1999-4-3 07:19:00
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."
JJ:
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)
"Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein." (Mark 10:15)
"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 kingdom 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 nonbelievers will be destroyed by an angry God. We prefer an attitude that makes us not to appear imposing in such a manner 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?"
JJ:
Prayer, thought, or 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 3, but it's not a time traveler like you have seen in the movies and from our reality even 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 am I in it at this moment. Where is my point in space? If we could see the universe 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 © 1999 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved