Divine Definitions: (1) The cause of causes; (2) The antecedent of energy and matter; (3) The origin of personality; the I AM; (4) The ancestral spirit; (5) The progenitor of mind; (6) The font of love; (7) The heart of goodness; (8) The foremost authority and distributor of truth; (9) The basis and pattern of beauty; (10) The initiator of life; (11) The spark of light; (12) The inaugurator of service; (13) The Father of all brothers and sisters

Comment: All things, meanings, values, and persons are traced back to The Source of all reality. The way is broad enough to carry all of us back to Him no matter what route we decide to take. Each of us is unique. The predictable ways make us feel safe; the unpredictable ways make things interesting.

RESOURCEFUL
Human Definition: (1) able to deal skillfully and promptly with new situations or old difficulties; (2) clever in finding assets; ingenious at discovering new uses for the materials at hand; inventive

Derivation: Old French, “to rise again”

Quotes:
• The courage to imagine the otherwise is our greatest resource, adding color and suspense to all our life. — Daniel Joseph Boorstin (1914–2004) American historian
• The great majority of people are calm, resourceful, altruistic or even beyond altruistic, as they risk themselves for others. We improvise the conditions of survival beautifully. — Rebecca Solnit (1961-) American writer

Divine Definitions: (1) Willing to disclose His attributes to His creatures; (2) Willing to make known His will to His creation; (3) Willing to speak of His nature to the universe; (4) The assurance and dissemination of truth as reality

Quote: Divinity is creature comprehensible as truth, beauty, and goodness; correlated in personality as love, mercy, and ministry; disclosed on impersonal levels as justice, power, and sovereignty. — The Urantia Book (0:1.17) {1995}

Comment: God is willing and able to impart fact, meaning, and value whenever the doors of the mind and heart are open. Revelation takes many forms depending on the ability and the willingness of the listener. One form is inspiration: auto-inspiration (just between you and God) or public inspiration, as with inspired writings. Another form is science. By study we discover more and more about the marvelous nature of our surroundings, and with that the nature of The Maker of those things, systems, and forms. Revelation is often by association – the putting of two and two together. We are constantly integrating what we know and coming up with fresh insights. And maybe the most revealing of all is figuring out how to have loving relationships with others.

REVELATION
Definitions: (1) making known the truth; (2) a clear, coherent, often creative, and imaginative presentation through any medium

Quotes:
• No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create, or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit. — Ansel Easton Adams (1902–1984) American nature photographer
• The dance can reveal everything mysterious that is hidden in music, and it has the additional merit of being human and palpable. Dancing is poetry with arms and legs. — Charles Pierre Baudelaire (1821–1867) French poet

Divine Definitions: (1) Acknowledging the self-evident fact of His own Divinity; autotheistic; (2) Aware of His own existence; self-realizing; (3) Aware of His own personality and individuality; self-knowing; (4) Sensitive to His own mind; self-possessed; (5) Cognizant of His own actions; self-accepting; (6) Conscious of His own attributes and character; self-respecting

Comment: No quality or characteristic lives in a vacuum. Since God is personal, He is, at least, conscious. Since we are also personal and conscious, we understand the feeling. Our consciousness is ever advancing. God’s consciousness is ever-aware.

AWARENESS
Human Definitions: (1) having knowledge or realization; conscious; cognizant; (2) informed; alert; (3) keenly perceptive

Synonyms: apprised, sensible

Quotes:
• The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness. — Lao-tse (6^th Century BC) Chinese mystic philosopher
• The more decisions that you are forced to make alone, the more you are aware of your freedom to choose. — Thornton Niven Wilder (1897–1975) American playwright

Reflection: We travel through life no matter what; the clock only moves in one direction. No matter how momentous a moment is, your whole life has led up to this now. We boost the value of each moment by being aware of its actual and potential worth.

Divine Definitions: (1) The first; the original Being; (2) Not deriving from something or someone else; authentic; (3) The ruling authority; (4) The most important one; standing alone; prominent; (5) The highest and best value; premier; (6) The source; the beginning; the first cause; (7) The one who prepares the stage; (8) Unspoiled; pristine; beautiful

Comment: The First Source and Center is primal in all domains: finite and infinite, personal and impersonal, actual and potential, static and dynamic. Everything and everyone in existence is dependent upon the Prime Reality.

IMMACULATE
Human Definitions: (1) perfectly correct; pure; innocent; (2) spotless; unstained; without flaw, blemish, fault, or error

Derivation: Late Middle English, “free from moral stain”

Quotes:
• Peace demands the most heroic labor and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience. — Thomas Merton (1915–1968) American Trappist monk
• The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous. — Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469-1527) Italian cynical philosopher
     Note: Jesus could see, and therefore show, the person aspiring to be virtuous what immaculate virtue looked like by living it every day to the end.

Comment: Although it would be impossible for an adult to honestly consider themselves to be immaculate, it is none-the-less a worthy ambition.

Divine Definitions: (1) The original conscious, volitional being; (2) The source and destiny of all subsequent personalities; omnipersonal; (3) The being who is designing, deciding, and directing creation; (4) Agreeable; good-natured; friendly

Comment: Personality is not simply an attribute of God; it is the co-ordination of a unified will, an infinite nature, and His universally revealed expression. We can have a (limited) idea of a supreme force but we can only have a relationship with a person. Each and every person is unique. Only a person can love and be loved, and if that person is God, then the love coming in our direction is immense.

PERSONABLE
Human Definitions: (1) having an agreeable or pleasing personality; good-natured; (2) having a well-formed body; graceful; attractive

Familial Qualities: friendly, well-groomed

People Who Exemplify This Quality: “He was able to drop the bucket down the well of his personality and bring up what was needed in the moment.” said of Sir Michael Gambon (1941-2023) Irish actor

Quotes:
• To say that a being is personal is to recognize the relative individuation of such a being within the cosmic organism. … [T]hose who are personal have been endowed with the actual choice of destiny acceptance or destiny rejection. (112:5.1) — The Urantia Book {1955}
• The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence. — Confucius [Born Kǒng Qiū] (c. 551-479 BC) Chinese ethical philosopher
• In our personal and professional lives, we are constantly hit with one adversity after the other, most of which we have no control over. But the four things we have total control over are how we react, how we adapt, how we breathe, and how we take action. — Diamond Dallas Page (1956-) American actor

Divine Definitions: (1) The discernible, coherent design upon which to base the total system; (2) The original arrangement and example of form; (3) The primary, discrete set of priorities from which all things are derived; (4) The fundamental model for all subsequent reality; (5) The physical, personal, mindal, and spiritual guide showing the way; (6) The ideal worthy of imitation and copying; (7) Generosity sufficient to create all that divine design requires

Quote: God is everything, moving through everything, is the pattern that everything makes. — Jo Walton, (1964-) Among Others {2011}

Comment: God is the original pattern. The idea of a tree existed before the first seed took root. Form follows function. Function follows intention. His intention is Love. We think of the physical world as the most real of things, yet matter is the slow energy pattern of pure substantive Reality. DNA is the simple structural pattern; adding life to it is the source of the real skill. Light contains the rainbow. Vibration contains the symphony. Love contains the baby’s giggle, the helping hand, and the answers.

PARAGON
Human Definition: a model or pattern of excellence or perfection <a paragon of virtue>

Derivation: Greek, “to test good from bad”

People Who Exemplify This Quality: Anyone who lives a high standard is a paragon. Anyone can be an example of goodness simply by being good.

Quote: The Spirit brings order out of chaos and beauty out of ugliness. He can transform a sin-blistered man into a paragon of virtue. The Spirit changes people. The Author of life is also the Transformer of life. — Robert Charles Sproul (1939-2017) American theologian

Divine Definitions: (1) The singular preeminent Being; (2) Individual autonomy; distinct; (3) Exclusively what He Is; unique; unequaled; (4) Indissoluble and indivisible; whole; (5) The zenith; incomparable; matchless; paramount; peerless

Comment: The human idea of One God evolved first out of fear of the unknown, through reverence for the ghost spirits of the dead, then through nature spirits to pantheism, and on to henotheism (the few top gods), and finally to monotheism.

Inspiration: God set you up with a unique personality to freely choose your experiences. God is a parent and loves you as if you are the only person in the universe.

UNIQUE
Human Definitions: (1) existing as the only one or as the sole example; solitary in type or characteristics; (2) having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable; (3) singular; unusual; extraordinary

Quotes:
• When strangers meet, great allowance should be made for differences of custom and training. — Frank Herbert (1920-1986) Heretics of Dune {1984}
• If we live truly, we shall see truly – insist on yourself; never imitate – nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind, nothing can bring you peace but yourself, nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles. — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American poet

Poetry:
I am now who never was.
I am becoming who never was.
I am always unique.

Comment: Everybody is different; everyone needs something different.

Visualization: Each one of us is a seed beginning to grow into a unique plant in an infinite forest.

Observation: Parents soon see each of their children’s personalities as unique and wonderfully lovable.

Divine Definitions: (1) Able to comprehend all deep and diverse reality; all-knowing; prescient; (2) Capable of beholding everything; (3) Able to see from every perspective all at once, omnispective; (4) Able to hear all needs and respond to all thoughts; (5) Possessing an infinite mind; intelligent; logical; rational; incisive; (6) Aware of all things and able to synthesize them into a cohesive whole; cognizant; (7) Having a complete and coherent perspective of everything; omnipercipient.; (8) Easily inventing new options and new realities; ingenious; (9) Able to comprehend all incongruities and harmonize them; (10) Able to commune with every person in the universe; perspicacious

Synonyms: all-seeing, farsighted, foresighted, insightful, observant, watchful

Comment: We tend to think of intelligence in terms of human abilities. The smartest of us can hold several ideas at a time, can parse several lines of thought, and can do quick intuitive calculations. But we are like a single point compared to God. Everything has its existence in God. If God, for a split second, was not conscious of something (even a single atom) it would cease to exist. How much more precious is a single soul? We can feel blessed and secure knowing God is always looking out for us.

KNOWLEDGEABLE
Human Definitions: (1) mentally understood as fact or truth; well-informed; (2) keen to perceive; intelligent; (3) possessing appreciative insight; apprehending with clarity and certainty; (4) having a memory of or an experience with; solid recognition; (5) aware of or familiar with; having information about; (6) practiced

Synonyms: comprehension, erudite, learned, skillful

Balancing Quality: Interested

Familial Qualities: Incisive: penetrating knowledge; insightful: knowledge about the inner nature of things; instinctive: knowledge from a previous generation; intuitive: knowledge without the conscious use of reasoning; perspicuous: an ability to recognize the inner other

Proverb: Know thyself [Nosce te ipsum (Latin); Gnothi seauton (Greek)] and thou shall know all the mysteries of the gods and of the universe. — Socrates (c. 429-399 bc) Classical Greek philosopher
     Note: Socrates never wrote anything down but he is quoted widely. It is reported that he was fond of saying, “All virtues are interlocked in the ‘knowledge of the human good.’ It is your responsibility to know the value of value. Your choices shape your soul which is your destiny.”

Quotes:
• The greatest thing in the world is to know how to be oneself. — Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist
• I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said, “I do not know.” — Mark Twain [born Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (1835-1910) American humorist
• [Merlin:] It is never wise to turn aside from knowing, however the knowing comes. — Mary Stewart (1916-2014) The Hollow Hills {1973}
• We only get in trouble when we think about it. When we don’t think about it, we know who we are. — Joe Burull (1947-2021) American photographer
• Things are known in the knower after the manner of the knower, not after their own manner of existence. — Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Italian theologian
• When and if we have found and understood the complete irreducible laws of physics, we certainly shall not thereby know the Mind of God. We will not even get much help in understanding the minds of slugs. … Instead, our position will be like the chess player who has learned the rules of chess, or a would-be pianist who can now read all the notes. This skeletal knowledge is certainly not enough for skillful play. As we approach such understanding, it is the end of the beginning, not the beginning of the end. — Frank Wilczek (1951-) American theoretical physicist

Reflection:
The existence of the knowns points to the investigation of the unknowns. We know choice, personality, experience, and all manner of positive qualities do exist. We know by personal experience how living positively is better than living negatively. Positive movement will lead to additional positive action, even in the face of evil.
     Although the fact of physical death is a massive mystery, it is not unreasonable to assume we can continue our positive quest beyond the grave. If we do not continue, there would be no reason for value to exist. A nonpersonal, mechanistic universe would have no need for love and its positive ramifications. Nor evil, for that matter.

Consideration: What do you consider to be the essentials? What do you consider to be most important, and therefore, most valuable? They are our personal, basic, fundamental realities. That’s what you will act on. When you are considering an automobile, there are certain things it must have or you will not buy it. When you are picking friends, a job, a spouse, or a religion, you have certain criteria in mind.

Comments:
• It is important to find a clear certainty in yourself. The mind is intrinsically endowed with the capacity to know and, therefore, the ability to be knowledgeable. If we do not know that, then all facts and truth are suspect.
• Information is located in books, etc., but knowledge is acquired through an interactive and personal involvement with the information. A thing must be experienced, oftentimes repeatedly, before it becomes part of our inner knowing. Even then some things cannot be retained without continued practice.

Admonition: See yourself through other people’s eyes. If you know what it is that other people appreciate (or dislike) about you, whether it is your natural or acquired qualities, then you can enhance those positive qualities.

Colors: violet, yellow

Symbols: 1) the Tree of Knowledge; 2) a rolled papyrus scroll

Structure:
Types of Knowing
1) Memories:
     a) highlighted: induced by smells, tastes, sound, sight, or touch
     b) vivid: set by high value, focused by repetition, stressed by strong emotion         
     c) partial: faded by time, clouded by feelings, adjusted by desire, replaced by other memories
2) Experiences: past, present, or future
3) Dreams: day-dreams, imagination, wishful thinking, reflections, guesses
4) Presentations: reading material, movies, plays, television
5) Convictions: the visualization of a goal completed6) Associations: images that look like or remind you of other images, i.e., Rorschach ink blots, clouds

DIVINE definitions: (1) Located anywhere and everywhere at all times; ever-present; (2) Omnitemporal; (3) Serving within creation; ubiquitous; (4) Having infinite range; far-reaching; far-flung; boundless

Comment: All of the Omni’s work together to hold all things and beings within the divine plan. God has to be everywhere (omnipresent) so His all-powerfulness (omnipotence) can work with his absolute knowingness (omniscience). It is in our power to push the boundaries of our ideas about these attributes: within time-space to beyond time and space, from all actuals to all potentials, from human persons to ultimate personalities, from consciousness to superconsciousness.

PRESENT
Definition: being, existing, or occurring at this time; now; current

Proverb: Look to this day for tomorrow is but a vision and yesterday a dream. — Sanskrit

Quotes:
• Consider that this day will never dawn again. — Dante [born Durante degli Alighieri] (c. 1265-1321) Italian poet
• The past and the future are the gift wrapping for the present. — Gerard “Jerry” Vincent Hubert Downs (1949-) American photographer & writer
• I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment, it takes place every day. — Albert Camus (1913-1960) French-Algerian philosopher
• [Dorothy:] If you can’t find what you are looking for right where you are then you can’t find it anywhere. — Lyman Frank Baum (1856-1919) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz {1900}
• What you do in the present creates the future. So, keep your thoughts on the positive side, think about the best that could happen, think about the good things you want to happen. — Peace Pilgrim [born Mildred Lisette Norman] (1908-1981) Steps Toward Inner Peace {2021}
• Remember, be here now. — Baba Ram Das [born Richard Alpert] (1931-) American spiritual teacher
     Note: In times of maximum cosmic exposure we humans can share in the Comic Now. Only then do we begin to see how truly immense it all is.

Comment: Life is a series of miniscule, connected, and correcting steps. This moment’s actions are linked to the previous and the next with the quantity and the quality of consciousness. One’s conscious actions, intentions, and experiences have an effect on both your future and the larger pool of consciousness.

(PRESENCE OF MIND)
Definition: able to think clearly and act quickly and intelligently <especially in an emergency>; cool, alert, and ready under pressure; quick-witted

Compatible Qualities: creative, risible

Comment: Presence of mind is a quality of “practical smarts.” It includes flexibility and ready retrieval of information. But it is also the ability to put things together in new ways. In addition, it implies a sense of timing, with an appreciation of the subtlety of what others perceive.

Suggestion: Recognize, in the present, what effect your actions are having upon the situation, and then act accordingly.

Divine Definitions: (1) Possessing unlimited power; almighty; (2) Containing all actuals and potentials; (3) Having infinite authority and influence; (4) Maintaining total control; invincible; invulnerable; irrepressible; (5) Able and competent to act with perfect correctness; (6) Vigorous; lively

Comment: God’s power was the first great quality man understood – and feared. With the addition of wonder this fear was later replaced by awe. It was then advanced into reverence by the addition of respect for His power. Now that we also have a greater appreciation of His good and merciful nature, we are motivated to regard Him with affection and worship.

POWERFUL
Human Definitions: (1) having great physical prowess; strong; able to exert intense force; mighty; (2) being a brilliant moral influence; (3) able to persuade or convince the minds of others; (4) possessing great energy; producing enormous effects

Balancing Qualities: An overabundance of the desire for safety and security leads people to focus on the qualities of power and strength. These, if not balanced with the qualities of compassion, kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity, and gentleness, lead to violence.

Too Far: The positive qualities of desire and power taken too far end in greed.

Motto: Cedant arma togae (Latin): “Let arms yield to the toga” [Let military power give way to civil power]. — Wyoming state motto

Quotes:
• It is not life and wealth and power that enslave men, it is the cleaving to life and wealth and power. — Siddhartha Gautama [The Buddha] (c. 563-483 BC) Nepali-Indian guru
• Non-violence is more powerful than all the armaments in the world. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man. — Mahatma Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian lawyer & peacemaker

Consideration: If a person who is immature, insecure, and fear-ridden is given power, the power will have to live within that person’s emotional limits, and will be subject to the constraints of their developing personality. Decisions made reflect the character of the decision maker.

Observations:
• Every action can be, and is, justified by pointing to positive qualities.
• Power can be impersonal – like the power of the ocean – or it can be personal. If personal, it can be negative or positive.

Comments:
• The powerful are often intent on retaining their own power. And to that end, all else becomes subordinate.
• We are still in the age of “might is right,” and will be for hundreds of years. The question is how, in the face of power, to do what you know is right. Sometimes it takes great courage.
• The temptation to enhance those qualities serving only our personal needs is great, and the rewards for doing so are seductive. If we choose our needs (unfairly) over the needs of others, the results will also be unfair.
• If the consciousness of the governed outgrows the consciousness of those in power, there is a rupture of some sort. This turmoil results in one of two possibilities: a crackdown to hold the old way in place – for a time – or the birth of a new system.

Colors: golden orange, orange

Symbols: 1) gold; 2) a crown; 3) a hammer; 4) the crocodile; 5) the Emperor (tarot); 6) the whip (Egyptian)