2001-02-01-Courage

Session

Opening

Welmek: Good evening. This is your friend and teacher, Welmek. On behalf of the unseen visitors who have gathered here in observation this evening, I wish to extend our heartiest felicitations. We, who have the honor and privilege of watching as you walk through your material life on this planet, wish to offer our words of encouragement and comfort to you. So many times humans falter and feel they are alone; there is no place to turn, no one who will listen to them with a sympathetic ear. I say to you, that simply is not true. There are more personalities than you can conceive, more diversity of life than you can possibly imagine. You are never alone, you are never far off from having someone lift you up when you fall, to brush you off and send you on your way. When you are, in these times in your life, confronted with troubles and obstacles, we implore you to take a deep breathe and ask for help, and allow your loving spirit ministers to gather close and to offer their assistance to you. You may not always sense it, you may not always be aware of their presence, but you might discern a lightening of your load or a small voice that points the way. These are the signposts that tell you, you are not alone, and so to make yourselves more amenable to the influences that surround you.

Lesson

Courage

Tonight, I would like to offer a lesson on courage. What does the courage mean to you? Does it evoke a depiction of someone who has strength of physicality, going out and doing battle on a field of combat? Does it evoke a picture of inner strength or inner resolve that moves you through life with effortless ease, poise and calm? Whatever this words evokes to you, I would like you to go into stillness now and tell me the one word that is most synonymous in your mind of the feeling, picture, or word courage emotes in you.

Students answers: Presence, focus, effort.

Welmek: I would like to share my definition of courage with you this evening. Courage is the capacity to act upon faith. It is the inner strength of character that you exhibit in times of confusion or turmoil. It is the driving force behind the concept of faith. It is the wind in the sails of faith that pilots your ship in the direction of God consciousness. It is a presence and it is a focus. Courage does require effort. It requires that you make an effort to be active, to participate in this unfolding adventure that you call living. When you stay stagnant, when you stay in a state of animated suspension, you will sense that there is something missing in the overall satisfaction and quality of life. Why is this? It is because you were not designed to be immobile, you were designed to have new experiences and to learn new ideas and to try on certain concepts and to share your experiences with your fellow human beings.

All of this does take effort. Effort, because you must present yourselves to the world, you must show the world who you are. All of this requires a sensing of the presence of your personality, which is a gift of the Father. It requires you to focus on those elements on those elements of life and living that you would like to see manifested in your daily actions. Courage is the capacity to live with this in mind. It is the elemental fuel.

Inertia is a state of being that is very familiar to humans. Why is this so difficult for humans to transcend? I would like you again to take a moment of stillness and to share with me why you think this inactive state of being is so comfortable for all of you collectively.

Dialogue

Student: I see it as a very necessary balance to activity. It's to know that when you've been active for a long time being lazy for a while keeps you from being driven. But if you totally lose yourself in laziness, that's bad because you're missing the variety of life.

Student: I think it takes us from an unnecessary unnatural state of chaos and behavior and reminds of the stillness and reminds of the space in between the lines.

Student: I think we tend to move from a place of nothing ventured, nothing lost. We're afraid of loss and we don't want to try anything new out of fear.

Student: (inaudible)

Welmek: As we have observed the humans in our watchcare, in our instruction group, and as we have observed humans in general, there does seem to be an immobility; almost an anesthesia to the challenges of life. By this I mean that most people live, as you say, nothing ventured, nothing lost. This is very apt because most people still operate from a framework that tells them life is a constant struggle. Sometimes you win and it gives you the things you want, but it is always a struggle. So, why would I want to struggle, why would I want to put forth this effort, especially if I don't feel I will be given what I desire? So people languish in this state of suspended animation because they do not know what the purpose is or how to set goals for themselves to try to achieve something that is greater than they could possibly imagine.

But I say to you this evening, my friends, now is the time to put away these ideas of the past and to boldly chart your new courses of life. Dare to dream those realities deep within your heart. Why are they there? Why do you dream about them? Do you not see that these have been placed within you as the unfolding of your personality and the gifts that you bring to this world to share with your brothers and sisters? Why would you not honor yourselves and bring this forth in a more persistent and consistent fashion? What is there to lose? As I said in my opening address to you this evening, you have so much help at hand, you are not alone in the employment of these dreams within yourselves. But what you lack is the capacity for faith; this courage, this driving force, this effort, focus, and presence of the Father Himself that says to you, " Yes, I am with you. Yes I will help you. Yes, I will support you and direct you." If not now, when will you begin to live? When will you begin to enjoy a dynamic, active, bountiful life full of peace and joy and accomplishment? If not now, when my friends, do you think this will happen for you? Your undertakings may meet with challenges and obstacles. You will not always see how to unfold your dreams. But it is not just in the goal that you learn and enjoy life. It is in watching the steps you take and the opportunities that come before you in the people and experiences you share. If not now, when will you become the children of God that you were created to be? I will pause and entertain your comments or questions now.

Student: What kind of help can we help for, sources outside of ourselves?

Welmek: I would say to you this evening, my brother, ask for help from two sources. From your internal spirit, the inner resource that guides and pilots you. Spend time within and ask how you can bring more of your unique personality to bear in the world. Spend time thinking about the kind of person you wish to become. Spend time seeking guidance as to what concepts, ideas, and inner peace and other fruits of the spirit you need to manifest more of this as an evolving son of the Father you wish to share with the world.

Ask those who guide you to lead you to those experiences where you get to test your mettle, to see how well you have mastered the concepts and ideas that are being presented to you in stillness. Ask when you are in these experiences to be fueled with faith and courage and hope; to have sagacity to appreciate the lesson you are being presented with, and to see let the essential flavor of things you are learning become a part of you with every breath you take. This is how you can be helped.

Are there other questions you wish to address this evening as well?

Stillness

Student: I'm having trouble being in stillness. I'm distracted by everything that seems to take precedence. Should I take time aside for stillness. I'm searching for some guidance.

Welmek: At what time of the day do you find yourself most mentally alert and clear?

Student: Sometimes it's early morning.

Welmek: Is this consistent for you or are there other times?

Student: Well not completely consistent, I'm clearer at other times, but I'm clear in the morning.

Welmek: Then my suggestion would be to take this time of the early morning and devote a time frame or a time span that is comfortable without being excessive at this point. Do you feel you could devote 10-15 minutes in the early morning to stillness.

Student: Yes, that sounds doable and not intimidating.

Welmek: You must not intimidate or overwhelm yourself when you first begin to still your mind for you will find that when you do not meet with success, or feel you are getting results, the tendency to become frustrated and stop will be very strong. So, you must be patient with yourself, and you must be patient with how your mind works, and how your thinking processes can being to be altered through this meditative state of being.

If you were to focus on an area of your personality that you wish to develop, you can begin by asking a centering question of how can I increase my patience, for example. Talk to the Father and explain to him how this idea of increasing patience has been difficult. Ask for help. You do not have to go through a whole litany of your problems in life, you do not have to try to figure out everything all at once. But if you can focus on one thing and begin to spend some in allowing the Father to show you how this idea is important and to help you connect with the feeling of patience in your life, then you will feel that your stillness has been more productive and more fruitful. You will want to do it more because you are getting results. As time goes on, then you can add more time and questions; more exchanges between you and the Father can occur. This is how you grow your faith and trust that you are being led. But if you begin to try to still your mind for a half an hour and it does not work, you do not see any improvement in your life or feel you are getting any answers (tape turned)

Student: I'm certainly open to it. I feel I'm like a child when he doesn't want to take a bath and when he's in the bath he enjoys it. Meditation is challenging and I see results in my life so it's just a question of sitting down and not distracting me.

Welmek: Well, when you are in your bathtub of stillness do not bring too many toys to play with. Take shorter baths, so to speak keep the water clear of distractive thinking. As I said, if you focus on one element of your life you wish to improve, you will not be so inclined to divert your thinking onto other things. So begin with this small idea. Then, in time as you grow more comfortable conversing with God and asking for guidance on things that are important for you to learn, you will have more understanding on how to cultivate this relationship in a more productive fashion.

Student: I have a sticky toy that stays with me. This last year I've enjoyed a social balance with dancing and now it's like a substratum that always with me in my thinking I dream about it and it's there in all states of consciousness. I'm not sure I can shut it off, but I'm not sure that's the right thing.

Welmek: There are two elements of your mindal function that you convey in your statement/question. One is this level of thought that seems to permeate your ability to stay still. Perhaps this is because it is something that brings you a certain sense of happiness and satisfaction in your life. And so it is in the forefront of your thinking because it is something you enjoy so much. The other element of what you say is in the disposition of your mind to be receptive to the leadings of the Thought Adjuster. That only comes through the focus your intention of using the stillness time to grow in enlightenment, in guidance, in love, balance, and harmony. What do you wish to use this time of stillness for? Is it in the reverie of a pleasant past-time, or is it in the conscious participation of your eternal adventure of sonship and partnership with your Heavenly Father?

Student: It's the latter. The other is just static. I'll try for a while then the distracting thoughts come in.

Welmek: And so, my friend, you must learn how to switch gears, as you say. And this comes with practice, this comes with patience, and this comes with persistence in the path to finding the Father. Human thinking tends to ramble on. And so what you must do is to pull in the reigns, and to harness these thoughts of distraction and to tell your mind to be still. There is plenty of time to revert into these thoughts when you leave your meditative state.

However, I would say to you to begin to pick up focus, perhaps a word, idea, visual picture of a pleasant scene that will act as a centering point and return you to your conscious communion with the Father once you realized you have shifted your gears in to this pleasant reverie. You must also be aware that you have the capacity to stop this at any moment in time, and to say to yourself, "Oh, I'm doing it again!" Then, stop and return to your centering point. When you feel centered again begin to commune through prayerful questions, through insightful searching, and through the experiential realization of the presence of the Father within.

If you are not sure what question to ask, then you can certainly ask your Thought Adjuster, "what do I need now in this moment to grow spiritually? What feeling from the Father can I experience that will help me to become a better son of God?" And so, when you sense yourself drifting, go back and focus. Ask your Adjuster to harness your mind and control your thoughts, just a little bit more.

This is very difficult. We certainly empathize with each one you here this evening who has struggled to varying degrees in stilling your mind and finding that peace and bastion of enlightenment and love that this so alive and so vibrant and dynamic within you. But you must move through this strata of rambling thought to get to that inner place. What you are going through, my friend, is very common and very human. But, do not be discouraged if you must repeat this time and time again. Each time you repeat this and each time you try, you begin to train your mind to harness itself. In time you will find you can be more still and go to the Father's presence without these other thoughts being so rampant. Does this help?

Student: Yes, thank you.

Student: I'm having a challenge when I'm in stillness and I ask for guidance, to know what I'm telling myself what I want to hear and what I'm getting as information from a guide, or Jesus or whomever. Can you say something about that?

Welmek: The essence is, how do I discern my will from the Father's will?, is it not? And so all of us struggle with this same idea. This is the path and process of your life. And, I say to you, my dear sister, that your attempts to still your mind are very honored and very commendable. But, do not expect yourself to be perfectly adept at discerning this at this time. Your effort in discernment is what is most commendable. And so when you feel you get an answer and you are not sure, there are several things you can do both in your inner stillness times and in your times of interaction in your outer world.

To address your inner life, I will make these suggestions. Ask for confirmation. If you get an idea, ask to be given a feeling of what this concept means. You may also ask to see if this is if your human material mind receiving the information or if this of spirit. This is where care must be exercised because you may get the same answer and it is the ego speaking. You must be very sincere and very receptive to the answer the Father wishes to give you for it may not be what you expect. But if you are open and willing to hear then your spirit will convey the information that is most helpful for you at this particular time in your particular stage of growth.

In your outer life, you can certainly ask to have an experience that will help you to test your reaction to this idea or to the guidance you are receiving. How to interpret its validity is in your reaction of manifesting the fruits of the spirit: compassion, understanding, patience. In time you will see whether what you received was true guidance or not because you will see an outworking in your life that seems to give new meaning, direction and purpose. This may not always happen at once. It happens in stages; gradually.

You must be very patient with yourself and patient with your discerning the Father's will. You will not master this in a few short weeks or even a few short years, but each time you go into stillness and each time you intentionally and sincerely ask to be led and to see it from the Father's eyes, you will be given a fleeting glimpse of what is trying to be conveyed to you. In time, if this is acceptable to you and feels comfortable, then the glimpse can become a bigger picture, and the idea can become more expansive and your understanding of this will accrue, shift and transcend all other ideas of the past. Again, the word here I wish to exhort to you is patience. Does this help, my sister?

Student: Yes, thank you.

Closing

Welmek: If there are no further comments or questions, I will bring our meeting to a close with these words of encouragement. Be courageous in your lives. It is commendable to take risks, to venture forth with new ideas and to the ideas within your hearts and dreams. You have more help and more direction that you can possible imagine. But how will you be able to see where you are going if you stagnant in inertia? Immobility gets you nowhere in life my friends. Use the presence of the Father. He will always give you the stamina, fortitude, the inner resolve, the direction; all of these courageous fruits will pour forth from your soul if you rise to the occasion. Good evening.