You Too Can Be Caligastia

Isn’t there some guy or girl, or whatever (gender and identity are pliable on the Internet) using the name Caligastia? I don’t really pay enough attention to be sure if it’s really him or not. Maybe I’m not who I am. Whatever happened to that young face in the mirror? Thinking about the Big C got me wondering about the rebellion. What did Caligastia do that was so bad? After all, he supported individual rights, freedom of expression, and doin’ your own thang, all concepts that we Americans just love to death. So, where did he go wrong?

There are two ideas that I wish to discuss from The Urantia Book. The first is liberty vs. license. Lucifer started the rebellion by stating that all creatures should “enjoy the liberty of individual self-determination” (604.1). And indeed all freewill creatures like us do enjoy self-determination. God does not interfere in the choices of individual personalities. The rebellion showed that God allows beings to make choices. The problem comes not from a lack of liberty, but from an abundance of self-focused, self-interest. The book accuses Lucifer of “self-contemplation”, a more complicated way of saying he was selfish (601.5). Because we live in a universe jammed packed with other beings, we need to limit our activities or risk hurting other beings. A universe consisting of a vast network of interactive relationships requires individuals to consider the needs of others. The alternative is “abject bondage” the result of license (613.7). If all I ever do is satisfy my own needs, I end up taking from others. Caligastia agreed with the Lucifer declaration of liberty and declared himself absolute ruler of Urantia (755.3) and “God of Urantia and supreme over all” (755.6). Caligastia declares independence, and we all end up under his boot. So much for liberty and justice for all. The Urantia Book says; true liberty is self-respect and self-control. False liberty is self-admiration and self-assertion (614.1).

The second idea from the rebellion revolves around the importance and unimportance of time. Time is important because of the need to gain experience. Lucifer tried to short circuit the time element in a universe where spiritual advancement is grounded in experience. The Urantia Book says that all of us partake in the “thrilling experience of contributing something personal and unique to the slowly erecting monument of experiential wisdom” (615.0). Through our experiences we grow in wisdom and spirituality, and we contribute to the experiential wisdom of the cosmos. Lucifer and Caligastia wanted to cut short the time required to achieve the kind of experiences that improves the individual and the cosmos. Impatience also ruined Adam and Eve’s mission (840.2). Positive experiences that contribute to the advancement of the universe cannot be obtained without the passage of time.

As you can see time is important, however, the amount of time required to achieve goals is unimportant. Lucifer attacked the large group of finaliters assembling on the outer worlds. They had been assembling on the worlds of our local universe for a long time without an obvious purpose. He said that they were proof that there was no future destiny for the inhabitants of worlds like ours (604.1). Where he had made a mistake in his reasoning is he assumed that by taking a large amount of time before the start of their new mission they were proving that there was no mission. However, the universe is eternal and the destiny of finaliters stretches into eternity as well. This makes the amount of time it takes for them to prepare for their future mission moot. It is the same with all beings who have faith in God and therefore have embraced the universe adventure. None of us have a time limit on our experiential existence. We have all the time there is to learn and grow and live in a cosmos without end. And how long it takes for us to reach the presence of God and then go beyond just doesn’t matter.

Once again, time is important for the gathering of experience. The amount of time it takes to gain experience that is positive and uplifting is not important.

Where has the time gone? The older I get the faster time passes in front of my unfocused eyes. I must dash for I have places to go, people to see and experiences to acquire that are important in the goal of eternity. But as time rushes through my life like the wind, I realize the old saying is true; it’s the journey that counts. How much time it takes, or where I end up along the way is not as important as the direction I am moving in. The goal is communion with God, and helping God’s children as I pass by. I don’t have to worry about punching a time clock.

God Bless You,

William Whitehead