Finding Shangri-La

Finding the Urantia Book is like having a Near Death Experience but without the car crash

The Urantia Book, I’ve been reading it for a quarter of a century. Why the hell would anyone repeatedly read a book like that for twenty-five years? Well, in my case, it reminds me of something. It reminds me of spiritual experiences that I’ve had. In fact, it doesn’t simply remind me – it expands upon and enables me to understand them better, and that is astonishing. Imagine, if you will, you were wandering haplessly through the highlands and fell upon Brigadoon, or tripping through the dizzying heights of the Himalayas and stumble upon Shangri La – that is what it’s like finding the Urantia Book.

But it’s more than that. It like after having found Shangri La or Brigadoon, you returned home and tried to tell everyone about the wonders of these faraway places with these strange sounding names but no one, and I mean NO ONE, believed you. You are left bereft and torn, wondering “Did I dreamed it all?”, and still afraid to not believe because you don’t want to betray the tremendous beauties and personalities that were revealed to your soul on that journey. And so, disconsolate, you wander.

And then, quietly, almost unknowingly, following the subliminal whispers of your unseen angels you flick over the pages of a striking book and notice something odd about it. It talks funny. It uses weird words but, all the same, something about it tugs at the soul. There’s something strangely familiar about it, like a tune you heard once in a far away land, or a curious odour that reminds you of something that you can’t quite put your finger on and then, as you flit excitedly through its pages, like a bolt of lightning it hits you – this is from Shangri La! This work was penned by the wise men of the hidden and holy cities! By the very ones who so regaled and enthralled your soul with their idealistic visions of what was, what is, and what is to be. Those wondrous beings in whose presence everything seemed to make sense. And you cry: “Bless my soul, this wonderful, wonderful book! I cannot believe that I have found this wonderful letter from beyond!”

Many of us have had trips to these grand spiritual realms, some travel through the gateway of the trauma following severe accidents, others after wandering for decades through the aesthetic highlands of extreme spiritual practice, and not a few who, through divine providence, were gifted with the “sight” but all are the blessed witnesses of a realm that few mortals know. Indeed, many are the paths thereto - and that is part of the problem. These experiences are so personal, so individual, and subjective, that to those that have not had similar experiences they are written off as mere delusions, illusions, or wishful fantasy.

That’s the thing about this marvellous book. In these moments of revelation, experiencers often report “downloads” into their ‘consciousness’ – some of which they can recall, some of which they cannot. Others recall how the “mysteries of the Universe” were laid bare and, for the first time in their entire existence, everything made sense. They often highlight how time in these realms is not experienced like it is in this one, and that communication occurs inconceivably faster there than we can achieve here. For comparison, think of how one conversation over a phone, or in person, can save you one hundred emails and texts. The communication modalities afforded through the channels of the spirit allow you to capture nuances that are impossible to communicate through any other medium. Consequently, those “returning” from the hidden realms often find themselves at a complete loss to explain what happened, how it happened, or how these experiences are relevant to the ‘ordinary world’.

There is no question but this mystery book is once-off, a Hail Mary sent by our unseen, but devoted celestial brethren! It offers wisdom, tools, insight, and profitable veins to dig into. It is a revelation rich in ideas, insights, hope and consolations. While openly owning and qualifying its imperfections, it does afford a valuable context or paradigm through which many spiritual experiences can be framed and elucidated upon. It does not provide complete harmony. It cannot do that. The trips people take are so unique and bespoke to the evolution of their souls that unity of perspective is impossible this side of the veil.

All that said, so many people out there would love [in theory at least] to have a Near-Death-Experience [NDE]. They would love to have an Out-of-Body experience [OBE]. They would love to experience the spirit realm but not the actual car crash, lightning strike or debilitating illness with the associated years of recovery. The Urantia Book, on the other hand, offers relatively immediate access to the insights of the higher realms, without the trauma but in real time. It offers decades worth of downloads but you have to read them in real time. Basically, it’ll take you decades of consistent effort to become fluent. You can get everything that occurs through the more extreme channels, but it just takes longer. All things considered, it probably takes about the same time to integrate the revelations experienced in something like an NDE as it does to do the same following discovering the Urantia Book. Finding the Urantia Book is very like having an NDE but without the car crash or heart attack or whatever. It can be utterly life changing but it can take DECADES to integrate the insights it offers. That said, the consolation, hope, and inspiration can be experienced immediately but the perfection of character it charts as a primary goal takes a bit longer and requires far more strenuous effort.

Having been blessed with profound spiritual experiences but struggling to make sense of them, the Bible and the Urantia Book provided me with the comprehensive metaphysical cosmologies that allowed me first to understand my experiences and then later articulate them in a way that might be truly meaningful and significant to others, to personalise the truths realised and make them functionally relevant.

The Shangri-La image in the article was generated using Gemini AI