Go Back And Unite My People

Go back and unite my people

I’m not quite finished with sharing my experience of the State Fair of Minnesota in August. I visited the booth of the Independence Party of Minnesota. The Independence Party earned major party status in the state of Minnesota from 1994 to 2014.

Go back and unite my people

The gentleman I spoke with was polite and friendly. He said it would a great step forward if people in Minnesota could disagree on politics, but be otherwise friendly. I felt a common vibration with him. I shared with him my hope that people penetrate their attachments to their ethnicity, their nationality and their religion. He realized that I was talking about a larger scope than Minnesota, but he was with me. I shared a copy of The Proclamation with him. We talked about how the New Message from God could foster human unity and cooperation.

“I have a slight advantage”

We chatted a little further along these lines, and then the gentleman shared what might be the great secret of his life. He said he had a slight advantage over most people. I asked “In what way?” He then shared that he temporarily died in a car crash 12 years earlier, and had a brief experience of the afterlife. Paramedics resuscitated him shortly afterwards. His story grabbed my attention. I mentioned how many people who have similar experiences are given a message to give or a task to accomplish. Was he told anything? He said, “Go back and unite my people.”

I didn’t ask him what the phrase “my people” meant, and he didn’t tell me. Shortly after this, someone else came up to the booth. The gentleman felt he needed to stop talking with me and start talking to this new person. I don’t know if he will succeed at his mission. But he seemed to be working on it when I found him. I didn’t get any contact information, but I feel like I will meet him again before too long.

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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.

A Sacred Day In The History Of The Future

A sacred day in the history of the future
Opening words of the revelation “The Proclamation,” Chapter 1 of the book “God Has Spoken Again”

In 2015, I wrote about how the various teachings of the New Message from God would be organized into volumes, books, chapters and verses. Since that time, the Society for the New Message from God has released the following books:

A number of other books are mentioned as forthcoming. The Society for the New Message from God has made significant progress in a great task. The task of having a complete written version of the New Message from God in the lifetime of Marshall Vian Summers.

A sacred day in the history of the future

Some of you might be thinking, “If Marshall Vian Summers could arrange these teachings, he would put the important ones in a prominent position.” The first book of Volume 1 of the New Message from God is “God Has Spoken Again.” The first chapter of this book is “The Proclamation.” And the opening words of The Proclamation are “There is a New Message from God in the world. It has come from the Creator of all life.” I hope and believe and pray and work that these words will be said many times. Said by growing numbers of people from many nations and faith traditions.

But why do I write about a sacred day? July 7 is an ordinary day in my world. But someone brought it to my attention that Marshall Vian Summers received The Proclamation on July 7, 2006. Therefore The Proclamation has been in the world for slightly over 16 years. The Society for the New Message from God made The Proclamation available to the public on October 19, 2011. But I have a thought that a hundred years from now, students of the New Message will look upon July 7, 2006. They might recognize it as a day when the direction of the world changed. Thus it would be a sacred day in the history of the future.

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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.

Why Should It Need All The Love I Can Give?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoCPuhhE6dw
The song “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” from the movie “The Sound of Music”

I have tried on more than one occasion, to give a definition of the word “know” as used by Steps to Knowledge. Steps to Knowledge is the book of spiritual practice of the New Message from God.

If you don’t act, you don’t know

Wang-yang-ming (1472-1529) Chinese philosopher, official, educationist, calligraphist and general 

Many people say that knowing something is the experience of something being self-evident. On the other hand, many people have experiences of things being self-evident, but are unmoved to take action. I consider this to be to be unworthy of the word “knowing.” Chinese philosopher Wang-yang-ming (1472-1529) wrote “There is no knowledge which does not lead to action. If one knows but does not act, then one does not really know.”

What is worthy of my life and fortune?

Why should it need all the love I can give?
The Signing of the Declaration of Independence, painted by John Trumbull 1826

Say what you will about the signers of the Declaration of Independence. They mutually pledged to the support of the Declaration “their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.” History records that they acted on that pledge, and lived with the consequences. I say that for all his flaws, Thomas Jefferson knew something. Thomas Jefferson knew “All men are created equal.”

Why should it need all the love I can give?

Why should it need all the love I can give?
Patricia Neway and Mary Martin in the 1959 Broadway production of “The Sound of Music”

Climb Ev’ry Mountain” was written in 1959 by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It appeared at the end of the first act of the Broadway musical “The Sound of Music.” The musical is based on the real-life story of Maria von Trapp. The song is sung by the Mother Abbess of a convent, to Maria, who is conflicted between her spiritual aspirations and her feelings for Captain Georg von Trapp. Here are some of the lyrics:

Climb every mountain,
Ford every stream,
Follow every rainbow,
‘Til you find your dream!

A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Every day of your life
For as long as you live!

I have offered a description of knowing as “an experience of something being self-evident which inspires consistent action.” I have suggested that knowing might be “to hold something to be self-evident, and to contribute to the support of that something one’s life, one’s fortune, and one’s sacred honor.” I now write words I have never written before. I consider that to know something means “to experience something as self-evident, and needing all the love I can give.”

How can such a thing even be? If something is self-evident, how can it possibly need all the love I can give? And yet, I say it was Thomas Jefferson’s experience that even though the idea “All men are created equal” was self-evident to him, it needed all the love he could give. Things that are self-evident to me might be gobbledygook to others.

Someone is reading this and asking “Well, Douglas, by the description you have provided, what do you know?” Do I dare to say I know anything? There might be a couple of things. Autistic people can be contributors to humanity. There is a New Message from God in the world.

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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.

A New Message From God? Why Is It Here?

A New Message from God? Why is it here?

This is the second post in a series of posts on the New Message from God revelation “The Proclamation.” This revelation was received by Marshall Vian Summers in July of 2006. The first post in the series is here.

A New Message from God? Why is it here?

What has been declared thus far? Just as God has spoken to humanity on certain occasions, God is speaking to humanity again. God is speaking to humanity again because humanity faces unprecedented challenges. This is the sixth paragraph.

The New Message from God is here to alert, to empower and to prepare the human family—people from all nations and religious traditions, from all tribes, groups and orientations.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? I believe that the phrase “prepare the human family” means “prepare the human family to respond effectively to the grave and perilous set of challenges mentioned in the previous paragraph.“]

It has come at a time of great need, a time of great consequence. It is preparing people for things that have not even been recognized.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? In my mind’s ear, I’m hearing the song “Heaven is Ten Zillion Light Years Away” by Stevie Wonder, with the lyric “But if there is a God, we need Him now.”]

It is prophetic in alerting people to the Great Waves of change that are coming to the world and to humanity’s position in the universe, especially regarding your contact with other races.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? “The Great Waves of change” refer to an ongoing series of global-scale disruptions of what passes for normal life in the not-too-distant future, including disrupted climate, environmental degradation, declining resources, economic turmoil, involuntary human migration, wars of economic desperation, religious wars and intervention from outer space.]

It calls upon the great spiritual presence within each person—the great endowment of Knowledge that has been given to the entire human family, which must now be cultivated, strengthened and brought forth.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? Knowledge is a key technical term in the New Message from God, and is mentioned in one form or another in almost every revelation. The book Steps to Knowledge describes this phenomenon in great detail. While Knowledge is described in many ways, Step 10 of Steps to Knowledge, “What is Knowledge?” says “Let us say that Knowledge is not the things that are usually associated with it. It is not ideas. It is not a body of information. It is not a system of belief. It is not a process of self evaluation. It is the great mystery of your life. Its outward manifestations are profound intuition, great insight, inexplicable knowing, wise perception in the present and in the future and wise understanding of the past. But despite these great achievements of mind, Knowledge is greater than this. It is your True Self, a Self that is not apart from life.”]

It speaks to the great spiritual need of the individual—the need for purpose, meaning and direction.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? People are in the world for reasons beyond their preferences and anxieties. They are in the world to meet certain people, to give certain gifts, to accomplish certain tasks.]

It speaks to the great relationships that people can establish with one another, relationships representing their higher purpose in life.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? Humanity’s great accomplishments have been the result of relationships representing higher purpose in life.]

It speaks to the needs of the world and the needs of the future. In so doing, it brings purpose and recognition, unity and cooperation, wisdom and strength to all who can receive it, who can learn it, who can follow its steps, who can contribute it to others and who can share its wisdom in service to other individuals, to families, to communities, to nations and to the whole world.

[A New Message from God? Why is it here? About a dozen books of the New Message from God have already been published. Some of these books address the subject of individual development, such as Steps to Knowledge and Greater Community Spirituality. Some of these books address potential futures for humanity, such as The Great Waves of Change and Life in the Universe.]

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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.

Another Book, Not Just Another Book

GHS-front-cover Another book, not just another book.This time of the year is when the New Message from God releases a book. For example, the book Life in the Universe was released in the fall of 2012. The book Secrets of Heaven was released in the fall of 2013. In the fall of 2015, a new book is being released, God Has Spoken Again.

Another book, not just another book

This book is like the other books in that they are all comprised of material received by Marshall Vian Summers in a state of revelation.

Another book, not just another book. This book is different from the other books in that the chapters of this book were received in different times and different places. For example, Chapter 1, “The Proclamation,” was received in July of 2006 in Boulder, Colorado, while Chapter 7, “The Blessing,” was received in April of 2007 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Another book, not just another book. In October of 2014, I wrote that efforts are being made to compile a complete written version of the New Message from God during the lifetime of its messenger, Marshall Vian Summers. This book is the first book released by the New Message from God to be released as part of the 6-volume set of teachings. This book is not Volume 1. This book is the first of seven books so far comprising Volume 1. This book is Volume 1, Book 1.

Another book, not just another book. Some people are wondering “How much do they want for this book?” The answer is “It depends.” The paper version is currently available for $14.95. An online version was made available this month at no charge at the newly-remodeled New Message from God website. Therefore, this is clearly not a money-making venture, although it wouldn’t hurt to break even.

Another book, not just another book. It is my sincere hope that this book will be read and contemplated by individuals who seek to be strong contributors to humanity.

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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.

A Simple, Powerful Proclamation

liberty-bell A simple, powerful proclamationI conducted an experiment in the past year. I wrote a series of posts on the New Message from God revelation “The Race to Save Human Civilization.” The idea was to take a few paragraphs from this teaching in each post and consider each paragraph. I got about two-thirds of the way through the teaching before I was distracted by something unrelated. But it seemed like a good idea at the time. Therefore, I am going to do this again, but with a different revelation, one called “The Proclamation.”

A simple, powerful proclamation

“The Proclamation” was received by Marshall Vian Summers in July of 2006.

There is a New Message from God in the World.

[I believe it will become clear as we proceed, that the phrase “New Message” is meant to convey something greater than a new teaching, a new prophesy or a new explanation of existing truth. It should be noted that the capitalizations did not appear in the audio of the revelation, but were introduced in the transcription.]

It has come from the Creator of all life.

[Not just all life here, but all life throughout the universe. At this point, I recall the term “Sustainer of all the worlds.” (Surat Al-Fatiha (Sura 1) of the Quran, Muhammad Asad translation.]

It has been translated into human language and understanding through the Angelic Presence that oversees this world.

[The Christian martyr Stephen declared to his accusers that the law was given by angels. (Acts 7:53, New International Version). The apostle Paul declared that the law was given through angels (Galatians 3:19, New International Version). Muslims believe that Mohammed received the Quran from the angel Gabriel (Surat Al-Baqarah (Sura 2) of the Quran, Maulawi Sher Ali translation). In later revelations there is quite a bit of elaboration regarding the nature and activity of the Angelic Presence that oversees this world. Therefore, I consider it important, even if I don’t yet fully grasp the implication.]

It continues the great series of transmissions from the Creator that have occurred over centuries and millennia.

[Later revelations speak of the teachings of Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed as what is meant by “the great series of transmissions.”]

It fulfills the former great Messages that have been given to humanity, and yet it reveals things that have never been shown to humanity before, for humanity is now facing a grave and perilous set of challenges, both within the world and from beyond the world.

[I recall Jesus saying he came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17, New International Version). What are the grave and perilous challenges? Destructive warfare between tribes, nations and religions. Restoring a natural world that has been degraded by our patterns of resource consumption and environmental use. Sustaining a growing population in a world of declining resources. Emerging into a greater community of intelligent life with intact sovereignty and freedom. There are a great many more things that could be said about these simple, powerful words. But for now, I am content to share this portion of a simple, powerful proclamation.]

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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.

I Wish To Speak To The Entire World

Super Bowl Ad Clydesdale Puppy I wish to speak to the entire worldIn the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” Judas Iscariot offered marketing advice to the master he betrayed:

If you’d come today
You could have reached the whole nation
Israel in 4 BC had no mass communication

I wish to speak to the entire world

On the other hand, Jesus seemed to be fully aware as to how he wished to speak for himself. The gospel of Luke reports that Jesus had an “advance team” of seventy-two disciples, who went ahead of Jesus to every town and place where Jesus was about to go. Jesus clearly had no problem with requesting people’s attention. The gospel of John reports that Jesus stood up and cried out to the crowd on the last and greatest day of a religious festival of his nation. It’s possible that word about Jesus reached other nations during his lifetime. Perhaps Jesus had more marketing savvy than Judas thought.

I wish to speak to the entire world. I am pondering these things because I have a confession to make. I confess to wanting a Super Bowl ad for the New Message from God. I have already produced the ad in my imagination. It would involve some bits from the revelation “The Proclamation”, with our golden diamond logo and URL showing for the last 3 seconds or so.

I wish to speak to the entire world. Part of my confession is a confession of the deadly sin of Super Bowl ad envy. I have thought “If so-and-so can have a Super Bowl ad, why can’t we?” There are a lot of good answers to that question.

I wish to speak to the entire world. It’s possible that a Super Bowl ad isn’t the right vehicle for the New Message from God. Perhaps it would attract the ambitious and the self-serving. But what is the 2015 equivalent of Jesus standing up and crying out on the last and greatest day of the festival? Marshall Vian Summers said “I will call forth as far as I can.”. A YouTube channel, or a website, is the equivalent of setting up one’s stall in the marketplace of commitments. Is that good enough? I don’t think so. What am I doing about it? Writing another blog post. Is that good enough? I don’t think so.

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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.

Marshall Vian Summers Questions and Answers

Marshall Vian Summers answered a number of questions in an online chat session

Marshall Vian Summers conducted a live webcast on Sunday, December 15.  I viewed this webcast.  There were 190 people on the chat room at newmessage.org during the webcast, which is more than I’ve ever seen for a webcast by a significant margin.  I was unclear about the fact that there would be a question and answer session on the YouTube page where the webcast was also aired.

That session lasted roughly an hour.  There were some questions which were answered by Marshall, and those are the ones I’m putting in this post, with commentary.  There were some questions answered by members of the Society for the New Message from God.  There were some questions answered by other students of Steps to Knowledge.  I didn’t answer any questions.  Some questions weren’t answered, but I don’t believe it was due to the nature of the questions.  It was a highly active chat.

The New Message from God One viewer asks “How do you do it?”
The New Message from God Marshall responds: “Thank you for your honest question. I wish I could give a simple answer, except to say that I was born for this and that beyond my being a man in the world…my greater community is beyond” [There are many videos at the New Message from God YouTube page which would be worthy of consideration]

Question: What is your relationship to art?
Answer: Marshall responds: “Art is another vehicle of communication. I love art, if it can communicate something real and important.” [The questioner said “I know you play guitar.”]

Question: When is the great deception coming?
Answer: Marshall responds “The great deception is here, that is why God has spoken again and the New Message is here.” [The person who asked this question also trolled the chat, and eventually left after a number of rebukes. I consider it magnanimous of Marshall to answer his question.]

Question: Will you address where new people should begin taking in your message? Answer: Marshall responds: “begin listening to the voice of revelation which is available to you in abundance…find those revelations that strike you and that meet a deeper need. At some point it will be necessary for you to begin taking the Steps to Knowledge….Become a part of the School of the New Message. There are so many important relationships there.” [I believe Marshall is referring to this page, which contains many different New Message revelations. It’s the page I called “the appetizer sampler.”]

Question: I have completed the steps some time ago, when is the best time to start again? How many times through would be necessary for me?
Answer: Marshall responds: “Start when you are ready and do Steps twice and then you will be ready for the next level, which is Steps Continuation Training.” [I’ve been wondering when I was going to mention that the current protocol is to do Steps to Knowledge twice.  It looks like it’s now.  Steps Continuation Training has 84 steps, and the current protocol is to go through it four times.  Therefore, If a student intends to study Steps to Knowledge to the fullest extent, it could be done in less than three years (two years for two times through Steps to Knowledge, and 11 months for four times through the Steps Continuation Training.  It’s going to take me longer than that.]

Question: My daughter asks if we will be together when we left this world.
Answer: Marshall responds: “For a time.” [The daughter asking this question is 9 years old.  It showed a great awareness and curiosity on her part.]

Question: How often should people do the Steps Continuation Training? Twice over then go back to Steps to Knowledge, or indefinitely until we fully reclaim our relationship with Knowledge?…
Answer: “I [Marshall] have done Continuation Training repeatedly but with large gaps in between. Beyond Steps to Knowledge are the Great Practices of the New Message which are to be practiced in all situations…to the extent that you can. This will build your unique studenthood which has other dimensions to it. However I want you to know, I just completed Steps recently. I always return to Steps…it is ever richer the farther you go.” [I took great comfort in this answer.  If Marshall is doing Steps to Knowledge, that says a great deal to me about its importance. I take great comfort that Marshall is taking the medicine he prescribes to the world.]

Question: “i would like to know if there is another person you are waiting for?”
Answer: Marshall responds…”Many.  Those who are to assist me in my time on Earth have not all arrived yet. They have not all made their rendezvous with me.”

Question: Are most of the students responding to the New Message in these early times ultimately from the same Spiritual Family? [The phrase “in these early times” suggests that the New Message from God is in a very early stage of its progress and impact in the world, just as, for example, Islam was in a very early stage during the lifetime of Mohammed.  Someone reading this is thinking “I say, you have high expectations, don’t you?”  We get that a lot.  Spiritual Families are mentioned in Steps to Knowledge, defined as “your small learning group that have been working together through many ages and circumstances in order to cultivate and advance their members so that your group may join with other groups, and so forth.” (Step 186, “I am born of an ancient heritage”) I hadn’t planned on a question requiring so much unpacking.]
Answer: Marshall responds: “No. This is for all the spiritual families represented here on Earth.” [No claim has been made that I know of as to how many spiritual families are represented here on Earth.]

Question: What is a rendezvous more exactly? Is it a physical meeting with the messenger?”
Answer:
Marshall responds: “These are people who have a destiny with me.”

Question: “What are we to do about those who crush us with their evil ways and suppress us from being the spiritual beings that we desire to be to follow the ways God wants us to?”
Answer: “If you allow Knowledge to reshape your life, you cannot be suppressed. In this your oppressors can make you strong and determined. But you must forgive them to have this understanding.”

Question:
“I’ve noticed from the timeline of the New Message video, that there are unreleased Steps books (level 3 to 5). Can you give some clarification on their content and nature?”
Answer: “They are specific trainings for more advanced students of the Revelation. They require an instructor.” [It’s taking us so long, because we’ve got so far to come.]

Question:
How to present the message in totalitarian states or in nations where there is political oppression?
Answer: “In the beginning, the New Message will most likely move in the freer states. However, for those living in oppressed societies, the New Message can still reach them, even through mysterious means.”

Question: Is there a specific order one should read all the NM books? I found the timeline video on youtube helpful.
Answer: “The core proclamation will be released in book form soon. That will be the key book to read first. Until then, read “The Proclamation” and the revelations that have been released to the world.”

Question: Will you say more about being held back? How do I maintain as I care for my elderly mother?
Answer: “Read, study and listen to the revelation while you take care of your elderly mother.”

Question: I am wondering about those of us who are new students – we need to take time to prepare and yet the hour already seems late. How to reconcile?
Answer: Marshall responds…”You have time, but not a lot of time. There is no time to waste in this regard. Necessity will make you strong. Welcome it.”

Question: please, i’d like to k-NOW more about the “3” GRAND ILL-us-i-ON’s (TIME + SPACE + SEPARATION) … can you tell me more about these ?? -)) [This questioner waited very patiently to be answered.  While this questioner was somewhat…unconventional, he or she was unfailingly cheerful and polite.]
Answer: “The grand illusion is that you are separated from God.”

Question: “Marshall, We are consciously here in a physical plane, are we not also existing in a spiritual realm? Are not all of God creations connected?”
Answer: “You are born with two minds. The deeper mind of Knowledge within you represents the part of you that never left God. This is your deeper nature…This is how God of the universe will speak to you if you are prepared. We are living in Creation, and we are also living in the world. This represents the separation that exists within people…which is the dilemma that everyone lives with every day.”

 

I realize these answers possibly generate more questions.  Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

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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.