Self-Mastery and Circle Attainment
Instructor/s:
Michael Hill
Start Date:
Saturday, April 15
End Date:
Saturday, May 13
Times:
10 am - 12 pm MT
9 am PT/ 11 am CT/ 12pm ET (5 pm GMT)
Course Description
This course is designed to refresh and renew the spiritual aspirations of Urantia Book readers who have by faith, entered the kingdom of God and therein set for themselves the achievement of the fullness of mortal life. Here, we will strive to address the enhancement of personal spiritual perception and the influence of such growth on daily life while sharing our spiritual life with others and recognizing the religious life of others. It is through the conquest of one's psychic circles and the enhancement of Adjuster attunement, that we become of better and more joyful service to our fellows in this world and the next.
Orientation session attendance required? Yes.
If you are unable to attend the orientation, a recording will be made available to you.
Date: Saturday, April 1
Time: 10 am - 12 pm MT
9 am PT/ 11 am CT/ 12pm ET/ 5 pm UTC
For all other time zones, convert using World Time Buddy
Format: Each week of class begins on a Saturday and ends on the following Saturday and consists of independent reading, reflecting, composing and posting answers to at least four of the reflection questions, and responding to the posted answers of your fellow students, as well as comments posted to your answers.
Zoom online meeting every Saturday: Each week ends with a live online class (using Zoom) in which the students and instructor discuss the study material and questions covered in that week.
How do I access the materials? Course materials will be accessed using UUI's Online Campus. Instructions will be provided after the orientation session. Your Online Course Home Page lists the learning units for each week of class. Just click on each learning unit in sequence to complete the activities for that week.
Level: Intermediate
Size: Class is limited to 25-35 participants.
Language: English
Grading: Successful participation in the course relies on the student’s purposeful willingness to devote time for regular and meaningful personal reflection on the readings for the week, and to respond to the questions for each week from the first person point of view. Such commitment furthers the student’s actualization of a religious life and set the foundation of self-mastery, circle attainment and the realization of true faith. At this time, no grades are given for completing UUI classes. This class has been designed chiefly for personal enrichment.
Weekly Outline
Week 1: The Father's Mandate
Be You Perfect
The Will of God
Fruits of the Spirit
Purpose and Progress
Week 2: Self-Mastery and Circle Attainment
Self-Mastery, Self-Control and Anger
Psychic Circle
Self-Respect, Jesus on Living
Week 3: True Faith; Religious, Spiritual and Soul Growth and Development, and Worship
True Faith
Spiritual and Religious Growth and Development
Worship
Week 4: Cosmic Citizenship, The Supreme, Adjuster Attunement and Being Human
Cosmic (universe) Citizenship
Mortal Relationship to The Supreme
Adjuster Attunement
The Spirit and Man
You are Human
Learning Outcomes
The revelators identify two goals in compiling the Urantia Papers, “to expand cosmic consciousness and enhance spiritual perception.” These purposes offer two very different avenues for developing courses for students of The Urantia Book. The first addresses learning and understanding concepts such as the various natures of the Deities and their interactions, cosmology, cosmography, how life began and the processes of mortal life, as well as much revealed spiritual truth. The latter presents a greater challenge as it refers to the individual’s religious experiences, his or her spiritual growth and development, the development of language to describe such experiences, and a willingness to share them. Additionally, such a course asks of the student how spiritual growth is manifest in the life of the individual, and how the individual measures the success of his or her efforts at enhancing spiritual perception.
The purpose of this course is to provide a forum to focus on how to achieve the many spiritual mandates we’ve been given, pathways to fulfilling them, and the benchmarks we can use in assessing our progress.
Michael Hill has been an avid reader and student of The Urantia Book since 1965. Its truths and concepts have formed the core of his life and continue to do so. In the late 1970s through the late 1980s he presented workshops at various Urantia Book conferences; he co-founded The School of Meanings and Values in the 1970s with Polly Friedman, another long-time reader whose mother was in the Forum.
Michael was an activist in his Santa Monica community, serving on numerous boards and commissions including the Santa Monica-Malibu School Board. He was also instrumental in creating a nonprofit that works to place at-risk individuals, veterans, and students in meaningful, career-track employment in construction and related trades.
He holds a masters degree in clinical psychology and is a retired marriage, family and child counselor, a high school teacher, and a consultant on land use for school districts. He has facilitated online courses for Urantia Book Internet School and Urantia University Institute, created the Urantia Book Fellowship’s Inmate Correspondence Program, and writes articles for the Interfaith column in his local newspapers, the Fellowship’s Mighty Messenger, and The Fellowship Herald. He lives with his partner on their small hay and berry farm in Alsea, Oregon.