Straight Answers

2000-10-10 11:27:00

My uncle was a near genius and then was involved in an accident where a car ran over his head. He lost a third of his brain which reduced him to a rather simple man. Despite all this he was always a cheerful man and was always kind to all. Whether or not you are kind and considerate has very little to do with your brainpower, but is due to conscious decisions one makes.

Even so, I do not recollect anyone being rude to Volker. I think you should consider, my friend, that the group has showed you much more kindness than you have shown them. It's fine to disagree and that is not rude. Paul, for instance, disagrees with me regularly, but he has never been rude. If you stop acting like you have a chip on your shoulder and something to prove you might find that you are among friends and who knows? You might learn something.

You say:
"What eats my ass is how you cannot answer a straightforward question in a straightforward way - this is sort of my definition of dogma..."

Glenys gave you as straightforward an answer as she knew how and you ridiculed her for it. Bruce asked the group how we could know that we are not being deluded and the Principles of Discovery is certainly a good place to start in this quest.

I will make a few more comments on Bruce's question.

First, all of us are deluded to some degree in one area or another. If you think you have no delusions then you should also have power over death for such a feat is accomplished by the overcoming of some of the final delusions. Now, because all of us have some delusions does this mean that we should throw our hands up and quit? No, no, no.

Remember the parable from The Immortal Book I. Deluded or not, we must move ahead following the highest that we know. If we do this with a pure heart, our strength will be as the strength of ten and the fog of our illusions will be lifted; moreover, we will see reality as it is?piece by piece.

When a person desires truth he can seek guidance through the soul, and receive confirmation and direction. This is the only infallible guide in life, but as Keith pointed out, our lower self will even misinterpret this if we do not hold our focus in the light.

How do you know you have contacted the soul? Until one makes that contact he will not know, but will assume high emotional feelings or a peaceful state is the contact. The seeker will be deceived numerous times thinking he has made contact when no such contact has been made. When this time does come and the contact has been made, there will be no doubt; there is a knowing that comes with the Spirit. Keith made such a contact a while back and described it on the list, but even after this sure contact the lower self will seek to darken our memory of it if we do not keep our focus in the light.