Understanding Morontia Mota
(This was workshop presented by Prue Scott at the ANZURA conference 2025)
The Gods cannot—at least they do not—transform a creature of gross animal nature into a perfected spirit by some mysterious act of creative magic. 48:0.1 (541.1)
Hmm… Why not? Why can’t we just step through a portal or a star-gate or a wormhole?
What magic could death, the natural dissolution of the material body, hold that such a simple step should instantly transform the mortal and material mind into an immortal and perfected spirit? Such beliefs are but ignorant superstitions and pleasing fables. 48:0.2 (541.2)
Ok. Now they’ve managed to shatter all our illusions!
It’s explained to us that prior to Jerusem citizenship we go through an educational journey through the seven Mansion Worlds. On the first Mansion world we play catch-up where we get to experience any deficiencies or unfulfilled longings from our mortal life on Urantia. They also introduce concepts of mota. From paper 103:6.7 (1136.2) it’s explained that:
- Science uses reason
- Religion uses faith
- Morontia uses mota. Mota is a supermaterial reality sensitivity.
It goes on to describe one method that is used to teach us on Jerusem; by a parallel technique – that is, in one column are presented the simpler concepts of mota meanings, and in the opposite column it has comparative statements of mortal philosophy.
…and though I may not undertake to present the mota content of the lesson, I am permitted to record the twenty-eight statements of human philosophy which were designed to assist the efforts to grasp the significance and meaning of mota. 48:7.2 (556.2)
These illustrations of human philosophy are listed as 28 human philosophies. In this workshop those 28 philosophies were printed on separate cards and placed in a basket and handed around to the participants.
They were asked to interpret this one philosophy using four posed questions:
- What do you think it means?
- Can you think of an example?
- Does this somehow apply to you personally?
- What do you conceivably imagine the equivalent Mota concept might be?
Some of the 28 philosophies were selected from a lotto style ball and the lucky winners who answered those questions were called upon to share their answers to the four questions.
A thoughtful and clever sharing followed which prompted many views from other participants. It gave us opportunities to explore some of the ethics of life here on Urantia knowing that they could be translated into a ‘higher’ understanding of cosmic participation.
As a refresher, here are the 28 human philosophies for Morontia Mota listed for you to ponder:
| A display of specialized skill does not signify possession of spiritual capacity. Cleverness is not a substitute for true character. 48:7.3 (556.3) | 15. Affectation is the ridiculous effort of the ignorant to appear wise, the attempt of the barren soul to appear rich. 48:7.17 (557.1) |
| Few persons live up to the faith which they really have. Unreasoned fear is a master intellectual fraud practiced upon the evolving mortal soul. 48:7.4 (556.4) | 16. You cannot perceive spiritual truth until you feelingly experience it, and many truths are not really felt except in adversity. 48:7.18 (557.2) |
| Inherent capacities cannot be exceeded; a pint can never hold a quart. The spirit concept cannot be mechanically forced into the material memory mould. 48:7.5 (556.5) | 17. Ambition is dangerous until it is fully socialized. You have not truly acquired any virtue until your acts make you worthy of it. 48:7.19 (557.3) |
| Few mortals ever dare to draw anything like the sum of personality credits established by the combined ministries of nature and grace. The majority of impoverished souls are truly rich, but they refuse to believe it. 48:7.6 (556.6) | 18. Impatience is a spirit poison; anger is like a stone hurled into a hornet’s nest. 48:7.20 (557.4) |
| Difficulties may challenge mediocrity and defeat the fearful, but they only stimulate the true children of the Most Highs. 48:7.7 (556.7) | 19. Anxiety must be abandoned. The disappointments hardest to bear are those which never come. 48:7.21 (557.5) |
| To enjoy privilege without abuse, to have liberty without license, to possess power and steadfastly refuse to use it for self-aggrandizement—these are the marks of high civilization. 48:7.8 (556.8) | 20. Only a poet can discern poetry in the commonplace prose of routine existence. 48:7.22 (557.6) |
| Blind and unforeseen accidents do not occur in the cosmos. Neither do the celestial beings assist the lower being who refuses to act upon his light of truth. 48:7.9 (556.9) | 21. The high mission of any art is, by its illusions, to foreshadow a higher universe reality, to crystallize the emotions of time into the thought of eternity. 48:7.23 (557.7) |
| Effort does not always produce joy, but there is no happiness without intelligent effort. 48:7.10 (556.10) | 22. The evolving soul is not made divine by what it does, but by what it strives to do. 48:7.24 (557.8) |
| Action achieves strength; moderation eventuates in charm. 48:7.11 (556.11) | 23. Death added nothing to the intellectual possession or to the spiritual endowment, but it did add to the experiential status the consciousness of survival. 48:7.25 (557.9) |
| Righteousness strikes the harmony chords of truth, and the melody vibrates throughout the cosmos, even to the recognition of the Infinite. 48:7.12 (556.12) | 24. The destiny of eternity is determined moment by moment by the achievements of the day by day living. The acts of today are the destiny of tomorrow. 48:7.26 (557.10) |
| The weak indulge in resolutions, but the strong act. Life is but a day’s work—do it well. The act is ours; the consequences God’s. 48:7.13 (556.13) | 25. Greatness lies not so much in possessing strength as in making a wise and divine use of such strength. 48:7.27 (557.11) |
| The greatest affliction of the cosmos is never to have been afflicted. Mortals only learn wisdom by experiencing tribulation. 48:7.14 (556.14) | 26. Knowledge is possessed only by sharing; it is safeguarded by wisdom and socialized by love. 48:7.28 (557.12) |
| Stars are best discerned from the lonely isolation of experiential depths, not from the illuminated and ecstatic mountain tops. 48:7.15 (556.15) | 27. Progress demands development of individuality; mediocrity seeks perpetuation in standardization. 48:7.29 (557.13) |
| Whet the appetites of your associates for truth; give advice only when it is asked for. 48:7.16 (556.16) | 28. The argumentative defence of any proposition is inversely proportional to the truth contained. 48:7.30 (557.14) |
| 48:7.2 The twenty-eight statements of human philosophy designed to assist new mansion world sojourners in their early efforts to grasp the significance and meaning of mota. |