After the last reading of The Urantia Book, this New Year's resolution continued to be that this was definitely the year that I was going to conscientiously and concertedly try and follow one of the two final suggestions of the Revelatory Commission--to meet the challenge...to achieve better communication with the divine Monitor that dwells within the human mind." (2097)

After many years of inconsistent attempts to meet this challenge, I decided that a strategy was essential. I know that if I could crack the code of the Blue Book (which masquerades as being in the English language), the technique would be contained within its contents.

So my 1998's theory was devised, based on the following (and I suspected, incorrect ) premise:  What I needed was "creative imagination." In their personality profile of the apostles, the revelators deemed John as being "gifted with a remarkable and creative imagination." (1554) But Philip "lacked imagination." This lack of imagination was the great weakness of his character....He was almost entirely lacking in certain types of imagination." (1556)

As I read the Blue Book in the sublimest of ignorant confidence (and armed with the curse of a computer), I discovered that the latter concept about imagination was one of their non-defined codes, that there really are "certain types of imagination." Accordingly I interpreted "creative imagination" as akin to "creative imagery" or "daydreaming," as when we mentally re-capture a scene of beauty. By this definition, an example of "creative imagination" was the strategy used by Jesus to cope with overwhelming emotional pain--he brought to mind old memories of scenes such as Mount Hermon and the beautiful sunrises and sunsets on the shimmering Sea of Galilee. (1969)

An anti-example of creative imagination (i.e., destructive of truth) I deemed as being exemplified by the "chief priests and elders," who made the decision to capture Jesus and have him put to death despite the fact that they knew he had raised Lazarus from the dead. Sure they alleged (believed?) that it was by the power of the Devil,  but it never entered their heads that if a person could raise another from the dead, irrespective of by whose power, surely that person could not be captured against their will, let alone be put to death.

Proceeding along this path of rationale, I deduced that if I could strive to still my mind by focusing in on a scene of nature then, even though it is highly unlikely that I have a "Supreme and self-acting Adjuster," I felt that I could still help my Thought Adjuster thus enabling it "to contribute factors of spiritual import to the human mind when it flows freely in the liberated but controlled channels of creative imagination"--with the joyous outcome as elaborated on p. 1199 (assuming that my Thought Adjuster can sieve through  my "preconceived opinions, settled ideas, and long-standing prejudices." (1199)

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Unfortunately my hypothesis was being undermined by a growing suspicion that this "creative imagination" is not just me but me and my Thought Adjuster! This revision of budding theory stemmed from Ganid's proposal to Jesus, "Let's make a new religion" for "that which the lad wanted most he was unconsciously doing. And it was, and is, ever thus.... That which the enlightened and reflective human imagination of spiritual teaching and leading wholeheartedly and unselfishly wants to do and be, becomes measurably creative in accordance with the degree of mortal dedication to the divine doing of the Father's will. When man goes in partnership with God, great things may, and do, happen." (1467)

And so where I had wished to devise a nice, simple formula of "creative imagining," a sort of five minute daily exercise routine, in dismay I discover that this "better communication" is a process inspired by faith and is a philosophy of life consisting in:

• 1...."sincerely basing the human life on the highest consciousness of truth, beauty, and goodness, and then coordinating these qualities of divinity through wisdom, worship, faith, and love.
  

• 2. "loving God and desiring to be like him--genuine recognition of the divine fatherhood and loving worship of the heavenly parent.
  

• 3. "Loving man and sincerely desiring to serve him--wholehearted recognition of the brotherhood of man coupled with an intelligent and wise affection for each of your mortal fellows.
  

• 4. "Joyful acceptance of cosmic citizenship -- honest recognition of your progressive obligations to the Supreme Being, awareness of the interdependence of evolutionary man and evolving Deity. This is the birth of cosmic morality and the dawning of realization of universal duty." (1206)

And where does "creative imagination" fit into all of this? My 1998 revised theory is that "creative imagination" is living each moment with a full conscious awareness of being in the presence of God, with his being subjected to my every thought and feeling. Oh for the days of spiritual babyhood when the chant "not my will but yours" was all that was required.

I so long to be the truth. "But truth can never become man's possession without the exercise of faith. This is true because man's thoughts, wisdom, ethics, and ideals will never rise higher than his faith, his sublime hope. All such true faith is predicated on profound reflection, sincere self-criticism and uncompromising moral consciousness. Faith is the inspiration of the spiritized creative imagination." (1459)

Ann Bendall, Nambour, Australia.