the Orion constellation), Earth history, cosmology, evolution, myths, and much more, through the prism of the teachings of The Urantia Book.
¶ Video – our recommendation of the month
How to understand The Urantia Book
In this video from the channel Study of the Urantia Writings, some very enlightening concepts are expressed to approach the study of The Urantia Book, especially with regard to reconciling the teachings of the book with science in particular or human knowledge in general. Because the form is not the same as the function, nor is the transmission of knowledge the same if it focuses on one or the other.
¶ Navigating Life – The “Five Bells” Inn
The “Five Bells” Inn
A long time ago, there was an inn called “The Silver Star”. The innkeeper, though he did his best to attract customers by striving to make the inn comfortable, serve customers cordially, and charge reasonable prices, was struggling and wishing for the money. Desperate, he went to consult a wise man.
The wise man, after hearing his lamentations, said to him:
-It is very simple. All you have to do is change the name of the inn.
-Impossible! said the innkeeper. “It has been called ‘The Silver Star’ for generations, and is known throughout the country as such!”
“No,” replied the wise man energetically. From now on you must call it “The Five Bells” and hang six bells above the entrance.
“Six bells?” That’s absurd! What is it going to be used for?
“Try it and you’ll see,” replied the Wise Man, smiling.
The innkeeper did as he was told and the following happened: every traveler who passed the inn entered it to warn the innkeeper about the mistake, believing that no one had noticed it until then. Once inside, he was so impressed by the cordiality of the service that he stayed at the inn, whereupon the innkeeper came to amass the fortune he had sought for so long in vain.
There are few things that satisfy our ego more than correcting the mistakes of others.
¶ My favorite paragraph
Eduardo Altuzarra
The existence of God can never be proved by scientific experiment or by the pure reason of logical deduction. God can be realized only in the realms of human experience; nevertheless, the true concept of the reality of God is reasonable to logic, plausible to philosophy, essential to religion, and indispensable to any hope of personality survival. (UB 1:2.7)
Most of us who are dedicated to reading books almost always point to, underline, copy, reference a series of paragraphs because we consider them interesting, enlightening or transcendental.
In The Urantia Book, which I have been reading for several years, I have many paragraphs marked as favorites. If I start at the beginning I have to say that this is one that surprised me on my first reading.
Many years of reading and studying have passed before I realized in this “sphere” of my existence that this paragraph carries a very important truth.
¶ Urantia Questionnaire: Luis Coll
Luis Coll is a reader who lives in Planolas, province of Girona. He is 67, he worked as a gardener but he is already retired. He is the father of five grown children who live in Spain and Belgium.
- How did you get to The Urantia Book and why do you think you found it?
I came to The Urantia Book around the year 2000, through the novel The Testament of Saint John, by J.J. Benitez.
- What was your first impression when reading it?
I found it interesting and with a lot of content, I was reading it little by little.
- At what point in the reading (document, sentence, etc.) did you accept that The Urantia Book is really what it claims to be?
I especially liked the first part, the extensive description it gives about God, the Trinity and the universe. For me that part was very interesting. Some people say it’s hard to understand, but it wasn’t that hard for me.
¶ About the Light and Life newsletter
Light and Life is the newsletter of the Urantia Association of Spain. From 2005 to 2016 it was published in PDF format and distributed by mail and email to the association’s reader list, but it is currently distributed in newsletter format from content in HTML format.
If you want to receive the newsletter in your email, contact the association to subscribe to the mailing list.
All papers and news from readers and study groups are welcome, so if you want to share any side work, writing, outline, image, etc., you can send it to the association and we will publish it previous evaluation of its suitability. Likewise, the Communication commission of the board of directors of the Urantia Association of Spain reserves the right to edit it so that it meets minimum spelling quality.
¶ References
- Article of the Magazine Light and Life Online: https://aue.urantia-association.org/newsletter/luz-y-vida-octubre-2021/