WHAT IS THE TEACHING MISSION?

Each of us is likely to have a different description and emphasis as to the
nature of this world-wide Teaching Mission. In general, it is an avenue of
personal religious experience. Individuals, in their private devotions,
may experience contact with supermortal guides, or "teachers." We believe
that there are a host of intelligent, loving, celestial, agencies
ministering to our world. One such group of celestial beings who work
together for humanity's spiritual progress call themselves teachers of the
"Teaching Mission" or the "Correcting Time." The Correcting Time is said
to encompass roughly the next millennium of human history, a time of
correcting the consequences of certain calamities and deprivations of the
past, and a time of fostering an era of heightened spiritual progress in
the future--the era of "light and life" on Earth.

WHO ARE TEACHERS?

Many contemporary people are discovering contact with spiritual guides.
The tremendous upsurgence in reported contact with angels and other
heavenly beings is indicative of new openings for communion with angelic
types of ministry to our world. The particular contacts from on High whom
we call "teachers" are non-material spiritual beings, friends from heaven.
They are advanced enough in their own spiritual growth and cosmic evolution
to be a lofty inspiration to us; and yet, they remain greatly empathetic
and supportive of our personal struggles with soul growth. These teachers
present and amplify the revelations and truths discussed in The Urantia
Book. This book teaches that each and every human mortal is a potentially
immortal faith-son or faith-daughter of God. We are each an honored member
of a well-nigh limitless cosmic family. We are spiritual brothers and
sisters held in the infinite love of one Divine Cosmic Parent, Mother and
Father combined.

WHO ARE WE?

We who participate on the human side of the Teaching Mission are ordinary
human beings who simply aspire to bring more of truth, beauty, and goodness
into our world. We hail from diverse walks of life and various locations
in and out of the continental USA. We vary widely in our backgrounds and
cultural, political, and philosophical views; but, we are united in our
spiritual quest for more of God's love and more opportunities to share this
love and friendship with our fellows. Many of us attend informal groups
where teacher communications are shared and discussed.

WHO IS ABLE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH CELESTIAL TEACHERS?

Anyone. Any adult or child who sincerely desires teacher contact will have
that opportunity, regardless of race or gender, educational background,
social or economic status, national origin, or religious beliefs. We are
told that if every one of the over five billion inhabitants of our planet
sought a personal teacher, one would certainly be provided for each seeker.

HOW DO I RECEIVE THE GIFT OF A PERSONAL TEACHER?

This is a very intimate matter between you and your Deity. In your
personal prayer time or meditation, simply ask your heavenly Father-Mother
for a personal teacher, and trust that even though you may not readily
sense a teacher's presence, one will surely be there for you. Many of us
suffer, consciously or unconsciously, from a sense of perceived shame and
unworthiness. In truth, there is no mortal on Earth who is unworthy of the
Divine Affection. Our teachers view us with great respect and see it as an
honor to work with us. Some of us have to swallow hard to accept the
enormity of this gift and not fear this loving contact. Time and daily
"stillness practice," a term used by the teachers to refer to quiet
meditation, provide the reconciliation between how we tend to value
ourselves, and how the teachers value us, and hope we will eventually value
ourselves also.

WHAT DO TEACHERS DO FOR HUMANS?

Teachers provide spiritual guidance to individuals or groups who
voluntarily seek their assistance. Most of us would agree that the
paramount purpose of the teachers is to aid us in getting in touch with the
Spark of Deity within each person, the "still small voice of God" that
indwells the human heart-mind. Teachers are also heavenly friends who love
us dearly and often accompany us on our life adventures. They encourage us
and inspire us. They remind us of spiritual truths we cherish; they help
keep us spiritually focused. Teachers offer faith reassurances of the
unswerving love of our divine Parent for each individual, regardless of his
or her worldly status. Teachers elevate and accelerate our hopes for a
better world and augment God-consciousness among all peoples.

WHAT TEACHERS DO NOT DO.

While it would be presumptuous to delimit teacher action, most of us who
have been receiving this contact for some years have drawn the following
conclusions:

1. Teachers DO NOT violate human free-will. They never violate the
sanctity of our minds, our souls, our earthly opportunities, or our life
choices. Their action in relation to any human is always subject to that
human's informed consent.

2. While teachers are lovingly open to all of our questions, they do not
encourage "curiosity questions," that is, questions that do not relate
directly to our personal and individual spiritual growth. They rarely, if
ever, engage in material predictions.

3. Teachers are not in the business of miracle-working, empirical proofs,
power-brokering, sparking fads, encouraging extraordinary sensory
experiences, dictating how we should live, shaming us, or otherwise acting
or communicating in a manner that would in any way deprive any human being
of the step-by-step faith adventure each of us must freely choose to climb
the mountains of spiritual attainment.

4. Teachers are not intermediaries to God. We do not pray to our teachers
nor do we worship them. They are not our rulers or overlords. They do not
judge us. They help us to avoid many distractions from our goals of wisely
loving and selflessly serving. They keep us on track to pursue stillness
and small kindnesses each day. They are our friends, our near-of-kin. We
love and respect them enormously.

5. Teachers do not charge fees for their spiritual services. Love and
inspiration are freely given. Most of us feel that this is a good model
for humans involved in this Mission as well.

HOW DO I KNOW I AM HAVING TEACHER CONTACT AND AM UNDERSTANDING THE MESSAGES
CORRECTLY?

We are told that teacher contact is best accomplished by way of regular,
daily, stillness meditation--quieting the mind for up to twenty minutes of
silent communion once or twice each day.

There is an experience of "otherness," subtle for some, more pronounced for
others, that distinguishes teacher communication from one's own thoughts
and projections. Some teachers suggest that we ask these questions about a
supposed teacher communication or transmission to assess its veracity and
sharpen our powers of discernment:

a) Does the communication come with respect for my free-will dignity?
b) Is it compatible with the teachings of The Urantia Book?
c) Will heeding a message result in my bearing "spiritual fruit"?
d) Does the transmission come with God's love?
e) Does it have the ring of Truth?

HOW DO TEACHERS COMMUNICATE WITH HUMANS?

For a consenting human, a teacher makes mind-to-mind contact in a gentle
and utterly respectful manner. The teachers' respect for our free-will
dignity is awe-inspiring. Since we do not really know the mechanism of
communication, we can hypothesize a kind of celestial internet of minds.
Imagine our World Wide Web carried to the utmost limits of virtual
advancement and refinement on a universal and cosmic scale. Teachers seem
to be able to project their presences and communications from nearby or
over astronomic distances without delay or glitches. They know when we do
and do not desire contact.

WHAT IS TRANSMITTING/RECEIVING?

Certain constitutionally-favored individuals may, by luck of the draw, have
a natural capacity to discern and communicate teacher messages. Typically,
a human transmitter (T/R) speaks the teacher's message more or less
concurrently with its reception in the transmitter's mind. There are many
ways a transmitter might receive a message--as words, concepts, images,
feelings, or something quite beyond words. Receiving and transmitting
seems also to be a learnable skill. We are all encouraged to practice
transmitting, not worrying about errors, and having faith in our seemingly
muddy efforts. Growing spiritual awareness and regular stillness
meditation counterpoised by service-motivated small kindnesses are the
hallmarks of the human side of the teacher connection.

ARE TEACHER TRANSMISSIONS INFALLIBLE?

Definitely not. Teachers are fallible, but less so than humans. Although
teachers are no doubt able to communicate more directly or unequivocally,
they prefer to employ the ever-so-flawed human conduit, a partnership in
communication and faith. This leaves the understanding, interpretation,
and veracity of any transmission entirely up to the faith discernment of
each human involved. It is the responsibility of each person to decide if
a communication resonates with the spirit of truth in one's own heart.
Teachers may even allow themselves to be misquoted by a fallible T/R rather
than interfere with the vital faith-grasp each of us must acquire in our
struggles to be confident in our apprehension of truth.

ARE TEACHERS INVOLVED IN HEALING?

We believe so. The teachers ask us to view "healing" as it applies to our
physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual selves. They tell us that God's
spiritual healing energy is available to anyone sincerely searching and
receptive. To limit the modalities (e.g., touch, music, nature,
substances, visualizations, etc.) of this healing would be presumptuous.
Again, it is up to the individual's discernment on a very personal level.
Teachers convey that, as with transmitting, the innate capacity to be a
conduit, for say, laying-on-of-hands healing, varies from person to person.
As with prayer, sincerity and clear intent help. However, being healed or
not should not be interpreted as teacher approval or disapproval; they
love us all, regardless of our limitations. Healing in association with
teachers is rarely of the sudden or miraculous kind. The process is often
slow, subtle, and empowers faith and patience. Nevertheless, there is
discussion and experimentation with many aspects of healing in the Teaching
Mission. "Seek and you surely shall receive; joy is your abiding destiny."

WHAT OF CAUTION AND SKEPTICISM?

We generally regard respectful skepticism as a healthy approach to becoming
familiar with the Teaching Mission. We aspire to unity, not uniformity.
We do not all think alike. Each of us may hold a different, even opposite,
opinion regarding this Mission in the whole or in any particular.
Experiential religion means that truth is individually and personally
discovered via a process of inner-seeking. Many of us have surmounted
hills of doubt and continue to climb out of valleys of uncertainty and
skepticism. We respect the individual's right to his or her own boundaries
of belief and acceptance. Certainly our teachers do likewise. The issue
is not whether or not you are doubtful or cautious; rather, do you
persevere in your search, do you continue to seek with an open mind and
heart? If there is truth here, sooner or later you will know. As one of
our great teachers has said, "In the stillness reside the answers to all
questions."