“Our Best Look at the Cosmic Web”

 

 

At first glance the large scale structure of the Universe may seem to be a swarming mass of unconnected galaxies. Yet somehow, they are! The ‘cosmic web’ is the largest scale structure of the Universe and consists of vast networks of interconnected filamentary structures that surround empty voids. A team of astronomers have used hundreds of hours of telescope time to capture the highest resolution image ever taken of a single cosmic filament that connects to forming galaxies. It’s so far away from us that we see it as it was when the Universe was just 2 billion years old!

Click here to read the full article.



Executive Oversee Established

 

The first official meeting of the Executive Oversee of the Church of the Second Advent was held on December 3, 2024 to expand and replace the existing Board of Directors of the Church. The meeting was held in the Bishop’s Chambers at the Chancellery in Reno. The Right Reverend Gene Savoy, Jr, Head Overseer-Bishop, presided. In attendance were The Reverends Robert Petrovich, Elizabeth Reece, Rebecca Willis and Radheka Patel Savoy.

The Executive Oversee is authorized to exist under Title Three of the Constitution and Canon of the Church (Chapter Four, Canon 76A). The Oversee was authorized to exist by Apostolic Decree issued on November 30, 2024. All in attendance agreed that the initial members of the Executive Oversee will be the existing members of the Church Board of Directors together with the members of the Finance Council.

The Bishop proposed that the Executive Oversee become the Board of Directors of the Church Corporation (International Community of Christ). All agreed. The Bishop explained that this new structure will simplify working with banks and other financial institutions, lawyers,  government officials, etc. The Reverends Petrovich, Reece, and Willis are already on ICC’s Board of Directors. Reverend Patel was appointed to the Oversee as a new member, as she is an existing member of the Finance Council.

 



Services for the Week of March 1, 2025

 

 

Saturday, March 1, 2025
10:00 AM COMMUNION
Chapel of The Holy Child

Lector: RM Rebecca Willis
Cantor: Rev. Shinobu Fuelling
Reader: Rev. Gary Huss,  Jr.

Sunday, March 2, 2025
SUNRISE DIVINE SERVICE
Church of the New Epiphany

Leave: 5:30
Gate: 6:15
Service Starts: 6:25
Sunrise: 6:40
Concelebrants:
RF Robert Petrovich
Rev. Bruce Kanzelmeyer
Assistant: Barbara Whitney

OPEN-AIR COMMUNION

Church of the Races of Man: Rev. Radheka Savoy
Church of the Americas: Rev. Gary Huss, Jr.

Wednesday, March 5, 2025, Noon
Chapel of the Holy Child
RC Robert Roy

Friday, March 7, 2025, 9:00 am
Chapel of the Roses, Steamboat Priory
Rev. Noriko Roy



WEEKLY MESSAGE: February 26, 2025

 

 

HEAD OVERSEER’S WEEKLY MESSAGE

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

This past Saturday’s readings were from Psalm 119 and the Prophecy of the New Covenant, Chapter 90: Prophecy on the Revelation and the Opening of the Seals (pp. 1002 – 1011). Click here to read the first scriptural reading, and click the audio button below to hear the reading from our Second Advent scripture.

Once again, please feel free to ask me any questions by calling 775-786-7432 or emailing me at messages@cosolargy.org. I am always at your service.

In Light+,

Gene

 

Hear the Audio
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“Why We Think Theia Existed”

 

 

The giant-impact hypothesis posits that billions of years ago a Mars-sized body named Theia collided with the early Earth.

The immense energy from this impact not only significantly altered Earth’s rotational dynamics but also resulted in debris being ejected into space. Over time, this debris coalesced to form the Moon.

We do not know for sure if Theia existed and if it collided with the young proto-Earth, but the evidence is compelling.

Click here to read the full article.



Philosophy of the Tibetan Book of the Dead

big bang

 

“As we gracefully transition from the meditation and visualization practices that unravel the sublime Clear Light of Reality, it is time to gently steer our minds toward the profound philosophical doctrines embedded within the Chikhai Bardo1. One of the first doctrines we encounter illuminates the intrinsic purity and luminosity of the mind, often referred to as “Rigpa” in Tibetan Buddhism. This state, akin to the vastness of the clear sky unmarred by passing clouds, is the inherent nature of the mind. Recognizing and resting in this nature is key to liberation. We are guided through practices such as sky-gazing, where we allow our minds to merge with the vast openness, experiencing the unobstructed nature of Rigpa, and witnessing the transient nature of phenomena without attachment or aversion. We then delve into the transient nature of life, as vividly portrayed in the Chikhai Bardo. Here, we learn that embracing impermanence opens the heart to the infinite possibilities of each moment and fosters a deep appreciation for the preciousness of human life. Visualizing an ever-flowing river, we internalize the fluidity and transient nature of existence, fostering a deeper acceptance of change and loss.

“At the heart of the Chikhai Bardo’s philosophical wisdom is the teaching of liberation through recognition. The teachings resonate as a call to awaken to our intrinsic purity and to see through the illusions that veil our true selves. Meditating on a rainbow, practitioners explore the transient and ungraspable beauty of phenomena, inviting a non-dualistic perception of reality. The resonance of compassion and the cultivation of Bodhicitta play a significant role in guiding our journey. The melody of altruistic love and intention for enlightenment is enriched and emphasized, leading us through shadows and into the warm embrace of enlightenment.”

-Guide to the Tibetan Book of the Dead

Purity of Mind

Purity of Mind is important for spiritual development. What that means is that we practice thinking in terms of peace, love, tolerance, and joy while pushing away thoughts of anger, jealousy, and violence. There is also the idea of clearing the mind of all thought when engaging in spiritual practices, but that is easier said than done. Learning to avoid negative thinking is the first step.

Sky Gazing

The author of this book may not know what is being hinted at here, but spiritual development doesn’t come from randomly looking at things in the sky. You have to look at the sun in a proper way that is safe (never stare at the sun!) with the idea of eventually seeing beyond the physical sun to the Spiritual Sun. It is the Light from the Spiritual Sun that awakens and develops the spirit and soul.

Transient Nature of Phenomena

One thing materialists fail to grasp is that everything physical is transient. Some things may last only minutes, while others last for billions of years, yet nothing physical is eternal. Only the spiritual is eternal. That is why developing our spiritual Self is so important.

See Through Illusion

There are several levels of illusion (or veils) that we need to see through. Just within the physical realm we see people are distracted from the truth with pleasant things they are told are important when they are not. Trust me when I say that God doesn’t care one bit who wins the football game or the hockey game. We are told that such things are important so we allow ourselves to be distracted away from what is really important. Just on the physical level, the wealthy and powerful want to keep the rest of us distracted from their greedy activities.

Beyond the physical, we need to see the spiritual. It has been veiled from us for a long time, but the veils are now being lifted and slowly some people are awakening to the truth.

Altruistic Love

One other important thing that spiritual students need to develop is altruistic love or the love of all that God has created. It is difficult for some to grasp, but we need to learn that we can love a person even while disliking their behavior. God doesn’t like a lot of the things we do, but because he loves all of us, he can forgive wrong behavior (that doesn’t mean there won’t be a karmic debt to be paid). If you have a pet, sometimes the pet will misbehave by doing something like peeing in the house or chewing on the furniture. We don’t stop loving the pet because it occasionally misbehaves. That is how we must treat all people and all beings.

1Tibetan Book of the Dead



“Even Microquasars are Powerful Particle Accelerators”

 

 

The Earth is bathed in high-energy particles. Known as cosmic rays, most of them are protons striking us at nearly the speed of light. Fortunately, the atmosphere protects us from any significant harm, though the particles can strike with so much energy that they create a shower of lower energy particles that do reach Earth’s surface. That’s actually how we can detect most cosmic rays.

We aren’t entirely sure what accelerates these particles so tremendously. There are phenomena that can do it. Nearby supernovae can generate lower energy cosmic rays, but the origin of the highest-energy cosmic rays is less understood.

Click here to read the full article.



“White Dwarfs Pause Their Cooling, Giving Planets a Second Chance for Habitability”

 

 

When we first began searching for planets around other stars, one of the surprising discoveries was that there are planets orbiting white dwarfs. The first exoplanets we ever discovered were white dwarf planets. Of course, these planets were barren and stripped of any atmosphere, so we had to look at main sequence stars to find potentially habitable worlds. Or so we thought.

As we discovered more white dwarf planets, it became clear that some of them might retain atmospheres and water. Perhaps they were an outer planet with a thick atmosphere before their star swelled to a red giant, or perhaps some of the gas ejected by the star to become a white dwarf was captured by the world.

Click here to read the full article.



“Meet Quipu, largest known structure in the universe”

 

 

A team of astronomers have mapped the nearby universe, from about 425 million to 800 million light-years (which translates to some 130 to 250 megaparsecs), and discovered the largest-known structure residing there. They’ve named this massive collection of galaxies Quipu. And they said it stretches some 1.3 billion light-years (400+ megaparsecs) long, containing the mass of some 200 quadrillion stars.

Click here to read the full article.



Services for the Week of February 22, 2025

 

 

Saturday, February 22, 2025
10:00 AM COMMUNION
Chapel of The Holy Child

Lector: RM Barbara Whitney
Cantor: RC Amanda Buchanan
Reader: Rev. Bruce Kanzelmeyer

Sunday, February 23, 2025
SUNRISE DIVINE SERVICE
Church of the New Epiphany

Leave: 5:45
Gate: 6:30
Service Starts: 6:33
Sunrise: 6:48
Concelebrants:
RF Robert Petrovich
Rev. Bruce Kanzelmeyer
Assistant: Barbara Whitney

OPEN-AIR COMMUNION

Church of the End Times: RM Elizabeth Reece
Church of the Americas: RM Barbara Whitney

Wednesday, February 26, 2025, Noon
Chapel of the Holy Child
Rev. Michael McIntyre

Friday, February 28, 2025, 9:00 am
Chapel of the Roses, Steamboat Priory
RF Ted Staver