The benefits of reading the Urantia Book

[Amigoo]

Re: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27705

Something(s) about this message suggests that it's from a reincarnated Helena, still earthbound.

Is this the first message from a former human of this planet so recently departed

Rod

[Amigoo]

Regarding the soul, product of mind and the indwelling adjuster,
and the conjectured (IMO) concept of "soul fragmentation" ...

http://www.theub.org/foreword.html#soul
http://www.theub.org/foreword.html#mind

I would need to study "the text" even more thoroughly
to comprehend how "soul fragmentation" is revelatory.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Speaking of "mind" ... (as in "I have a mind to ...")

Re: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/ob ... mechanics/
"these experiments indicate that the everyday world we perceive does not exist until observed"

Hmmm ... At what creature/critter/microbe level is a living energy system not aware
that it just got crushed by a tree that fell unobserved in the forest

... but the UB is supportive! There were no humans - even no life - way back then to observe
that the world was beginning to exist (at least, the world preceding the one we now observe).

Of course, these experiments can claim that we must observe something to perceive it.
So ... what power of observation permits some (many) to perceive God?

Perhaps, the greater weakness of QM theory is that mortal mind is more than mechanical mind (brain activity).
Until experiments reveal/correlate test results with spirit realities, perception needs be constrained by observation,
seemingly supported by transpersonal mentation of inanimate matter. Say what "What"

"Mortal man has a spirit nucleus. The mind is a personal-energy system
existing around a divine spirit nucleus and functioning in a material environment."
http://www.theub.org/part-i.html#P012_9_6

Rod ... ...

[Amigoo]

Re: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=27705

Is this the first message from a former human of this planet so recently departed

"Those who go to the mansion worlds are not permitted to send messages back to their loved ones. It is the policy throughout the universes to forbid such communication during the period of a current dispensation." (UB, 112:3.7)

So ... unless the current dispensation has ended (not related to the Lucifer adjudication in recent decades), any comunication from Helena could not be from Mansonia (the first mansion world for departed humans). Or has this UB statement been corrected by a Midwayer message?

Rod

[Amigoo]

More information about Helena and reincarnation ...

Re: https://blavatskytheosophy.com/did-blav ... carnation/

"No-one will argue or attempt to deny that it was through H.P. Blavatsky and Helena Petrovna Blavatsky the Theosophical Movement that the concept and teaching of reincarnation was introduced to the Western world in modern times."

"But the soul (the spiritual individuality) that lived a life on earth in and through the persona of John Smith or Mary Williams WILL reincarnate, in and through another new personality."

... but "new personality" conflicts (IMO) with the UB perspective since personality is a unique, reliable, and constant identifier of a soul once born within a mortal on an evolutionary world like Urantia: "Your personality remains intact after you once pass from the evolutionary worlds to the initial mansion world." (UB, 47:4.4)

Best guess about HPB's messages: lotsa metaphysical stuff that's not easy to correlate with the Fifth Epochal Revelation!

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: https://qz.com/1292368/columbia-and-yal ... ur-brains/

"The findings suggest that those experiences can be accessed by everyone, and that transcendence isn’t dependent upon religiosity."

... but this suggests a complementary corollary: "religiosity isn’t dependent upon transcendence"

Rod

[Amigoo]

"religiosity isn’t dependent upon transcendence"

Re: "Transcendent" from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transcendent

1a: exceeding usual limits : surpassing.
b: extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience.
c: in Kantian philosophy : being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge.
2: being beyond comprehension.

Obviously, being "religious" (for many centuries of human experience)
is usual, ordinary, within human experience, and easily comprehensible!

Rod

[Amigoo]

More information about Helena and reincarnation ...
Re: https://blavatskytheosophy.com/did-blav ... carnation/

Best guess about HPB's messages: lotsa metaphysical stuff that's not easy to correlate with the Fifth Epochal Revelation!

After much exploration ...
Nowhere does the UB refer to any subdivision of the soul once created ...
so Helena's "fragmentation" would be revelation indeed!

Even the possibility of communication from a former human,
now resident on a mansion world, to humans living on Urantia
is of epochal revelation status!

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/26/opinions ... index.html
(and Brian Greene's conjecture about dark matter keeping a galaxy's outer planets
from escaping the weak gravitational pull at the galaxy's perimeter)

The Dark Islands of Space, "a powerful influence in universe equilibrium",
may provide this necessary pull, even to the outermost planets:

Re: http://www.theub.org/part-i.html#P015_6_11
"And this great concentration of mass enables these dark islands to function
as powerful balance wheels, holding large neighboring systems in effective leash."

Rod

[Amigoo]

More about Helena Blavatsky and "Soul Fragmentation" ...

Re: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_race

"Blavatsky asserted humanity was in the fifth root race, the Aryan race, which Theosophists believe to have emerged from the previous fourth root race (Atlantean root race) beginning about 100,000 years ago in Atlantis."

Curious if Helena's advancement to the 5th mansion world was associated with her Theosophy beliefs when alive on Urantia (re: significance of the number 5), I found this Wikipedia article. Who can tell

More about the fifth mansion world in the UB: http://www.theub.org/part-ii.html#P047_7

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: https://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/arti ... 83674.html

"The Philippine president, who recently sparked outrage for calling God stupid,
has courted new controversy in his largely Roman Catholic country by saying
he will resign if anybody can prove that God exists."

In fairness, a complementary challenge would be to prove that God does not exist ...
then compare the results for insight and perspective about the opposing challenge ...
and be enlightened that God should attract such attention - for millennia! -
after "God" was first conceived by man.

Rod

[Amigoo]

About U.S. religious trends ...

Re: http://www.investmentwatchblog.com/mass ... ince-1986/

"We are witnessing a religious shift that is unprecedented in size and scope in American history. With each passing year, the percentage of Americans that claim no religious affiliation is growing, and this trend is especially pronounced among our young people."

"Europe has been described as a 'post-Christian society', and we are well on our way to joining them."

Interesting survey of trends in the U.S., hinting that "religious affiliation" will soon be redefined and, perhaps,
acknowledging that less institutional affiliation/influence is the real trend in religion ... worldwide.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Portable player for UB audio

Re: https://www.amazon.com/Player-Hotechs-C ... ef=sr_1_25

An inexpensive player with few options (user will be less tempted to use it for other audio).
Looks promising for an inexpensive UB audio device (free downloads are available).
Simply cut&paste MP3 files to this device using the USB cable.

Re: https://www.urantia.org/audio (Foundation's UB MP3 files)
Download the compressed files, unzip to a folder,
then cut&paste to the MP3 player using the USB cable.

Re: https://truthbook.com/urantia-book/audi ... _Downloads
(Fellowship's UB MP3 files, not compressed)
Download the sets of MP3 files into a folder,
then cut&paste to the MP3 player using the USB cable.

The player's 16GB memory is sufficient for even both UB audio!
This device advertises that text can be viewed, but ...
1 million+ words read on a small display screen?!

Rod

[Amigoo]

Portable player for UB audio (summary)

OMG A decent MP3 player for less than $20!
(these should be free with a UB purchase!)

Re: https://www.amazon.com/Player-Hotechs-C ... ef=sr_1_25

Inexpensive player with few options (user will be less tempted to use it for other audio).
Looks promising for an inexpensive UB audio device (free downloads are available).
Simply cut&paste MP3 files to this device using the USB cable.

Free UB MP3 audio ...

Re: https://www.urantia.org/audio
(Urantia Foundation's UB MP3 files, compressed)
Download the compressed files, unzip to a folder,
then cut&paste to the MP3 player using the USB cable.

Re: https://truthbook.com/urantia-book/audi ... _Downloads
(Urantia Fellowship's UB MP3 files, not compressed)
Download the sets of MP3 files into a folder,
then cut&paste to the MP3 player using the USB cable.

Two online reviews of this Hotech player ...

Re: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIdqhoH5wYM
Re: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oh2kGt5I9s


Analysis: good for UB audio, acceptable for video, radio, text).

This player advertises that text can be viewed, but ...
1 million+ words read on a small display screen?!

16GB memory is a Micro SD card (load directly from a computer
or download to the player via the USB cable with its Micro USB connector).

Player's 16GB memory is sufficient for both UB audio sets
and player supports a 64GB Micro SD card!

Rod

[Amigoo]

Portable player for UB audio (first test)

UnZipped the individual MP3 files (one per Paper) from https://www.urantia.org/audio
and created folders UB 000-Fwd, UB 001-010, UB 011-020, UB 021-030, ... UB 191-196
because player has limited selection feature; displays relative file number per folder
and displays a small portion of the file (Paper) name.

Player pauses as requested and returns to same point when turned back on;
one click forwards to next Paper or backwards to previous Paper.

Player did not have a Micro SD card (I had a used 16 GB card for testing).
Total files size: 1.25 GB; UB Perspective and Parts Intros moved to final folder
to maintain relative file numbers per folder group.

Analysis: Good UB audio player but "you get what you pay for";
probably best for UB audio only (upgrade for other functionality).
Quick copy&paste using USB cable but monitor file copy order!

Rod

[Amigoo]

Portable player for UB audio (first test)

Re: https://www.amazon.com/Player-Hotechs-M ... B01N7HDM6P

Super EZ operation (using only UB audio, once Music folder selected first time):

Press center button 2 sec. to turn on, press MENU, press center button
(audio starts where it ended during previous session).
Press left/right arrows to go forward/backward from Paper to Paper.
Press center button 2 sec. to turn off.

Press VOL during a pause to adjust volume (try 23)
Player also plays during charging (with USB cable).

Rod

[Amigoo]

Portable player for UB audio (next test)

Re: https://www.amazon.com/Player-Hotechs-M ... B01N7HDM6P

Super EZ operation (using only UB audio, once Music folder selected first time):

To select by Paper when player is paused (press center button):

Press MENU,
select 'Card folder' and press MENU,
select '\' and press MENU,
select UB folder and press MENU,
select UB Paper and press MENU,
press center button to resume.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Portable player for UB audio (summary)

My review: https://www.amazon.com/review/R1SPHNBMPPYNJW/

For accuracy and consistency, change these file names:
UB.000.1.Urantia Book_Foreward.mp3
UB.001.0.Urantia Book_Part I Introduction Clean.mp3
UB.032.0.Urantia Book_Introduction to Part II.mp3

File name correction:
UB.000.1.Urantia Book_Foreword.mp3
UB.001.0.Urantia Book_Part I Introduction.mp3
UB.032.0.Urantia Book_Part II Introduction.mp3

There are other options/devices for listening to UB audio -
this is just experiential creativity when economizing.

Rod

[Amigoo]

Portable player for UB audio (not MP3 player)

Free software* permits batch conversion of MP3 files to WAV files
that can be played on a CD player (with fast forward and rewind).

* like this: https://sourceforge.net/projects/audacity/

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: viewtopic.php?f=47&t=24740&start=225#p198428

Who knew This player rewinds and fast forwards!
(described in Review's "Postscript redux")

Rod

[Amigoo]

Who knew that the internet can make its own news:

Re: http://ascensioncafe.org/aevia/the-asce ... thusiasts/

"Gustav Likan ... artist of international reputation, whose career took him from his native Yugoslavia to ...
Austin where he and his wife Barbara moved after hearing it praised by none other than Madalyn Murray O’Hair."

Apparently, the definition of "it" (referring to Austin, Texas) was influenced by wishful thinking (or an automated internet page summary error) if this is the source of the myth(?) about Madalyn being impressed by the UB. After reading the text of the internet search hit, I looked for confirmation in the article ... and made the same mistake upon first reading "it" since "Urantia" was one of my search words.

In summary, evidence that Madalyn was impressed by the UB is not confirmed by this source.

Rod

[Amigoo]

About the mysterious appearances of the Papers before the 1955 publication ...

I theorize that the "sleeping subject" was the effective lure to get Drs. Sadler involved in the beginning of this revelatory transmission, but this method required other "transmissions" (voices by unseen beings, material appearing in a safe) to continue the lure and provide authentication. Dr. Sadler, disbeliever in so many magic manifestations (and "the mind at mischief") needed to be convinced that Urantia's fifth epochal revelation was being born, requiring human interaction (Sadler's group of 70) to fine tune the material for human belief.

A completed Book magically appearing with perfect grammar, spelling, and punctuation (especially in the handwriting of the sleeping subject) would hardly give evidence of transmission "from above". Thus, transition from sleeping subject to Papers corrected/revised, appearing in a safe was good and sufficient evidence (IMO) for Drs. Sadler to stay with the celestial plan: they called us - we did not call them. Maybe the Midwayers were the leaven for this revelatory bread of life that suddenly appeared on Urantia.

Rod

[Amigoo]

https://www.amazon.com/Battlefield-Guar ... ref=sr_1_1

Looks promising Richard (Rick) also wrote: "Resurrection Hall - A Mansion World Odyssey".
Rick is a long-time student of the Urantia Book and lives in the Fort Worth, Texas area.

Rod

[Amigoo]

https://www.amazon.com/Kenneth-E.-Ingle/e/B006PI0DF8

Another Dallas-Fort Worth area author, long-time student of the Urantia Book.
Ken's books are closer to science fiction and not so UB focused (IMO).

Rod

[Amigoo]

Re: https://www.filecroco.com/download-read ... n-machine/

Freeware speed reading trainer - no frills, upgraded for Windows 10
Increase your reading speed with text files that you provide.

Downloaded RAM file is .EXE (click on it to start program).
Place a shortcut to this file on your Windows desktop.

Even speed read the UB with a UB text file!

Rod ... ...