© 2022 Rabia Harris
© 2022 The Urantia Book Fellowship
by Rabia Harris
Back in the early 1980s an artist friend told me about a book that had changed his life; he was so convincing that I bought my own copy. This was at the beginning of my spiritual seeking, and I had already begun to consume metaphysical writings such as The Sleeping Prophet, a book about Edgar Cayce, and Psycho-Cybernetics, by Maltz. The idea of “My Presence” (of the “I AM”) depicted in The Impersonal Life was, regretfully, filtered through my own limited concepts of God, gleaned from my Christian upbringing, so the deeper truths of this book still remained elusive. However, I kept searching and exploring. Gradually, my life began to change as I unconsciously was being guided by my own mysterious inner voice.
Eventually, I felt led to pass my copy of The Impersonal Life to a friend who was going through a personal crisis. She came back to me with tears in her eyes and said, “This book is amazing! It is just what I needed.” She thanked me for the gift, and the emotional sharing she expressed that day has vividly stayed in my memory.
In the early 1990s, I received my first Urantia Book from a dear friend who reverently presented it to me, declaring that he believed the book to be a sacred revelation. For three years, this large tome sat on a shelf as I never seemed capable of groping my way through the “Foreword.” Then, a client who read the book suggested that I start with “Part IV.” Obviously, that was divine intervention, for I couldn’t stop studying it, eventually reading The Urantia Book cover to cover, backwards by section! Study groups in Austin, TX, Boulder, CO, East Tennessee, and Asheville, NC, reinforced my devotion to these inspiring contemporary scriptures. Attending various gatherings of Urantia Book “readers” (I prefer the term “students”) brought an even stronger connection to this evolving global spiritual community called “The Urantia Movement.”
The teachings on the “Thought Adjuster,” The Urantia Book’s term for our divine spirit within, have been incredibly meaningful to me. I had already come to understand, through healing modality training, that there is a “Higher Self” we could connect to who guides us in our work. Diligent contemplation of these concepts gave me a more expansive understanding of this divine spirit within. Those papers (which are chapters in The Urantia Book) have been read often and discussed with other Urantia Book students. At a Urantia Book retreat in North Carolina, during a workshop on the “Mystery Monitor,” (another Urantia Book term for the Thought Adjuster), we were encouraged to name our own. Mine seems feminine though there is no attribution to any gender in The Urantia Book to Mystery Monitors. I call her “Divinia.” Though she may be impersonal, she has come to feel very personal to me!
Jesus’ example and teachings of God’s will, revealed in The Urantia Book, has long inspired me to surrender to God daily. My inner guidance has become more trustworthy as I have lived this practice in my everyday life. “Turning it over to God” has become so familiar to me now; as I witness serendipity and miracles continue to manifest, the thought of deferring to the needs and fears of my lower nature now seems foolish and self-sabotaging. God only wants our good!
This small but mighty book, The Impersonal Life, once again arose to my conscious awareness and I ordered a used copy online. This time, the wisdom became much more understandable. The voice speaking, called the “I AM,” is of course that same “My Presence within”, the pure indwelling spirit revealed in The Urantia Book, which I now call my “Divine Self.” Like The Urantia Book, the truths contained within this small book of eighteen chapters can continue to speak to us on deeper and deeper levels, as we evolve on our souls’ journeys toward eternity.
The Impersonal Life was written in 1914 by a Lutheran minister who wished to be unknown, as many of the teachings were not in alignment with his denomination’s doctrines. Published in 1916, the author was called “Anonymous,” until 1940. The writer, Joseph S. Benner died in 1941.
The following text is taken from a handwritten letter by the author:
August 13, 1916-Dear God Thou AllProvider, Thou Who art my Inexhaustible Supply, my Sufficiency in all things: I hereby covenant with Thee to devote my life and everything Thou givest me in Thy Service; to work henceforth only for Thee, letting Thee guide and direct me in all things. In return I ask only for Wisdom and Understanding that I may know Thy Will and Thy Meaning when Thou speakest, and for Strength never to doubt Thy unfailing Supply and Support. Joseph S. Benner
This illuminating treasure (The Impersonal Life), in both text and audio format, can be downloaded free from the internet at https://theimpersonallife.weebly.com/theimpersonal-life.html. Both new and used books are available from many sources at quite reasonable prices.
Eliria (Rabia) Harris is an interfaith minister with the Alliance of Divine Love as well as a healing prayer minister with the Order of St. Luke the Physician, an international ecumenical ministry. She volunteers for ecumenical Taize’ services at the local Episcopal church. Rabia (her interfaith Sufi name) now lives in Abingdon, Virginia, and occasionally officiates at weddings. She performed a Urantia-Book-inspired ceremony for a couple in North Carolina while still living there, and would be honored to do so again.
Email: rabiaharris@yahoo.com
Website: www.eliriaharrisweddings.com
The voice speaking, called the “I AM,” is of course that same “My Presence within”, the pure indwelling spirit revealed in The Urantia Book, which I now call my “Divine Self.”