Good morning friends
I was reading Paper 5 the other day, Gods Relation to the Individual... And I found some spiritual fertilizer for my mind...
"The spiritual growth of the soul takes place wholly independently of the intellectual self-consciousness." 5:3.7 (66.3)
Paper 5 'God's Relation to the Individual' part 3 'True Worship'
https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-st ... individual
I asked Perplexity.ai for help with this one...
The full quote from that paper is this:
"Sincere worship connotes the mobilization of all the powers of the human personality under the dominance of the evolving soul and subject to the divine directionization of the associated Thought Adjuster. The mind of material limitations can never become highly conscious of the real significance of true worship. Man's realization of the reality of the worship experience is chiefly determined by the developmental status of his evolving immortal soul. The spiritual growth of the soul takes place wholly independently of the intellectual self-consciousness."
Where do I presently reside with my ideas and beliefs?
Truth is, we are having an experience with it.
What does this mean for me, as far as my own understanding and continued growth?
The quoted excerpt says that the true value of worship is beyond any human intellectual capacity. It also says that personal growth and spiritual growth are separate realities.
As I explore my beliefs, I question if Truth exist independently from physical reality?
I have witnessed miracles that make this material reality seem a joke and at the same time- incredibly precious.
Where do I reside with fear? I am still afraid to die, not ready to let go of the temporary bodies I do identify with. Physical, emotional, thought.
But I am to recognize an even greater existence behind that.
And what is material reality to that intelligence?
From what I understand, the UB instructs patience and even lifetimes of 'transmutation' moving from one type of body to another-
And even after fusion with TA, even after meeting the Lord 'face to face' (will we even have human faces at that point?) our existence continues onward with its own adventures too grand and majestic to even fathom while identified as human of earth.
Despite my belief, or wanting to believe, it seems I still have many many hurdles to work through. I do believe God is the only reality, I do believe this life can be described as- but a dream... A product of the creator.
It is all incredibly real. So perhaps adopting the, 'life is but a dream' modality does not serve me- despite the inherent truth I will come to know.
This quote reminds me that personal accomplishments can have nothing to do with real spiritual growth. Like advancing in a career, acquiring religious knowledge or even understanding my self as it pertains to physical, mental and emotional.
It is easy to confuse personal growth with spiritual growth- because we are so identified with these temporary bodies, we think spiritual growth as the result of our years of existing. But what then of spontaneous spiritual experience?
This gives validity to the quote.
And what really blows my mind, is that the spiritual growth according to the UB is accredited to an 'evolving soul' whereas we think of the soul already as Eternal.
But recognizing the difference is showing me there is a translation occurring within- and that translation may mean, ultimately, fusion with the TA.