April 1, 1999
Points in Time and Space
A reader writes, “Well, it was true at one time in my life that I could not walk. That was TRUE. It is no longer true.”
Remember we are talking about truth as points in time and space. Contemplate what this important phrase means. This is a key to harmonizing all of our thought as a group.
It is true that there was a point in time and space that I was a baby and could not walk. But now that I am at a different point in time and space I can walk; however, that does not change the point in time and space where I could not walk. That still exists, and it is still true that as a baby I could not walk.
It is a little like walking along a path and you pass some beautiful scenery. After walking an hour the scenery changes so it is no longer beautiful. This does not mean that the beautiful scenery behind you no longer exists. You can go back to that exact point on the path and look at it whenever you desire.
Points in time and space are like that. At each point in time and space is a point of truth that will always be.
We are discussing a vast subject here and it will take a while to get through it. When we do I believe most of us will see eye to eye, not because I am your authority, but because your souls are your authority and all souls are one.
A reader defines truth as “that which I know now.”
This tells me very little so let me ask you some questions to clarify.
Is truth something you think you know or something you know you know?
If you think you know something to be true and is later proven false then was it really true in the first place?
If you believe you know that 2+2=3 is this still truth in your definition?
Question: If I know something now that you do not know now, is that which I know, the truth? For instance, the high temperature in Boise today was 54 degrees. Because I know this and you do not, does this mean it is not true? If it is not true then what is the true temperature?
The subject of truth is not a concept that I would have presented near the beginning of my relationship with this group. I knew it would be controversial, and there are many other things I will present that will be controversial. I first wanted to establish a relationship with a number of you in such a way that I would be seen as having an earned authority in your eyes. Only in this way can your eyes be open enough to consider some of the things that I will teach here. Without sincere consideration there can be no possibility of soul confirmation.
We have been gliding along rather smoothly for a while so I thought to myself: “It’s time to put a teaching out there to stir the waters and perhaps purify to a higher degree.”
Some only seem to speak of truth in the absolute sense. Truth as they see it lies beyond the world of perception. When we see an elephant, we are not seeing any truth about the elephant. Any truth concerning the elephant lies beyond its form. If I see that the elephant has four legs, that fact is not true in some minds. Therefore if I tell someone the elephant has three legs I am not lying.
Some say the past is not true and that it can be changed. The future is not true either and that can be changed. Does this mean that Bill Clinton may have had no sex with Monica after all? That he can change his past and now he may be telling us the truth?
Sorry, this makes no sense to me. I see this type of thinking as part of a great illusion that traps many new age people who have misunderstood the Seth books and A Course in Miracles.
The way some define truth is so narrow it would make the idea of telling the truth or lying meaningless. “Sorry dear, I couldn’t tell you the truth about that good looking secretary because what you think you see of her has nothing to do with truth. I couldn’t possibly have an affair with an illusion.”
Let’s get real here. 99% of the people out there have a pretty good general idea of what we mean when we speak of telling the truth or lying. I am taking what people already correctly understand about truth and guiding them a step further.
It is true that as you progress to worlds higher than the physical that things seem to be more real and permanent, and this many call “absolute truth.” Even in the higher worlds there is change and BECOMING, so it’s not absolute in the way they are thinking.
To say that 2+2 is not 4 is being argumentative here with no purpose. In the final oneness where there could not be a two plus two, you would not even exist as an entity, but what good does it do us to even think about that when there are so many points of truth here in this reality to assist us in the joy of BECOMING?
Now I’ll give out a couple more things (speaking to the group) that may have not been considered. There are those who say we can change the past as well as the future. But let me present you this: You cannot change the past or the future.
No, I am not teaching the doctrine of predestination, not at all. Let me explain. You cannot change the future because there is nothing to change. The future is not here yet. You create the future within your ring-pass-not and, when each point in time and space arrives, it is unchangeable.
Let me put it this way. Let us say you are going to make a snowball and you think to yourself, “I am going to change the future and not make that snowball, I’ll make a snowman instead.” Time passes and you make the snowman instead of the snowball. You think to yourself: “I’m proud of myself. I’ve changed the future.”
Not so. The snowball was never made in the future so it was never there to change. When the future arrived, there was no snowball to change. The real future contained the snowman. I repeat there was no snowball to change.
Now the event is passed. There is a snowman at this point in time and space, but there will never be a snowball at that point. This point of time, where the snowman was made, is unchangeable in the future and unchangeable when it slipped to the past.
Instead of changing the past and future, what you do is create them. Each creation is a DECISION point. You can create or decide anything you want to, but decisions in time and space cannot be changed. If I decided to buy a new car yesterday, but changed my mind today, I do not alter the fact that I made that decision yesterday. I can, however, alter the effect of that decision with an opposing decision today.
Some say that truth is not something we perceive. I would argue this point. All truth that registers in our consciousness or understanding is truth that is perceived in some way. Without some type of perception truth cannot be registered in consciousness. If you do not consider this to be true, think of anything that you know or believe to be true, and tell me how you arrived at it with no perception.
April 2, 1999
Changing the Past and Future
Brian Writes:
“I don’t believe we can change the actual past, but we can change our perception of it. In fact, many people do this, sometimes to the point that they no longer remember the actual events but only their own fabricated memory.
“In NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and other disciplines, one of the basic tenets of self-development is that you can change who you are now by changing your language (including your internal dialogue) as well as changing your memory of negative events in your past. There are various vehicles for changing a memory, but they all have the same basic premise:
- Relax your whole mind and body.
- In your mind, go back to the “negative” event and immerse yourself in it. Remember the colors, the smells, the people, etc; every ingredient to make the experience as vivid (“real”) as possible.
- As you replay the event in your mind, CHANGE the outcome. Make it a positive experience.
- Replay several times so that the new memory takes hold.
- Slowly bring yourself back to the present.
“What this does is change not only your mental memory, but also your physical memory. You’d be surprised how much of our past is not only in your head, but also trapped in your lower back, your stomach, your neck, etc.”
JJ
Good realistic comment here dealing with the starting point of the reality in which we live. Some people would actually think you are changing the past with this process, but as you say you are not doing this. Instead you are changing the negative effects of the past. As long as we understand that we are changing effects rather than past reality, we keep that tricky illusion from trapping us and we can use this principle for good.
Any time, however, we get caught in an illusion that tells us we can change the truth of the past then we get our vision caught in a fog that winds up creating more harm than good.
Jennifer makes a good comment about responding to difficult situations with honesty and tact. It is not a lie to hold back or not tell all you know, but all you tell should be true. If someone asks if he/she is fat you do not have to give out a blunt “you’re fat as a pig.” That would be more harmful than a lie about it. Instead look for something positive you can say that is true. Perhaps something like this: “You look like you have lost weight this last month to me.”
I’m not sure if Jennifer read my comments on the possibility of changing the future but my comments on the snowball and snowman correlate with her comments. By changing the location of the spider you do not change its future. Its future was always in the location in which you placed it. Instead you created the future. Creating a thing and changing the finished creation are two separate things.
April 3, 1999
The Crossing of Time and Space
I thank you, my friends, for your patience with me as we explore the truth about truth. Your acceptance and open mindedness is greater than I expected. I know several of you doubted me as you have rightfully done several times in the past and will do so again.
The interesting thing about an exchange through the written word is that when one person disagrees he cannot start shouting and drown the other voices out. Here, where the word is just the word, all voices have the same strength. This forces us to look at the reasoning behind the words.
As we exchange views back and forth two, three or four times that which is closest to the truth begins to be obvious to the majority.
I very much enjoyed Glenys’ comment: “I was thinking this morning about how much we complicate our lives with complex philosophies. If JJ had asked a child the questions he asked us, he would have received unequivocal and sensible answers that were a reflection of the child’s experience rather than someone else’s teaching on the matter. When I was a child I knew exactly what Truth was; it’s only as I’ve grown older that I’ve started to think in terms of relative and absolute truth.”
This statement reminds me of the words of Jesus:
“At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matt 18:1-4
Mark 10:15 “Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.”
“But Jesus called them unto him and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the king•dom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Luke 18:16-17
I think you are on to something Glenys. When the child is asked to tell the truth about stealing the candy bar he doesn’t go through a huge internal philosophical discussion about his truth and your truth, about relative and absolute truth. He knows what the truth is and if he does lie, he knows he is lying.
In speaking of “your truth” and “my truth” I am not trying to be critical of anyone who uses this term. Overall most of you who do use it are doing so with a good heart and intent. Many are turned off by the ultra religionists insisting that their way and the truth they teach must be believed or non believers will be destroyed by an angry God. We prefer an attitude that makes us not appear to be so imposing to our associates. Thus, when we talk about our beliefs, we like to present them with the idea that it is fine if others do not accept them.
The intention here is good, but let me suggest that the wording is not exactly correct. Instead of saying “you have your truth and I have mine (implying that two truths contradict) we could more accurately say: “you have your beliefs and I have mine,” or “you have your way of looking at it and I have mine. In your mind you are right, but in mine, what I am saying seems right to me.” We can make our words very accurate (a form of representing the truth) and yet still be a nice guy with an open mind.
Glenys also writes: “However, I was interested in Jennifer’s point about changing the past through prayer etc. Is the power of prayer outside time and space? Can you pray for a situation that took place in the past and ameliorate its severity somehow?…
“In fact, I can’t think of any credible teacher who has said that we can change the past, even through prayer. Could you comment on that, JJ?”
Prayer, thought, virtually nothing can change the past, but the effect of the past can be changed so the negativity will have no emotional effect on us. Brian gave an excellent formula for accomplishing this. If you review the past in your mind and alter it through visualization you can create a more positive reality for yourself in the present. To avoid illusion it is important that you realize you are not changing the past, but changing the effects of the past.
Interestingly Joe and Elizabeth meet a spiritual time traveler in The Immortal Book III, but it’s not a time traveler like you have seen in the movies, even from our reality a time traveler cannot change the past.
To make a further clarification about truth let us examine the phrase: “points in time and space.” Remember that we said that the Eternal Now is like a great mural with infinite pictures composed of infinite pixels, and that each pixel is a point in time and space?
What is a point in time and space? It is actually two overlapping points. The first is the point in time. For me, right now, the point of time I am in is 10 PM MST, April 2, 1999. This point in time appears just once in all eternity and here I am, in it at this moment. Where is my point in space?
If we could see the universe as a whole, we would look for the Milky Way Galaxy within this structure. Once this is found we look through the billions of star systems until we come to our sun. Then we scout among the planets and we find earth. Upon the earth we discover America and within this continent we then find Idaho and finally Boise, then my house. Within my house I am downstairs in my office sitting on my chair in front of the computer typing this. This is my point in space.
Putting them both together is symbolized by the two lines that make up the cross. The point where they cross is a point in time and space. Every point in time and space within the worlds of form is a record of some event which has taken place. A snapshot of this event is absolutely true, or absolute truth, or just the truth. Whatever you call it is what it is – an actual true and real happening that can be registered by consciousness.
Memory can distort this event, but this distortion is a little like remembering a movie incorrectly. But any time you want to retrieve the event, just pop the VCR tape into the machine and the playback will reveal the true reality. A point in time and space is a recorded event that will always be.
Heather wants to know if the philosophy of creating our own reality is true or illusion. Within our ring-pass-not we have power to create our own reality. We either create our own reality or allow someone else to do it for us. There are decisions made from outside our ring-pass-not that affect our realty over which we have no control. The best thing to do with these influences from higher lives is to accept them once you learn what the program is.
Now let us switch to a new controversy. You have heard it said that we live on many levels of consciousness, that the consciousness we have in the body is just one level. In addition to this we have the subconscious and then perhaps several levels of superconsciousness.
Now just as we looked at truth anew, let us look at consciousness anew. Do we really live at more than one level of consciousness or is this an illusion also?
Copyright by J J Dewey
Index for Older Archives (Like this One) in the Process of Updating
Easy Access to All the Writings
For Free Book go HERE and other books HERE
JJ’s Amazon page HERE
Gather with JJ on Facebook HERE