What is friendship?

What is friendship? Friendship is perhaps the highest human relationship that can exist on Earth. It is the desire to serve one's fellow human and that human's desire to serve you. Service is not duty: it is loving kindness. It involves no obligation. It involves no “shoulds.” It involves no “have tos.” It comes from love, the love of one human for another, to put their good first. It has no price tag, true friendship. It is freely given and gratefully received as the great gift of time. 

It comes from understanding. When you feel annoyance, irritation, hurt, conflict you must spiritually stop and reflect and pray to understand that person, for when you understand, tolerance begins. Tolerance is a fruit of the spirit. Now, once tolerance, real tolerance, not false tolerance, exists in the human, then love grows. It is the door to love. Now, some personalities are easily understood, intuitively. Others require more work. Theoretically every personality has the capacity to love every other, but in actuality that remains not so or potential far into your ascendent career. But we may begin consciously practicing friendship right now.

Do not underestimate this word. It is what kept the Apostles together; not faith, not teachings, not association with the Creator Son in human form, it was simple and glorious friendship! Friendship, the cement of loyalty, being sure of love, the bind which cannot be broken. Friendship can exist not only amongst your species, but you may also be friends with your angels, with myself and the other teachers, and with God. Think of God as a friendship and do not neglect your service to Him.

Many may say we are respectful toward others because they contain a piece of The Father. That is true, but it has not deep roots in the human heart. You do not yet believe you contain this piece in yourself; how then could you believe it in another - truly believe it and act on it? Thus, we must approach spiritual living from a different standpoint the standpoint of tolerance, friendship, love. Every partnership throughout your ascension career will be based upon these qualities.

Indeed, when you reach Mansonia, your companions will be - of course - your guardian seraphim, but when you are not with them, your closest companions will be the transition seraphim, who are visiting or unassigned seraphim of friendship. They will teach you much. They want to be your friends. This word is overused by you, and thus undervalued.

You will read Rodan and practice being a better friend with one person. You may choose to share this amongst yourselves or keep it private. That is up to each of you. But this will be your assignment. We shall practice, and I know - my brothers and sisters - next week you will come with even more radiant hearts and souls and smiles to this meeting. 

Friendship is the basis for your entire ascension career, the outreach to serve one's fellows, the understanding followers, the honoring of their Divinity and evolving souls, and the eventual love that will grow. Partnership with other ascendant beings and all other universe beings is the essential nature of service. To know ones fellows, to rise above personality conflict, to love those who are still different, eventually, is intense spiritual growth. We start simply because a quart cannot exceed a pint and you are little pints right now.

Now, there are four people who should be regarded as friends. They are:

1. The helper, is our friend in four ways:
   • they protect you when unforeseen dangers strike,
   • they protect your property when you are away or unable to do so yourself,
   • they will show their strength when you are in fear,
   • and when you have work to be done, they supply twice as much help as you require.
     
     
2. Those who never change in good times or bad, are our friend in four ways:
   
   •  they tell you their secrets,
   • they do not reveal your secrets,
   • they will never leave you in times of trouble,
   • and most importantly, they will lay down their life for those they love.
     John 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
     John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
     
     
3. Those who only give good advice, they are our friends in four ways:
   •  they keep you from doing wrong,
   • they assist you when you do what is right,
   • they freely teach what you do not know,
   • and most importantly, they show you the way to heaven.
     
     
4. And those who are compassionate, they are our friend in four ways:
   
   • they do not find enjoyment through your misery,
   • they find happiness in your good times,
   • they will restrain any who speak poorly of you,
   • and will rejoice when others speak well of you.

Tomas: In the sweep of time and space there is sometimes no particular reason to come together in association except for the merits of relationship, the amicability of a friendly visit.

The quality of an informal get-together is an event even so. It is an opportunity for you to review your wealth of accomplishments and associations. When your friend comes to visit, your day is elevated from a 
day of solitude into a sharing situation that helps you realize the interweaving of personalities throughout the lives of those who find value in fellowship. 

"The road to a friend's house is never long," it is said. All it requires is a decision to make the effort to step out of isolation into companionship. We are coming into the season where your lives will be enriched by associations with fellows offering opportunity now to enhance your well-being by engaging in exchanges of philosophy and creativity, such that you are able to augment the quality of your life and the lives of others by the texture of two where there was one.  

The quality of relationship is a means to another dimension. You are in a position to put into practice the belief that if there are two or more of you gathered together in His name, He is there in your midst, and so you have an opportunity to enhance a simple Saturday visit by inviting a reflection of the Spirit of Truth to join with you. Enhancing your fellowship by the presence of the Master, you grant yourselves liberation  from the fetters of time and the monotony of mortal existence, thus your chance visit by a friend passing by is a rightful celebration, an event, an alteration in time and space.

I was reflecting on the impression of how so many find their lives a dark backdrop upon which occasional events evince a bright light on their otherwise grey existence, but how it seems that as you incorporate your divine nature in your appreciation of who you are, you are more able to discern your life as an experience of enlightenment and increasing luminosity with occasional shadow valleys of experiential musings. Let's add some color to this palette by inviting in a friend, by opening the door of your mind, heart, soul and psyche to the interconnectedness that comes when you reach out to others and they reach out to you.  

It has been said that `He who would have friends must show himself friendly.' Oh, I could have a whole lesson on how that may be perceived, but you who have been born of the spirit have certainly perceived the light of truth in the friendly nature of one who has goodwill toward all men, one who has agendas but which do not require full time devotion, ones who stop by on a Saturday afternoon to conjoin in the interests of others without guile.  

Friendliness is a skill, an art. After having been exposed to the darkness, there may be some reluctance to open yourself to the light of friendship. It may require from you an effort. It may require from you a certain commitment to step out of the sanctity of solitude into the adventurous arena of association.  

All this to say how much I enjoy the pleasure of your company! I look forward to our visits. I have been exposed to circumstances which are far more backward, wherein tribal members regard an outsider with distrust, and although I have no worries that we'll be burned at the stake, I am aware of occasions when the visitor receives "the evil eye" even in advance of their arrival.  

This is the beginning of a new era. Only the beginning, but we have definitely stepped over the threshold. We begin anew in some very fundamental areas. It's necessary, — in order for us to build, create, design, develop, foster, further new levels of relationship, interaction, business and community, — to extend our hand in friendship. In this way our limited solitary existence is expanded to include the spouse, the family, the clan, the tribe, the nation, the globe, the galaxy.

When you reach a point of stepping out into an area of investigation and you encounter those who are closed or suspicious, doubtful, distrusting, think of them in terms of those who have not yet seen the light. They have not come out from their long solitude into the clearing — where the light of the Son shines — but such a startling example can you set, those of you who have nothing to fear by opening your hearts and minds to impressions of others as they enter into your frame of reference as a gift, a bestowal, a breath of 
fresh air, a creative stimuli that elevates a common everyday day in the life to a personal spiritual experience because it has been enhanced by a simple visit from a common friend.  

It does take time to develop meaningful associations, the kind that amount to kindred spirits in will, but these relationships are developed out of mere associations, by and through your extending yourself in friendship into the arena of life without judgment, without pressure, without prejudice but with a childlike attitude of a party-goer, invited to celebrate a birthday with a neighboring child and friends.