Urantia Book Commentary and Articles: 2005-12-18

The mythic content of religious belief is very great. Humans seem to be gifted at telling stories to one another. Explanations for reality and events often border on the mytho-poetic. The tales of the behavior and actions of the Gods fill myriad volumes, sacred and profane, in libraries all over our planet.

Yet it seems clear that as Western Civilization ages, we have multiple interpretations for every sort of phenomenon, with multiple theories to explain history and science. Our myths are so varied, so prone to include the superstitions of ancestral heritage, that it becomes difficult to anticipate an actual myth that will suffice to the times we live in.

This multiplicity reflects the original interpretive functions of the Spirit of Truth and the up-welling of the influences of the *Seven Adjutant Mind Spirits. We are each unique personalities, with talents, gifts, and challenges that set us apart. Our nature and nurture are also unique to our experience.

How do we hold our faith? Unity in the Spirit without uniformity in fact or in perception. Free will implies the ability to form a personal universe of meanings and values. Then sooner or later we need to include God to complete the picture.

This is where poetry becomes indispensable, to my way of thinking. The poet takes raw material from experience in emotions, perceptions, sensations, colors, and tastes to blend word-images of communicative power. Jesus had such skill in formulating his unforgettable parables, his genius utterances in word poetry.

I have found over the years of my middle-age that keeping a journal draws forth image-making, even an occasional burst of poetry. Blank books seem to call to be written upon, and I cannot resist the temptation. I write only when I feel moved to put down thoughts to paper. Yet it is always a moment of prayerful awareness, affording an open window on state-of-mind, upon re-reading what was written a year or more down into the future.

Forging myths that move multitudes and provide motivation and inspiration to young idealists is a monumental challenge. We should not shrink from bringing forth our talents and our abilities. Can you write well? Now is a good time to find out.

Can you speak well? Now is a good time to up your skill set with Toastmasters or other organizations of that sort. Playing shy or avoiding the attention of the crowd may be safe, but it does not honor the gifts God has placed into your hands.

Stephen Zendt, Golden Gate Circle, San Francisco Bay Area

*Mind such as man comprehends is an endowment of the seven adjutant mind-spirits superimposed on the non-teachable or mechanical levels of mind by the agencies of the Infinite Spirit. The seven adjutants have been given the following names: the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of worship, the spirit of counsel, the spirit of knowledge, the spirit of courage, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of intuition--of quick perception.

(The above are listed in order of highest function to lowest function.)

Labels: God, journal, myths, personalities, poetry, speaking, Stephen Zendt, Toastmasters, writing