Monday, April 07, 2008
Healthy way to reach God
6 Apr 2008,
Deah Curry
...long ago our ancestors knew a fundamental truth that we are only recently rediscovering: good mental health is inextricably intertwined with deep spiritual development. Transpersonal psychologists in the past several decades have produced good science that shows that people who have strong spiritual beliefs and practices are generally more resilient in the face of life crises, and tend to have an easier time recovering from some physical illnesses.
This should not be surprising. After all, the psyche — a Greek word for soul — which has come to be used for the mind or one's consciousness in modern times, is inescapably spiritual in its core nature. And so are we. This does not mean that we must return to church or temple, or become ultra religious to fulfil the promise of deep spirituality as a safeguard for mental and physical health. Let's not confuse religious belief and observance with spiritual development, which is about cultivating awareness, empathy and wisdom, being of service, and having tolerance and integrity — all virtues that can and should apply no matter what religious framework one believes in. Healing emotions often involves developing one's spirituality.
These healing and development efforts in education and therapy are about raising consciousness in order to support transformation in the learner or client. Transformation is more than just change. It occurs at such a deep level that we are truly different beings when we undergo transformation. Transformative change is essential for all of us in order to become better people, able to make a beneficial difference in the world and in our own lives. No matter where you are in your personal spiritual journey, or mental health status, it is useful to ponder these five transformative questions.
In the way you are living your life, how are you being the medicine? In teaching naturopathic medical students, the relevance of that question is obvious. But if we think about medicine as energetic spiritual power, as the First Peoples of America did and do, I think this question applies to all of us on the path of transformational consciousness. Being the medicine is about how you are living your life in such a way as to be respectfully and appropriately using the spiritual power that is innate within you. What can you further develop in order to be the medicine more fully?
What do you trust? Notice I didn't ask who. This question is asking: in what do you place your belief that all is and will be as it should be? It's always interesting to try to take this question down as deep as one can with as much honesty as one can stand. In your everyday life, are you acting in congruence with what you say you trust? If not, what needs to be surrendered, reframed, or healed in order to be in alignment with what you say you trust? What cause will you give your life?
The answer to this question is often very telling as to how congruent we are with our espoused and lived values. What we prioritise in thoughts, words, and deeds on a daily basis is what we are giving our life energy to. Many of us say we value our families, but then we work 16 hours a day, rarely eat a meal together, and put business success above interpersonal family relationships. Doing this is giving life energy to work, to stress, to something other than the family that is supposedly valued. What we're actually doing is not congruent with what we're saying we give our life to. Philosophers might say that happiness comes from not waiting until circumstances force you to choose between the cause for which you would give your life, and the life you live everyday. Are you really living a life of purpose and meaning now, and if not, what needs to change?
What you put your attention on grows. Are you growing what you want to be growing? If not, how does your attention need to shift? It really means something spiritually profound and psychologically healthy to be able to say you walk your talk. Can you say that with full integrity? If not, look at how you need to re-prioritise your choices.
At the end of your life, what will you have dared so that you can pass on with no regrets?
Daring to take risks is one of the most essential transformative energies that I know of for both spiritual development and mental health. In fact many mental health and relationship problems start from a fear of risking being fully seen as our authentic selves, fear of asserting our whole truth, fear of risking rejection and abandonment by those we love, fear of risking pride or security, and other large and small risks. Daring is a catalyst for becoming everything we are meant to be.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Healthy_way_to_reach_God/articleshow/2929454.cmsLabels: Deah Curry, medicine, mental health, religion, spirituality, transformation, trust
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Thursday, January 24, 2008
Urantia Book Questions
Q: Who wrote the Urantia Book? How do we know what you say is true? The Bible has been re-written so many times that it becomes questionable, but how can we believe or trust the writings of The Urantia Book? Where are you getting your facts?
A: Thank you for your questions about The Urantia Book.
The authors of the Urantia Book are celestial personalities. Some are ascended mortals, some are angels, some are high Sons of God - all were mandated by The Ancients of Days to deliver the Urantia Papers to humanity. This delivery took place during the early years of the 20th century, and was completed in 1934. The final section of The Urantia Book - the Life and Teachings of Jesus - were delivered in toto a short time later, and the entire book was first published in final form in 1955 in Chicago. Many of the concepts (over 1000) in the book were already here on the planet in those days, in already published works, and the Revelators re-worded and re-worked many of these high human concepts and incorporated them into the text. So, in that sense, there was also a fair amount of worthwhile human thought involved - in a peripheral way. But the main bulk of the information in The Urantia Book is a brilliantly crafted treatise of celestial origin - completely unique.
I am not an author of the book, and I have no way to convince you that what is contained in its covers is true. The only way that one can discern the truth of The Urantia Book is by opening it up and reading it. Many people who have done just that are completely convinced of its truth, and have allowed that truth to expand their worldview, inform their spiritual lives, and improve their understanding of, and communion with, God. Others read some of it, and decide that they are not interested, or they decide to leave it alone for any number of reasons. The Truthbook.com site is dedicated to making the Urantia Book available and accessible to people on the internet. We exist for that purpose, and are not in the business of proselytising or trying to convince anyone of anything. The Urantia Book stands alone, on its own merits. Again, the only way to know of its truth is to read it for yourself and judge for yourself whether or not it is, indeed, true.
Having said that, I wish to expand a little bit on one or two things, just by way of further explanation, so you can make an informed decision about it. One of the concepts of The Urantia Book that is very attractive is the concept of the Spirit of Truth. The Spirit of Truth is that "good spirit" that was promised by Jesus to take his place after his ascension into heaven, and which was delivered to humanity at Pentecost. This Spirit is in every way like Jesus, except for the fact that it is a spiritual reality, not a material reality, as Jesus was in the flesh. The Spirit of Truth indwells each person and assists us to discern truth, wherever it is found. You possess this Spirit as well as anyone else, and I invite you to keep that in mind, and keep an open mind, when you approach The Urantia Book.
The Urantia Book does parallel the Bible in many respects, and explains to us why the Bible and all ancient Scripture must also be read with discernment - just because of the human element that was involved in all of that re-writing and such...and you should also read The Urantia Book with that same discernment. Jesus himself was very selective in his use of Scripture. The Urantia Book does not claim to be inerrant, or the "word of God." It is a gift of Revelation to Earth, and is meant to fill in the gaps in our understanding of earth history, of universe cosmology, of Divinity, and of the life and teachings of Jesus. I am sure you would agree that there do exist many, many gaps in our knowledge of these things. The Urantia Book answers all of these many questions in a way that is satisfying both intellectually and spiritually. Part IV - The Life and Teachings of Jesus - is one superb example of this kind of filling in the gaps, as it narrates the life of Jesus as a whole - from his birth, through his childhood, his adolescence, and into his manhood and his mission of proclaiming the good news as we have only known it from the New Testament. The difference is that in The Urantia Book, ALL the missing years and missing events are, for the first time, given to us to enjoy and as sublime inspiration for our modern times.
You can come to trust the writings of The Urantia Book, but not because I say so, because Truthbook says so, or because IT says so. Your own Spirit within will bear witness to you if you are a sincere seeker for the truth. Doubt is the human condition, and nothing bad will happen to you if you decide not to seriously read The Urantia Book. The most important thing is to keep searching for God, to stay on the road to righteousness, follow Jesus, love God, and be a good sister to others.
Thanks again for writing. I hope this reply has been helpful to you. Please feel free to subscribe to the Quote of the Day, a free service of Truthbook.com, and also please look over our site. You might find some of the Urantia Book history helpful (click on The Urantia Book in the left hand menu, and choose a topic) and also you might like to read some of the personal stories of people who feel that The Urantia Book changed their lives for the better (on the left-side menu).Labels: authorship, Bible, Jesus, Spirit of Truth, The Urantia Book, trust, Truthbook
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Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Angry at God
Q: I have a friend who's husband is really, really angry at God for the terminal cancer that his brother-in-law is facing. His brother has two small children, and it seems so unfair to him. Do you have any insight as to how to address this - to give her (my friend) some words of wisdom that she might be able to help her husband with?
A: The most important thing I would tell someone who was angry at God for the illness and impending death of a loved is that everyone dies. There is nobody on earth that doesn't die sooner or later. This is a fact of our existence and to some degree the only variable is how we will die. There are some blessings involved in dying with an illness that allows everyone time to assimilate the reality of it, take care of business and say their goodbyes. It's much harder when someone dies accidentally and leaves many things undone. Even so, death happens to everyone and it will happen to this woman's husband too.
From God's point of view, death is not an end but a beginning and it helps to try to get people to look at it that way. Death is really just another birth in an endless cycle of life. The analogy of birth really helps me a lot. Before a person is born they have everything they need. They are in a warm and nurturing environment. Then suddenly the same environment that sustained their being is now totally rejecting them. It must be terribly traumatic. Soon they go from a very small closed environment, where everything is provided rather automatically, to a huge open environment where nothing is provided except when they cry. No wonder they cry so much. But think of the loving hands and warm smiling faces that greet new babies.
Emergence into the next world is no different. Perhaps your friend can get her husband to imagine the joy on the other side when a newly born soul arrives over there. Imagine the joy of reunion for those loved ones who have already passed over and the joy of God and the angels to welcome this beloved child to the shores of the next phase of their ongoing existence. Also, there is the indescribable personal joy of the one who dies but then makes the awesome discovery that there really is no death.
She can remind her husband that because God is the perfect loving parent he feels our pain and is afflicted with us, just as her husband would be afflicted by the pain of his own children.
Some human suffering is unavoidable. God does not dole out death and suffering, these things are brought about by life on the material worlds. However, trust in the goodness of God does give us the comfort and hope that gets us through these difficulties.
Also, comfort your friend with the simple reality that God understands why we humans get angry at him but truly experiences nothing but love for us. Anger does not exist in God. He knows that, compared to eternal viewpoints, human viewpoints are as limited as the vision of a new born baby. Her husband will come to peace in time, anger is part of a grieving process and most people move beyond it, sooner or later.
The Life After Death Magazine helps to comfort many people.
Love.....PaulaLabels: anger, death, God, illness, Paula, suffering, trust
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Xerpi
