Manners?
This is Sneakers who had a harrowing adventure in Middle Tennessee a couple of months ago. She sleeps pretty much wherever she wishes; this time a local restaurant menu was nearby.
In the last posting I discussed “Born Again” which did not generate much interest; possibly because this topic has been hijacked by Bible thumping evangelicals. Even though the phrase is used in The Urantia Book, as well as the Bible, I do not recall it being discussed in the Urantia community. Jesus discussed it and he certainly was not a fiery preacher; Peter was a more effective preacher, while Jesus was a teacher speaking to our souls.[1] Jesus said: I declare to you, except a man be born of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. (The Urantia Book, 1602.4) The previous posting was actually a sort of introduction to what will probably be a series of postings about something I am currently developing. This posting gives more background for the process.
I call the process Spiritual Focusing. Originally I wanted to call them Spiritual Exercises but that term was taken by St. Ignatius of Loyola nearly 600 years ago. The process I will describe is certainly not any type of exercise; rather it is a practice leading to a more spiritual focus in our lives. It is difficult to describe it in a few words, but Spiritual Focusing can be done “in the spirit” while we are doing other things in the flesh. There may even an improvement in our health as we grow spiritually using this technique.
Physical Birth and Spiritual Birth
After physical birth we have been born of the flesh, but it takes some years before we become self-aware and are able to begin contemplation of things and beings beyond ourselves. Our focus at this time is essentially materialistic. Even when we become mature and think about more spiritual matters it is usually from a material perspective. Spiritual reality is something totally beyond our physical comprehension. I propose a practice that can assist us in becoming more spiritual.
Being born of the spirit gives us a more spiritual way of looking at things. We are becoming more aware of eternity, true values, and the purpose of our existence. We KNOW there is more to our existence than what might come into our physical awareness.
Our motivation for undergoing this process comes when we realize our greatest adventure in the flesh consists in the well-balanced and sane effort to advance the borders of self-consciousness out through the dim realms of embryonic soul-consciousness in a wholehearted effort to reach the borderland of spirit-consciousness — contact with the divine presence. (Urantia Book, 2097.2) The process I will describe in subsequent postings begins our journey into “embryonic soul-consciousness” and possibly beyond.
There are certainly no guarantees for what happens when Spiritual Focusing is practiced, but there is a distinct possibility we will experience spiritual progress. Spiritual growth yields lasting joy, peace which passes all understanding.[2]
Who Can Benefit from Spiritual Focusing
One does not need even a partial comprehension of teachings in The Urantia Book to attempt this process; Spiritual Focusing is not mentioned in its pages, but it is compatible with the message of the revelation. It is vital to have a strong desire to experience spiritual growth; we must sincerely want to grow closer to our Heavenly Father who is present within each one of us.
There are individuals who would not gain anything from this process: those who are unspiritual, dogmatic, self-centered, and unwilling to grow spiritually. Those who are firmly grounded in materialism will have difficulty finding spiritual focus. In this and any other endeavor we cannot make progress unless we sincerely desire it.
Those who will benefit most from this process already have some spiritual background; they may have attended Church or followed some other spiritual teaching. They have moved past pure materialism toward an increasing awareness of the value of each one of our sisters and brothers. These individuals are seeking a greater awareness of value and purpose. They want to draw closer to our Heavenly Father.
Our Faith Struggle
Being born again implies some sort of struggle; our physical birth usually comes with pain both for the mother and the emerging baby. Being born again, our faith struggle, is necessitated by the vast gulf separating physical reality from spiritual reality. The spirit struggles of time and space have to do with the evolution of spirit dominance over matter by the mediation of (personal) mind….[3] Our physical body, our physical apparatus, is somewhat controlled by our mind. If we can somehow attain spirit guidance by spiritual focusing, we can then use spirit to influence our mind and therefore gain some influence over our physical body.
God who is spirit created all things and all beings, thus demonstrating the power of spirit. Spirit reality is primary overall. Those who are fixated in materialism, physical reality, are missing out on where the real action is: God. Our sincere faith struggle can guide each one of us toward a deeper comprehension of the creation around us.
The religion of the spirit means effort, struggle, conflict, faith, determination, love, loyalty, and progress. The religion of the mind — the theology of authority — requires little or none of these exertions from its formal believers…. Materialists shun those faith voyages of daring adventure out upon the high seas of unexplored truth in search for the farther shores of spiritual realities as they may be discovered by the progressive human mind and experienced by the evolving human soul.[4]
Suggested Readings
Following is a list of relevant Talking Points pages.
Spiritual and Physical Reality
Tags: Spiritual Focusing, spiritual growth, truth seekers