Seeding the Field—What Works for Me
By Mark Bloomfield
United Kingdom
In response to Urantia Foundation’s request that I, as the Field Representative, write something for the benefit of readers interested in seeding the revelation as part of our library placement program, the following represents what, in over 6,000 hand seedings worldwide, has never once failed me:
1. Disassociate yourself
Whether you plan on making a single library placement or to make seeding the revelation your life-long mission, learn to leave yourself out. De-link your personal feelings of self-worth with whatever happens in the field.
If, upon the outcome of each seeding, you choose to pin the issue of whether you are one of life’s winners or losers, you will probably exhaust yourself before you even start.
The surer we are about ourselves, the less the opinions of others tend to affect us, and vice versa. In all the years I’ve seeded the revelation, I’ve probably had less than a dozen or so outright refusals, but if during the next day’s seeding I were to get a dozen refusals back to back, I genuinely wouldn’t care.
2. Be natural
My bungling incompetence is possibly my greatest single asset. If you feel moved to freely and unselfishly give something beautiful to your fellows just for the sake of it, then so genuine an article are you, that the notion that you might have any need of the slick ways of the salesman becomes at once perfectly laughable.
People love ‘coming to your rescue’, so let them. I’ve had junior librarians pitch the book to their chiefs for all they are worth simply because they saw me as a ‘friend in need’, a fellow bungling, stumbling (but honest) mortal. “He’s one of us!” they will think as you walk away.
3. What do I say?
Well, what in a nutshell is The Urantia Book without using the dangerously loaded words like ‘revelation’ or ‘religion’? A harmonization of science, philosophy and spirituality, it brings together ‘things’ on the physical level, ‘meanings’ on the intellectual level, and ‘values’ on the spiritual level; it is a convergence of a number of different subjects including science, philosophy, history, cosmology and spiritual inspiration, a favorite source of inspiration!
But you don’t even have to say this much if you don’t want to.
What’s wrong with, “I’d like to donate a copy of my favorite book to your library. Can I leave it with you?” Keep it simple. Your subject incidentally accepted The Urantia Book as a donation about two seconds after you opened your mouth, and for the following crucial reason:
4. Love thy neighbor
If, with your friendly, smiling face, you made immediate eye contact with your subject, it isn’t because this boring old fossil suggested it, but rather that it was your own spontaneous choice to do so in that you simply love your fellow human beings.
This is no blind presumption on my part. It is self-evident or else you wouldn’t be in the situation you are in.
5. Think as big as you like
The flip side of the quote that ambition is dangerous until it’s fully socialized (557.3) is that having socialized our ambitions, we can be as ambitious as we want. There is no contradiction here between the disassociated self and this constructive ambition. Indeed, it could be argued that the one largely precipitates the realization of the other.
Try to look beyond this rather limiting notion of mere library placements and see the direct connection here with what you are engaged in and the Master’s admonition to his apostles to carry the gospel to the ends of the world.
Some, like me, claim that he wasn’t only talking to those within earshot, but to all those for an age to come who have it in their heart to serve the kingdom. The seeds of renaissance are now being sown in the world centers of science, philosophy and religion.
If we as individuals are a part of it, then it will be a part of us—even through the great centers to Paradise itself.
Reprinted from the IUA Journal (March 2004 issue) and with permission from the author.
Library Placement Update
Since we started this year to put some energy into this project we have placed 21 books in libraries in Oregon. This is a non-invasive way of sharing the goods we have received. When the truth thirsty encounters a fountain of awesome truth, wonderful things happen.
Most of the books (15 total) were placed at the Multnomah County Library, which serves the Portland metro area and has many branches. Two were seeded at university libraries: Reed College and Portland State University. We mailed books to libraries in Wilsonville, Grants Pass, Florence and Mapleton.
Thanks to Susan B. of Mapleton and Barbara T. of Grants Pass for contacting their local libraries about getting The Urantia Book seeded. And to Pat for assisting here in Portland. For inspiration read Mark Bloomfield’s article on page 1 a few times.
Help us place the book where truth seekers can find it! After you check your local librarian to see if they would agree to have the U book on their shelves (at no cost to the library), send me the following four items of information and I will mail the book directly to the library:
1. Name of library
2. Complete library address
3. Phone #
4. Librarian/contact name
Thanks.
—Mario, 503-288-2568
Real Spirit will Prevail
by Ellen Gaynor
Puget Sound, Washington
Posted to IUA List, 16 June 2004
I have not paid much attention to the conversations on the Urantia Lists about this organization versus that, but I do see the value of interaction among all readers, regardless of affiliation.
To me, it is important that there is an IUA study group that is stable, ongoing, well read and that welcomes readers, regardless of their affiliation or book. If that group had given the person a Foundation book so that he wasn’t reading his other version, he may never have seen for himself the addition of those words. Only by reading the different versions, together, will the changes become obvious.
Many people I have met in my area went with ‘the Fellowship’ when there was a split, because they were friends, had relationships, had worked together over years. Only a very small part of them ever had a very good idea of why there was any split, at all. Many people left the groups because of the unpleasantness during that time. Some resist being part of any group, to this day, because of the attention put on form over the spirit of simply studying The Urantia Book. Many felt the controversy was simply none of their business and to this day do not necessarily consider or contemplate the nuances of distinction between one book about Urantia and another. They think, as I do, that the real spirit of The Urantia Book will prevail, after all.
I came to my own conclusions about the validity of The Urantia Book and the value of supporting the Urantia Foundation well before I’d met one single person who read the book, after 10 years of scrutinizing it for signs of anything I couldn’t personally support as an ideal, or fact. I realized that having a 1955 version to compare my 1971 version to was important to me. Most people probably don’t approach it that way, and furthermore, would be skeptical of joining a group that draws lines of demarcation between ‘them’ and ‘us’, except how they, for themselves, can see the differences between ‘updates’ and the original.
That our history now includes these controversies does make arguments on different sides available for anyone interested, but I hope to become more and more educated about The Urantia Book and inspired by ongoing comprehension of the content along side other people who value its study, similarly.
I have no way of knowing the motive or intent of any person except by some sort of personal interaction with them or their own communications. That any one person can grow and change I depend on, since we all were young at one time and made our own share of bad decisions in the process of growing up. I expect to make plenty of mistakes as I go but hope that there will be people who kept believing in me anyway and even are good enough friends to say why they were ‘shunning’ me for some reason or other at times.
The Urantia Book is all about having mutual regard for people’s Indweltness, so showing respect for their own right and ability to make good choices, individually, for their own good reasons and from their point of view while regarding your point of view, too, seems okay to me.
I joined the IUA because I wanted to serve. I know of other groups, but to me the Urantia Foundation does not need anything but congenial cooperation among people who see its value into perpetuity.
Bona fide students of The Urantia Book love people as God loves, as best they can, with all their hearts, where and whenever they find themselves. I pray to be able to face a person when I am afraid, and don’t want to, for some reason, contradict them, but want to speak up for my own point of view. I want to discover when they were thinking ‘apples’ and I was thinking ‘oranges’. And if they were thinking oranges, where is our problem, right? And when I figure out the ‘apples’ they were thinking I could finally laugh instead of cry.
Membership Report
Welcome to our newest member, Barbara Trost from Grants Pass! She is a long-time reader of The Urantia Book and an artist. Also joining us in 2004 were Maurine McConnell from Portland and Gary and Wanda Powless from Klamath Falls. We hope to see you all on the July 18th Urantia Oregon Picnic near Eugene. All Urantia Book readers are invited!
UB readers living in or near Oregon are welcome to join the Oregon Urantia Association (OUA), an affiliate of International Urantia Association (IUA). You can apply either as a full member or associate member. A full member has read The Urantia Book in its entirety, the Charter and Operating Procedures of IUA and the Declaration of Trust Creating Urantia Foundation; understands and supports the principles upon which IUA is founded. An associate member has not read The Urantia Book in its entirety; supports the teaching of the UB and the Declaration of Trust and the policies and programs of both IUA and Urantia Foundation.
To find out more about Oregon Urantia Association and its various projects such as library placement and prison study or look for other UB readers in your area go to: www.urantia-oregon.org.
On the website you can also fill out an OUA membership application form. The annual membership fee is $30 once your application has been approved. When you join the OUA you automatically become a member of IUA. If you have questions or are interested in becoming a member of OUA call me at 503-288-2568 or email Mario. —MC
Secretary's Report
The Oregon Urantia Association meeting was called to order by acting president MC at 3:00 p.m. on March 28, 2004.
Members present were Pat Murnin, Leonard Ablieter, Jeanette Schafer, Dennis Gray, MC, and Maurine McConnell. Only one guest, Bruce Porter.
Elections were held and the new board is as follows:
President: Pat Murnin, 2004-2006
Vice-President: Leonard Ablieter, 2004-2005
Secretary: Maurine McConnell, 2004-2006
Treasurer: Jeanette Schafer, 2004-2005
Membership Chair: MC, 2004-2006
The treasurer reported a beginning balance of $894.27. Expenses: $30 reimburse John Zingg; $70 webhosting service; $200 Urantia Foundation (general fund & Chinese translation); $50 UAUS; $100 library placement books. Ending balance $444.27.
We scheduled the Urantia Oregon Picnic on July 18 at Leonard Ablieter’s farm near Eugene.
—Respectfully submitted, Maurine McConnell
Horse Work
By Meredith Van Woert
Southern California
Still those stampeding horses running loose in your brain!
Put a pen around them or drive them off a cliff into the ocean.
Build a fence behind you!
Corral them!
Take away their food, their water.
Let not their neighing and braying distract you!
By what authority speaks the outrageous leader?
The one neighing and braying the loudest,
The one snorting and stamping, blowing and pawing,
And those lesser ones nipping at its withers,
Nipping at its flanks, braying, and vying for authority,
Vying for recognition, vying for all the mares?
Let not their vying and whining disturb your course!
Dare you go in among them where they are?
Hoofing and stomping and kicking up such a cloud of dust
Into the stratosphere seen from space?
Seen from the center of the universe?
Seen by God whose very eyes see all, read all?
Go there, then, into that confusion and anxiety.
Go there with a rope and shield, if you must.
Capture their leader whose name is fear.
Hobble its legs and muzzle it.
Take away its range.
Neutralize its lead.
Subdue it behind an extra fence.
Make it submissive as a pet trained to stay put.
Yet, even wild horses are a part of the universe economy.
When domesticated they are useful and intelligent.
They are companions and assistants in the labors of man.
Yet, they require grooming,
A clean environment, pasturage,
Proper food and water, exercise,
And training.
And mostly training.
It’s horse work.
True freedom
By Jeffrey Wattles
Ohio, USA
The way forward involves liberation from both false freedom and moralism. Moral action is possible only for a being who is free. Freedom lets the will choose, gives space for creativity, and implies release from determining factors. Genes, early childhood experience, environment, acquired habits, personal emotion, and the power of others who may dominate psychologically, socially, economically, politically, or militarily—all have the capacity to determine behavior before a person takes advantage of the precious opportunity to reflect and choose and decide. Tyrants who suppress political meetings, religious worship, and expression of opinion violate human liberty in a clear and obvious way. Those who manipulate persons infringe freedom in a more subtle way.
Nevertheless, true freedom implies not only the power of self-chosen action but also the proper orientation of power. Liberation from constraint is part of the story, but freedom is not only freedom from but also freedom to. The power to do whatever one wants is not yet true freedom, because true freedom is oriented to goodness. To direct one’s energies into the channels of goodness is to experience the truth of liberation. Of course freedom includes the power to choose evil, but freedom is fulfilled and enhanced and sustained only by choosing the good. Abusing liberty leads to losing it. Those who use their freedom to take advantage of others rouse the moral indignation of those around them and subvert the very system of opportunity that they enjoy.
The path to liberation begins by acknowledging the factors that condition human actions. Physical creatures are biologically conditioned by genetic factors and by current physical conditions affecting the nervous system--as beings who are refreshed or exhausted, well nourished or hungry, breathing fresh or polluted air. Social creatures are conditioned by influences from others. We are also conditioned by the personal effects of our own past decisions.
In varying degrees we may achieve control over these biological, social, and personal factors. Research may find ethical ways to liberate future generations from gross genetic defects; social progress may liberate early childhood development; political evolution may liberate all peoples from tyranny and the threat of geocidal war. It is possible, however, that the progress in these areas depends to a surprising degree on progress in another dimension.
Social theorists and philosophers neglect a key factor in liberation. Faith increases human freedom. Faith amplifies the power to walk in the way of goodness even when there are strong incentives to do otherwise. Faith gives the ability to let go of our cherished ideas about how to respond in a particular situation and to open the mind to higher input. Since faith rouses our spiritual side, it allows a person to decide in full freedom. No matter how subject we may be to physical and social determinants, everyone can choose an overall direction in life. Each of us can choose or refuse the way of goodness.
Source: The Homepage of Jeffrey Wattles
This essay on true freedom is from a draft of Jeffrey Wattles’ book on the philosophy of living. To find out more go to:
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jwattles/morality.htm
The Spiritual Outweighs the Material
By Aaron Esselstrom
Camas, Washington
The paragraphs below are the result of the reading of The Urantia Book in collaboration with older spiritual teachings before I found The Urantia Book.
The totality of dimensions from top to bottom so to speak can be seen as a scaling. At a half way mark we find a difference. Not a real half way mark, because each proceeding dimension up is exponentially more refined than the last, from the physical to the highest dimensions of paradise. The lower dimensions are subject to changes, mostly taking place at the very bottom, the physical creation. On up from the physical, there still occur change as related to time but the changes become increasingly less and less as the dimensions proceed up and up. At about a half way mark, change is no longer apparent and a crystallization of creation, including the living beings on such dimensions is essentially changeless. From a point of scaling of such changeless creation there still exist gradations of dimensions and spiritual possibilities all the way to paradise. We as mortals must first graduate from the lower dimensions into the highest dimensions before understanding the variations and subtle changes of dimensions all the way to paradise.
The living beings on highest dimensions have a right to not tolerate the lower dimensional living beings maturing behaviors attitudes and perceptions, either stationary beings or evolving mortals as ourselves. Its not a matter of ego or even toleration with the highest living beings, it’s that they live in a timeless stationary space, and the lower dimensions are time based. This is until we are qualified to first visit the highest dimensions and then eventually live in the highest of on high dimensions. Evolution is inherent within a human being, the sustaining living soul, but we still must qualify ourselves for dimensional growths into our eternal life. A human mortal that some how finds entrance into dimensions above the physical is still in a realm of lower dimensionality, thus the same influence of change, and time. Most of the spiritual beings in the lower dimensions are respectful, intelligent and even loving, although some spiritual beings may seem at times to be harmful, but we need not fear. The living beings in the highest dimensions are not at all a possible threat or harm for living beings of lower dimensions; they are typically an endless source of help. They wait for us—we don’t wait for them. Also when we are actually able to receive something, they will give.
Entropy on the lower dimensions gives the illusion of an endless breakdown of creation, but it is just that, an illusion. But in a larger scale of universe time in the lower dimensions and directly associated with what is referred to as the Supreme Being, change is actually required to affect the crystallization of the Paradise Pattern into all creation; all the way to the physical universe of our one-time seed bearing stay. In this way the lower dimensions increasingly become a reflection of the highest dimensions, stationary and changeless, so the lower eventually reflects the higher. It is hard to detect a forward progression of creation by mere observation of nature and the aging of the old. But the acts of intelligent minds throughout history have shown a forward progression of ideas and evolving lineages. Mistakes and improvements of mistakes in every aspect are detectable throughout history, and this hasn’t stopped yet.
The spiritual outweighs the material; matter may have the heaviest influence in the physical, but the material is constantly rotating with life and death. This is detectable in the physical by the observation that mind is continuous within cultures and even evolutionary in its content, but at the expense that people of civilization die off and are replaced by new people. We cannot believe in entropy just because it happens to us personally. The bigger picture tells the story, not our small story. Living and experiencing life in the lower dimensions to universe date can seem as if entropic, but we eventually see the positive aspects of this occurrence as to the effect of our soul growth beyond materialism’s and into lasting values. The spiritual outweighs the material in the sense of eternity.
New Forums Created
Three new forums/discussion lists are now operational at:
http://urantia-oregon.org/phpBB/
• Urantia Northwest—open to UB readers in Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Idaho and Oregon.
• Urantia Oregon—open forum for Urantia Book readers in Oregon.
• OUA Members—private forum for members of Oregon Urantia Association.
Links to all forums viewable at www.urantia-oregon.org
The Timing of The Urantia Book
As The Urantia Book was being readied for publication in 1955, certain members of the General Council of URANTIA Brotherhood collaborated to prepare a memorandum concerning the timing of The URANTIA Book and their perceptions of the readiness of the world to receive the fifth epochal revelation. This memorandum was dated April 4, 1955, and was placed in the files of the Executive Committee. Here is a portion of their memorandum:
“We regard The URANTIA Book as a feature of the progressive evolution of human society. It is not germane to the spectacular episodes of epochal revolutions, even though it may apparently be timed to appear in the wake of one such revolution in human society. The book belongs to the era immediately to follow the conclusion of the present ideological struggle. That will be the day when men will be willing to seek truth and righteousness. When the chaos of the present confusion has passed, it will be more readily possible to formulate the cosmos of a new and improved era of human relationships. And it is for this better order of affairs on earth that the book has been made ready.
“But the publication of the book has not been postponed to that (possibly) somewhat remote date. An early publication of the book has been provided so that it may be in hand for the training of leaders and teachers. Its presence is also required to engage the attention of persons of means who may be thus led to provide funds for translations into other languages.
“We must learn to possess our souls in patience. We are in association with a revelation of truth which is a part of the natural evolution of religion on this world. Over-rapid growth would be suicidal. The book is being given to those who are ready for it long before the day of its worldwide mission. Thousands of study groups must be brought into existence and the book must be translated into many tongues. Thus will the book be in readiness to comfort and enlighten the peoples of many languages when the battle for man’s liberty is finally won and the world is once more made safe for the religion of Jesus and the freedom of mankind.”
Note: The original source of this brief passage is a document released from 533 Diversey about 1984, incorporating gems from previous decades. Originally twenty-five pages, it is an important statement regarding the dissemination of The Urantia Book and publicity. To view the complete document go to:
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jwattles/pub533.htm
Students of The Urantia Book would find much to learn by visiting the Homepage of Jeffrey Wattles at:
http://www.personal.kent.edu/~jwattles/ub.htm
South America Update
By Cathy Jones
COLOMBIA
On May 8, 2004 the present national association of Colombia became a local association—Asociación Urantia de Bogotá. Colombia now has four local associations. The other three are Asociación Urantia de Medellin, Asociación Urantia San Jose Eje Cafetero and Asociación Urantia de Baranquilla.
This was done in order to reorganize Colombia, to form a new national association based on the same organizational plan as Urantia Association of the United States and Canada Urantia Association, each of which has multiple local associations. These national associations consist of a governing board and special committees with the purpose of coordinating and assisting the locals. Presidents and Vice Presidents of the locals are the voting members, representing their members on a national level.
The new national association is presently being formed and should be completed in June.
BRAZIL
Please check out Brazil’s new website at: http://www.urantia.com.br
Brazil became part of the IUA family in June 2003—only a year ago! To quote the newly elected president, Rogerio Reis, “Since March 19, the day I put that form on-line, I received 45 (2 full) new members. Brazil has 170 million people and I expect that our number of members will grow up very quickly. We now have 139 members, 34 full members.”
Congratulations to Rogerio and the energetic, spirit-led brothers and sisters of Brazil.
Iceland on the Map
By Marian Hughes
Hawaii
Posted to IUA List, 11 June 2004
After four days in beautiful Iceland, I would like to report to you that the assistant librarian for the Reykjavik Library System and the librarian for the University of Iceland Library (a graduate of the University of Chicago) were very grateful to receive the Urantia Books that I asked to have placed in their libraries. Neither had ever heard of the book before and were very interested to learn that the book had a Finnish translation.
But the most important contact I was guided to make was with an assistant professor who volunteers at the Einar Jonsson sculpture museum in the middle of Reykjavik. Einar Jonsson was a very spiritual sculptor, perhaps the most famous in Iceland’s history. His work is very powerful and intuitive and much of his work relates to Urantian themes. The professor said that she is anxious to start a “study group” with her family. She used those words without me telling her that this is how we study the book. Her husband is a psychiatrist who studied at Case Western University. She is fluent in English as are most Icelanders. She expressed a desire to translate the book into Icelandic and this all happened in a period of one hour during our “chance” meeting at the museum. Iceland reminds me very much of the continental nation that is described in “Government on a Neighboring Planet.”
Gary from England and I were chatting today and we would like to encourage all of you going on holiday to take a few books with you to place in libraries at your destinations.
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