The Family Pledge and the Human Energy System

by Lois Carlson-Edgewater MO

In prayer recently, I asked God what He would need the most after the completion of the 360 Million Couples Blessing. He said, "Education." The specific education He was referring to is the education as to how the human energy system is constructed. The time is coming when we will be open to this aspect of the universe, the spiritual dimension, and we will need to know how we operate on the level of energy. On July 10, I wrote an essay on the Family Pledge and the chakras. However, I became aware that some of the ideas on the human energy field presented in this piece were unfamiliar to many. Therefore I have written this essay to go with the previous one in hopes of clarifying them.

Most researchers of the human energy field have found that it is composed of seven different size solid balls of energy (oval-shaped) all fitting within each other neatly. It appears as though there are seven different size layers of light energy surrounding and penetrating the human flesh form. Each successive ball of energy is larger than the previous one as you go away from the physical body. Associated with each "ball" are one or two main energy centers or vortexes called chakras. The chakras funnel or collect the incoming energy identical to its ball of light and release energy back to the universe.

There is a main energy current running through the center of the human energy field from the top of the head to the base of the spine. Five of the chakras (2-6) are composed of two funnel-shaped vortexes. One vortex is located in the front of the physical form and one is on the back with their tips facing inward towards each other and the larger opening facing outwards to receive the incoming light energy. The tips of the two funnels for each chakra meet at and flow into this main energy line. The funnel-shaped vortex for the first chakra opens downward toward the earth to receive from and release energy to the earth. The seventh chakra faces upwards to receive from and release energy to heaven. Their tips connect vertically to the main energy current. (As this is very hard to describe without the help of a diagram, I suggest you look at the diagrams in Barbara Brennan’s book, Hands of Light, for a clearer understanding.)

Each "ball" of energy vibrates at its own rate with the longer frequencies on the inside closest to the physical body and the shorter frequencies on the outer layers. The particular color of the "ball" corresponds to its wave length. Therefore, the colors of the layers follow the light spectrum of red (1st chakra), orange (2nd chakra), yellow (3rd chakra), green (4th chakra), sky blue (5th chakra), indigo (6th chakra) and purple (7th chakra) with the red layer closest to the physical form. Because waves of energy make sounds, each layer and corresponding chakra have their own tone.

On the physical level, each ball of light and its chakra (pair) correspond to the seven main biological systems and organs such as digestive, reproductive, mental. The human energy system is designed as such so that when God’s life elements (white light energy) enter the energy field of an individual through the top of his head, they are broken out into their color components and funneled to a particular chakra and its corresponding physical system for nourishment.

Edgar Cayce said that the endocrine system (glandular system) is the physical counterpart to the chakra system. Each chakra has a corresponding gland or glands associated with it. These glands transform the invisible light energy into physical components so that the energy can be used by the physical body. For example, the 4th chakra is associated with the heart, lungs, thymus and lymph glands. Again, this is common knowledge for those who have studied the human energy field. There is nothing new here, yet.

What’s new is the grace True Parents have given us through reciting the Family Pledge. We were created to become the incarnation of the Word. Sounds carry certain vibrations. Buddhists chant the word "OM" with the understanding that this word has a certain vibration which manifests in a certain form on the physical level. The Word is sound coming from the Heart of God containing meaning and purpose. This is the significance of the eight Pledge points. They contain the perfect quality (meaning and purpose of the Heart of God) and sound for each chakra for the 10 energy centers of the human energy system. (I will explain the three other areas of the human energy field in the next paragraphs.) I compare the Family Pledge of the Completed Testament Age to the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament Age.

"The number ten is the number of unity with God. The course of growth to maturity requires a period to fulfill the number 10, through which Adam and Eve were to become the perfect embodiments of the number ten. When this number was defiled by Satan due to their Fall, God sought a central figure in order to restore this number and begin His work to unite the people with Himself by restoring them as perfect embodiments of the quality of the number ten." Exposition of the Divine Principle, HSA-UWC, 1996, p. 299.

The eight Pledge points align with the human energy system as such: the first seven Pledge points carry the original sound or word for each of the seven chakras; the eighth Pledge point contains three in one as it reflects the inner character of God’s heart directly (intellect, emotion and will) which is reflected in the "heart aspect" of the human energy system. (This "heart aspect" is described in my book, Healing in the Aquarian Age: the Heart Body.)

By introducing the Original Word to each chakra, the false word can be revealed and then cleansed out of our energy system through the process of repentance. In Edgar Cayce’s book, Awakening Your Psychic Powers, he explains how he aligned the Lord’s Prayer with the seven chakras.

The tonal quality of the Korean words of the Family Pledge exactly match the energy pattern for each chakra. I see a song being revealed in the near future which will be sung with these eight points and used for healing and the liberation of spirits. Spirits are only able to attach to us because of the sinful patterns in our energy field due to the various kinds of sins we or our ancestors committed.

Caroline Myss, a well-known lecturer and author in the area of the development of the soul, aligns the seven chakras with the Old Testament and New Testament ages in her book, Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can. What she understands as the eighth level where we hold archetypes and our sacred contracts is what I understand to be the Heart Body, corresponding to the Completed Testament age.

Besides aligning the eight Pledge points and chakras with the three ages, I have aligned them with the Sung Sang, Hyung Sang and Heart aspect of a human being. This was explained in the essay I wrote on July 10, 1998 and is reprinted below:

The Family Pledge and the Chakras

One day I became determined to memorize the Family Pledge in English by heart. It was very difficult for me to memorize it because I was having a hard time understanding the flow of the content of the different points. Then one day I was inspired by the idea that these seven (now eight) points correspond to or align with the seven chakras. I further came to understand that you could balance each chakra by speaking each point while concentrating on the corresponding chakra. These seven points hold the original "Word" for each of the seven chakras. You can speak them in your birth tongue. But the best sound is the sound of your rebirth tongue, Korean, as this is the sound of Heaven.

When the eighth point ("Word") was given to us by True Parents, I understood that this represents the Heart aspect of our being which contains the Sung Sang element of the Heart of God: God’s original intellect (absolute faith), original emotion (absolute love), and original will (absolute obedience). By repeating the eighth point, you can align yourself with God’s original Sung Sang.

In addition to aligning the seven points with the chakra, I have aligned them with other points of interest:

1st Root chakra: Will aspect of physical mind (OT Age) "seek our original homeland...."

2nd Sacral chakra: Emotion aspect or physical mind (OT Age) "represent and become central to Heaven and earth...."

3rd Solar Plexus chakra: Intellect aspect of physical mind (OT Age) "perfect the Four Great Realms of Heart...."

4th Heart chakra: Spirit body (NT Age) "build the universal family encompassing Heaven and earth...."

5th Throat chakra: Will aspect of spirit mind (NT Age) "strive every day to advance the unification of spirit world and physical world...."

6th Forehead chakra: Emotion aspect of spirit mind (NT Age) "embody God and True Parents...."

7th Crown chakra: Intellect aspect of spirit mind (NT Age) "perfect a world based on the culture of heart...."

8th-10th Heaven: Absolute faith (intellect), absolute love (emotion), absolute obedience (will) of the Heart Body (CT Age) "achieve the ideal oneness of God and humankind in love...."

The verbs of the eight points are paired as follows, matching the two will aspects, two emotion aspects, two intellect aspects, and two "bodies": 1st and 5th chakras (will aspects); 2nd and 6th (emotion aspects); 3rd and 7th (intellect aspects); and 4th and 8th (spirit body and Heart Body). The basic content of the points align with the verbs as follows:

The 1st = "seek our original homeland" and the 5th = "strive every day to advance the unification of the spirit world and physical world." Both of these are seeking and striving for humankind’s original homeland.

The 2nd = "represent and become central to Heaven and earth by attending God and True Parents" and the 6th = "embody God and True Parents." Both emphasize the importance of becoming one with and representing God and True Parents.

The 3rd = "perfect the Four Great Realms of Heart" and the 7th = "perfect a world based on the culture of heart." Both emphasize perfecting heart, one’s own and the world’s.

The 4th = "build the universal family encompassing Heaven and earth" and the 8th = "achieve the ideal oneness of God and humankind in love." Both emphasize the oneness of humankind from the family level to the universal level.

An exercise you can do is to meditate on each chakra separately, repeating the pledge point to that chakra over and over again. Then ask God in prayer to show you the sin that is held in that chakra which is in violation of the heavenly law expressed within the pledge point. The next day look for the symptoms of the sin in your daily activities and relationships.

An example of this is if you focused on the 5th chakra (will, throat chakra), you may find yourself complaining and gossiping the next day (throat). This sin may manifest in you having a difficult time fulfilling your own promises (will). Pledge point 5 emphasizes the unity of spirit world (mind) and physical world (body). Repenting that night for the selfish showing of these sins such as envy or laziness with the true heart of gratitude to God for showing them to you will release the negative energy contained within that chakra and allow the holy Word to fill it.

* The concept of the existence of a Heart Body is probably new to many of you. Religions have called this part of a person’s being the Soul in contrast to the spirit. I give a deeper explanation of this part of a human being in my book, Healing in the Aquarian Age: The Heart Body. It can be found at my web site: members.aol.com/Eslcarlson/HBodyHeal. To sum it up, the Heart Body is the part of our divine nature which corresponds to the heart of God. It is unique to humankind, God’s children, and allows us to "have internal sensibility toward God" unlike the rest of the universe, including the angels. (Exposition of the Divine Principle, p. 46.)

The Crippled Teacher

by Chris Garcia-NYC

Let’s play a game then. Just you and me. Let’s do it this way:

We’ll pretend you’re not who you are; you’re a different person. You’re a Korean person, and you live in Seoul, Korea, and it’s a long time ago when your parents were the age you are now-probably the late ‘50's or early ‘60's. Got that right?

It’s summertime, and it’s really hot. You’re walking fast, because you have to be somewhere special, and you can’t wait to get there. There aren’t any cars or buses in this area, and you have to walk a long time to get anywhere. You’re almost there. You’re walking fast, and you pass a little store on the corner where the old man sells fruit and dried fish out of wooden boxes. You look for him, because the streets don’t have names or signs, but you know that when you see him you’re almost there.

You wave and say "Sugo hasayo, Halaboji," which means "You’re working hard, grandfather." He’s not your grandfather, but that’s how you always say hello to him and all older men. You come to the little side street, and you turn into it. Children are playing some kind of game in the dust. Down the little street is the house you’ve been looking for, the place where the crippled man teaches about God.

He’s a special man. There’s a sign hanging in front that says, "The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity." It’s a big name for such a little church. In a way, it’s not even a real church. It’s a broken down old house, where the teacher lives. It’s where people meet to learn about the teachings called The Divine Principle.

You run to the door, and someone opens it even before you knock, because to them you are special, and they’ve been waiting and praying for you a long time. You feel good. They’re terribly poor, these people; but you love them dearly, and they love God. They call Him "Heavenly Father."

They’re so excited to see that you have come, and they bring you into a room with a chalkboard on the wall like in school. But this chalkboard is hung close to the floor, because the man who teaches here can’t stand up very well. Sometimes, he leans on his cane to teach, but often he has to sit. Sitting on the floor is also difficult for him; and sometimes he even lies down while teaching. Strange, isn’t it?

When he sees you, he tries to get up, but you quickly bow to him and sit down to save him the trouble and pain. The teacher is Mr. Hyo Won Eu. He’s a real person, and in real life he was our church’s first lecturer of the Divine Principle. What that means is that he was the very first person, besides True Father, to teach the Divine Principle to people. A lecture is a talk about something. A lecturer is someone who teaches.

You sit there waiting for the other people to get settled, and you think, "What if he gives a lecture about Jesus today? The way he tells it always makes me cry, because it’s such a sad story. But it also makes me realize how much God loves us all."

Then you have an idea. "Perhaps today I should get up enough nerve to ask him about his own story. I’d really like to know more about him. Maybe when his regular lecture is done, I should ask him. Maybe he’d be surprised. Probably, people don’t ask him about his own story; but maybe he’d really like to tell it but is too modest to volunteer."

Mr. Eu’s life had been difficult. He had wanted to know about God so much that it almost made him crazy at times. He was a very educated man. He had a logical and scientific mind. That means he could think things through and figure things out. It was hard for him to believe anything unless it made clear sense to him. So he studied and learned; and he had many, many thoughts going through his mind. "How do things work in this world? Why were things created this way? Why were they created at all? Did God create them? If there is a God, why can’t I see Him?" And so on and so on.

Mr. Eu had an inquiring mind and liked to learn about everything, but the most difficult thing for him to study was the Bible. So many things in the Bible seemed mysterious to a scientific person such as he. It didn’t always make sense to him, and it didn’t seem to fit with what he knew about science.

Mr. Eu also had a disease in his bones that made him crippled, so he couldn’t do much work. In fact, he could hardly even walk. Much of his time, therefore, was spent studying and thinking.

He thought about God a lot, and he wished he could be a person God could use; but how could God ever use a crippled man for much of anything? It was very frustrating to have a mind so bright, and a body so weak. Many times, he felt that there was no hope for him in this world; and many times, he even thought he might just give up and kill himself.

At those desperate moments, he would always remember something. When he was a little boy, his mother had loved him so very much and had prayed for him every day. She believed in him. Thinking of her, he would then decide not to take his life.

Then one day a friend came to him and said, "I met a very interesting man, Hyo Won. His name is Moon Sun Myung. He’s a teacher, and the things he teaches about the Bible are astounding. He seems somehow to know the answers to all the mysteries in the Bible. You should check it out."

Mr. Eu wasn’t too interested. No one could understand the mysteries of the Bible.

Later, his friend sent two older women to visit him. Perhaps they could convince him to go hear these teachings. As soon as they explained a few things to him, he started asking questions. His questions were so difficult that they didn’t know how to answer them. They tried, but they were simple women and couldn’t answer such a smart and educated man. They started crying. They stood over him and just cried and cried and silently prayed for him.

He sat there thinking, "Who are these women, anyway? And why do I feel this strange feeling going through my body? Like heat. Like electricity. My heart is pounding. I feel like crying; but I mustn’t. Men don’t cry."

Finally, he felt he just had to go with them. But why? He couldn’t answer that, but the inner tug got stronger and stronger. His mind wasn’t touched, because they hadn’t answered any of his questions; but something spoke to his heart.

He went with the old ladies to a small house. He couldn’t just get up and go, of course. The house was on a hill, and the hills in Pusan are very steep; so he had to have two men carry him. They brought him into the little house, and he had to lie down on the floor, because sitting was too painful.

The group of people who followed Father at that time were few in number. Mrs. Kang was in Taegu, and Father was in Seoul. That left Mr. Aum who was away at his job a lot, a few older women, such as Mrs. Oak, and Won Pil Kim who was very young.

Since Father was gone, Won Pil Kim was the only one available to teach, and to Mr. Eu he appeared to be just a kid. Won Pil Kim seemed rather nervous, and when questions were asked, he didn’t seem confident to answer them. Mr. Eu didn’t know what to think. "Are these teachings worth listening to or not?" he asked himself. "Why am I here? Where are the old women?" But he kept feeling that strange tugging on his heart and that strange sensation of heat and electricity.

Mr. Eu’s inner struggle showed on his face. Won Pil Kim noticed it and felt badly that he couldn’t lecture as well as Father. He really wanted Mr. Eu to understand that the Divine Principle was God’s most wonderful message in the world.

Then he had an idea, "Mr. Eu, would you like to borrow these notes on the Divine Principle and study them for yourself?"

Mr. Eu’s face brightened. "Could I?"

"Yes, of course. It was written by Moon Son-sengnim. It’s the only copy we have, but I would really like for you to study it."

Mr. Eu took it home with him. He read it. He read it again. He studied every word. It made sense! It did explain the mysteries of the Bible! It explained the mysteries of life. He still had a lot of questions, but he knew he wanted to join this small group and work full-time for God. He was the very first person to join without first meeting Father.

Mr. Eu eagerly looked forward to meeting this great teacher. When Father came for a visit from Seoul in December 1953, Mr. Eu met him for the first time. He was quite surprised to see that Father was younger than himself; but it wasn’t long before he saw that age didn’t matter. He asked Father directly all the questions that were on his mind, and Father answered them all.

After Father’s Christmas visit, Mr. Eu felt he should move to Seoul with Father. This he did right away.

After helping Father find a small house with a room for meetings, Father spent many hours with Mr. Eu, teaching him, training him, helping him to understand The Divine Principle. As Mr. Eu developed diagrams and descriptions that would make it easier for people to understand, Father was by his side, making sure everything was accurate.

Mr. Eu soon became the official lecturer. Even though his body hurt, he gave lectures all day long, every day. Over and over, he taught God’s Truth. Even if nobody came, he continued lecturing the Spirit World. A person might look in and see him teaching an empty room and wonder what he was doing. Sometimes, he stood with a cane; often he sat. Sometimes, he even had to lie down to teach because of the pain in his body.

In the beginning, Father listened to all the lectures, and sometimes, he helped Mr. Eu explain some point or answer a question. At times, he would cry. Sometimes Mr. Eu would cry and continue lecturing through his tears. It was all right for a man to cry.

Finally, Mr. Eu took all his lectures and all the knowledge he had learned from Father, and he wrote The Divine Principle book. It was the first time Father’s notes had been made into a book so that people could read it for themselves.

Mr. Eu later became the first President of the Unification Church. Therefore, we call him President Eu.

He loved Father, and he always felt badly that he couldn’t bow to him. In fact, he loved him so much, he went out and had a special operation just so he could bow to Father at least once in his lifetime.

The life of this educated crippled man had been completely changed. No longer did he think of killing himself. Even though his body was weak, God could use his bright mind to teach others the Divine Principle. God always has a way of using a person, if that person really wants Him to.

In 1970 President Eu went to Spirit World. But whenever you hear a lecture on the Divine Principle, or whenever you see the Divine Principle book, you can think of him. And somewhere in Spirit World, he’s standing on his own two feet-strong and straight-and he’s teaching the Divine Principle to all your good ancestors-and probably mine, too.

Testimony to General Chang Song Kim

by Ennio Garau-Cyprus

I had the opportunity to meet Mrs. Kim as she was guiding the prayer to support the campaign for RFK. I had the privilege to be there when she gave a short testimony.

Her paternal Grandmother was a very devoted Buddhist. When her mother became pregnant with Mrs. Kim the grandmother had a dream that the child to be born would be a very special child. Therefore she prayed that the child would become a person totally dedicated to Buddha, every day going to the temple and making offerings and prayers for the sake of the child.

Her Mother was a very strong and faithful Christian and she prayed every day "Please Jesus take this child and let her be a missionary for your will". She grew up with these two very strong spiritual influences. She was absolutely and totally loved by all her relatives and grew up surrounded by the love and attendance of her family.

After she joined the Church she could not understand why people had resentment or hated each other. At the time of our engagement, the spring of 1981, she was in Kwangju, my wife's home town, and I probably met her at the church at that time. She was a regular member, her husband was the local VOC leader while she was busy raising her three small children. Although aware of her spiritual gift, she did not want to have anything to do with it until somehow God told her He needed her and she accepted. True Father has said that she is a gifted person and wherever she goes she has the ability to move the spirit world. He also said that if he could have ten people like her it would be very easy to restore this world, and that a person like that is born every three or four hundred years. True Father called her "My friend". She always teaches to pray and her prayer is always very strong and yet just at mentioning True Father's or the True Children's names she is always in tears. Her love towards True Parents and True Children is something I wish I was able to develop.

Her greatest wish is that we all are able to move the spirit world to be able to accomplish the great task ahead of us. She is not a pusher or someone who speaks from on high but wants to empower blessed couples to be what they know they can be. She is a wonderful loving person and her sincere love for all members is the most amazing thing that I have witnessed, especially for a Korean she has the ability to embrace and lift up all people of any race or color.

Her basic teaching is about prayer and how to get practical results with it. She has been an invaluable help to my spiritual life and I wish everyone had a chance to meet and pray with her. Her great ability, in my opinion, is to empower the blessed couples to exercise our God given power to work with and dominate the spirit world. Our mission is an impossible mission and the only way to be able to do it is through prayer. I am learning to pray after 21 years in the UM. I wish you all success.

St. Petersburg Prosecutor vs. CARP

by Konstantin Krylov-St. Petersburg, Russia

Starting September 21st, a hearing took place in St. Petersburg City Court on the suit of the City Prosecutor vs. CARP. The court heard the explanations of the Prosecutor, the representative of the local Justice Department of the City Hall who joined the Prosecutor's suit and the objections of the students representing CARP.

The Prosecutor's suit follows a infamous suit brought by anti-cult activists back in 1995 demanding the dissolution of CARP and the payment for compensation of emotional distress in the amount of $6 million. At that time the St. Petersburg Court for the procedure on the suit accepted the proposed allegations of brainwashing and destroying Russia's people. The problem for the anti-cult movement was that it did not have the legal right to demand the dissolution of the organization. After CARP pointed out this circumstance to the court, the Prosecutor and the Justice Department joined in the process in 1996. Since then neither the Prosecutor's nor the suit of the Justice Department was scheduled for hearing because it was obvious to all that they served as a cover-up for the anti-cultists' process.

The present hearing came as a consequence of the radical changes that took place in the anti-cult case.

First Week

First of all, a Court Psychiatric Expert Examination was requested by the anti-cult activists to prove that due to brainwashing the members of this youth organization had become deeply insane and required forced psychiatric treatment. The examination demonstrated the opposite. Moreover, the psychiatrists, headed by the chief psychiatrist of St. Petersburg, proved that all the examined members of CARP were fully sane and that conflicts in their families originated long before the Unification Church was registered in Russia. The anti-cult activists relied next on a Criminalist Expertise Institute of St. Petersburg. Nevertheless, after studying the documents and publications of the Unification Church and CARP, the examination by this institution proved that there is nothing of a criminal nature in the teachings of these organizations. Later in May 1998 the same anti-cult group lost a court case in Moscow against the Unification Church. That is why the old suit of the St. Petersburg Prosecutor had to be pulled out of the closet. What was its formal basis?

In 1994 a group of student believers decided to register a branch of the Unification Church in St. Petersburg. There immediately came a warning from the Justice Department demanding that they stop religious activities. The stubborn believers nevertheless submitted the request to register their church bylaws in order to have right to rent halls for their services, etc. In response to this, the Justice Department sent a new warning to CARP demanding that they stop religious activities and the Prosecutor solicited the court to dissolve the organization. The students disputed the Justice Department's warning in the court. At the same time the believers of the Unification Church addressed their complaint to the court about the Justice Department's refusal to register their bylaws.

It became absurd. The public organization CARP is to be dissolved due to its religious activities. At the same time the church community cannot register because its teaching is not recognized as religious.

All this would peacefully be resolved but the failure of the anti-cult group created complications. For example, the court has not dealt with the complaints of the student group and religious community for three years. The chairman of the court explained that the hearing couldn't take place without the documents that still have not been provided by the Justice Department. Now the anti-cult group can be saved through the Prosecutor. The group was called to the court in the summer of 1998 and found a pretext to have the court postpone its hearing until November. The anti-cultists made every possible effort to become witnesses in the Prosecutor's case. It was suddenly scheduled for hearing after three years of inactivity. In reality, if the Prosecutor succeeds in dissolving CARP, it will automatically stop the anti-cult group's case and will also solve the problem of refusal to register the church bylaws in St. Petersburg.

Another issue is weather the Prosecutor has enough of a legal basis to liquidate CARP. The main claims of the Prosecutor have not changed since 1996. These are artificial formalities not required by law, studies of Unification Church teachings (directly stated in the bylaws), no re-registration of the association's bylaws in accordance with the new law "On Public Associations" of 1995. The Justice Department joined these allegations, adding, "the charity programs held by the students violate the law and the organization's bylaws."

The students demonstrated in the court that they fulfill the formal duties, even exceeding the legal requirements. They showed their registered bylaws allow them to carry out charitable activities and studies of Unificationist teaching and the Justice Department had refused to re-register their new bylaws However, neither the Prosecutor nor the Justice Department changed its claims. At the same time the Justice Department came up with a new argument: It was not aware what kind of philosophy the Unification Principle (the Unification Church teaching) is, even though it had been presented to the Justice Department in 1991 when registering CARP of St. Petersburg. The Judge declined all the questions of the CARP lawyers addressed to the Prosecutor and the Justice Department.

The false claims were not the worst for the students. It was the obstacle to their active work. For several years they have been conducting charity projects for children in orphanages and were committed to taking care of dozens of children.

The court minutes go like this, for example: "If the study of the Unification philosophy is your goal, then why did you stop it? Does it mean that your organization does not exist anymore?" asks the Prosecutor.

"Your honor," responds the student, "in 1996 the Justice Department considered it an illegal activity. We stopped it until the court considers our complaint about the Justice Department's warning of this and decides if it is legal or not. For now we are focusing our efforts on charity projects, hoping to practice the principles laid down in our bylaws."

"Well," concludes the Prosecutor, "if you do not study the Principle, then you do not need your organization."

One can see the attitude of the Judge just by her refusal to accept into evidence materials and photos confirming the charitable actions of CARP.

Next the questioning of the witnesses began. These are members of an anti-cult group, invited by the Prosecutor, who go from one court to another testifying about the horrors of brainwashing. CARP protested that the witnesses are juridically interested in the solution of the Prosecutor's case and requested the court to dismiss the witnesses. That was rejected

Second Week

The second week of the court hearing began on the 28th of September and was dedicated to questioning the anti-cult activists, who are witnesses in the court case, and their children, who are members of CARP. The court also studied the minutes of the members' meetings and membership forms produced by CARP which the Prosecutor alleged that CARP does not have.

The chairperson of the Inter-regional Committee for Salvation from Totalitarian Sects, and two deputies testified about the horrors of "totalitarian sects" and the harm inflicted to the mental health of their children who "got involved in CARP by fraud." The activists appealed to the judges' patriotism and stressed that their children rejected traditional values, they became religious, quit their jobs and left home. They stated that CARP and the Unification Church were the same entity, which "brainwashes children and submits them to the will of foreigners -- the leaders of the sect."

The judge either dismissed the questions of CARP's lawyers to the anti-cult activists or answered these questions herself. The judge refused to accept as evidence the results of the court-psychiatric expert examination of the CARP members. According to its results, the children of the witnesses were found to be totally sane. At the same time the court accepted as evidence a letter of Father Oleg Stenyaev, a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church and the head of the Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Non-Traditional Religions, and various other negative evaluations of the teachings of the Unification Church.

Both the Prosecutor and the Justice Department representative actively supported the activists. Moreover, the Justice Department officially stated that in 1991 when registering CARP, they had no idea about its ideology. After a book of Unification Church teachings was presented to the court, the Justice Department said that they are not familiar with it. They could not answer the question about how it was possible then to register an organization that according to its bylaws studied this very book.

Because the anti-cult activists insisted that this literature was harmful, CARP requested the court to accept as evidence a resolution of criminology experts who found no such harm in the literature of CARP. The court refused.

After this the children of the anti-cult activists were questioned. They clarified that they had voluntarily joined and after that left the student association. They explained that when they were members of CARP, they attended its meetings, visited orphanages and took part in other charitable programs, and studied the teachings of the Unification Church. All this was in accordance with the bylaws of CARP. Their testimonies did not help the Prosecutor dissolve CARP and the judge began asking them why they changed their system of values. One witness testified that the Prosecutor calls her mother every day and discusses the development of this court case. The judge interfered and said that these calls have to do with informing the witness about the time of their interrogation. However, the witness pointed out that this would not have taken 30 to 40 minutes every day, as the conversations actually took. She also stated that the funding for the Committee for Salvation from Totalitarian Sects, according to her mother comes from the City Hall of St. Petersburg. Her testimony was stopped at that point.

The defendant expressed the opinion that the court is biased, referring to the judge's negative statements toward the Unification Church, the judge's juridical assistance to the plaintiff and the Justice Department's inability to answer the defendant’s questions. As a result, CARP demanded that the judge be dismissed. The court refused.

Nevertheless, the next day the judge gave the Prosecutor two months, requiring the Prosecutor to specify the claims of the dissolution suit and postponed the case until Nov. 30.

Let us conclude. After two weeks of the court hearing, submission of all the evidence and interrogation of all the witnesses invited by the Prosecutor, no basis for the dissolution of CARP were established. The Prosecutor received an extension and an opportunity to reformulate the dissolution claim. CARP was obliged by the court to submit further documents, which are not required by any law. Among those are the registration documents of the Unification Church in Russia and the USA, the list of missionaries of the Unification Church in St. Petersburg, the list of members of St. Petersburg CARP throughout the history of its existence, including information about their addresses, jobs and occupations. It appears that the Prosecutor will continue looking for compromising material against CARP. While the Prosecutor demanded the dissolution of CARP in March 1996 they have not provided proof by September 1998, and need still more time to prepare.

Your prayers for victory over this unjust challenge will be most appreciated,

Spiritual Growth on the Pure Love Tour ’98: Japan and Korea

by Victoria Onishi Wilding-Blaine, WA

Imagine marching in line under pouring monsoon rain with 300 other people. Sound like the army? Close. This is what it was like during many of our marches during the Pure Love ’98 tour across Japan and Korea. It was an all-out war against Free Sex. Dressed in our blue "PLA" (Pure Love Alliance) caps, Pure Love ’98 T-shirts and blue shorts, we were ready to fight with our banners, placards and slogans, such as "One love, one life, one man, one wife!" In less than three weeks we hit five cities in Japan and three in Korea, blitzkrieg-style, then concluded it all with an intense three days at Chung Pyung Lake. Although it was tough physically, as we were always on the go, this year’s tour was not only an eye-opening cultural experience, but a heart-moving life experience.

Our first and most important city in Japan was Tokyo. The outcome of the Tokyo rally would set the tone for the rest of the Japanese cities. Hundreds showed up at Yoyogi Park in the heart of Tokyo and proved to be a loyal and supportive crowd even under the heavy rain. I had the honor of being chosen as the student speaker from America. Actually, I had volunteered the night before, prepared the speech that morning in less than 30 minutes, and then just prayed desperately as I awaited my turn to go on stage. As the rally schedule kept changing by the minute, I wasn’t even certain that I would give my speech until one minute prior to going on stage. I felt that through my being able to keep a prayerful heart however, God let me give my speech and helped me do it with much confidence and passion. The rally in Tokyo was a success. The Associated Press covered our event, allowing news of the Pure Love Alliance in Tokyo to be in newspapers all over the globe. In fact, we got more media coverage there than at any other rally in Japan.

The Tokyo rally was followed by a rally in Osaka (held indoors) and one in Nagoya. After each rally, we marched through the busy downtown streets of these cities, attracting much attention from skeptical young people. As I stared into these people’s eyes, I kept a smiling face to inspire them about purity, but deep inside my heart was crying out. Sometimes tears almost did surface, as I thought of how much God loves and longs for each and every one of them. As my brothers and sisters, I felt I missed them and loved them so much, too. I just wished that they could come back home, back home to God’s love. As I thought of this my heart always became more desperate to spread this message of abstinence before marriage and fidelity within to all of Japan and the world.

In Hiroshima, I was privileged to be able to act upon my heart’s desire by collecting signatures for the "Pure Love Pledge" from people on the streets during the march there. Even though that morning we had seen how silent the city had been some 53 years earlier after the A-bomb had been dropped, that afternoon there were so many people coming and going in such a hurry, I didn’t know whom to approach first. I did approach many people but few even smiled and fewer still stopped to listen and sign the pledge. Once again I had a taste of God’s heart.

There was more of a joyful spirit at our last Japanese rally, held in Fukuoka. Everyone patiently endured the hour-and-a-half long rally sitting in the blazing sun, then gave their best during this final march in Japan. The chanting grew louder towards the end turning into a celebration of our victory. The president of the PLA, Mr. Robert Kittel, announced that although we had very little media coverage, we were able to meet several high-ranking government officials in the education department and discuss the issue of pure love. He also mentioned that our victory was each participant’s personal growth. Indeed, many of us hit our limitations during the stay in Japan. But, we quickly learned to be grateful, for instance, to never ask what you’re eating, just eat it and be glad to have a place to sleep, even under a grand piano in a sleeping bag with two other people in it. In fact, we had the opportunity to share our experiences until then in the form of skits and songs on the ferry between Fukuoka and Pusan, Korea.

The atmosphere was completely different in Korea. From the outside the country seemed a bit untidy. However, the Korean PLA members, who hosted the rallies, were bursting with enthusiasm. For example, they had created a cute song and dance about purity to be sung between acts during the rallies and at the conclusion of each rally they burned a hand-made "Free Sex Man" to signify the end of free sex. We rallied in Pusan, Taejon and Seoul, and as the Korean people have a strong sense of family values ingrained in their culture, we seemed more welcomed by the public and the media than in Japan and were even broadcast on national television after the Pusan rally.

Even after all the rallies and marches were over we received many blessings. First, we received from True Mother a personal breakfast invitation to Han Nam Dong (True Parents’ home in Seoul) at which time Hoon Sook Nim gave us a moving talk before flying to Russia for a ballet competition. Then we had the chance to see North Korea from a park along the border. There we held a special ceremony during which we prayed for the unification of North and South Korea. As we left the border, we parted, some in tears, with our Korean brothers and sisters with whom we had built close ties, and headed for our final destination, Chung Pyung lake. Although we had been yelling and screaming for purity for several weeks before going to Chung Pyung, many of us were not living the ideal lifestyle of purity, as Dae Mo Nim told us. However, the three-day workshop allowed us to take a deep look inside of ourselves, and to truly repent and purify our spirits. To me, this workshop was the best way to end the tour and prepare to face life in a world of free sex, because it allowed much time for personal reflection, prayer and re-determination.

As I look through my pictures of the tour, I realize how close I became to the other participants and that together we made memories which will last a lifetime. I am grateful for the experience I had, not only in reaching out to the youth of Japan and Korea, but in stretching my heart to embrace the people I ate, slept and bathed with each day. Pure Love ’98 gave me profound understanding of the importance of purity and the determination to practice purity in its complete sense, and I can’t wait for all the new experiences I’ll have on Pure Love ’99, wherever it will take me!

Victoria was blessed with Mr. Tomihiro Onishi (second son of Mr. and Mrs. Kunihiro Onishi, 777 Blessing) in June 13, 1998 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Reclaiming the Seed

by John and Sandra Lowen-NYC

Years of therapeutic counseling experience with couples and families have led to the recognition of one clear point in every troubled relationship: the moment that disillusionment enters. Parents bring home their beautiful baby, intrigued and excited by the promise they see in his precious little face. Fourteen years later, when they observe that face contorted with adolescent rage and rebellion, they feel as if they want to turn him out. Newlyweds sip a wedding toast of wine, looking lovingly into each other’s eyes. A handful of anniversaries later, little holds them together other than duty.

What has gone wrong?

Invariably, when people allow the excitement of the moment to overshadow its meaning, difficulty can arise. A case in point is John the Baptist at Jesus’ baptism; John was so dazzled by the experience of the dove descending from heaven that he failed to ponder with sufficient depth why the dove came down.

Ideals vs. Reality

An ideal is easy to get excited about; that is the nature of ideals. But what is the purpose of ideals? They are for the sake of inspiring one to work toward the substantive fulfillment of the goal. Therefore, it is easy to become "fired up" after hearing a stimulating talk about the ideal of marriage, true love, eternal coupledom, etc. It is quite different, however, when one is embroiled in an argument over the picayune events of the day, or divided with one’s mate over issues affecting the future of the family.

The marriage vows call us to love, honor and obey our spouses "for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health." These are, in fact, the most difficult times to love, honor and obey; are they not? It is easy to support someone who is pleasant, personable, healthy and rich. To be there for someone who is struggling spiritually or emotionally, ailing, and between jobs, is quite something else again. There are times when a spouse of lesser character may genuinely abuse the family’s misfortunes and purposefully, selfishly over-stress the union; but in general, the types of "better and worse" difficulties couples experience are of their own making. Do you expect your spouse to be the impossible, fulfilling unattainable goals? Or, to quote a famous maxim, if you found the perfect spouse, would that person want you?

Western fairy tales are full of stories about bewitched princes who are freed from their evil spells by the lovely and innocent princess, or of young princesses in dire straits who are rescued in their extreme moment by dazzling knights on prancing steeds and carried off to a sumptuous wedding feast in a palace of delights to "live happily ever after." Reality for many modern-day couples, however, is that the prince is matched to the girl with the pimples and the lank hair who was the worst fund-raiser on the team, or that the princess is walked over from Madison Square Garden to McDonald’s, or maybe the luncheon special at the Tick Tock Diner, and then whisked off by elevator to what threatens to be life eternal as Queen of the New Yorker. Their days are filled with fundraising, Church missions at minimal wages, and pre-Blessing quotas. As the years pass, their husbands’ handsome navy suits become shinier, tighter and more threadbare. The luxurious head of hair recedes beyond the reaches of Rogaine. Husbands unwrap their lovely brides, only to discover that much of what they have admired reflects the expert skills of the dressmaker rather than Nature’s bounty. Over the years, their lovely ladies grow less concerned about their appearance; going for comfort and convenience rather than the extra effort beauty requires once it is no longer second nature. Lovemaking, once the spice of the relationship, now becomes something that, once the children start to come, the couple finds they don’t have the privacy for, don’t have the time for, don’t have the energy for....

When Dreams Die

And so the inevitable day comes when one of the couple looks over in bed at the other-who is snoring, sweating, drooling on the pillow-and thinks, "What am I doing here?" Old paramours come to mind; scenes from the past, confessed at the Matching, arise with their attendant passion idealized by time. It is a short step to action, and all downhill from there.

What of the spouse, who feels a chilly wind where warmth once was, and cannot figure out why? Often there is a fear that to name the evil is to give it life. Perhaps if one says, "Honey, what’s wrong?", Honey will say what is wrong; and then the responsibility will be upon me to help find a solution. Therefore, the chilled-out spouse resorts to hard work. "Surely, God can enter the relationship if I work hard, and the problem will go away and things will be as they were," they think. They resolve to pre-Bless more couples, or sell more product, or clean the house better, or go to Sunday service more often. When these things don’t make the relationship better, they call their faith into question, and the relationship deteriorates even further.

Reclaiming the Seed

The couple must return to the ideal which brought them together in the first place, if their marriage is to survive. Just as restoration has to occur in the river of human history all the way back to the small tributaries which are its source, so the couple must go from the vast ocean of the Kingdom of Heaven, which embraces the world, to the tiny upstream tributaries where the ice melts and their personal love begins. After all, there can be no ocean without the tiny tributaries.

Before we entered into the Blessing, we disclosed everything to True Parents, who represent the ideal couple we are meant to be. To reclaim the seed, we have to substantially know and understand the workings of our spouse’s heart and mind, and the circumstances of their lives which hold them to the path or may threaten to derail them.

There was a period in which Adam and Eve had to obey the commandment. This period existed not because God was anti-sex, but because Adam and Eve were not mature enough to be intimately involved until they had successfully completed a growth process. So, too, as couples, we are told not to stir up the past, because many of us are not mature enough to look at the course of restoration our spouses have gone, without passing judgment or accusing. To avoid that temptation, that door remains closed. However, it cannot remain closed forever, any more than the commandment not to eat could remain in place forever.

It has been said that each of our marriages represents the restoration of a failed marriage prior to True Parents’ coming. If this is so, there is a certain amount our spouses must know about us, so that we can understand and fulfill our missions. It is not to be interpreted that every dirty little detail is to come out; but if one goes to the doctor to be healed of an illness and does not reveal the significant symptoms, one may be misdiagnosed, and the result may be fatal.

In this regard, Hoon Dok Hae is invaluable to couples, in that it creates a safe environment and pure vessel in which couples can disentangle the pain they had to endure before they had their spouse as a personal messiah to assist in their restoration process. It is a glorious time we are in, that we can have partners help us internalize the Word. Even with the best of intentions, how many people heard Divine Principle less than three, five, ten or a thousand times in their career, and then carried on the bulk of their lives, based upon the ideology, as opposed to the personal experience of restoration that can come only with a personal messiah? How many became so involved in a mission or a career that the Principle became something they assumed was in their bones, when it was just skin-deep? The Book of Revelation speaks of those who have forgotten their first love. Our first love must be the love of God and His Word, and our mission in life must become the multiplication of that love. When we have absorbed this Word into our bone marrow, we become beautiful and powerful couples.

However, to simply absorb the Word and work hard at something else is not enough. We must work at our marriages. Many couples will say, "Why should I go to the trouble of looking nice? After all, we are married." In fact, that is the best reason to go to the trouble of making an extra effort to please one’s spouse. True Father spoke deeply to Church members in Canada, Dec. 1995, about the ideal relationship of man and woman. In that talk, he spoke of preparing for one’s spouse; of periodically even redecorating the bedroom, with new bedding and curtains. Should we do any less for ourselves? One should always keep surprise and excitement in one’s mate’s eyes, and keep those eyes turned toward one. Then fantasies disappear, and home becomes the place the spouse wants to be.

The essence of the marriage-the seed that germinated when two people realized they were called upon by God to be together into eternity and beyond-must never be neglected. Instead, the couple must make every conscious effort to spend even a small amount of time together, wooing and winning each other’s hearts on a daily basis. When the couple is happy, the children are contented. The excited home is the joyful home; there, God can dwell forever.

John and Sandra Lowen (1800 Blessing) are both therapists with specialized credentials in Marriage and Family Counseling. They are American National Messiahs to the Republic of Argentina, and have one son, Aliso.

Producing Blessing '98/Behind the Scenes

Report by David Eaton

The Blessing '98 event at Madison Square Garden was undoubtedly one of the most significant events that our movement in America has produced. As producer of the overall MSG program I was presented with the challenge of fashioning an event that would reflect the spirit of True Parent's vision and values. With guidance of Rev. Chung Hwan Kwak, Rev. Joong Hyun Pak, Mr. Neil Salonen and Dr. Tyler Hendricks, and with the talents of numerous individuals, we were able to produce an event that many felt True Parents could be truly proud.

Assembling "The Team"

Needless to say, an event this magnitude in a major venue such as Madison Square Garden, required enormous logistical planning and preparation. Productions aspects such as lighting, sound, video recording and production, satellite broadcasting, image magnification (I-mag), art design, staging, decorations, credentials, security, talent coordination, musical production, finances, media coordination, transportation, catering and archival photography made this event extraordinarily complex. Working in Madison Square Garden with the various trade unions that are part of the Garden's infrastructure made the task even more daunting.

Fortunately, having produced the Blessing '97 event at RFK Stadium with a talented group of members and professionals just seven months earlier, made the MSG project a bit more manageable as we were able to reassemble most of our production team for Blessing '98.

Key to this was our ability to hire Robert "Mo" Morrison as our production coordinator. Uncle "Mo" (as he is affectionately known) is one the production industry's most talented and highly regarded producers. With concerts and tours with Michael Jackson, the Grateful Dead, and Woodstock under his belt, Mo has a wealth of experience that we were able to draw upon. The fact that he was a pivotal player in the RFK production and had previously worked at MSG, made his presence on the Blessing '98 team all the more helpful.

In addition to Mo Morrison there were several talented individuals who were on board to expedite the Blessing '98 program. Television Director Ron De Moraes (another RFK veteran) was the executive in charge of the line broadcast and satellite shots, Alan Nuemann of Metropolitan Entertainment our television line producer, Bill Popa (who was with us at RFK) was the satellite up-link provider/coordinator and Ken Viola of Metropolitan Security (also at RFK) was our security liaison with the Garden.

The contributions of FFWPUI members were also important to the success of Blessing '98. Dr. Tyler Hendricks, Linda Eisenberg and Larry Moffitt were the script writers, Peter van Geldern was the art director, Simon Kinney was the I-Mag director, Adruma Victoria and Sandra Lowen were the line producers for the 2,000 Voice Inter-church Choir, Jerry Heying was our director of security, Michael Lograsso was credential manager.

There were numerous advance meetings at Madison Square Garden to work through labor requirements, scheduling and production parameters. The fact that we had only two and a half days to accomplish all load-in and set-up tasks made scheduling and advance preparations crucial. A one hour delay in production procedure could have potentially added tens of thousands of dollars in labor charges as several trade unions were involved in providing the necessary technical support.

Working through all the production parameters with Mo Morrison, Ron DeMoraes and the Garden staff provided valuable experience for all of us.

The 2,000 Voice Inter-church Choir

One of the most significant aspects of the Blessing '98 was the participation of the 2,000 Voice Inter-church Choir which was comprised of 83 choirs from various churches from the East Coast. The inter-church choir concept was based on the inspiration of Rev. Joong Hyun Pak, North American Continental Director. Rev. Pak felt that this choir would give strong impetus to our mobilization effort as congregations of the participating choirs would attend in order to support their church's choir. It was strategy that worked brilliantly.

Originally the idea was said to have a 1,000 voice choir, but as the idea caught on the number of churches wanting to be part of this historic ensemble increased rapidly. Rev. Pak felt that any church willing to participate be accepted. Singers from New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Virginia, Chicago, Richmond and Washington, DC were involved with the New Life Tabernacle Baptist Church of Brooklyn and their dynamic conductor, Angela Moses, acting as the lead choir.

Those who were in attendance couldn't help but being moved by the power and majesty of the choir and Rev. Pak deserves enormous credit for seeing this aspect of the production through to its successful culmination.

A Reflection

For me personally Blessing '98 was a very rewarding experience. Having been in the Performing Arts in our movement for over 22 years, Blessing '98 represented a culmination of sorts. This was a harvesting of many of the seeds that True Parents have planted in their quest for an ideal world.

Obviously, Father has hope and a certain faith that we can eventually achieve our innermost goals as Tribal Messiahs and professionals in our respective areas of endeavors. I feel very strongly that with the proper spiritual attitude and external circumstances, many of our talented members can produce significant results in their professions. This was evident in the efforts of many members who were involved in the Blessing '98 production.

I thank God and True Parents for their support in making the production of Blessing '98 as successful.

Oneness With God

by Claire Bowles-Tulsa, OK

Very much like growing to physical maturity, spiritual maturity may be touched upon many times before a person can stand up and say, "I am One with God now."

Was there a moment in your growth from child to adult when you were able to say, "I am mature now. I am grown up at last"? You may have been able to say it one day, but the next day had to take it back and say, "I’ve changed my mind …I’m not mature after all." Isn’t growing up like that? Isn’t it very hard to put your finger on the day you were actually grown?

Even your own mother could not tell you when you were grown. Was it your 18th birthday? Your 21st? We verge in and out of maturity until …until when? At 45 I can’t say I am always mature. It is the same with spiritual growth, which is the growth into Oneness with God.

What was the time frame you put on reaching Oneness with God? How long did you think it would take? 20 years? 200 years?

Oneness-when God and Man are merged into one Being. When God is more than father; more than husband; the other half of yourself. When His punch line and your chuckle occur at the same moment. When His soft word of love to you is yours to Him, simultaneously. When you are the beautiful garment upon His lovely body.

Oneness is something we can taste, then touch, and then touch again as we move towards our eternal Union with God. The first taste of Oneness fills us with the desire to reach it again and again; more fully, for longer periods. Touching Oneness is the catalyst for continued resurrection. It is the confirmation of all your years of work and the reminder of why you are doing all this stretching and reaching towards Divinity.

Before we can examine the Oneness experience itself and what it will be like for each of us (something that we will discuss further another time) we must first believe that there is such a thing as Oneness between God and ourselves.

Well, is there? According to the Divine Principle there is. The fact that Oneness was God’s original desire for us is part of our belief system. The fact that God needs this Oneness with us for His own happiness is also part of that belief system. So why do many of us seem not to believe in Oneness with God?

Oh, we believe it for True Father or True Mother. We even believe in it for humanity as a whole, in some distant, misty future…but not for ourselves. Not me, not now. How could I even lift my face up towards His throne, let alone melt into Him and Him into me?

Our feelings of lowness come from centuries of Christianity. Our sense of sinfulness is what we’ve been taught over the decades of our lives. It is what we are told even now by the myriad spirits whispering in our ears, in our minds.

These religious teachings had their place in history. This education had its place in our lives, too. But now is the time to start to speak aloud the words which are in your heart…in your original mind: "Oneness is within my reach and I am worthy to reach for it…I must reach for it."

Is reaching Oneness such a gargantuan task? I believe it is closer than we think. So close, in fact, that only a small shift in viewpoint would shine a bright light on the short distance we have yet to go; the few steps we have to take, into the arms of our beloved.

Just like growing up physically into a man or woman: you had to follow the rules of physical growth, eating well, etc. But time also dictated your level of growth. At seven, just like every child in the world, your baby teeth were falling out. At fifteen you could see the hairs on your chin if you were a boy, or had your period if you were a girl. Well, now is the time for our growth into spiritual maturity.

True Parents have opened the age of Oneness to us. The age of religion can now be closed at long last. This is the time. Our Oneness is the only thing that can get us past the age of religious structure. Until we reach Oneness, we will still need religion. Let us leave behind those primitive needs of a primitive age. Let us grow up into the maturity that is now made available to us. God has waited long enough and only our growth into Oneness can comfort Him in the truest sense of the word.