Praise for Your Evolving Soul
Finally! The revelatory, scientific, and evolutionary import of The Urantia Book has been situated within an integrative context for the 21st century and beyond. Byron Belitsos wonderful book is a clarion call for all of us to (re)engage the Urantia cosmology and consider its provocative meta-view in a new and grounded way. The contribution Belitsos makes to our understanding of soul dynamics is essential reading in these turbulent times.
Sean Esbjrn-Hargens, PhD, founder of MetaIntegral; executive editor of the Journal of Integral Theory and Practice ; editor, Metatheory for the Twenty-First Century
In this important book, Belitsos brings his great learning in the worlds spiritual traditions to bear on the question of soul evolution. He illuminates the Urantia Revelation masterfully, placing this revelation within the larger context of the nature and function of our soul. In my view, this work truly makes a major contribution and deserves a wide readership.
Glen T. Martin, PhD, professor of philosophy and religious studies at Radford University; author, One World Renaissance and Millennium Dawn
Not that often do new revelations have an exegetist and polyglot who links them immediately to a pluralistic or integral developmental framework and lens. More often, they linger for years with other adherents believing they have a one and only way. Belitsos gives the Urantia message a fortuitous leap by linking it immediately to the modern oeuvre of interspiritual and integral worldviews.
Kurt Johnson, PhD , coauthor, The Coming Interspiritual Age
This extraordinary and brilliant book unveils the Urantia Revelation for those not yet ready to tackle such a lengthy tome. Byron not only makes a convincing case for its relevance today, but also manages to add a history of spiritual and philosophical thought that I found surprisingly interesting. Todays spiritual fashion seems to be pantheism, but Belitsos lucid writing will awaken you to richer and far more inspiring ideas about the human soul and the nature of God.
Katie Darling, spiritual teacher and founder of iWAVE Institute
Your Evolving Soul is a magnificent and timeless work of genius that will inform, enlighten, and raise the consciousness of truth seekers for this and future generations.
Robert W. Hunt, PhD, professor emeritus of mathematics, Humboldt State University
Your Evolving Soul is intellectually brilliant and at the same time spiritually resonant. The author supports in a most eloquent way the immense value of the revelatory work, The Urantia Book . He has not only performed a great service on behalf of this revelatory text, but he makes it real and meaningful in the lives of readers.
The Honorable Martin Risacher (Ret.)
Byron has been a good friend of mine for over thirty years, and I very much appreciate his big heart and keen mind. His latest book is an impressive fruit of his long spiritual journey. Although Im not a Urantia Book believer, this mysterious text is clearly full of inspiring spiritual teachings and deep theological insights, which Byron admirably brings to light. Moreover, Your Evolving Soul demonstrates the Urantia Books strong affinities with integral philosophy.
Steve McIntosh , author of The Presence of the Infinite, Evolutions Purpose, and Integral Consciousness
Your Evolving Soul not only targets the Urantia Book s spirituality from the standpoint of the authors own insightful experienceplacing it in a profoundly relevant historical context and destinybut he also rips apart the very foundations of this normally elusive topic to reveal just how much spiritual consciousness one person can have. As I read Your Evolving Soul I most assuredly climbed the rungs of Jacobs ladder to soak in the living Paradise Father and his transforming love.
Rev. Dr. Rob Crickett , global minister and teacher, and author of over twenty books on spirituality and Christianity
Brilliant! Belitsos conveys a profound explanation of why were here, where were going, and our contribution to the evolving soul of creation. His seminal work gathers and integrates vast knowledge of our traditions and also explicates the epochal revelation of the age to come that is stunningly delivered by celestial authors. What a journey of mind-understanding and soul-awareness that enables the serious reader to connect with his own soul and cooperate in its growth.
Richard Rosen, PhD, author of Dear Abba and Life After Death
Your Evolving Soul
Origin Press
PO Box 151117
San Rafael, CA 94915
www.OriginPress.org
www.Evolving-Souls.org
Copyright 2017 by Byron Belitsos
Front cover design by Mariah Parker (www.mettagraphics.com)
Interior design by Carla Green (claritydesignworks.com)
All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright.
No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without written permission from the author.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Belitsos, Byron, 1953- author.
Your evolving soul : the cosmic spirituality of the
Urantia revelation / Byron Belitsos.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
LCCN 2017905453
ISBN 978-1-57983-036-6 (paperback)
ISBN 978-1-57983-054-0 (ebook)
1. Urantia Book. 2. Soul. I. Title.
BP605.U75B45 2017 299.93
QBI17-741
Printed in the United States of America
First printing: April 2017
To the memory of my father,
Peter George Belitsos
A heroic man of his time who supported me unconditionally and who had a fervent faith in the value of progress
Contents
Chapter 2: The Grand Cosmos:
A Universal Theater for Soul Evolution
Complete Contents
Note to the Reader
T he manuscript of the The Urantia Book was completed in the 1940s, decades before gender-inclusive language entered into common usage. The Urantia text usually refers to Deity with male pronouns, although not in all cases. In my own discussion of theological topics, I take advantage of those few cases in which the UB does not use a male designation for a divine being. For example, the Supreme Being (evolutionary Deity) is referred to as both he or she in the Urantia textbut in my usage the Supreme is always designated as feminine. I use the same approach with the Third Person of the Eternal Trinity (technically known as the Infinite Spirit), who is sometime referred to as she. But it should be well noted that Deity beyond the so-called local universe level is genderless, whereas the Creators of our local universe actually are male and female beings, known as Christ Michael (a male Deity who incarnated as Jesus Christ) and Mother Spirit.
Because various editions of The Urantia Book use different pagination systems, it has become the convention to designate quotes first by Paper number (the 196 chapters in the text are known as Papers), then section number, followed by the paragraph number within each sectionfor example, [101:4.2].
Some of the quotes from the Urantia text are lengthy, so I have taken the liberty of adding emphasis in bold to aid the reader by highlighting crucial points.
Introduction