COMMENTARIES ON DISCOURSE 4

Universe Relationship

By John Berges

54 (1) Paragraphs 1-37 No Technique

This discourse opens with what is now becoming a familiar theme, namely, the desire of the student to experience the Wholeness Navigator. The student is looking for a technique which will allow him to have such an experience. The teacher informs the student that no such technique exists. No technique exists because none is necessary. 

The teacher explains the student’s misguided desire in terms of a metaphorical bridge and the following exchange ensues:

Student: Are you saying that none have built this bridge?

Teacher: No. I’m saying that none have wanted to build this bridge.

Student: Then why does it consume me so?

Teacher: Because you believe it can be built by answers, by experience, and by initiative.

Student: And it can’t?

Teacher: It cannot be built anymore than you can build something that is already built. 12-17

Here we find that the connection the student seeks already exists, but he simply does not recognize it. The assumption is that the experience of the Wholeness Navigator will make the inner, hidden knowledge of the multiverse available to him in his everyday waking consciousness. This is not the case, however. 

This false assumption is a major distraction which creates a belief in the student that he or she can never teach or help another student until the Wholeness Navigator is experienced:

Teacher: You have knowledge and discipline. You have intuition and insight. You have initiative and cunning. You have power of will and persistence. Are these more important to you than the missing conscious experience of the Wholeness Navigator? 29.

Due to this false assumption the student devalues all his talents. The teacher points out that students focus on what they don’t have instead of appreciating and using (in service to self and others) the talents they already possess.

Student: I believe that when I have the experience of the Wholeness Navigator, it will supercede these other things, or it will put them in some kind of collective order and I will be a better person and therefore a better teacher because of it. 30.

The student then expresses his belief that all great teachers must have a direct experience of the soul, that they must be conscious of their own souls, for how else could they be such great teachers? 

Teacher: Even at this moment you are having this experience, as am I.

Student: Yes, but you’re probably conscious of it, I’m not.

Teacher: No, I’m conscious of us. I’m conscious of wherever and whatever I turn my attention to. I cannot turn my attention to the Wholeness Navigator because it is of an energetic frequency that is out of the range of the senses of this body and mind.

Student: So you’re saying that the Wholeness Navigator or human soul is invisible to our human senses no matter what we do? There isn’t any technique that will allow us to attune to it, or it to us?

Teacher: Correct. 33-37.

This is a very important point in this discourse. The teacher is saying that we are all experiencing the Wholeness Navigator, but we cannot detect it with our human instruments. But, more importantly, we don’t have to. It is not necessary to have a direct experience of the soul in order to advance spiritually. 

Briefly, we might wonder how such an idea fits in with that of the Grand Portal. As many students of the WingMakers material know, the Grand Portal is the irrefutable scientific discovery of the human soul. This is projected to occur by the third quarter of this century. This seems to contradict this entire discourse (as well as others). We cannot yet fathom all there is to know about the Grand Portal, but for now, an analogy may temporarily satisfy this apparent contradiction. 

Astrophysicists, claim the existence of black holes, yet tell us that it is impossible to see a black hole. Why? Because the gravity surrounding a black hole is so powerful that it prevents light from reflecting off the black hole (a collapsed star). Black holes are, however, detected because of the effect they have on the space surrounding them. 

In the same way, our future discovery of the soul may come about through our detection of the effects surrounding it rather than through our ability to detect it and know it with our senses. Yet, paradoxically, the teacher states that we are experiencing the soul or Wholeness Navigator all the time. How? Through the effects of its qualities on our human instrument. Those qualities were listed previously in paragraph 29:

• Knowledge and discipline

• Intuition and insight

• Initiative and cunning

• Power of will and persistence

Here are several more from Lyricus Discourse One (paragraph 62):

• unconditional love

• supernal beauty

• harmony

• reverence

• wholeness

All these qualities are possible of expression in every person and thus, we all experience the effects and qualities of the soul or Wholeness Navigator.

56 (3) Paragraphs 38-53 Disillusionment

In this section of the discourse the teacher reluctantly disillusions the student by explaining the true nature of the subjective experiences of mystics and saints. This portion of the discourse is important to understand because it reveals a common misconception about the quest for spiritual knowledge. Therefore, it is worthy of closer study.

The exchange begins when the student asks whether his desire for objective contact with his soul is “unfounded.” The teacher explains that it is natural for him to have this desire, but it is impossible to fulfill. The student expresses his sense of incompleteness, his feeling that something vital is missing from his nature, and that his unanswered questions are holding him back from fulfilling his spiritual path. Then comes a key concept in this discourse:

Teacher: You believe that great knowledge can only come from the experience of the unknown, hidden worlds in which the human soul lives, and without this experience you are unable to fulfill your promise. 41.

This is an important point because the vast majority of religious and mystical philosophies known to humanity teach that the “inner, hidden worlds” contain the secrets of life, the keys to spiritual enlightenment—enlightenment that can liberate humans from the harsh, material world. The implications of this tenet strongly suggest that unless one can claim awareness of the subjective, hidden realms and dimensions which contain this higher knowledge, one is not qualified to lead, teach, and inspire others. The teacher, thus begins to lay bare an illusion of the spiritual path. The student is naturally puzzled by this statement and next follows the disillusionment:

Teacher: I will share a secret with you. It is not something I do with satisfaction but rather a sense of duty. The accounts of the other worlds are clothed in the very same fabric as dreams. The mystics, saints, and even some of the greatest teachers of the human species lived in bodies with the same limited range of perception as you and I. Their sometimes-spectacular accounts of other dimensions and planes of existence were subjective, non-replicable lucid dreams that were retold as objective worlds of splendor.

Student: Are you saying that the accounts of mysticism are fabrications?

Teacher: Some are. Some are misinterpretations of lucid dreams. Some are encounters with the meta-dimensional worlds of the future multiverse. Some are encounters with off-planetary beings. Some are planned deceptions. The point I’m making is that those who speak loudest of their experiences of the human soul and the worlds in which it resides are often seeking to describe their own glory more than an objective reality. 43-5.

The student is taken aback by this seemingly radical description of the subjective experiences of mystics and saints. Here we must be cautious, because the teacher is not saying that these subjective worlds don’t exist. Nor is he saying that all the information is false or worthless. He is simply saying that the content of these inner dimensions is based on the individual, subjective interpretations of those who have experienced these worlds. The inner worlds do exist; these inner realms can be experienced; but the reported experiences are filtered through the human instruments of those mystics who have undergone the journey. For the most part, their reports are honest, subjective interpretations and not reproducible by others because everyone interprets his experiences differently. The teacher explains this with the following metaphor:

Teacher:...If I discovered a place upon earth that no one else had ever come upon, and I made a map with coordinates of this discovery, I would be able to explain to anyone who can read a map how to find this same place. I could also lead people to it based on my experience.

Why then are there no maps of the inner worlds? And before you answer, remember that while there are maps, they are not consistent in scale or measure, and thus, they do not describe the same inner geography.

Student: I agree there is incongruity about the structure of the multiverse, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that it doesn’t exist.

Teacher: I’m not suggesting that it doesn’t exist. There is no map! There are no cartographers of these worlds because these worlds are infinite in scope. How do you map the infinities of First Source? With paper and pen? How do you reduce the extraordinary vision of our collective Creator to words and methodologies? 47-9.

Now the student is really feeling despondent and confused about the spiritual path. What follows is a subtle, but powerful concept about the nature of consciousness, and especially our individuated consciousness.

Student: Are you saying it’s all impossible – this desire to experience the inner dimensions of my being?

Teacher: The best teachers allow for the possibility, and at the same time never consider it missing in their lives. The fascination of phenomenon is replaced with the consent of the real qualities of the human spirit to shine through their countenance, words, and deeds, and to do so with their unique personality intact.

This is all about possessing a correct attitude toward the exploration of the so-called spiritual dimensions. The “best teachers” acknowledge the possibility that they may have experiences with inner dimensions, but do not feel that such experience is a prerequisite for their own spiritual evolution. They do not feel “disqualified” as teachers who can serve humanity just because this experience is missing from their lives. Most importantly, perhaps, they do not feel inferior or deceptive due to this apparent “lack.”

We might ask ourselves what qualifies them as the “best teachers.” How are they any different than other teachers who have the same general knowledge and experience as they, and additionally, may have actually experienced those other dimensions? The difference is that the “best teachers” have made their human instruments transparent to the light, love, and wisdom streaming from their own souls. The best teachers allow the qualities of the human spirit to mix with and express through the unique personality created by the intersection of the Wholeness Navigator and the human instrument.

Student: How then can the consciousness evolve if every generation teaches nothing new about the inner worlds? Or worse yet, only adds to the confusion of how these worlds operate within our consciousness?  

Teacher: As I said before, the bridge, or consciousness, in this case, is built. It cannot be evolved, improved, or enhanced. It is a multi-faceted consciousness that is as far beyond the human mind as the boundaries of the universe are beyond earth. The appreciation of this consciousness is what requires evolution; and its application as a source of guidance and inspiration is what requires instruction. 50-3.

These last remarks by the teacher are truly profound. The root or core consciousness of our being is multi-faceted. Its scope is beyond the grasp of the human mind. This is apparently the true nature of our individuated consciousness which manifests at the highest vibrational level as the soul and Wholeness Navigator. No wonder we cannot know the Wholeness Navigator, but only feel its effects from within the human instrument.

It is in the realization of this knowledge and in the context of this overarching reality that the best teachers perform their service. It should be pointed out that teachers are also students and therefore all are urged to appreciate the fact of the presence of consciousness as the ground of our entire existence as living entities. Appreciate means to cherish, love, respect, and hold in high regard.

Furthermore, consciousness is absolutely fundamental and foundational to all life. Consciousness IS. It does not require evolution—it is our appreciation of this fact that requires evolution. The student is told to evolve this appreciation, to develop gratitude in knowing the true nature of his own being. (Gratitude is one of the three most important qualities of the Sovereign Integral. See Philosophy One.)

Once this truth is appreciated, the teacher exhorts the student (and all who read these discourses) to instruct others in applying this appreciation of consciousness as a source of guidance and inspiration.

From this we learn that we cannot evolve or develop our consciousness, but we can and must develop our ability to be present to consciousness. This is the key element of this section of the discourse. Consciousness does not need to develop, but it does need to expand. What does need to develop, however, are our ideas, concepts, knowledge, and understanding. These might be thought of as the contents of mind which accompany consciousness. (On a universal scale, the contents of universal consciousness are the multi-dimensional worlds and the life-forms and civilizations developing within them.)

58 (5) Paragraphs 54-63 Desire Is Not a Directive

At this stage of the discourse, the student wants to know how he can learn to appreciate this consciousness if he cannot experience it. Again, the teacher explains that the student is asking for something that cannot be experienced. He tells the student that he must direct the universe by telling it what he wants to appreciate:

Teacher: The universe responds to your directives, not your questions, hopes, and prayers. If you choose to define your future by telling the universe what you desire to experience and appreciate, and you hold these thoughts in your mind with fierce persistence, the universe – by its own design – will respond accordingly. If, on the other hand, you ask questions and pray for answers, the universe will respond with a deafening silence because you have not given it direction. 57.

The teacher also points out that “Desire is not a directive” (59). Therefore, simply desiring or wishing for something will not bring it about. We must tell the universe exactly what we want.

A short sub-division at 60-63 addresses the idea that when individuals give the universe “higher dimensional directives” it delivers them, but the perceptions of the human instrument are too limited to detect their “delivery.” Consequently, students feel that the universe is “indifferent” to them or “purposely non-responsive” even though most students feel that the breakdown in communication is their own fault.

59 (6) Paragraphs 64-73 Directing the Universe 

This is the “how to” section of the discourse. How does one direct the universe? According to the teacher, the first step in directing the universe is understanding and “internalizing” the principle that we are each responsible for creating our “wisdom path.” The individual “may tap resources like teachers or books, but the creation of the path is their own.” 65.

The second step is described as the “informed assignment of priority” (65). Here is how the teacher explains this second step:

Teacher: When you have a goal to comprehend your identity – not only as a human being but also as a spirit-fragment of First Source, you must break your goal into component building blocks, and see the order within the process. Underlying this order is the fluidity that provides for rapid transformation and adaptation. Once this is defined you direct the universe to respond to this plan by the simple and persistent act of defining and, most importantly, re-defining it. The thought uppermost in your mind is that the universe is “eavesdropping” on your plans, and shifting or re-arranging your material, emotional, mental, and spiritual environments in direct response to its observations. It does this without regard to what you would call your worthiness. It does this because it is its nature. 67.

First, we are told that to comprehend our identity “as a human being and a spiritfragment of First Source” we must break our “goal into

• component building blocks and
• see the order within the process.”

From this brief description it is clear that this exercise requires deep and careful thought. How do we go about comprehending our identity as a human being and a God fragment? Most people define themselves in terms of their career or job, family role, nationality, ethnic background, religion, etc. Underlying these “forms” of life expression which we identify as ourselves is the more essential, and from the spiritual angle, more permanent definition of who we are.

No matter what the details may be in regard to our identities, the point here is that this process of defining is a statement to the universe about who we are, or think we are. The subtly here, is in clearly comprehending the component building blocks which comprise the edifice we identify as ourselves. Paraphrasing an old saying found in many spiritual traditions, “In order to walk the spiritual path, one must become that path.” In other words there is truly no spiritual path until a person begins the journey. The journey creates that path, the person is that path. And because each person is unique, every path is unique.

This adage is another way of expressing what is found earlier in this discourse: “By your selection the universe knows you.” In other words we define ourselves to the universe through the choices and actions of our lives. The challenge of spiritual development is for each individual to direct his or her life rather than have the circumstances of life direct and thus, define each individual.

The spiritual path is all about being aware, being present or awake to ourselves and to the life around us. Admittedly, this takes constant practice and effort, but it is not possible to break our “goal into component building blocks, and see the order within the process” without learning to stay present with ourselves. This effort is the very act of defining ourselves.

Understanding our component building blocks and comprehending the order within the process of our lives requires a real sense of awareness, honesty, and clarity of thought. This is the process of defining. In effect, when we are capable of doing this, we are broadcasting a clear, strong, and distinct signal to the universe. The defining process generates a signal so strong and distinct, a frequency of vibration so high, that it stands out from the background noise of the universe. But such an effort on our parts must be persistent. The teacher continues:

Once this is defined you direct the universe to respond to this plan by the simple and persistent act of defining and, most importantly, re-defining it. 67.

In other words, we must continue to broadcast a strong signal that clearly defines our presence or we will fall back into the general background noise generated by the billions of life forms who have not yet reached the stage of self-definition.

As an aid to working with this process the teacher continues with the following advice:

The thought uppermost in your mind is that the universe is “eavesdropping” on your plans, and shifting or re-arranging your material, emotional, mental, and spiritual environments in direct response to its observations. It does this without regard to what you would call your worthiness. It does this because it is its nature.  67.

Again, the idea here is that we are actively engaged in the defining and directing process. We hold the attitude that the universe is very much aware of what we are up to because we are making our presence known. The universe has no choice but to support the energy of our signal because we are now part of the creation process of the universe itself.

The student then wants to know how to avoid creating unwise plans that the universe will respond to, but which might be harmful to others as well as oneself. The teacher answers:

The ability to avoid the ill-conceived plan rests mostly in the discovery of your original voice – sorted out from the thousands of voices that have influenced you – and to allow this voice to define and direct your approach to your divinity. It is this voice and the judgment and insight behind it that places you and retains you in the security of the universe. 73.

This information about our “original voice” is very important because it is the key to discovering our soul, or Wholeness Navigator. As we will find in Lyricus Discourse 6, the original voice is the voice of the soul that comes to us through the pathway of the “energetic heart” (see Lyricus Discourse 6, p.4).

60 (7) Paragraphs 74-97 Seeking the Advice of Teachers 

This section deals with the natural tendency of students to turn to the wisdom and knowledge of teachers instead of learning to seek the wisdom and knowledge of their own souls. This is about establishing a balanced approach to life and learning. This attitude creates optimal universe relationship. 

This particular exchange is prompted when the student replies to paragraph 73 above by saying:

Student: But there are so many more insightful than I. Why would I listen to my own voice amidst those of my teachers? 74.

The key point made in this section is that through habit we all tend to take on particular roles according to the situation. We have family roles, work roles, and more. In this case, this student has gone to an ashram seeking knowledge and wisdom from teachers. The teacher is attempting to inform this student that he must become his own teacher and create his own relationship with the universe. In order to do this, he must give the universe directives based on his original voice. For instance, the universe will supply transformational knowledge:

Teacher: The knowledge that will transform you derives from your personal experience of two fundamental phenomena: the Light and Sound vibrations of First Source. 85.

 This is apparently difficult for the student to believe, for he replies:

Student: Exactly, and how to achieve this experiential knowledge of the Light and Sound requires expert instruction – the kind that only the highest spiritual teacher can supply. 86.

 The teacher pushes back hard:

Teacher: Do you appreciate the transformation of consciousness? Is it something you have directed the Universe to supply, or are you waiting for a teacher to take you by the hand and lead you to the Light and Sound? In other words, are you waiting to evaluate the instruction of a human being, or are you directing the Universe to supply this experience? 87.

The overall challenge here is to break free of the idea that we are frozen in particular roles within our various social relationships. Within the context of this discourse the teacher is telling the student that he has the tools at hand to be his own teacher and learn directly from the universe. The problem is that we simply get lazy and are in the habit of asking “experts” questions that, with thought and effort, we might very well answer for ourselves. Of course, there are times when we simply don’t have the expertise necessary to solve a problem or answer a question. But again, if we set up the right conditions in our attitude and relationship to the universe, it will provide us with the knowledge we have directed it to give. Thus, this exchange:

Student: But I feel as if you’re suggesting that teachers do not serve a role in this process. Is this true?

Teacher: Everyone upon your life-path will serve a role in this – teachers included. The Universe will arrange the right words, the rights sounds, the right light, the right meaning to enter your life-path, and these will come through nature, humans, animals, technology, and combinations thereof. The process, the Universe, and you are inseparable when properly directed. 94-95.

Almost lost in this issue of the teacher/student relationship is the student’s realization that he must become an “active partner with the Universe” (92). The teacher responds:

Teacher: Add responsibility and acceptance of your capacity to partner with the Universe, and you have properly evaluated my instruction. 93.

This is a good example of how vital information is sometimes inserted into the middle of an exchange where one would least expect to see it. Thus, the three components for creating right universe relationship are:

1. Acceptance of one’s capacity to be a partner with the universe
2. Responsibility
3. Actualizing the partnership

62 (9) Paragraphs 98-113 Listening to the Original Voice

The discourse approaches its conclusion when the student finally asks:

Student: What is the key to directing the Universe?

Teacher: To feel in union and harmony with the Universe. To truly feel that the Universe flows through you and in doing so creates the life-path upon which you walk. To trust this life-path, knowing it is a co-creation between you and the Universe, and to demonstrate this trust in matters small and large. Assuming all of these foundations are in place, then it is merely articulating the highest possible expression of your deepest heart.

Student: How do I come to know this?

Teacher: You listen to your original voice. You allow it to be expansive, mysterious, paradoxical, boundless, and joyful. When you give this part of you an opportunity to express itself, it will articulate the innermost yearning of your heart and soul, and it is to these yearnings that the Universe is most attuned to hear and respond to. 98-101.

Please note that the key to directing the universe has nothing to do with the logical mind. It is all about feeling. A feeling of union, harmony, and immersion in the Universe. It is also about trust. This means that we may not always know with certain knowledge the course and circumstances of our lives, but we move forward nonetheless. This is an attitude—a relationship—we demonstrate in matters large and small. With this as a foundation, you are then in a position to articulate “the highest possible expression of your deepest heart.” And how? By listening to your original voice.

This is an important clue to the components of the human instrument related to the feeling sense. The voice relates to sound. The original voice implies a connection to the innermost self, the soul. Feelings relate to the heart; not the physical heart, but to what is called the “energetic heart” in the sixth discourse. This is a large topic which goes beyond the scope of this commentary, but it should be pointed out that the creative power of sound clearly demonstrates the importance of the WingMakers’ music as a central pillar in the structure comprising the WingMakers materials.

Returning to the conclusion of this discourse, the student inquires about the role of our thoughts and prayers in relation to the universe. The teacher points out that it is possible to attract prosperity and material things into one’s life through such means, but that material things come from the genetic mind of humanity rather than from the universe. The universe is indifferent to material needs, but if we have established right universe relationship, material prosperity may also come along with (via the genetic mind) the spiritual prosperity we have evoked from the universe at-large.

Summation 

Individuals do not need to have phenomenal experiences, visions, epiphanies, and cosmic encounters in order to progress in their spiritual development. Inner dimensional experiences are not necessary to be a good teacher and inspiring leader. Expressing such qualities as love, beauty, harmony, discipline, and insight signal the presence of the soul’s influence within the human instrument.

The reports of many mystics and saints represent their subjective experiences and do not necessarily reflect an inner landscape which others can experience in the same way. The inner worlds are psychological realms molded by the quality of consciousness interacting with them. Thus, there are no maps of these inner dimensions which are useful to other “travelers.”

A key point is that consciousness does not need developing. Consciousness IS. We need to appreciate this fact, evolve our understanding of consciousness and instruct others in how to apply consciousness as a source of guidance and inspiration.

This is achieved by right universe relationship. This means giving the universe clear directives. Desiring is not enough, we must accept the universe as an active partner and state exactly what we desire. The universe knows us by our selections. The clearer we know ourselves, what we want, where we want to go, and what we want to accomplish, the more efficiently the universe can respond.

The most important factor for giving the universe clear and accurate directives is our feeling nature. Contact with our feeling nature is linked to listening to our inner voice—our original voice. And this voice emanates from the soul or Wholeness Navigator. Our efforts to express the qualities of the soul activate our hearts and increase our sensitivity to the sound of our original voice.

Conclusion 

The lesson of this discourse is that we create our own wisdom path through right universe relationship. We may seek teachers and gurus, sacred texts and books, but in the end it all comes down to our self and the universe. The reports of others’ journeys and experiences in so-called higher dimensions assure us that there is more to the world than the cold matter of the physical plane. But the promise of higher worlds and hidden dimensions of enlightenment are reports unique to the individuals who experienced them. The subtle planes conform to the impact of our consciousness. We create our own unique psychological landscapes in these hidden dimensions. Thus, there are maps of these subtle worlds, but they contain directions which are only usable for the travelers who made the original journey. We may visit that pathway, but our experience will not match the experience of that path’s creator.

Only we can create our own path and the “map” depicting our journey. We may explore others’ maps in order to gain an understanding of the nature of traveling and mapmaking, but ultimately we must set out on our own journey, find our own way and make our own path. Any maps we choose to create should be for documenting the events of our journey rather than as pathways for others to follow.

The universe is our servant, waiting for orders, standing by ready to carry out our directives. The universe will feed back in direct proportion—in quality and quantity—to what we send out. We are known by our selections. The universe recognizes us by our choices and our choices are reflections of our desires. We can desire all we want, but if we do not state what we want, the universe will not respond. 

Right and wrong selections based on desires are not morally or ethically judged by the universe. It simply responds to our selections and directives. Thus, wrong selections reflect a misuse of energy and resulting chaos, while right selections reflect an efficient use of energy and resulting harmony. Either way, the universe still makes use of everything. The former generates new, unforeseen possibilities and uniqueness, while the latter generates an ordered move to a new, more expanded level of consciousness, knowledge, and understanding.

More specifically, wrong selections result in pain and suffering and repeated wrong selections result in needless pain and suffering. Good selections result in love, joy, and a feeling of unity with all things. In order for us to give the universe directives based on right selections and right desire we must get in touch with our original voice.

To achieve this we must train ourselves to become sensitive to the spiritual qualities emanating from our souls.  We don’t need to travel to the inner dimensions to gain this knowledge. The fundamental qualities symbolized by the human heart are loving kindness, a desire for harmony, and the urge toward oneness. Direct the universe to supply these qualities to your life and you begin the process of building a foundation for ever expanding universe relationship.