© 2024 Robert Cadieux
© 2024 Urantia Association of Quebec
Robert Cadieux
Montreal
Hello dear friends,
I am writing to tell you about my participation in the International Urantia Association conference which was held in Baltimore, Maryland from Thursday March 28 to Sunday March 31, 2024. I really enjoyed this conference whose theme was based on the soul: “The Nature and Nurture of the Soul”, nurture meaning the culture of the soul, that is to say the way in which we nourish it, maintain it and cultivate it.
In fact, it was the atmosphere and the people who were there that made such a great impression on me. There were about 180 participants. There were 7 of us from Quebec and also, I had the great joy of meeting two of the core of 5 Senegalese instructors who teach “progressive divine wisdom”: Mamadou Doudou Diagne and Amsata Fall.
What a pleasure and what human warmth I had in knowing them in person!
I am studying the Progressive Divine Wisdom Seminars with Doudou and we already have over 360 meetings under our belt since 2020.
What a wonderful encounter! This school of spiritual progression based on the teachings of the Urantia Book was prepared and initiated by Moussa Ndiaye who began teaching students in Dakar, Senegal in the 1970s. Doudou was one of his first students. This original core of instructors also includes two of his sons, Moustapha and Khatabe Ndiaye, as well as Assane Diagne.
In the evenings, after dinner, there were open microphone periods where participants could come and speak on various topics of interest. It was there that Amsata took the podium to inform the conference participants of the existence of the “School of Progressive Divine Wisdom”. These spiritual education seminars could eventually be given in English by future English-speaking educators.
During the two central days of the convention, Friday and Saturday, several speakers addressed the morontia soul from various aspects and explored its facets. They showed us that the goal of the religionist is to discover its reality in our human experience and to become conscious of it.
We know that the birth of our soul occurs with the arrival of the Adjuster in our mind at our first moral decision at about age 5 or 6. Initially, our soul is like an embryo seeking development; it is the Thought Adjuster who spiritually nourishes it in association with our mind which desires to do good and to participate in the religious reality of those with whom we interact. Later in our spiritual development, the growing consciousness of the soul leads to God consciousness and the exciting discovery that our Paradise Father is our soul’s destiny.
The themes chosen by the speakers nourished our reflections on the awareness of our soul and its growth.
These themes were:
- The Thought Adjuster initiates and stimulates your soul
- The stages of development of the growth of our embryonic soul
- Soul consciousness leads to God consciousness
- Your Father in Heaven is the destiny of your soul
- Your soul grows when you do the will of the Father
- The spirit of truth and seraphic guidance stimulate soul growth
- Worship and prayer promote soul growth
- Your soul progresses through love shared in service and an active religious life
This hushed morontia atmosphere was clearly perceptible among the presenters, workshop facilitators and participants. We were experiencing the radiant atmosphere of a core of human beings aware of the unification of the divine presence within us. A group of mortals engaged in the sincere desire to communicate our spiritual feeling and experience to the personalities with whom we come into contact and who may be susceptible to perceiving that a great inner light inhabits them; that it can potentially enlighten any mind desirous of learning and knowing this divine spark present in each one.
These are the impressions I had during these wonderful days of the congress.
The reality of our soul is the discovery that with it and through it we will know the experience of the afterlife and a constant journey towards the spiritual realities that await us.
The difference between a person who has an inner life that knows God and a person who does not is soul consciousness, and this soul knowledge leads us to become aware of the divine spirit that dwells within us.
Jesus gave us a first definition of the soul:
“The soul is the self-reflective, truth-discerning, and spirit-perceiving part of man which forever elevates the human being above the level of the animal world.” (UB 133:6.5)
The soul has its own existence and, as much as we must participate in its growth by our dynamic spiritual actions, that is to say by producing the fruits of the spirit, it nourishes us in return by the consciousness that we have of it which stimulates our spiritual imagination enlightened by our Adjuster and the Spirit of Truth.
Jesus said: UB 140:3.13… “You are the light of the world…”
We must be his apostles and light the way for people who do not yet see the light which is in all those who are preparing to be born of the Spirit.
We must be those. With our enlightened soul, let us be the propagators of the good news.
There is this sentence that comes to mind and says:
“Good humor and the smile of happiness are among the most powerful and influential of human assets in religious propagation.”
A lively positive attitude, the expression on our face, a benevolent smile become the gateway to making contact with the soul of the people we meet on our path. I am inspired by the way Jesus spoke to people.
. . .Jesus spoke directly to men’s souls. He was a teacher of man’s spirit, but through the mind. He lived with men. (UB 141:7.10)
And also:
… As a rule, those to whom he taught the most said the least. Those who benefited most from his personal ministry were overworked, anxious, and depressed people, to whom the opportunity to pour out their souls to a sympathetic and understanding listener brought great relief; Jesus was that listener, and more.
Jesus was never in a hurry. He had time to comfort his fellow men “as he passed by.” And he always made his friends feel at ease. He was a charming listener. (UB 171:7.5)
. . . He inspired profound self-confidence and robust courage in all who enjoyed his association. When he smiled on a man, that mortal experienced increased capacity for solving his manifold problems. (UB 171:7.6)
What Jesus did, we can do; connect with our fellow human beings, be inspired by letting our souls connect with theirs. We have the keys to instruct, The Urantia Book has revealed them to us and the midwayers have taught us that:
. . . The spiritual forward urge is the most powerful driving force present in this world; the truth-learning believer is the one progressive and aggressive soul on earth. (UB 194:3.4)
This is the impulse I feel with the stimulation of my living soul
I returned from the Baltimore Congress with the desire and stimulation to share my religious enthusiasm with the people around me.
On Sunday at the closing of the congress, the organizers passed the torch to the people who will organize the next UAI international congress. It will be in BRAZIL.
What do you think, we have 3 years to prepare, organize a trip to visit the country and take four days to participate in the congress
See you in Brazil in 2027.