Episode:Personality and Selfhood (Part 4)

From Symmetry of Soul


From the vestibule of the mortal life to a progressive mission in eternity, how do we reconcile the great enigma: permanence in the presence of change? Please join us for this challenging study of the complexities of personality.

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Keywords: Universe, Personality, Soul, Spirit, Urantia

Note: Michael McQueen filled in for Kermit Anderson, who was ill this week.

Summary by Kermit

112:0.1 Personality Survival

From our beginning on Urantia, with our Perfect Adjuster guide, up through Adjuster fusion, spirit attainment and into eternity, our personality remains unaltered—permanence in the presence of change. This is the essential core foundation of the knowledge about personality. To all our listeners… KNOW (don’t believe) that you have been touched by the permanence of infinity and eternity. This is the recognition Jesus referred to when he enjoined us to FEAR NOT!

0.2

Some things known about personality. This list of 14 items contains key distillations from the previous papers, up to this point.

1. Bestowed by the Universal Father or the Conjoint Actor acting for the Father. We are dealing with First Source Personality i.e. from The Father, including 1st source Personality bestowed by the Conjoint Actor. Not 3rd Source personality. From P5:6.3

A note on the thread of selfhood: Personality is a quality in reality and selfhood is a cosmic reality. Personality is only understandable when thought of as a quality and not a quantity. But, selfhood is both. Initially selfhood is bestowed by grace by encircuitment in the Mother (the Holy Spirit). Think of it as an initial measure of quality. Personality is that quality from the Father that “enters” from outside of space and time, that identifies with that thread of selfhood quality from the Mother. Quality thus meets quality. Over our universe career, we build up more selfhood around this initial “thread”, thus quantity is added to quality. This quantity of selfhood is copied into the literal substance of the soul. The quality of personality re-engages the quality of selfhood at our resurrection from the flesh. Concerning the distinction between the term selfhood and self. Selfhood is the ongoing phenomenon that threads through the sequence of selves, from material and up through the various morontial selves.

The core thread of the quality of the selfhood is a direct gift of the Mother. Literally it is a thread of Supremacy, which when followed upward and inward, is tantamount to ascending the psychic circles. Following this thread of Supremacy up to the 3rd circle. Our whole mind is now in direct relationship to this thread of Supremacy. The 3rd psychic circle is an inner Supreme level.

Another perspective, suppose, under sublime circumstances we grab hold of this thread of Supremacy, directly with our mind. This is what is referred to as a Supreme decision i.e. grasping the thread of Supremacy. This is a realization of supremacy. What are some types of Supreme decision? The type of decision that would bring Adjuster bestowal (prior to universal Adjuster bestowal). Or THE supreme decision--to become God-like, which brings a personal pair of Guardian Angels.

Moral decisions trigger a divine invasion of the soul--the subtle beginning of growing in relation to the Supreme. Each measure of this harmony is upheld by the Mother, increasing the reality of the selfhood. These are the small beginnings of that inner strength that comes from being touched and upheld by God, that allows faith to grow into trust.

2. Bestowed on any living energy system which includes mind OR spirit.

3. Personality is relatively free and co-creative. What is the co-creative or the associable aspect of personality? How does this relate to the Mother? From the fact of the Father is the individual fact of individual creativity. With Mother we have associative aspects of co-creativity.

4. In material creatures, personality causes spirit to strive for the mastery of energy-matter through the mediation of mind. This invokes the unification of matter, mind, and spirit.

102:2.5

But mind can never succeed in this unification of the diversity of reality unless such mind is firmly aware of material things, intellectual meanings, and spiritual values; only in the harmony of the triunity of functional reality is there unity, and only in unity is there the personality satisfaction of the realization of cosmic constancy and consistency.

To succeed in this unification, the mind must be aware of the threefold nature of functional reality, (things, meanings, values); unity exists in the harmony of the triunity of this functional reality and only in this unity is there personality satisfaction of the realization of cosmic constancy and consistency.

Note the phrase only in the harmony of the triunity of functional reality is there unity. With the personality gift from The Father (harmony) we can realize cosmic constancy. Not only is personality constant, there is cosmic constancy, constancy of the core selfhood. These two constancies, or qualities are bonded together in the personality identification process. Constant quality to constant quality.

P116:6. p.1275. “Spirit Dominance” Item #4:

116:6.1 In the evolutionary superuniverses energy-matter is dominant except in personality, where spirit through the mediation of mind is struggling for the mastery. The goal of the evolutionary universes is the subjugation of energy-matter by mind, the co-ordination of mind with spirit, and all of this by virtue of the creative and unifying presence of personality. Thus, in relation to personality, do physical systems become subordinate; mind systems, co-ordinate; and spirit systems, directive.

5. Personality is devoid of identity (Identity not part of personality per se) yet unifies the identity of any living energy system. Personality identifies with on going selfhood making the self an identity, within which the harmonization process begins.

6. Personality shows only qualitative response to personality circuit as opposed to matter, mind, and spirit which show qualitative and quantitative response to gravity.

Selfhood has qualitative and quantitative aspects while personality has only a qualitative aspect.

7. Personality is changeless in the presence of change.

Coming from a source that transcends all other facts, personality is nothing if not flexible. Analogous to all matter which is rooted in Paradise, personality is rooted in The Father?

The Father’s gift of personality is immediately anchored in the personality circuit. A deeper anchor is the First Source and Center, the core root of the nature of the Father is the center point of “stasis” of the I AM. The relationship to the root stasis is what manifests itself as the changelessness of the personality.

8. Personality can make a gift to God of the doing of the will of God. Harken back to P1:1.2 Man’s only real gift to God The Father, is this creature will to do God’s will. However, we have other gifts of cosmic value for other levels of Deity.

9. Personality is characterized by morality harkens back to cosmic intuitions in P 16:6 invoking morality. Here our spiritual consciousness is challenged to not just be a spiritual consciousness, but to be combined and harmonized with a moral consciousness. Pure spiritual consciousness is unity consciousness and doesn’t want to discriminate between anything. Personality discerns conduct levels and choosingly discriminates between them (a cosmic consciousness).

The exercise of moral consciousness prepares the mind for the reception of the Thought Adjuster. The Mother has prepared a place for the Father’s gift.

10. Personality is unique, unique, unique albeit there are personality types, they are associable but nonaddable.

Absolutely unique, no relativity anywhere. The unique constancy threads through an eternity of change which is our SELF. P111:4 p. 1220 Snow flakes, children and personality may conform to types, but no two are alike. The more a personality is liberated from a limited self, the less it is subject to the “collective” typing and the more it can express its core uniqueness.

11. Responds directly to other personality presence.

12. Personality is the one thing that can be added to spirit. Mind does not have to be added to spirit. Another way to think of personality is as spirit pattern. Spirit is substance and can be “purposed” by having pattern added to it. Example--think about The Eternal Son. His fundamental nature is pure spirit energy, no measure of physical-material energy is present, since mind bridges between spirit and matter, there’s nothing to bridge-no mind in any sense that we would understand. He is a personality and He has consciousness albeit deeply mysterious to even high universe beings.

This also refers back to item #2, personality can be bestowed on any living energy system which includes mind OR spirit. So it is then with both humans, with material mind (encircuited in spirit) or The Eternal Son, who is pure spirit; both are engaged by personality.

13. Personality may survive mortal death with identity in the soul. Personality and the Adjuster are changeless, the relationship between them is nothing but change, which if ceased would cause the soul to cease! (change from above),P 100:3.5 change without growth is potential evil.

14. Personality is uniquely consciousness of time, other than mind or spirit.

P 12:5.6-9 p. 135 Three levels of time cognizance. (Mind, Spirit, Personality):

We live in a universe of motion, dynamic reality. There are facets to this motion. Time is the chronicity (measure) of motion. Progressing mind-consciousness-sequence, duration. Above that is a higher measure of motion that of perfecting spirit-growth. Above that is the harmonizing selfhood “motion” of which personality is cognizant. Personality (harmonizing) being unique, gives a unique sense of time.

112:1.1 PERSONALITY AND REALITY

Personality functions on the full range of levels and situations finite-Supreme, absonite-Ultimate, co-absolute-Absolute. Impinging on the Absolute or to the boarder of the Absolute refers to at eternity our co-absolute association.

Personality performs on three cosmic planes or phases

  1. position status-things, individuality (has location): across the universe of universes.
  2. meaning status-finite, absonite, co-absolute. How far along the way are you?: along
  3. value status-experientially progressive, material, morontial, spiritual.: up

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Dimensionality of finite personality performance.

  1. Length-progressing-evolution (movement through space according to time) ties back to #2 above “meaning”-along. Nature of progression
  2. Vertical Depth-perfecting-self-realization-ties back to #3 above “value” (how far up in experiential self-realization?)
  3. Breadth-harmonizing-co-ordination, association, selfhood organization-embraces the domain, of the “mother”--(womb), which universe? ties back to #1 “position” along.

We ask ourselves:

  • Am I narrow minded? little breadth?
  • Am I shallow? little depth?
  • Am I “short” on wisdom and experience? little length?

Answer yes to all, we are children after all. Growth is expected!

1.9

Urantia personality has a potentiality of seven dimensions of self-expression or person realization.

  • three on finite (see above two pairs of three levels)
  • three on the absonite
  • one on the absolute-on subabsolute levels this (totality dimension) is experiencible as the FACT OF PERSONALITY. They refer to this supreme dimension as an associable absolute.

Above the threefold dimensionality, finite or absonite, there is an absolute dimension of the personality, which allows us to absolutely know that there is a God! Wouldn’t be possible without the absolute dimension.

In terms of a direct understanding consciousness of this absolute dimension we will “top out” at the supreme—not of the totality of the absolute, but the totality of the finite. This is a supreme dimension in terms of any kind of quantity. It has an absolute quality fact, but quantitatively it is a Supreme dimension. For instance-What is it about our personality that can identify with the thread of Supremacy (initial thread of selfhood-given by the Mother?) It is this “Supreme” dimension, which lines up with the thread of Supremacy. This brings the recognition of the fact that we are persons. We have a measure of connectivity to the stasis at the core of infinity in eternity (I AM).

1.10

Finite dimensions of personality-

  • Length-meaning
  • Depth-value
  • Breadth-insight-capacity for unchallengeable consciousness of cosmic reality-(three cosmic intuitions-gift from the mother-Holy Spirit). (section 5 selfhood is a cosmic reality). Selfhood fact that is tied to the Mother.

Is it correct to say that mortal personality can attain eternity, but not absolute infinity?-YES To get to eternity, you need the potential of co-absolute association, to come into relationship with that domain which is being integrated by absolute personality activity. All four levels of Ultimate personality activity must be exceeded (why there are four outer space levels).

1.11

On the morontia level these finite dimensions are enhanced and new dimensional values realizable (absonite dimensions), which are marvelously articulated through mota influence and morontial mathematics.

Finite dimensions expand on the morontia level. Absonite dimensions appear in the next life. Referring to mota (morontia wisdom)-above human wisdom is insight (three cosmic intuitions-Holy Spirit) Above mota is a higher insight which begins to have the insight of absonity.

The supreme dimension (absolute dimension) of personality can encompass all of these levels into a whole. This greater wholeness, less linear way of thinking is embodied in the notions of mota and morontia math. Not a linear math we use with our finite mind, but holistic and can be described by a morontia mathematics system.