Aprilhelen - The Art of Living

0:06 All right, well, I mean, let me introduce you. So we're back and I, I want to be open and honest with the audience because, you know, April, Helen and I have been laughing about this. But we actually did this interview not a few days ago. And it was a spectacular interview in every way. I was very pleased with what we talked about and the spontaneity. Just really, I just have to tell the listeners. It was probably one of the best interviews I've ever done. So obviously we're not going to let that go. And so now we could just talk about what we talked about in the previous interview. So I think that's if you're OK with that. So anyway, it was. A wonderful setup, yeah. Yeah, I don't know.

0:48 I just but you had said something in the last interview that made me not blow my top, which was life is about challenges. You remember that when you were, you know, So I the challenge. Is the path. Yeah, so I took that, you know, and said, you know what, maybe there's a reason. They always say there's a reason for everything. So anyway, welcome back. How was your weekend? Yeah, thanks most for Jim. It's been beautiful here and I love chatting with you. So I'm glad that we get to do it again, especially about this important work of secondary works and what that even means and how we can inspire people to do them.

1:31 Well, you do a lot of stuff. There's a big secondary work. Would you consent? Would you consider the upcoming thing that they're doing in Monterey a secondary work or is it a? Present I certainly will to consider conferences the International Conference of the Iran Civic Fellowship also supported by the other major organizations in the movement. Yeah, I I want to backtrack just a little bit to help folks out there understand where I'm coming from when I use that phrase secondary works. And I think the number one thing that is the the easiest low hanging fruit for all of us to do as your Anchovic students or any anything that you're doing in life that you're passionate about, the first step is living and integrity with the values that you say you have. So whatever you're studying and perhaps proselytizing and wanting to share with the good and for the good and service of the good, the greater good of humanity is literally looking at your life and seeing if you are in alignment with that, that that you aspire to become.

2:49 And so then whatever comes out of that, as you create a book or a conference, a retreat center, being a teacher, sharing your information and values rather than just living them or we have a lot of content creators now you the podcast coming out in the secondary work world and, and just really lifting up the importance of sharing this information. So you would go so far as to say that the secondary works represent the growth of the Urantia book?

3:30 Yes, makes, makes, because we were all wondering what was happening in the 70s, which was a lot of infighting. Well, we, you know, and that's when I was born in the year that my parents, 77, found the book in the then thriving Oklahoma City community of the readership and how that has inspired me throughout my life, having the UB teachings in the home. And of course, one of the great lessons of the Urantia book is allowing your children to to seek and find their own philosophy of living. And I out of five of the kids in the home and the only one that really took to it to do something, participate in the global movement.

4:30 Yeah. All of the other children I've I've spoken to in my family that they definitely have this curiosity around the truth of it. And some even say I just, I just accepted as fact and I don't really even need to go any deeper. So that's interesting when I meet other second generation and even 3rd and 4th now, now that it's been on the planet for almost 100 years, that that's an interesting thing of who all really is attracted to actually do something with it. And, and and all of the kids in my family, they definitely live a higher consciousness like values induced lifestyles.

5:18 So that again, I think is a secondary work. Just how are you living your life? You don't actually have to produce anything big. Just really get in the curiosity of the integrity of the values that you say you have, whether you're a your ancient student or if you're coming to this podcast from another philosophy of living. You know, you talked a little bit about the art of living, which is in the book there. Is that the Rodin art of living or? Oh, I love that those sections. Yes, I love. That's actually some of the most inspiring for all for my my work, yes. Yeah, for sure.

6:01 Because it really, when you're young, like for me when I was young in that period between say 15 and 25, though, the world's a mess. I mean, it's it's hard to navigate. It's very complicated. You got hormones, emotions, feelings, uncertainty, all of those things. And it, for me, it was such a relief to find something at that early age where it's sort of, I won't say it absolved me of having to worry about it, but knowing the fuller picture lessen the anxiety. That's all I can say. Well, let's say more about that because actually that was one of those points that we did in our previous podcast. So that is so important as we are in this state of fluctuation, as we're on an experimental world without any physical celestial representation. So we get a manual that helps us to understand the cosmic eternal perspective and how comforted I am in the the fluctuations of society today.

7:15 And you even you said something last time that kind of questioned, was it heartbreaking that when I go to Uganda and work with these vulnerable children and I immediately, no, it doesn't. I am thrilled because it's an opportunity. It's that section in the book called I think the Inevitabilities, or it's I'm paraphrasing. Yeah. It's this list that if a planet has the ideal to become a certain way, it has to have these equal antithesis of the challenge to provide the canvas to work in towards that ideal, say of hope or joy or equality. It has to have inequality so we can understand how to get to equality.

8:12 So there's. Just. Enthusiasm. If a certain characteristic is desirable, then you have to have circumstances that actually challenge that in your life to you know, if loyalty is is valuable, then how do you learn loyalty by being put in a position where you're could be disloyal, for example. Yes, and the almost like Maran Shimoda kind of things, but not quite. It's in the. Era. In the very beginning, yeah, about that. Because that is a natural inclination. I don't know if you know this story. You probably do, but in the early days when the papers were first coming out, there were a lot of revisions made, particularly in the in the first, I think it was 11 papers or something.

9:00 I'm not sure about that exact amount. But the, the, the transaction that I was told was going on were that the unseen friends, the revelators themselves were watching and monitoring the reactions of the early forum when they were reading the original papers. And they would notice that they almost had to water it down. Because if you remember the, the first set of papers, the 1st 57, I think it was 57, were questions posed by the people who were in the group. So many of them would have naturally asked questions like why is there suffering? Or why does God allow evil to happen? Because those are intrinsic questions that everybody asks.

9:44 In fact, they they are barriers to people because they don't get the appropriate answer of why God allows evil. And you just answer that by referencing that one section where it talks about the inevitabilities. And so I. Think it's in the attributes of God paper. That sounds about. Right. Specifically pointing to what you just said and and that's interesting. I appreciate the different takes on the history of the papers. Yeah, and you were? When I was a kid. Yeah, I was gonna say, were you part of the group? That was it. The gentleman who I forget his name, Harry McMahon or Mac McNamara or something like that, and he had a group that had been in is in fact it was some of the old Bill Sadler tapes that I have that are archived on on the Urantia Foundation are are events at the Oklahoma.

10:36 They were a unique Group, One of the first Urantia book groups in the entire country, the Oklahoma group. Are you aware of that? It was yes, I I grew up in that group and I was a little too young to really be into the depths deeps study of it. Yet out of all the kids who were in that society at the time, I was the only one that actually went to the study groups and sat with the adults while all the other kids went back and watch TV or play games, 'cause I I felt that there was this and now I can see.

11:21 And it was the spirit of truth that and there now that I've done a lot of study in science and the art of living and through the lens of yoga. And there is this idea that if even if you don't understand something, if you hear about it and you read about it and the more you do that, then it's easier for you to understand it. So just me going and absorbing all of these elders and I, I loved being around older people anyway. I just, I've always resonated with the desire to be around more wisdom and experience experiential wisdom through the elders.

12:10 And I was just naturally attracted in that way. And I think that that created more of that enthusiasm compared to my peers. And, and now what I'm voting all of my life to secondary works projects and creating courses and organizing conferences. And on my way to France to help a friend, another Urantia big student, open a retreat center and encouraging other people to open retreat centers and write books and do podcasts. And however we can, whatever that person is resonating with to do their part in outreach because it's going to have a creative uniqueness in that expression from that individual. And then once you start it, this is something that we touched on as we were in the recording that I'm glad that we're now hitting on now, just being bold in taking the first step to getting your creative juices flowing.

13:21 It is the attractor that causes more people to come into your project or the funding to come into the project. So start talking about it. Even if you haven't taken the first step, start thinking about it and praying about it, meditating over it. Because the celestials hear you and they want to work with you and and get you into the channels of teams and funding for that project to flourish on the planet. Well, there is a lot of money floating around. I mean, I know that if you looked at the stock market lately, you would see that, you know, there's a lot of money floating.

14:04 Some of a lot of it is debt, but a lot of it is also profit. And, you know, they're going to have to put that money somewhere. And the Urantia book is a great 'cause because I want to, so I'm going to interrupt. But to make the point of what I just said, you know, I've, I've come to discover that there's a lot of fascination with the new, new Steven Spielberg movie and, and, and there's a lot of fascination with this idea of extraterrestrial. It's been around for, you know, as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I heard about Betty and Barney Hill. And of course, Star Trek was my entry to the idea of there being a universe inhabited. So those early seeds found great Christian soil. And so when I learned from the Urantia book that all these things were in fact true, that we do live in an inhabited universe and we're not the only ones by far, that that reassured me.

15:04 And I think that's what people are wanting to know. And maybe that's why they get that fascination with UFOs. But on the other hand, are you familiar with the philosophical Plato's Cave by any chance? Because so far, there we are. I studied philosophy in college. OK good, because I've asked like 7. People. Nobody knew who it was and. Oh yeah, I mean, I'm like, what? Well, there's a character in that story that goes out of The Cave and he sees what's going on, and then he goes back to The Cave and he sees that nobody wants to know about it, if you know what I mean. Yeah, I don't.

15:48 Believe. Them Yeah, let me in other words, there are people who are happy being in a cave and and as long as they're safe and protected. And that's also the, the overriding theme of this wonderful science fiction thing called Silo, which I've been watching on TV and it reminds me of that Plato's cave. The Urantia book is the getting out of The Cave and seeing what's, what's really out there. And then we, we are I, I suppose we're sort of, if you don't want to share that with, with other people, I don't know what would be wrong. You know, I mean, having that great knowledge and you would naturally want to share it with other people.

16:31 But sadly, a lot of people maybe are comfortable not knowing the truth. I don't know. That's just something that has occurred to me that on the one hand we want to know, but on the other hand, do we? But what do we do with that information once we? Well, right. I had a friend of mine tell me he read the Urantia book and he said, you know, this is a beautiful book. I wish that I could come to the point where I could believe it's true and I'm not going to be able to get there. And I I thought about that for years. You know, it's like he wanted to believe that this story is the right one, but he just couldn't, he couldn't make that. What, what was the emotional capture for you? In other words, when did you in your life finally say, this? Is it, this is the truth?

17:19 Did you have that moment or was it always sort of there? You know, as a second Gen. I it, it has always been there and I even have noticed about myself where I just kind of took it for granted. Yet when I found the path of yoga and deep diving into the classical 8 fold, if people don't and know about the the eightfold path, which is basically, if we're not using the the Sanskrit word yoga, I look at it as the art of living. And so when I got onto that path and really started taking a deeper dive into studying other philosophies, because the yoranship, it says you're going to find truth and everything, you're also going to find non truth. So do your best to investigate a plethora like the cornucopia of interfaith and even non faith realities. And and then every time I did it just validated it more and more. Well, this just seems like the most logical thing. And a lot of people ask, is it a religion? No, what it does exclaim is that you are your own religion, you through your art of living and higher consciousness of who you are participating in the whole

18:55 and from the cosmic creation, the creative parents who created all of us, that is your religion. So what is that? Yes, you can learn dogmatic and institutionalized thinking and that's a wonderful way to get a socialized religion through community and service tour in that community of faith and and even non faith believers. Yet it's that individuals experience and participation that creates that religion. So what is the Orangetic?

19:36 It's a it's a guidebook. It's it's a a college course on universal mechanisms and just rooting back to the comfort that it brings with the larger cosmic perspective and the encouragement to actually participate for the what I call the G3, the greatest good for the greatest number for the greatest length of time and making our decisions towards that supreme being. It's this aspect of God that is the evolving. God that we through our decisions and participatory action into the whole is actually adding value to this evolutionary aspect of God.

20:32 I, that is the first aspect of God that I really resonated with as a child and, and therefore when I, I was in theater and dance and had that aim all of high school, grade school, high school, and then thankfully a blessing in disguise, I had a car accident that then shifted me into physical therapy. And therefore I found yoga and was able to teach all these higher consciousness revelatory concepts through the lens of teaching yoga. And that has helped me for 30 years. And now it was just last year at the summer study where I something switched in me that now I am much more bold and proclaiming that the Urantia book and not just being so elusive about it and, and waiting for someone to ask me where I receive some type of information. And that actually is a interesting thing that's going on in the movement right now that now that we're in about the 100 years, a lot of people are talking about the grassroots nature of the growth of the movement was good for the 1st 100 years.

22:03 Yet now why not do a little bit more to advertise marketing like mass marketing. And although I think all of the secondary works projects that have come about in the last 100 years, there now is this greater enthusiasm about conceptualizing what a mass marketing global plan might look like and getting funding for it. And there's been some pushback. Yeah, I'll tell you what, the only time that I think that's a bad idea is when I'm reading the book, when I'm reading the book.

22:47 Because when I read the book, I say there's no way that knowing Mass, that humanity the way I know them and our shortfalls there, there's just too many people that will never be able to appreciate the literary genius of this book because it's so condensed, as you know. And so that's in one way it makes it profound. But like I say, not everybody wants to leave The Cave. Some people are, you know, there's a, there's a quotation about, you know, organized religion is a thing because people want it, because it gives them the ability to express their love and their, and their devotion and loyalty and their love for God and love for the Mother Mary in Christ. So the ceremony is a, is sort of our contribution to it. I think we like it.

23:36 We, we embrace it. The Urantia book isn't that kind of a religion where it tells you how to celebrate and what days to have holidays. And you know how many times you say this and do that and, and even Christ and his teaching said, I don't want religion to be that way. I want religion to be a way of life and a way of thinking and a way of doing and serving in that golden rule. True religion is, is the day-to-day of how we express our devotion to the to God's will or God's desire, which is really the desire for everyone to serve each other. That's about as simple as it gets. But I, I think, you know, that's what the Urantia book sort of lacks is that magical appeal. Perhaps it's great intellectually and it's great spiritually, but some sometimes it, it's sort of pragmatic. You know, it's almost like a bunch of very high intellectual spiritual people sat around and wrote this book. Yes, definitely.

24:39 That is the. That is the importance of the readership. If they feel compelled to do something to get this message out into mainstream, it's whatever secondary works that they can think of to bring it down to layman terms. And one of my favorites. And I fantasize and I think you are too. And I know of several other producers of writing screenplays. My direction would be sci-fi, you know, thriller action, taking the four parts of the book and doing a blockbuster series.

25:25 And I've started writing and I'm who knows, you know, what, how long that will take or you know, I'm, I'm halfway through the average lifespan. So we'll see if if that will come to reality yet. Anything like that. And I've, I've noticed a lot of social media is coming out of content creators that they may not even say the Urantia book. They may have it just minimally in in their production, yet they are more and more getting the teachings out well. And then that links back to what is the first thing that you really need to do as secondary works is actually live it.

26:09 Take it out of the intellectualization and actually live it. And you know, not all your ancient book readers do that. I've, I've interacted with plenty who do and plenty who need a lot of work in it. So if ever the baseline, we can encourage people that to look at themselves to know themselves, to really see if they're in alignment with with what they're trying to get people to understand. Yeah, well, yeah, I, I, I guess so. But you know, we got to pay the bills, April. And I mean, we don't have time to sit around, hold study groups and do all that, that stuff. It's all good. It feels good. But you know, some of us are just sitting out and, you know, we're, we're empty nesters and we now finally have the time to absorb the book. I just find the whole preparatory experience of knowing or at least thinking that I know what's ahead. And that's what excites me.

27:04 And it, it makes, makes this life even more meaningful if you, if you can get that you mentioned, which I thought was a great phrase that you are, you describe yourself. I think I got it right as a militant optimist. Yes. I mean, can you retell that story for our wonderful listeners? Well, the, you know, militant, that definitely expresses kind of even a negative context if we think of military. Yet if we put optimism towards that, it goes back to what I used to have the motto, as I said earlier in the podcast, the challenge is the path. One of my earliest lessons pre preteen was you're going to have challenges because those are the things that help you gain experiential wisdom by learning your lessons. So what is the ideal in that situation is learning how to move and navigate through the inevitable challenges of life with grace and with ease.

28:19 And and when you're in that moment of choosing whether you want to take the side of suffering and or knowing that is what I some philosophers call volunteering, the suffering volunteer suffering. Yeah, that turns it not into anything you. Mean like lean into it. Like just lean into it and notice. Yes. And take the challenge, know that it's going to produce the experiential wisdom. And the quicker you can move into the space of acceptance through that observation, the quicker you can move on to the next challenge and grow in grace and in faith.

29:05 And knowing that, well, you were saying it, that expanded perspective of what's coming after this planet, then it, it, it puts our mind at ease as, okay, so the universe of the school, the entire universe is an education system. And then once you fuse with the creator, then you get to go out and and serve and teach and be administers of of worlds and take on jobs. I mean, I mean you and I Cool. Is. That it is cool, it's very cool. But some people, I mean, that's the point is like, you know, some people hearing that for the first time, they it's almost unbelievable. But you know, through logic and intellect and faith, as Meredith Sprunger so famously said, if it isn't like that, it should be. If the universe isn't like what the UB says and it it should be or it's pretty darn close.

30:00 And of course, I always throw out, well, show me something better. But anyway, I got a couple more questions for you here. So stay positive. That's, you know, the art of living. All of that is good. The three pillars, you know, mind matter and spirit balance. And I and I do believe that that philosophy could go so far into alleviating the the massive mental illness that's going on in our world. And I would like to see as a secondary offshoot of the Urantia book is if if there was someone who could apply the Urantia book teachings in a way that would be therapeutic to people who are seeking counselling for anxiety or depression, rather than the default, which is take two of these and I'll see you in a year, which is what would become. That's cool, right.

30:47 So that's. I know of a lot of several that are doing that in their work, including me over the last 30 years. Well. That there needs to be more of it and. Strangers. Yeah, I think we could, we could be an adjunct to because mental illness is probably the number one health issue in the country besides nutrition and they are a related which is interesting. You know what I also find interesting is that Kellogg, Wilfred the The Who was suspected of being the sleeping subject. His brother is the, the man who had a sanitarium in Battle Creek, MI, which was not far from where the foundation is.

31:30 And it's that little area of Indiana and Michigan and, and they, he was the first to connect nutrition with mental health like and, and, and, and the pharma industry has completely ignored it. It's it's a, it's a shame and it's a travesty. And in science, maybe they've proven it, but I know that there's enough studies to show that spirituality and faith are great tools to fighting mental illness. And we don't practice it. And the reason we don't practice it today is because of this hesitancy to get involved with religion. You know, it's become such a hot topic.

32:11 And This is why they're debating. They're still debating 10 commandments and whether they should be in the classroom, anything to do with religion. It's it's, it's a whole group of people who don't want to go there. And it's a So maybe the Urantia book could maybe bend that curve back the other way where we address mental illness through spiritual therapy as well as emotional therapy. And in the other things too. But do you think you agree with me on that? Can you get with your connections and I'll get with mine and we'll see if maybe we can form an organization, you know? Well, I'm a nonprofit. Lovingly disagree that you just said that we aren't practicing that. And I, I don't see that.

32:54 I see the world right now is coming into that and people are doing it through many different modalities like yoga and the the important part of reframing that word religion to mean your personal adventure. And it is you coming into the integrity of your art of living that will then encourage people. Once you get ignited and start living it, then your energetic frequency raises and people are then attracted to you and, and you get to to expand upon how this is and why this is and, and share it. And certainly science is catching up to all of the things that we're talking about, specifically that energetic frequency piece associated with the mind and emotions and how it affects the physical material, not only through thoughts, yet in nutrition, nutritional intake, like not just food, yet sleep and movement.

34:20 And I just read an article that some it came out where thoughts are the first thing that you should be considering. And, and through my courses, I teach a lot about the clarity around your inner landscape, your inner dialogue with who I call God, whatever you want to call it, whether it's your higher self or whatever is going on in your mind. And that's why it's so important to not only learn meditation, which actually first comes concentration, you have to learn how to concentrate before you can actually meditate.

35:02 And then meditating on different realities or projects. And, and then where that goes in, in spiritual terms, you know, prayer, communion, coming into worship of your, the, the one who created you and just sitting in that presence so that you can shift your energetic frequency, which shifts your energetic field around you, which then shifts all the things that you do in it and the people you allow in it. And I mean, it's definitely this ripple effect of so if we're talking to y'all out there, how are your thoughts?

35:49 What are you thinking? What words are you choosing that roots back to the militant optimism? Yeah. So whenever I, I. Don't know what you got, but I'll buy what you're selling, you know so. Let's I already have an organization so we can expand. It. Oh, I see. OK, All right. What is your organization? Yeah, I created with some. Other. Arrangement readers several years ago, it's called Concentric Circles and our motto is making ripples. And it actually started with something that you and I have talked about in the past, my affiliation with this children's home in Uganda.

36:30 And it we first created it as a nonprofit specifically for that. Yet now it has expanded into welcoming other secondary work creators as us as a fiscal sponsor, yet also mentors to get your project. So if anybody you are out there who needs some mentorship, we just created an online school. I need websites. I need websites. I need e-mail addresses. You got to give that stuff to me so I can post it up on the, the, the, yeah. For those of you who are listening now, it's concentric circles.worldaprilhelen.com. Yeah, there's several other Spirit is another one that that is the secondary works database that we're expanding or it's really I'm a one man show, one woman show on that and I'm calling it any other team members that want to participate in that way?

37:30 Well, I'm sure they will. Obviously you can hear it in your voice, the enthusiasm, the excitement, and it's infectious. So I'm, I might put you on the spot, but let me ask you anyway. As we close out, sometimes I like to ask, but who is your favorite personality in the Orangi book or your favorite apostle? Who did you sort of connect with in that experience? I know everybody has a favorite. Anybody that stands out for you. Yeah. Oh my gosh. Well, I. Said earlier. The first, the first, well, Him too. Yet my first connection with God was the Supreme Being. Right now in my life, I'm really admiring and working with the midwares.

38:13 And for those of you who don't know, the midwares, midwares and angels actually outnumber humans on this planet. So picture that like grossly outnumber us. And the midwares specifically are what they call the actual residence of the planet because they stay here when as humans continue to transition on to the mansion worlds and then on and on until the Isle of Paradise. So I'm really fascinated and calling in partnership with the midwares right now. Thanks for asking that. Sure, you know that's fascinating. And that's a whole hour unto itself. Yes, it is.

38:59 And I wanted to talk about the Father's temple project, but we'll save that. I always try to keep this at a certain that's what the that's what the consultants tell me, but we'll have you back. And I, I just for me that I want to answer that question because I've changed. It's now John the Baptist, because John the Baptist is a, is a story that I don't think it's told. And when you're talking about a script, I've actually written the script. I've, I had the idea in my, my mind for decades, you know, in reading that, that chapter on him and his relationship with Jesus and their youth. And in my mind, I sort of formulated the screenplay on how I would like to see it. And, and then a couple of weeks ago, I was talking to somebody about the Urantia book and, and told them, you know, I really want to bring it to life, like what you were saying. And she and the lady said, well, why don't you do it like you, you know, just do it, you know, what are you waiting for? Even if you know?

39:58 And so anyway, I spent about 3 or 4 days outlining it and then bavoom, it's all done. So now I just have to find somebody who wants the script. You want the script? You want me to give it to you? I'll send you a copy of it. We're calling it in, you know, I'm ready, but I know that other organizations and all kidding aside, yeah, it is something that I'm excited about right now and I'll continue to update people on that. But I know CFU is doing some great secondary works. They've got some exciting things that they're doing. It is an exciting time for the Urantia book and it is starting to reach that, that level where it's exponential growth. And I just, I'm excited, more excited than I have been in a long, long time.

40:44 So with that being said, yeah. Yes. Anyway, final thoughts. Well, that. OK. What about this? Are they sold out at this? Just one more plug for the July event. Are they sold out? Yeah. OK. And how do they find out more about that? They're not. So it's on the Urantia Big Fellowships website. Our registration is open currently for commuters which there are rentals around the land and even a camping. And I think if you contacted A Solomar, there may even still be some rooms available that aren't a part of our block yet. You can still stay on campus and we are completely welcoming you to join us in near Monterey, CA this year, July 12th through 16th with a pre conference.

41:46 Actually there's also a pre conference in Eden Springs, which is a retreat center around, it's a West of Reno, NV just on the other side inside the California border. And so that's going to be around the 9th through the 12th for about I think they have 40 attending and that's more camping. And so all of these awesome things that are happening this summer for summer vacations, come one, come all. Even if you're not your Rancho Book readers yet, we have a lot of information for beginners and we welcome you into the community. That's great. Thank you so much, April.

42:27 Helen here on the Rancho Radio Podcast. Joe, Well, my pleasure to you always bring lots of good stuff to the show. So thank you for that and we'll talk to you again soon.