Angels said above. Heb 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
The Late Great Urantia Revelation
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Angels said above. Heb 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
freelight
Eclectic Theosophist
so goes the story......
so goes the story......
Hi pj,
I'll bite and address your 'story' above as a 'hypothetical'. First of all,....and it seems I've repeated this a few dozen or more times here,...the UB has nothing whatsoever to do with UFOs, or 'grays' (or any of the beings or activities commonly associated with the UFO phenomena since the early 20th century). See here (follow all links).
Ufology, expolitics and contacts/contactees are a whole nother ball-field which we explore some in my 'Disclosure Project' thread, and more broadly in my older thread 'ET Theology' which is no longer extant.
As per your 'story' above (embellished or crafted to get raise out of someone, unless it is in fact true)...its hardly likely that UB enthusiasts would chant 'Urantia' and give you papers (whatever that means),...except they might offer you a free Urantia Book (which is comprised of 196 'papers') to read for yourself, if you were interested. As far as you feeling 'entities' and being frightened,... there would be no reason necessarily to feel any 'entities' or be afraid of anything associated with the UB, since it is an epochal revelation only espousing and promoting the highest ideals and ethics of religious philosophy and practice, only the principles of love, encourage by truth, beauty and goodness,.....revealing a loving Heavenly Father whose will is the eternal progress and prosperity of all his mortal children. Of course if you read any of the UB you'd know this for yourself. God is Love, and there no fear in love.
so goes the story......
Hi pj,
I'll bite and address your 'story' above as a 'hypothetical'. First of all,....and it seems I've repeated this a few dozen or more times here,...the UB has nothing whatsoever to do with UFOs, or 'grays' (or any of the beings or activities commonly associated with the UFO phenomena since the early 20th century). See here (follow all links).
Ufology, expolitics and contacts/contactees are a whole nother ball-field which we explore some in my 'Disclosure Project' thread, and more broadly in my older thread 'ET Theology' which is no longer extant.
As per your 'story' above (embellished or crafted to get raise out of someone, unless it is in fact true)...its hardly likely that UB enthusiasts would chant 'Urantia' and give you papers (whatever that means),...except they might offer you a free Urantia Book (which is comprised of 196 'papers') to read for yourself, if you were interested. As far as you feeling 'entities' and being frightened,... there would be no reason necessarily to feel any 'entities' or be afraid of anything associated with the UB, since it is an epochal revelation only espousing and promoting the highest ideals and ethics of religious philosophy and practice, only the principles of love, encourage by truth, beauty and goodness,.....revealing a loving Heavenly Father whose will is the eternal progress and prosperity of all his mortal children. Of course if you read any of the UB you'd know this for yourself. God is Love, and there no fear in love.
freelight
Eclectic Theosophist
Adam & Eve
Adam & Eve
~*~*~
I'll run this by Caino, if he wants to add anything to pj's question posed to me in my 'Return To Oneness' thread here. I encouraged pj to bring up this question here, since the UB goes into a lot of detail about Adam & Eve, so I thought it fitting to explore its story of the two, and the profundity of it both historically and religiously. One can also use the 'Search Thread' feature in upper right of the discussion thread to search for subjects already covered in the thread,....this is a BIG thread,..so things may have already been covered.
From Paper 74 on,...in Part 3 of the UB on 'The History of Urantia'...the story of A & E, the 2 gardens and the mid-wayers (beings who dwell in the mid-way dimension between physicality and spirit, some being the offspring of higher angelics and humans, some coming into being thru a kind of 'non-sexual' union as well) are found. So, some interesting stuff.
I might also add some Christians believe that Lucifer ruled for a time on earth and created a 'pre-adamic' race....hence Cain was able to find a wife in another land, but the UB has a different spin on this, which I'd need to study again, since its been awhile, but just throwing some stuff up by memory.
Who were Adam and Eve? (there is more on A & E in its own section on the topical bar on the upper rim of the page)
Paper 74 - Adam and Eve
Adam & Eve
~*~*~
I'll run this by Caino, if he wants to add anything to pj's question posed to me in my 'Return To Oneness' thread here. I encouraged pj to bring up this question here, since the UB goes into a lot of detail about Adam & Eve, so I thought it fitting to explore its story of the two, and the profundity of it both historically and religiously. One can also use the 'Search Thread' feature in upper right of the discussion thread to search for subjects already covered in the thread,....this is a BIG thread,..so things may have already been covered.
From Paper 74 on,...in Part 3 of the UB on 'The History of Urantia'...the story of A & E, the 2 gardens and the mid-wayers (beings who dwell in the mid-way dimension between physicality and spirit, some being the offspring of higher angelics and humans, some coming into being thru a kind of 'non-sexual' union as well) are found. So, some interesting stuff.
I might also add some Christians believe that Lucifer ruled for a time on earth and created a 'pre-adamic' race....hence Cain was able to find a wife in another land, but the UB has a different spin on this, which I'd need to study again, since its been awhile, but just throwing some stuff up by memory.
Who were Adam and Eve? (there is more on A & E in its own section on the topical bar on the upper rim of the page)
Paper 74 - Adam and Eve
freelight
Eclectic Theosophist
Well, it depends on if the observer could identify the object or subject. A seraphim transport is not a UFO as conventionally understood, but to someone not familiar with such...it could be. The key here is being able to 'identify' it.
Think about it, why would angels need wings anyway? Well, this is one of those areas of the UB where my belief in Angels was actually improved by providing an admittedly wild but plausible explanation about why Angels were thought to have wings:
39:5.10 5. The Transporters. The planetary transporters serve the individual worlds. The majority of enseraphimed beings brought to this planet are in transit; they merely stop over; they are in custody of their own special seraphic transporters; but there are a large number of such seraphim stationed on Urantia. These are the transport personalities operating from the local planets, as from Urantia to Jerusem.
39:5.11 Your conventional idea of angels has been derived in the following way: During moments just prior to physical death a reflective phenomenon sometimes occurs in the human mind, and this dimming consciousness seems to visualize something of the form of the attending angel, and this is immediately translated into terms of the habitual concept of angels held in that individual's mind.
39:5.12 The erroneous idea that angels possess wings is not wholly due to olden notions that they must have wings to fly through the air. Human beings have sometimes been permitted to observe seraphim that were being prepared for transport service, and the traditions of these experiences have largely determined the Urantian concept of angels. In observing a transport seraphim being made ready to receive a passenger for interplanetary transit, there may be seen what are apparently double sets of wings extending from the head to the foot of the angel. In reality these wings are energy insulators—friction shields.
39:5.13 When celestial beings are to be enseraphimed for transfer from one world to another, they are brought to the headquarters of the sphere and, after due registry, are inducted into the transit sleep. Meantime, the transport seraphim moves into a horizontal position immediately above the universe energy pole of the planet. While the energy shields are wide open, the sleeping personality is skillfully deposited, by the officiating seraphic assistants, directly on top of the transport angel. Then both the upper and lower pairs of shields are carefully closed and adjusted.
39:5.14 And now, under the influence of the transformers and the transmitters, a strange metamorphosis begins as the seraphim is made ready to swing into the energy currents of the universe circuits. To outward appearance the seraphim grows pointed at both extremities and becomes so enshrouded in a queer light of amber hue that very soon it is impossible to distinguish the enseraphimed personality. When all is in readiness for departure, the chief of transport makes the proper inspection of the carriage of life, carries out the routine tests to ascertain whether or not the angel is properly encircuited, and then announces that the traveler is properly enseraphimed, that the energies are adjusted, that the angel is insulated, and that everything is in readiness for the departing flash. The mechanical controllers, two of them, next take their positions. By this time the transport seraphim has become an almost transparent, vibrating, torpedo-shaped outline of glistening luminosity. Now the transport dispatcher of the realm summons the auxiliary batteries of the living energy transmitters, usually one thousand in number; as he announces the destination of the transport, he reaches out and touches the near point of the seraphic carriage, which shoots forward with lightninglike speed, leaving a trail of celestial luminosity as far as the planetary atmospheric investment extends. In less than ten minutes the marvelous spectacle will be lost even to reinforced seraphic vision.
39:5.15 While planetary space reports are received at noon at the meridian of the designated spiritual headquarters, the transporters are dispatched from this same place at midnight. That is the most favorable time for departure and is the standard hour when not otherwise specified."UB 1955
39:5.11 Your conventional idea of angels has been derived in the following way: During moments just prior to physical death a reflective phenomenon sometimes occurs in the human mind, and this dimming consciousness seems to visualize something of the form of the attending angel, and this is immediately translated into terms of the habitual concept of angels held in that individual's mind.
39:5.12 The erroneous idea that angels possess wings is not wholly due to olden notions that they must have wings to fly through the air. Human beings have sometimes been permitted to observe seraphim that were being prepared for transport service, and the traditions of these experiences have largely determined the Urantian concept of angels. In observing a transport seraphim being made ready to receive a passenger for interplanetary transit, there may be seen what are apparently double sets of wings extending from the head to the foot of the angel. In reality these wings are energy insulators—friction shields.
39:5.13 When celestial beings are to be enseraphimed for transfer from one world to another, they are brought to the headquarters of the sphere and, after due registry, are inducted into the transit sleep. Meantime, the transport seraphim moves into a horizontal position immediately above the universe energy pole of the planet. While the energy shields are wide open, the sleeping personality is skillfully deposited, by the officiating seraphic assistants, directly on top of the transport angel. Then both the upper and lower pairs of shields are carefully closed and adjusted.
39:5.14 And now, under the influence of the transformers and the transmitters, a strange metamorphosis begins as the seraphim is made ready to swing into the energy currents of the universe circuits. To outward appearance the seraphim grows pointed at both extremities and becomes so enshrouded in a queer light of amber hue that very soon it is impossible to distinguish the enseraphimed personality. When all is in readiness for departure, the chief of transport makes the proper inspection of the carriage of life, carries out the routine tests to ascertain whether or not the angel is properly encircuited, and then announces that the traveler is properly enseraphimed, that the energies are adjusted, that the angel is insulated, and that everything is in readiness for the departing flash. The mechanical controllers, two of them, next take their positions. By this time the transport seraphim has become an almost transparent, vibrating, torpedo-shaped outline of glistening luminosity. Now the transport dispatcher of the realm summons the auxiliary batteries of the living energy transmitters, usually one thousand in number; as he announces the destination of the transport, he reaches out and touches the near point of the seraphic carriage, which shoots forward with lightninglike speed, leaving a trail of celestial luminosity as far as the planetary atmospheric investment extends. In less than ten minutes the marvelous spectacle will be lost even to reinforced seraphic vision.
39:5.15 While planetary space reports are received at noon at the meridian of the designated spiritual headquarters, the transporters are dispatched from this same place at midnight. That is the most favorable time for departure and is the standard hour when not otherwise specified."UB 1955
freelight
Eclectic Theosophist
Not 'channeling' in the modern nuance of the term
Not 'channeling' in the modern nuance of the term
Good question, but it must be known that the UB (or the Urantia Papers) was not brought forth by what we commonly know today as 'channelling' or a like phenomena,...but a unique process and some ascpects that are unexplainable (perhaps near 'miraculous'), in as much as has been recorded or revealed by those closely associated with the 'process' whereby they 'materialized'. Authorities of the UB emphatically claim it was not 'channeled' or brought about by means commonly associated with Spiritualism, psychic reading, occultism, etc.
An order of being known as 'mid-wayers' were involved in serving as a 'liaison group' between our world (thru a sleeping subject) also allowing for a higher group of divine sons and celestial personalities to dictate primarily the first 3 parts....such were given permission to give forth the 5th epochal revelation to our planet thru this collaboration.
Besides the sleeping subject there was human participation involved in order to allow the transmission to take place,... a 'forum' of individuals that presented questions to the various celestial personalities who would expound and give answers to those questions, which came forth in a systematic manner as the 'papers' and was organized as we have the UB today,...in 4 parts. I've yet to read a few works about the history of such, but have read some on it. The following links below will help,...plus researching the OP and using the 'thread search' feature in the upper right of the discussion area.
Who wrote the UB? (truthbook.com)
Who wrote the UB? (Meredith Sprunger)
How The Urantia Papers came to be according to The Revelators (Urantia Foundation)
Also, there has been a modern movement within some UB readership groups called the 'Teaching Mission'(TM)...where some people serve as 'transmitters'...which might be more kin to what is modernly known as 'channeling' (in some fasion)...but the Urantia Foundation (the trustee and publisher of the UB) does not accept or endorse TM at all, and holds true to the UB in and of itself being a complete and sufficient revelation given for this dispensation (being the 5th Ephochal revelation to your planet). See here.
The UB is to be judged by its content, as the message, meaning and values given speak for themselves in their own terms and context. Its a comprehensive cosmology
- feel free to wade thru the thread, and chime in with anything of particular interest.
Not 'channeling' in the modern nuance of the term
Good question, but it must be known that the UB (or the Urantia Papers) was not brought forth by what we commonly know today as 'channelling' or a like phenomena,...but a unique process and some ascpects that are unexplainable (perhaps near 'miraculous'), in as much as has been recorded or revealed by those closely associated with the 'process' whereby they 'materialized'. Authorities of the UB emphatically claim it was not 'channeled' or brought about by means commonly associated with Spiritualism, psychic reading, occultism, etc.
An order of being known as 'mid-wayers' were involved in serving as a 'liaison group' between our world (thru a sleeping subject) also allowing for a higher group of divine sons and celestial personalities to dictate primarily the first 3 parts....such were given permission to give forth the 5th epochal revelation to our planet thru this collaboration.
Besides the sleeping subject there was human participation involved in order to allow the transmission to take place,... a 'forum' of individuals that presented questions to the various celestial personalities who would expound and give answers to those questions, which came forth in a systematic manner as the 'papers' and was organized as we have the UB today,...in 4 parts. I've yet to read a few works about the history of such, but have read some on it. The following links below will help,...plus researching the OP and using the 'thread search' feature in the upper right of the discussion area.
Who wrote the UB? (truthbook.com)
Who wrote the UB? (Meredith Sprunger)
How The Urantia Papers came to be according to The Revelators (Urantia Foundation)
Also, there has been a modern movement within some UB readership groups called the 'Teaching Mission'(TM)...where some people serve as 'transmitters'...which might be more kin to what is modernly known as 'channeling' (in some fasion)...but the Urantia Foundation (the trustee and publisher of the UB) does not accept or endorse TM at all, and holds true to the UB in and of itself being a complete and sufficient revelation given for this dispensation (being the 5th Ephochal revelation to your planet). See here.
The UB is to be judged by its content, as the message, meaning and values given speak for themselves in their own terms and context. Its a comprehensive cosmology
- feel free to wade thru the thread, and chime in with anything of particular interest.
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freelight
Eclectic Theosophist
Energy buffers or insulators....looking like 'wings' of a sort
Energy buffers or insulators....looking like 'wings' of a sort
Note the similar vision of seraphim contained in the biblical records, beings having 2-3 pairs of what look like wings, in Isaiah and Ezekiel. I wonder however if the seraphim crying holy, holy, holy in the temple in Isaiah's record were 'transporting' anyone at that time or even if the spiritual glory of a higher temple in the Spirit was manifesting within the physical temple as well, as it seems more of a holy worship event. Ezekiel's account is even more detailed with also wheels within wheels describing which could be described as some kind of transporters, since he noticed their unique movements.
Energy buffers or insulators....looking like 'wings' of a sort
Think about it, why would angels need wings anyway? Well, this is one of those areas of the UB where my belief in Angels was actually improved by providing an admittedly wild but plausible explanation about why Angels were thought to have wings:
39:5.10 5. The Transporters. The planetary transporters serve the individual worlds. The majority of enseraphimed beings brought to this planet are in transit; they merely stop over; they are in custody of their own special seraphic transporters; but there are a large number of such seraphim stationed on Urantia. These are the transport personalities operating from the local planets, as from Urantia to Jerusem.
39:5.11 Your conventional idea of angels has been derived in the following way: During moments just prior to physical death a reflective phenomenon sometimes occurs in the human mind, and this dimming consciousness seems to visualize something of the form of the attending angel, and this is immediately translated into terms of the habitual concept of angels held in that individual's mind.
39:5.12 The erroneous idea that angels possess wings is not wholly due to olden notions that they must have wings to fly through the air. Human beings have sometimes been permitted to observe seraphim that were being prepared for transport service, and the traditions of these experiences have largely determined the Urantian concept of angels. In observing a transport seraphim being made ready to receive a passenger for interplanetary transit, there may be seen what are apparently double sets of wings extending from the head to the foot of the angel. In reality these wings are energy insulators—friction shields.
39:5.13 When celestial beings are to be enseraphimed for transfer from one world to another, they are brought to the headquarters of the sphere and, after due registry, are inducted into the transit sleep. Meantime, the transport seraphim moves into a horizontal position immediately above the universe energy pole of the planet. While the energy shields are wide open, the sleeping personality is skillfully deposited, by the officiating seraphic assistants, directly on top of the transport angel. Then both the upper and lower pairs of shields are carefully closed and adjusted.
39:5.14 And now, under the influence of the transformers and the transmitters, a strange metamorphosis begins as the seraphim is made ready to swing into the energy currents of the universe circuits. To outward appearance the seraphim grows pointed at both extremities and becomes so enshrouded in a queer light of amber hue that very soon it is impossible to distinguish the enseraphimed personality. When all is in readiness for departure, the chief of transport makes the proper inspection of the carriage of life, carries out the routine tests to ascertain whether or not the angel is properly encircuited, and then announces that the traveler is properly enseraphimed, that the energies are adjusted, that the angel is insulated, and that everything is in readiness for the departing flash. The mechanical controllers, two of them, next take their positions. By this time the transport seraphim has become an almost transparent, vibrating, torpedo-shaped outline of glistening luminosity. Now the transport dispatcher of the realm summons the auxiliary batteries of the living energy transmitters, usually one thousand in number; as he announces the destination of the transport, he reaches out and touches the near point of the seraphic carriage, which shoots forward with lightninglike speed, leaving a trail of celestial luminosity as far as the planetary atmospheric investment extends. In less than ten minutes the marvelous spectacle will be lost even to reinforced seraphic vision.
39:5.15 While planetary space reports are received at noon at the meridian of the designated spiritual headquarters, the transporters are dispatched from this same place at midnight. That is the most favorable time for departure and is the standard hour when not otherwise specified."UB 1955
Note the similar vision of seraphim contained in the biblical records, beings having 2-3 pairs of what look like wings, in Isaiah and Ezekiel. I wonder however if the seraphim crying holy, holy, holy in the temple in Isaiah's record were 'transporting' anyone at that time or even if the spiritual glory of a higher temple in the Spirit was manifesting within the physical temple as well, as it seems more of a holy worship event. Ezekiel's account is even more detailed with also wheels within wheels describing which could be described as some kind of transporters, since he noticed their unique movements.
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Good question, but it must be known that the UB (or the Urantia Papers) was not brought forth by what we commonly know today as 'channelling' or a like phenomena,...but a unique process and some ascpects that are unexplainable (perhaps near 'miraculous'), in as much as has been recorded or revealed by those closely associated with the 'process' whereby they 'materialized'. Authorities of the UB emphatically claim it was not 'channeled' or brought about by means commonly associated with Spiritualism, psychic reading, occultism, etc.
An order of being known as 'mid-wayers' were involved in serving as a 'liaison group' between our world (thru a sleeping subject) also allowing for a higher group of divine sons and celestial personalities to dictate primarily the first 3 parts....such were given permission to give forth the 5th epochal revelation to our planet thru this collaboration.
Besides the sleeping subject there was human participation involved in order to allow the transmission to take place,... a 'forum' of individuals that presented questions to the various celestial personalities who would expound and give answers to those questions, which came forth in a systematic manner as the 'papers' and was organized as we have the UB today,...in 4 parts. I've yet to read a few works about the history of such, but have read some on it. The following links below will help,...plus researching the OP and using the 'thread search' feature in the upper right of the discussion area.
Who wrote the UB? (truthbook.com)
Who wrote the UB? (Meredith Sprunger)
How The Urantia Papers came to be according to The Revelators (Urantia Foundation)
Also, there has been a modern movement within some UB readership groups called the 'Teaching Mission'(TM)...where some people serve as 'transmitters'...which might be more kin to what is modernly known as 'channeling' (in some fasion)...but the Urantia Foundation (the trustee and publisher of the UB) does not accept or endorse TM at all, and holds true to the UB in and of itself being a complete and sufficient revelation given for this dispensation (being the 5th Ephochal revelation to your planet). See here.
The UB is to be judged by its content, as the message, meaning and values given speak for themselves in their own terms and context. Its a comprehensive cosmology
Thank you for your reply. However, once again without reading anything but your post, you said no to channeling, then describe the method which is clearly a form of channeling, whether awake or asleep, it does not matter to the entities. RUN for your life, would be my considered advice, as something that resembles this :angrymob: is after you.
What if it was a form of channeling? Was Isaiah and Micah's prophetic utterances a form of channeling? These two walked around naked for years.
This is similar to the Jews desperate criticisms of Jesus being from Nazareth.
Then it would be communicating with something that is not of HaShem/God.
That's easy. NO. There is a gift called discerning of spiritS for a reason. There's the Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit, then the spirit of man, then everything else that is not of either one. Only one is infallible, all-seeing, righteous, the Truth, and HOLY.
These are part of the seducing spirits that we were warned would come in the last days.
Right, they said that about Jesus. The Jews also hid behind the same legalistic mumbo jumbo. And you haven't even read one paragraph so your opinion is from utter ignorance in addition to the mental gymnastics of Shamanism.
Yes, they did. The difference was the spiritual pedigree involved, just as it is in this instance.
The Jews didn't hide behind anything, they were given clear instructions regarding necromancy, familiar spirits, and other such abominations, which when involved with, made the seeker an abomination to HaShem as well.
The Jews rejected Jesus, did you not get the memo? They used the scripture to do it, they still do today.
Anyway, your technique of disqualifying vast works of purported revelation is your own, you are welcome to it. The UB is not for the indoctrinated just like Jesus chose common laborers not to hopelessly yoked with priest craft.
I'm not yoked with anything. I didn't come to this walk via church indoctrination, I came to it after 2 years of intense daily study of the original languages after a spiritual experience I didn't have a foundation to comprehend.
BTW: was that mental Shamanism comment directed at me? If so, be so kind as to explain where that determination came from.
And no, as I said I didn't read anything except the methods for obtaining said "vast works", and that was sufficient as I already tested the spirits with it. I don't have to get hit with a truck to know it's going to do me harm, either.
Zeke
Well-known member
Yet which spirit in the Bible is speaking to you're mind? the one in the OT that says kill to obtain land or the one in NT that speaks of Loving your neighbor.
I have observed that the right winged birds around here speak out of both sides of their mouth, a form of dualism on steroids.
Wow. Now there's a snare I don't care to walk into.
It would, however, seem to me to line up with the Spirit which is love, to warn your brother (or your son in God's case) that if you do X, Y and Z will swiftly follow. Or you could just sit back and watch them become a hood ornament for the next truck.
Zeke
Well-known member
No snare, just a simple question about which spirit you're referencing that is found within the Holy writ. Seem? now that's a wide gulf to fall into.
http://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-90-shamanism-medicine-men-and-priests?term=shamanism#search-jump-result-0
The Urantia Book
Paper 90
Shamanism — Medicine Men and Priests
Paper 90
Shamanism — Medicine Men and Priests
90:0.1 (986.1)" THE evolution of religious observances progressed from placation, avoidance, exorcism, coercion, conciliation, and propitiation to sacrifice, atonement, and redemption. The technique of religious ritual passed from the forms of the primitive cult through fetishes to magic and miracles; and as ritual became more complex in response to man’s increasingly complex concept of the supermaterial realms, it was inevitably dominated by medicine men, shamans, and priests.
90:0.2 (986.2) In the advancing concepts of primitive man the spirit world was eventually regarded as being unresponsive to the ordinary mortal. Only the exceptional among humans could catch the ear of the gods; only the extraordinary man or woman would be heard by the spirits. Religion thus enters upon a new phase, a stage wherein it gradually becomes secondhanded; always does a medicine man, a shaman, or a priest intervene between the religionist and the object of worship. And today most Urantia systems of organized religious belief are passing through this level of evolutionary development.
90:0.3 (986.3) Evolutionary religion is born of a simple and all-powerful fear, the fear which surges through the human mind when confronted with the unknown, the inexplicable, and the incomprehensible. Religion eventually achieves the profoundly simple realization of an all-powerful love, the love which sweeps irresistibly through the human soul when awakened to the conception of the limitless affection of the Universal Father for the sons of the universe. But in between the beginning and the consummation of religious evolution, there intervene the long ages of the shamans, who presume to stand between man and God as intermediaries, interpreters, and intercessors.
1. The First Shamans — The Medicine Men
90:1.1 (986.4) The shaman was the ranking medicine man, the ceremonial fetishman, and the focus personality for all the practices of evolutionary religion. In many groups the shaman outranked the war chief, marking the beginning of the church domination of the state. The shaman sometimes functioned as a priest and even as a priest-king. Some of the later tribes had both the earlier shaman-medicine men (seers) and the later appearing shaman-priests. And in many cases the office of shaman became hereditary.
90:1.2 (986.5) Since in olden times anything abnormal was ascribed to spirit possession, any striking mental or physical abnormality constituted qualification for being a medicine man. Many of these men were epileptic, many of the women hysteric, and these two types accounted for a good deal of ancient inspiration as well as spirit and devil possession. Quite a few of these earliest of priests were of a class which has since been denominated paranoiac.
90:1.3 (987.1) While they may have practiced deception in minor matters, the great majority of the shamans believed in the fact of their spirit possession. Women who were able to throw themselves into a trance or a cataleptic fit became powerful shamanesses; later, such women became prophets and spirit mediums. Their cataleptic trances usually involved alleged communications with the ghosts of the dead. Many female shamans were also professional dancers.
90:1.4 (987.2) But not all shamans were self-deceived; many were shrewd and able tricksters. As the profession developed, a novice was required to serve an apprenticeship of ten years of hardship and self-denial to qualify as a medicine man. The shamans developed a professional mode of dress and affected a mysterious conduct. They frequently employed drugs to induce certain physical states which would impress and mystify the tribesmen. Sleight-of-hand feats were regarded as supernatural by the common folk, and ventriloquism was first used by shrewd priests. Many of the olden shamans unwittingly stumbled onto hypnotism; others induced autohypnosis by prolonged staring at their navels.
90:1.5 (987.3) While many resorted to these tricks and deceptions, their reputation as a class, after all, stood on apparent achievement. When a shaman failed in his undertakings, if he could not advance a plausible alibi, he was either demoted or killed. Thus the honest shamans early perished; only the shrewd actors survived.
90:1.6 (987.4) It was shamanism that took the exclusive direction of tribal affairs out of the hands of the old and the strong and lodged it in the hands of the shrewd, the clever, and the farsighted." UB 1955
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