Here is the text of today's conversation:

"So, why is it so hard for peeps to get the concept of moving toward the universals. Because it means change. Having to let go of the familiar. So there will be grief and most people try to minimize grief. They do not yet perceive the greater meaning that will come, so they feel like there is loss only.

"This then is a point of faith: to believe that more inclusive, more complex, more universal will always mean more meaning. Most of the world’s religions teach just the opposite, while their inspirations all taught this. Religions believe in single set patterns, while spiritual explorers always know there are many routes and all of them are good. Can’t go far wrong following a path of connection, but easy to go wrong following a path of differentiation. And most people settle for the single path of differentiation because it promises to be free of loss and pain and grief. The greatest journeys of being will always involve some pain and loss or else it wouldn’t be a journey, it would be a staying while all creation journies on. [discussion of spelling … journies vs. journeys]. That’s my pith o’ day. Dial 800-MOO for Pith O’ Day.

" ‘I’ve come this far, so?’ You think the road stops here? Here be dragons and dogs... f. So, if this is the end of the road, where are all those other spirits going? I don’t know. So, the pundits of faith say the others are going to delusion or Hell or a hell of a delusion. They, meaning the others who journey on, are under some kind of spell and that spell is spelled courage and vision. Those who stop not just to rest but to stop, have lost vision. And if SP is about anything, it is about the abundance and reality and infinitude of vision. Around that bend is always something more beautiful and wondrous than has been known.

"So, sit it out if you wish, but don’t stop. Rest, yes; end, no. That’s SP. SP in a nutshell."

Here's the text of what you will hear in the phone call portion:

“[I was wondering whether our emotions are time-based] Surely… but. Because otherwise they would not be connected to events. And you might suddenly feel something for no apparent reason—which is what happens in grief when time fades from prominence.

“[when you see the bigger picture, if there are emotions they would be more balanced I would think] Part of the process of traveling through grief is the re-syncing of emotions and time. Depression is often the experience of being out of sync. Sadness when there is no cause.

“All emotions are appropriate when linked in a timely way. Ok, this begs a question about our timeless state. Are we spirits emotionless? No. But we are connected to emotions through relationships not events. Can’t say more because it would not compute to you time-based entities. And they are different emotions… and don’t even ask about our emoticons.

“We feel things with the flow of relationship but flow in a different than time sense. Huh? Let me give an analogy. There is a river. It has banks. ‘The banks are full of money.’ CT! The banks experience the river as flowing by. That’s the time version. In another version the river and the banks are relational so the banks define the river’s course, even as the river defines the banks.

“So, leave it there. No, let’s do more. At times the river is thwarted by the banks and at times the river eats away the banks. And while the flow is involved, it is not the definition of either thwarting or defining. The flow is like time-based emotions getting upset with a rock that interrupts the flow, but the totality of the river and its banks do not focus on the rock or the flow. I’m done. I’m going fishing down by the riverside.

“Here’s a bon mot: The same picnic item that causes some to get angry will make others happy. Deviled eggs. ‘You know I hate those’… or ‘You know I love those.’ But the eggs don’t care.

“And another bon mot: Our emotions run highest when we are forced to relate to events or people we are not in relationship with. That’s why a stranger can evoke strong feelings. And events and people we are in relationship with can evoke such strong feelings when they seem not to relate to us. An imposed connection and a broken one have the same extreme affect.”

Here's the text of the message shared in the podcast:

“We talked before about how the spirits here seem to be familiar, but in fact every spirit except for in their first time at this complexity have lived as many. You get the familiar once. But here is another piece of understanding.

“Each spiritual entity, in living through various lives, does not follow a sequential path. So the most recent version in a time-based reality may not be the most fulfilled. How can this be. I will use the analogy of a great chef. ‘Thank you.’ Not you!

“Great chefs start out as cooks. They may, for example, work for years to master sauces. Then put them in the role of baker and they start over in that work. Accomplished bisque makers may not be accomplished biscuit makers. [R: that's pretty good.] Thank you. And so it goes until they have mastered all areas of the kitchen. A true chef is a master of all culinary tasks right down to making radish roses, but at any point in their development it might appear they are just starting out. It is in the whole presentation and preparation of a great meal that they excel and are complete. So, too, with spirit entities. Never assume the person who appears as a spiritual novice is really one. Just take a Buddhist monk and ask him to say mass.

“It is not linear, sequential, hierarchical. It is holistic. And true, some pieces of understanding will not fall into place until others are there and understood. But it could be the other way ‘round, too.

“Don't make any assumptions about any spiritual maturity or fulfillment based on only one perception of a spirit. Thus endeth the pith."

Here is the text of the message as received from Rikkity:

It's not a dichotomy. There is no separation between the Divine and the other. In most perceptions, one strives to become one with the Divine or the universe or whatever. But this is how I see it: You and I and all will become the Divine because we are all already part of it. It is in us, and we are in it. No separation; no hierarchy.

A physical parallel: hydrogen is an element, water is a compound (see, I did pay attention in class), and polymagnesium carbohydrate is a complex compound, and a house is made of thousands of compounds, and the universe has many houses. But which is real. All of them are as real as the next, and all are part of the universe. Complexity is not a measure, but a description.

So with entities, is the level before this less valid; is the level to come more valid. In spiritual terms, no. Everything is! And everything will be! It has always been! How it relates and forms in ever-more complex ways is the process of all being. And some day--or maybe night--it will all be unified, and that is what some would call the Divine: All That Is in one being. But we are never separate from it. Nothing exists outside it... or maybe not. Maybe there are other realities, all moving toward their own unities, and when each and all are unified, the process repeats all over on a grander scale. But All That Is is! It's not! about any individual act of communion with the Divine; it's about infinite acts of union within the Divine. Save yourself and miss the whole shebang.

Those who seek their own fulfillment simply delay the larger processes. It's not about differentiation; it's about integration, connection. Together we can move on, separately we are pitiful. So the task is not to seek the Divine and find a personal connection; it is to feel the Divine and make eternal connection with others. You can't build if you don't get together. That's all.

Here's the text of what is being shared:

“So, when we talk we often have others here as well as me. And it would appear that this side is populated with familiar spirits. Let me riff on this.

“Let’s take Papa. ‘Hi, babe.’ So, you consider him Papa but he is also all the physical representations of his spirit that he has been and will be. Remember, no time. He will not be this spirit entity in a more complex connection and he was not this spirit entity in less complex connections. So we leave those for elsewhere. This is just about the spirit--his spirit—at this level of complexity. But that spirit entity has been represented in many ways and they are all real and present.

“You know what I mean. You go to Grandma’s and she has a few photo albums and you look inside and there’s little Eri and bigger Eri and young adult Eri and even obituary Eri. And each is its own and yet I was the same.

“So, too, with spirit. If you met one of Papa’s other incarnations at this level of complexity he would feel familiar but not quite the same. He might seem more fearful or something or he might seem to have his act more together. He might think the Rosicrucians had the answers or he might be sending the Rosicrucians the answers. And still, the same spirit entity.

“In the evolution of the spirit at any one level of complexity, it is basically the same spirit with more or less learning and remembering and incorporating. And at this level all those spirits are co-existent (or is that with a ‘a’?).

“So, the currently living by your standards will see and experience the version of the spirit they knew best… unless they have blinders that keep them from sensing spiritual evolution and see the spirit as less developed or have an openness to see the spirit as more developed.

“And here’s tonight’s kicker: Some spirits when on the physical side, open people to see their potential development and not just their remembered and familiar state. I think of some like the Buddha and JC. ‘Hi.’ And the like, who were able to open minds and hearts and spirits to familiarity with the potential of what would evolve. [like you] Awwww. So, that’s that…. or is it?

“Over here in spirit world it’s not like Disney where Mickey and Goofy are always there and the same. We exist on grand spirit spectrums. And that is so inadequate a description. We appear to you in a form familiar for reasons of connection.

“I’m sure there will be questions but not now. Ponder deep and hard and with laughter. [I’m still back on that point of sensing less complex or more complex. That intrigued me.] More on that later, dude.

“Ok, I won’t leave you hanging. Sometimes you meet a spirit either as spirit or as a person, who gives you a glimpse of your more developed self. And now, later dude.”

This the connection between the discussion begun in Episode 1 and completed in Episode 2. Both of those deal with understanding closed versus open groups, what she calls tribes. As she says in this episode, Basic to this understanding is the concept that anything less than All That Is is incomplete and any barrier to seeking that completeness is thwarting the spiritual development of not only the entity but also All That Is. 

We invite you to ponder this understanding, that any and all circles, groups, tribes that do not seek the infinite possibility of All That Is are spiritually not just incomplete but counter to the potential of spiritual existence. 

Here's the text of the conversation:

“Now to follow up. Tribes, that is not to imply it’s only about people. It is a human term for any closed group of entities. Could be rocks. Listen in: ‘He’s so sedimentary, nothing igneous about him so keep him away.’ See.

“Basic to this understanding is the concept that anything less than All That Is is incomplete and any barrier to seeking that completeness is thwarting the spiritual development of not only the entity but also All That Is. 

“Any tribe that thinks it has arrived is deluded. Because if there is anything against which to define themselves, there is the assumption that they are not yet fully one with All. When the Hebrews heard the commandment about 'there shall be no other gods before me,' who were those other gods? By defining the closed sets in terms of things outside the set implied a lack of fulfillment. Maybe within the laws it was fulfilled, but since it admitted to other ways of being it was both fulfilling and lacking.

“Ok, let’s leave that here for now."

Here we are talking with two of Riikity’s spirit friends, with a brief comment by Rikkity. We should note that with a few exceptions, the various friends are known to us by their initials. So today we will hear from PS and MW. They are speaking from their perspectives on the current pandemic crisis and the power of our choices to make a difference. They also offer messages of spiritual hope.

We would note that the spirits who communicate with us do not make predictions about the future: they are not oracles. But they do offer us ways of thinking about life’s events to better inform our own decision making and find our enduring values. 

Here's the text of today's conversations:

PS:

“Hi. I want to give you my grim history. I have been a physician several times… ‘but he never played one on TV.’ Rikkity is right, as usual. I had the opportunity and the misfortune to live during the Black Death plague and the Spanish Flu pandemic. So I know about such things.

“Here is what I know. Foolish self-confidence about one’s health was always a problem. Whether by reason of religion, diet, location, lifestyle, or whatever, some thought themselves immune. And they fell just like the others but taking more with them. I tried to convince people that no one was invincible.

“If each and every person with a disease is segregated away and if the rest avoid social contact, any and every disease can be diminished. It’s that simple. No exceptions.

“And I dare to remind people that any worry greater than health will prove fatal. The store owner who could not imagine being closed never lived long enough to enjoy his profits.

“The world’s economy will not perish, but the people might.

“I am worried for you in the general sense but not for the two of you specifically. [good to know, thank you] Good to be of service. You are following the wise path, not solely for yourself but also others.”

Rikkity:

“He speaks with a flourish. [eloquent] I thought we needed him. [yes, ty] BTW there are many new arrivals and are they pissed! People they considered friends gave them a final gift. But on a better note, your favorite tea companion. [M!]”

MW:

“Gracious good day. I hope people in your time might remember mine. There were so many times when it appeared that our endeavor was doomed and we would pay the ultimate price for our beliefs and actions. But my dear Mr. W. was always resolute. He would tell me ‘Until death has taken all my options, I will still believe that we might choose paths of success.’

“Many were the voices of discouragement and often we were told to give up the cause. Settle for something else. His resolve was strong and I love him for that. We had long ago decided that we would not return to life as it had been.

“Those who argued for our end of course thought it was possible to go back. We knew it was not and trusted the future more than a corrupted past.

“In your time, some or many things may end but that does not mean an end. It means a new beginning. All that you cherish has been built on as many failures as on successes. The world is not essentially flawed; it blossoms forth even in hard times.

“I leave you with a memory: on our land on the neck we had a great forest fire. All was consumed. But the next spring new shoots arose among the ashes and seed from some of those became the stock of our fields because we knew them to be the heartiest. Look for where the new shoots are coming up, even when all else seems gone. I think I want a pekoe. Heavy cream, please.

“As always, your friend in both loss and growth.

Rikkity sums it all up in the simple yet profound notion of the unity of all. And listen for her metaphor of bisque! Here are her words:

“So, each entity has all possibility before it as defined by its entity history. Infinite does not divide. More than enough. And All That Is contains both all that is and all that could be. And it’s in a constant state of becoming in which the two merge. All possibility and all realization and fulfillment become 1.

“Many many many paths to there. Nothing of value left out. The end. There’s no wittle wee bit sitting outside All That Is. And you couldn’t do that even if you tried really really hard. It all comes into unity.

“And just when you have them all together, wait, there’s more! Don’t you get it: infinite connections without end but always with progress and meaning.

“Unity of All. There is this persistent rumor that only some frequencies connect to spirit, and other rumors of Heaven and Hell, as if there are any parts of existence from which other parts are excluded. But I come to share the really hot news: It’s all One. The most separate entity and the most connected one can each and both sense the whole.

“Every level of complexity can touch the whole, even if it is not always perceived nor understood. There is no Realm A over here and Realm B over there. There is no then and now and yet-to-be. There is no up nor down. It’s all One. Yet until we have connected into the complexity of All, and in the process created it, we may sense separation but not differentiation. Go ahead and think of some part of existence you can’t connect to. See, you can’t! But you are.

“Cosmic soup of being, kind of puree. While most like to think of stew, I think of bisque. I am the only spirit guide to speak of bisque… with loads of butter. And here’s the secret of purees and bisques: While very diverse in the constituent elements, complex in taste with no one element dominating, and if one is missing it just tastes wrong.

“Existence requires the inclusion of all to be meaningful and complex and fulfilled. Either it’s all One or what’s the point? That’s it.”

Rikkity shares some of the basics of a Spiritual Persistence perspective: here is the text of the message:

“So, let’s get back to basics. The whole concept of SP is that by learning and remembering, one is able to bring greater understanding into the essence of one’s being and that increased essence—or enhanced essence—is what makes a spirit entity capable of connecting into more complex spiritual entities.

 “Now, let’s think about how most religions work. They point to deficiencies and suggest faith and practice can fill those deficiencies. They hold up perfection and ask what of that is missing in you. So SP is offering a different take. It’s not about resolving deficiencies but about fulfilling potential and enhancing realities. If someone were to ask me what they need to complete so they would be capable of spiritual evolution I would have to say I don’t know because there is no one set formula for meaningful connection. If I said everyone must do A, then no more complexity would arise. It’s in the meaningful connections of mutually supportive and sustaining relating entities that complexity arises.

 “Now let’s also disabuse you of the notion that there is only one more complex entity that you could complete and fulfill. And that would mean the other elemental entities are just waiting around for you. Hey, do you think Godot will ever show up?

 “There are an infinite number of potential more complex entities into which you might connect in a sustaining way. And if you were to learn and remember A but not B, there would be just as many options as if you learned and remembered B but not A. only as it all gets closer to All That Is is there any limit to what will fulfill. But since there are an infinite number of All That Is scenarios for All That Is, it as a goal is also transforming and transformative. Ponder that shit. I think I’ve done enough for today.

Rikkity continues to ponder some of the basics of SP, and this episode explores how our specific fulfillments may limit other possibilities but that through connection we may find the fulfillments seemingly loss when we stand alone.

Here's the text of what she shares:

“So, as we have been sharing, the entityship question is not resolved by appeal to free will or determinism. You have choices to make. And this does not readily reduce to theology, either.

“If you try to appeal to theists you either have it all controlled or you have chaos. Deists don’t do any better with the clockwork notion. So, let’s try the tried and true organic reality in which there is no act of Creation but eternal creation by which existence is always being shaped by the participants. And therefore, there is no set endpoint conclusion, except for what arises in the process of complexity and the melding of infinite fulfillments of potential. Which leads me to contradict myself.

“You are offered infinite potential. But at the moment that any part of that potential is realized, the possibilities drop from being infinite. Acting on any one possibility eliminates some others… with one big exception. The ability to connect is never lessened. The key to the spiritual progression is not achievement but process, and another name for that process is ‘connection.’ How so?

“Ok, let’s dwindle down the infinite possibilities to just 5. I know that’s laughable… but let’s say you or they or him… but not her… opt for 1 and fulfill that. So 2, 3, 4, 5 drop out as options. So you fulfill 1 but lose the others… unless you connect to other entities which have focused on 2 or 3 or 4 or even 5. If you can connect to their fulfilled reality, then those potentials are not lost.

“No one ever said you had to do it all or alone. The ultimate act of connection brings the infinite paths of potential fulfillment into unity and whole fulfillment.

“So, it is never about what you don’t do, but about what you do do and your connection. Thus spake the Moo.