Approaching A Moment Of Transmission

Posted on September 24, 2016 by Douglas

2016encampmentday1wordcloud5 Approaching a moment of transmission I am indeed grateful for the opportunity to attend the 2016 Encampment of the New Message from God. I attended the 2012 Encampment and the 2014 Encampment, and written a good bit about both events. I have had a certain anxiety that I shared some things about previous Encampments that I should have kept private. But this Encampment was a much more public event than any previous one. Many of the particulars of this Encampment have already appeared in other online media.

Approaching a moment of transmission

On the night of Friday, September 9, 130 individuals from 17 countries gathered in the Rocky Mountains National Park for the 2016 Encampment. Some aspects of our gathering were prosaic. We started with introductions, including sharing how we felt about being here. A few people compared their being here to winning the lottery, a wondrous, highly improbable event. One person used the word “miracle.” I felt a feeling like that on the first evening of the 2014 Encampment.

Approaching a moment of transmission. This is what I felt on the first night of the 2016 Encampment. This is a reference to the dervish tale “The Time, The Place, The People.” In this tale, a king discovered that he could only learn a greater truth when the necessary conditions could be arranged. I felt like we were approaching that moment, a moment when much would be given, and much would be required.

Approaching a moment of transmission. The introductions were used to make the above word cloud. The more times a word was used, the larger the word appeared in the cloud. Therefore gratitude was the dominant feeling of the opening of the Encampment. Gratitude that the New Message from God and us had found each other, through some combination of prosaic and mysterious means. Gratitude for a chance to be with the Messenger, Marshall Vian Summers, while he is still in the world. Gratitude for the chance to participate in what may one day be called a historic event.

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Welcome to Mystery of Ascension! We are students and advocates of the the New Message from God. We are members of a worldwide community. We seek to assist the world in successfully navigating difficult times ahead. We seek to assist the world in successfully emerging into a greater community of intelligent life. You will also find some poetry. Find out more about us here. Contact us here.

We’d Like A Second Helping If You Please

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Douglas

In the month before the 2014 Encampment of the New Message from God, I spent a good bit of time going through my journals, pondering the efforts I made between the 2012 Encampment and the present, and pondering the results of those efforts. Specifically, I had a certain concern as to whether my efforts were adequate.

We’d like a second helping if you please

I feel that there some readers wondering, “What do you mean, Douglas?” For one thing, Steps to Knowledge could be completed in one year. It took me about four years. I was not the most diligent student. For another thing, I don’t claim to be very accomplished in building and balancing what the New Message calls the four pillars (health, relationships, work/providership and spiritual development). For yet another thing, I wonder whether my blogging and advocacy efforts are reaching enough people, or the right people.

I’ve already figured out that Marshall Vian Summers is indifferent to an “I’m sorry” speech from me. I believe he’s more interested in a “This is what happened in the arena” speech. Members of the Society, and other attendees, also expressed kind words of encouragement of my efforts. It is as if my world is requesting more of the efforts I’ve been making over the past two years. It is as if my world is requesting that I deepen my study of Steps to Knowledge. It is as if my world is requesting that I strengthen and balance the four pillars. It is as if my world is requesting that I respond more readily to the prompts and restraints of Knowledge. It is as if my world is requesting that I share more of the New Message with more of the world.

The 20th-century Indian spiritual teacher Paramahansa Yogananda (1893-1952) is reported to have said, “Every sincere effort is registered in the Divine consciousness.” I take comfort in those words. I also take comfort in my world saying to me, “We’d like a second helping if you please.”

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We Have A Plan To Reach The Goal

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Douglas

I came away from the 2014 Encampment of the New Message from God with a great deal of encouragement for the future. It’s not just that we have goals for the future, but we have plans in place for reaching those goals.

We have a plan to reach the goal

What are the goals? One goal is to complete the publication of the New Message in written form during the lifetime of Marshall Vian Summers. Another goal is to translate the New Message from English into the languages of the world. Another goal is for 4% of the world’s population to hear of, and respond to the New Message. These goals are part of a larger goal, to assist humanity in the difficult times ahead, to assist humanity in successfully navigating the series of big, ongoing disruptions we call the Great Waves of Change.

I realize that these goals don’t have fixed deadlines on them. That might be a good thing. I realize these goals are really big. Would it be better to call them visions or purposes at this point? Maybe. I know that if I didn’t have an inner conviction of the nobility of these goals, I would run screaming in terror at the enormity of the tasks at hand.

What’s the plan for reaching these goals? We encourage New Message respondents to strengthen both their inner and outer life. We encourage those who engage with the New Message to cultivate the heart of a finisher. We encourage those who read and study the New Message to trust their deepest inclinations. The phrase “I trusted my deepest inclination” was used many times by people at Encampment, in response to why they engaged in a particular activity or project. We encourage each other to remember that we’re not only not alone, but we’re part of a worldwide community of New Message respondents.

We have goals, we have plans, we have a plan for sticking to the plan. We have a plan to reach the goal.

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Let Time Be Short Between Kind Thought And Deed

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Douglas

Ok, ok, they didn’t use those words “No selfies with the Messenger” at the 2014 Encampment. However, I believe that was implied in the guideline “Kindly honor Marshall‘s space at this Encampment.”

Let time be short between kind thought and deed

There wasn’t very much talk about the tables for volunteering time, talent and treasure at this Encampment, besides briefly mentioning that they were there. While this doesn’t follow the established protocol for the final day of conferences, this might have been a good thing. In the course of the five days of Encampment, it was established that the attendees were a highly committed group of people. It was established that the attendees were already giving time, talent and treasure, imbued with devotion.

It seemed to help me to engage in a practice I call “keeping accounts short.” What I mean by that is to minimize the time between when I have a thought about someone, and the time I say something to that person in the form of gratitude or encouragement or asking a question. After all, I might not see these people again in person for some time, therefore let time be short between kind thought and deed.

My ride back to Boulder left relatively late in the afternoon on the last day. I am pleased to report that because of this I discovered something. I know there are people out there who are wondering “This Marshall Vian Summers fellow that you go on and on about, what kind of car does he drive?” The car he drove away from Encampment was a blue, middle-aged (looked like a Volvo 240) Volvo station wagon.

It was my blessing to ride on the bus from Boulder to Denver International Airport with two attendees from France, and two attendees from Spain. Three of these people were people I had met at the 2012 Encampment. While we didn’t talk about the 2012 Encampment very much, it was in the space between us. My trip back to Minnesota was uneventful, which I consider to be a beautiful word with regards to travel. I have great gratitude for my experience of Encampment. I have great gratitude for meeting the people I met there. It might be some time before I meet them again in person. Therefore, let time be short between kind thought and deed.

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“I Try To Help People Up The Mountain”

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Douglas

From time to time, I have mentioned one of my children, going under the name “Child”. Child and I have had a running joke for some time now:

Me: Is there anything you would like me to ask Marshall Vian Summers on your behalf when I go to the 2014 Encampment?
Child: How was your day?
Me: Well, even Messengers need someone to ask them how their day was.

I try to help people up the mountain

It has taken a while, but Child came up with what I consider to be an excellent question. This conversation took place not too long before the 2014 Encampment.

Me: I’ll be at Encampment soon. Is there anything you would like me to ask Marshall on your behalf?
Child: Does Marshall consider himself responsible for the happiness of his students, the students of his teachings?
Me: Would you like me to offer an opinion as to what he might say, or just let the question sit until then?
Child: I’m willing to hear your opinion.
Me: I believe he would say “No.” I believe he would consider students of the New Message to be responsible for their own happiness.
Child: Well, he seems to suggest that happiness isn’t an end in itself.
Me: I agree. I would say he focuses more on purpose than on happiness.
Child: Well, then, does Marshall consider himself responsible for the success of his students?
Me: You mean their success by worldly standards, or their success as students of the New Message?
Child: As students of the New Message.
Me: Again, I believe he would say “No.” I remember a webcast where Marshall said something to the effect of “I am doing something important.” It reminded me of Nehemiah, who said “I am doing a great work and cannot come down.”
Child: Oh.

Child and I have had a conversation about Step 85, “I find happiness in small things today” of Steps to Knowledge. Child seemed to be satisfied with my response. But I am sharing this to share that during the Encampment, I became less satisfied with my answers to Child’s questions. I became less satisfied because during the Encampment, Marshall displayed a certain solicitude toward the people there. On the third day, I wrote in my journal that Marshall remarked, “I try to help people up the mountain.” On the fourth day, Marshall said, “This community is precious to me. What brings it together is precious to me. What holds it together is precious to me.” I therefore wrote a note to Marshall wondering if I had really described the full picture in my answer to Child’s questions.

As people were leaving on the final day, Marshall approached me and answered my question. He said, “I don’t guarantee happiness, but I do help people find the way.” I therefore consider the full picture to be more nuanced than my answers to Child. While Marshall doesn’t feel responsible for the success of New Message respondents, he certainly isn’t indifferent.

I am here to tell you that if you are climbing the mountain of purpose, the mountain of meaning, the mountain of your mission in life, then you have a friend in Marshall Vian Summers, who said, “I try to help people up the mountain.”

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The Heart Of A Finisher, What’s It Like?

Posted on November 19, 2014 by Douglas

At the 2014 Encampment of the New Message from God, Patricia Summers, the wife of Marshall Vian Summers, asked a question. She asked, “What are the ingredients of someone who has what it takes?” In the four years in which I have been engaging with the New Message, I have lost count of the number of times Patricia has asked this question in one form or another.

The heart of a finisher

I understand her to mean, “Who has the capabilities to faithfully serve a great cause?” “Who can calmly consider tasks orders of magnitude beyond their current capabilities?” “Who can live a meaningful life while preserving their vitality?” “Who can represent a purposeful life in a world which rejects the very idea of purpose?”

These questions are hardly idle speculation. There have been many people over the years who have recognized the benefit that this body of material would bring to the world. There have also been many people over the years who, for whatever reason, could not bring forth or keep what was required to stay with it. It requires a certain intellectual, a certain imaginative, a certain intestinal fortitude to engage with this material. How is it developed? How is it maintained?

On Day 4 of the Encampment, some answers were offered to those questions in the form of short phrases.

Tempered competence. The sentence in which this phrase occurred was, “We don’t need idealism, we need tempered competence.” The context suggests “stable-tempered competence.” Many idealistic individuals have come and gone over the history of the New Message. While these individuals have made many excellent contributions, they aren’t making any contributions now. The heart of a finisher gives of itself today, and the next day, and the next day…

A life fueled from heaven. The context suggests developing the strength to do things other than what I would do, to develop capabilities other than what I would develop. The heart of a finisher can keep from indulging its preferences.

Reckonings – facing one’s self. There are things inside me that have kept me from working successfully with other respondents. The heart of a finisher can take an inventory of its emotions, its thought life, its imagination?

Verication. Verication is a New Message practice of moving toward greater certainty regarding some idea or action with the help of other people. The word was first used in the book Greater Community Spirituality. The heart of a finisher sings in an ensemble with many other hearts.

Secret room explorations. What is the secret room? A place in a person where confusion, ambition, shame, etc. are not only tolerated but maintained. I consider the idea of the secret room to be very sympathetic to Carl Jung’s idea of the shadow. The heart of a finisher is unafraid to face that shadow.

Simple pleasures. It seems to be part of this long journey to cultivate things I enjoy, and can enjoy in moderation, for no other reason than that I enjoy them. The heart of a finisher can enjoy simple pleasures.

If someone were to ask me, “What is the heart of a finisher like?” I don’t believe I would have offered the above list. But there it is. I pray that I would have the heart of a finisher.

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The Abomination Of Religious Violence

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Douglas

Immediately after uttering the phrase “the correction of hell and damnation,” Marshall Vian Summers uttered a phrase containing a word I have never heard him use in the past 4 years. The phrase was

…the abomination of religious violence…

The word “abomination” was a new word for me. He might have used the word as a noun, declaring religious violence as an existing abomination. He might have used the word as a verb, expressing his hope that the world’s religions categorically reject violence as an option. Either option would be consistent with his message.

Step 287 of Steps to Knowledge teaches “With Knowledge I cannot be at war.” Here is a paragraph from that step:

“With Knowledge you cannot be at war. You cannot be at war within yourself or with others, for with Knowledge there is only Knowledge and there is confusion in the world. Confusion does not require attack. Therefore, with Knowledge you are not at war, for you have one mind, one purpose, one responsibility, one direction and one meaning. The more your mind becomes uniform, the more your external life will become uniform as well. How can you be at war within yourself when you are following Knowledge? War is born of ambivalence where opposing value systems conflict with each other to gain your recognition. Competing ideas, competing emotions and competing values all wage war on one another, and you are caught in the middle of their great battles.”

If I am at war, then it is a dead giveaway that I am not following Knowledge. If I am at war on the outside, then it is but a reflection of a war taking place on the inside. If God is working to unify the world and unify the universe, then war in God’s name is, well, an abomination. It is a negative image, an opposite misrepresentation of God’s character. Here are some related quotes from other New Message writings.

“You are asked to end your ceaseless conflicts and to never think that you can conduct violence here on Earth in the name of God, for that is an abomination. There are no holy warriors. There is nothing holy about war.” (From the revelation “The Will of Heaven,” received May 17, 2011)

“To declare war on another nation or on another people in the name of God is a violation of God’s Will and purpose for humanity. This is never justified. War is never justified in the name of God—ever, in the history of humanity, now or in the future. Let this be your understanding, for should you make an exception here, you are doing it for your own purposes. You are doing it for reasons that you are not honestly expressing—the desire for power, the desire for revenge, the acquisition and control of resources, the hatred of another people, grievances from the past. These are the reasons you go to war, never to fulfill God’s purpose and destiny, never as an expression of God’s Will for humanity. If such is claimed in religious books, it is because it has been added by people. It is a human invention.” (From the revelation “The Admonition,” received February 1, 2008)

I know some people are reading this and wondering, “Does the New Message teach pacifism then, Douglas?” “How does this New Message teach people and nations to respond when war is waged against them?” I consider these to be reasonable questions, worthy of a detailed answer. I plan to answer those questions at a future date. But for now, I offer the examples of Generous King Hatim Tai and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to show that not being at war does not mean being passive.

I pray for the worldwide condemnation, the abomination of religious violence.

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The Correction Of Hell And Damnation

Posted on November 15, 2014 by Douglas

Marshall Vian Summers said something that I feel should be shared, on the evening of Day 3 of the Encampment of the New Message from God. The fact that he elaborated on this idea in his remarks on the October 5 webcast demonstrates that he really meant to say this on the evening of October 4. The phrase Marshall used was

“…the correction of hell and damnation…”

The New Message from God categorically rejects the idea of the damnation, or eternal punishment, of sinners. I confess to you that there was a time when I believed such a rejection to not only be wrong, but a hazard to the salvation of sinners. What sinner needs to be saved if the thing they need to be saved from doesn’t exist? Furthermore, the New Message from God rejects the very idea of sinners. I believe the New Message from God characterizes sinners as “erring, suffering, bewildered future saints in need of assistance.”

Step 26, “My errors give birth to my Knowledge” in Steps to Knowledge says a great deal in relatively few words about the nature of error. The word “sinner” is used exactly once in Steps to Knowledge, and the word “sinful” is used exactly once, in this paragraph from Step 241, “My anger is unjustified.”

“Anger, then, is not justified, for it is a misinterpretation of a true communication. Your anger is not justified because anger is born of confusion. Yet, confusion calls for preparation and the true application of Knowledge. Therefore, the sinful are not punished but are attended to. The wicked are not sent to hell but are prepared for Heaven. This is the true nature of God’s purpose in the world. That is why God can never be angry, because God is not offended. God is merely applying God to a situation where God has temporarily been forgotten.”

The 19th-century Irish writer Oscar Wilde wrote “The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” One of the turns on the road to that future is the correction of hell and damnation.

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“I Will Call Forth As Far As I Can”

Posted on November 12, 2014 by Douglas

Marshall Vian Summers offered some remarks during the webcast on Day 4 of the 2014 Encampment of the New Message from God. This is longer than most blog posts, but I believe it is worthy of your consideration. I am taking a certain liberty with the paragraph divisions, but they are informed by the words and the pauses in the audio.

I will call forth as far as I can

We are living in a time of revelation, where God has spoken again. Not since the times of Mohammed, has this taken place. It is a time in which many people are called into the world, to be a part of this. It is a time where people’s lives will be quickened and changed, in preparation. It is a time when many people will feel a mysterious thread, like a gravity, pulling them in a certain direction. Perhaps even pulling them out of situations they have established for themselves. It is entirely mysterious. I cannot explain it for you.

Heaven knows who it seeks in the world, to respond to this, to be amongst the first respondents. And it seeks to bring them to the revelation, but it also seeks to bring them to one another. For it would be of no benefit, if large numbers of people have a private relationship with me. Or even with the revelation. For what will come of that? For this is not merely, as the teaching [“The Worldwide Community of God’s New Message”] has just said, for your personal enrichment, whether it be material or spiritual, it is to call you into a greater service. Part of you wants that, and part of you is perhaps afraid. Part of you yearns for that, and part of you is still very invested in other things. Part of you knows that what the world emphasizes is not true. And part of you, somehow still believes it, or hopes it to be true.

So my purpose is to build true relationship. Because the revelation must rest upon pure relationship. And by “pure” I mean, generated by the deeper power that God has placed within all of you, with your divergent personalities, your idiosyncrasies, your unique problems, your limitations. Knowledge is like a great equalizer, to bring people’s talents forward, while minimizing your handicaps. Part of the essence of the new revelation is relationships of higher purpose. That doesn’t mean lofty romance, or romancing the angels, or romancing the divine, or romancing one another, or romancing the Earth. It is really coming into a deeper association. For what truly unites people in community, is purpose.

And now, this is a purpose from heaven. It’s not a human invention. It has the power of heaven in it. It has the will of heaven in it. It is calling people to be in a sacred union with each other. Not only for the personal benefits that that will bestow, but upon meeting a far greater need in the world. For heaven knows that humanity stands at the precipice of calamity. It is vulnerable to a universe full of intelligent life, who is undermining its foundation here on earth. Many of you know this, but do not know how to respond. And no one knows how to respond fully to these things.

And that is why God has spoken again, to rescue humanity from a dilemma which it cannot alone resolve. Based upon the union of people, the devotion of people, the resonance of people with God’s new word for the world. A word that is not only to bring people into one community, but to influence all the communities of the world. So that people of all faith traditions can learn of the Greater Community, and can prepare for a world in decline. My intention is not only to unite this sacred community, but to affect everyone else, to plant the seeds of awareness, and to tell them that there is no hell and damnation, and that they too carry Knowledge within them, and that heaven has a purpose for them, regardless of their circumstances, regardless of all that happened to them. It is the sacred community who will help carry the revelation forward, I cannot do it. I’ll be a mere footnote in history, perhaps, without that. And those of you who have a destiny here, cannot find your purpose without me, and without this. It’s a freedom that has no choice. Well, maybe it has a choice, but it’s not a very good choice.

So the emphasis on the source, on this community is very strong. And I hold this community to be precious. And those who are in it are precious to me. And those who will be in it are precious to me. And when I am no longer here I will be charged with overseeing this, though I may be unable to influence it directly. In your heart you will know this is true. The mind is confused, because it has been so contaminated by the world, and by the process of separation.

The Lord of the universes is very smart. God does not have to manage you and your chaotic affairs, the haphazard nature of life here on earth. God has just put the calling within you. Sooner or later, in this life or another, it will emerge, and begin to turn you towards heaven. This is such a time, for those who can respond. And I call to you to respond. And I call to those whom you will speak to, to respond. And I call to you regardless of your circumstances. I call you to come out of self-degradation and self-repudiation, for you know not your value in the light of these things. Even to respond means you must trust yourself. You must value yourself. You must see that your errors are not who you really are. As a child does not know any better, you did not know any better. And as you proceed, that strength of knowing will become stronger, making it more difficult for you to make a mistake. What a magnificent gift.

This is my calling, I will call forth as far as I can. And I will call through you as far as we can. If there are millions waiting to hear this, then nothing else will satisfy them, or give them comfort, or inspiration. Live for this, and you will be uplifted. May the presence of the Teachers be with us. Nasi Novare Coram [a phrase meaning “The presence of the Teachers of God is with me, used as a blessing or invocation or benediction in the New Message community].

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A Worldwide Community Of Responders

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Douglas

The 2014 Encampment of the New Message from God had two firsts on Day 4. One of the firsts was a live webcast from an Encampment. The other first was a broadcast of a revelation from an Encampment, “The Worldwide Community of God’s New Message.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d69Ebit5PEc&list=PLC098FEE9DF940F62

This revelation was received on September 26, 2014. Yes, that’s right, about six weeks ago, about one week before the Encampment. The Encampment attendees had been notified that this revelation had been received. Therefore there was a certain anticipation as to what this revelation had to say about us and our fellow responders.

A worldwide community of responders

I can imagine someone reading this and thinking “Responders? Oh is that what you’re calling yourselves these days?” It is indeed. There was a time when we referred to ourselves as “students of the New Message.” But given that the Pashto word “Taliban” means “students,” that word has already been freighted with unfortunate connotations. One of the attendees on Day 2 referred to the people at Encampment as “first responders” to the Great Waves of Change, the difficult times ahead. The teaching Marshall read from Secrets of Heaven on Day 2 used the word “respond.” The revelation shared on Day 4 referred to us as “respondents,” as if the New Message from God was a plaintiff, requesting something from us. Variations of the words respond, responder, and respondent were in the verbal environment of Encampment.

The revelation “The Worldwide Community of God’s New Message” had many things to say. It is my hope you will read it. But in the meantime, I will try to share some of what it has to say.

The Society (some of whom I have recently introduced to you) will be the people who will play the leadership roles in the future of the New Message from God.

If you think the New Message from God is just about you, please do us all a favor and go somewhere else.

In the past, there have been people who have considered the emergence of one of God’s messengers to be an opportunity to use the messenger to promote their own agenda. I’m recalling Simon Zealotes’s song from the movie “Jesus Christ Superstar”

“There must be over fifty thousand
Screaming love and more for you.
And everyone of fifty thousand
Would do whatever you asked them to.
Keep them yelling their devotion,
But add a touch of hate at Rome.
You will rise to a greater power.
We will win ourselves a home!”

If you are going to be a “cafeteria New Message responder,” someone who picks and chooses the parts to which they respond and rejects other parts, please do us all a favor and go somewhere else.

If you wish to demonstrate the sincerity of your response, there are some things you can do. You can take the Steps to Knowledge (referred to in the revelation as “the Pathway”). You can read the revelations. You can read the books. You can listen to the recordings. You can listen to the voice of revelation, the audio of the messages.

The ambitious, the self-seeking and the self-serving are hazards to the future of the New Message from God.

If you wish to implement your own plan for presenting the New Message from God, please do us all a favor and go somewhere else. The revelation characterized this as “playing the Judas role.”

After the death of Marshall Vian Summers, nothing further will be added to the New Message. Anyone who says otherwise is selling something.

Being a responder to the New Message is being part of a community.

As I listened to this at Encampment, this portion resonated with me: “If you love humanity, if you love this world, if you love freedom, if you love inspiration, then this is the mountain you must climb. And this is not a mountain you will climb alone.”

I recalled the 4% figure Marshall shared as I heard this portion: “Even at this moment, there are millions waiting to receive God’s New Revelation. How will you find them? How will you reach them in time? How will you give them the gift that will liberate their minds and their hearts and provide a pathway out of the jungle of their circumstances?”

Marshall shared some things at the webcast, but I feel they should be addressed in another post. But after hearing the revelation, I came away with a clearer picture of what a worldwide community of responders might look like.

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Mystery of Ascension

A great mystery / Is my true self that I bring / From my ancient home

Tag Archives: 2014 Encampment

Approaching A Moment Of Transmission

Approaching a moment of transmission

We’d Like A Second Helping If You Please

We’d like a second helping if you please

We Have A Plan To Reach The Goal

We have a plan to reach the goal

Let Time Be Short Between Kind Thought And Deed

Let time be short between kind thought and deed

“I Try To Help People Up The Mountain”

I try to help people up the mountain

The Heart Of A Finisher, What’s It Like?

The heart of a finisher

The Abomination Of Religious Violence

…the abomination of religious violence…

The Correction Of Hell And Damnation

“…the correction of hell and damnation…”

“I Will Call Forth As Far As I Can”

I will call forth as far as I can

A Worldwide Community Of Responders

A worldwide community of responders