Rearing Monarchs #2:

The Three Great Kingships
Unification Thoughts, July 2021

In the Exposition of the Divine Principle, on page 39, there’s a definition of the Four Position Foundation which later struck me much harder than it did in my first years (decades?!) in the movement. It’s this one:

“God’s love is the underlying force which breathes life into the four position foundation. Accordingly, the four position foundation is the vessel of perfect beauty through which we can receive and enjoy the fullness of God’s love.”

The context for my missing that point for so long was that I'd concluded (by the time I'd reached young adulthood) that if I wanted to find God, the place to go was deep into nature, as far as I could get away from human beings. Not only the Bible indicates that (OT prophets and John the Baptist), but many other faith traditions do, as well. So I held that idea for many years after joining the movement, even though I'd attended 120-day training and innumerable workshops after that.

But when I studied Unification Thought and applied that to my DP teaching it eventually dawned on me that what it was saying (duh…) was that the original place to find the closest, most intense encounter with God was in daily relationship with each member of my immediate family, where I was supposed to “receive and enjoy the fullness of God’s Love”. Now that was different. (I don’t want to assume that you didn’t know that already; I'm just saying that I didn’t catch on until much later…)

Years later (I don’t remember exactly when), the term “Three Great Kingships” appeared, probably in the Family Pledge. I fully expect that this idea was mentioned in the 600+ books of Abonim’s speeches in Korea that eventually were condensed into the three English volumes CSG, PHG and CBG. So I think I recited the phrase “Three Great Kingships” for a long time without appreciating what they meant. But in 2006, the New Essentials of Unification Thought became available in English and—lo and behold—there was an explanation of this odd phrase that finally clarified what it was that I was pledging to:

OK then, that’s a start. Fortunately, it goes on:

“…grandparents represent the spirit world and God. …Therefore, from now on, grandparents will be the center of the family four position foundation… children and grandchildren have to attend their grandparents in the most respectful manner.” • New Essentials of UT, p. 544

My immediate reaction was (spiritual) wide-eyed silence. Am I ready for that? But when I asked for insight, it was there: in a film about Queen Elizabeth and in the example of my own Mother (which I touched on in the first article).

In the film “The Queen”, there’s a scene of a very striking and poignant dialog between Queen Elizabeth II and the Queen Mother, about the nation’s anger over Buckingham Palace’s initial silence on the death of the Princess Diana. At a loss as to how to handle this uniquely unforseen national crisis, Queen Elizabeth II goes to the Queen Mother’s quarters in another wing of the palace to seek her counsel. In privacy, she knocks on the door and asks “Mummy, are you there?” And when she’s got the Queen Mother’s ear, she repeatedly addresses her as “Mummy…”.

When I observed this, I realized that the Queen of the present is asking the Queen of the past for guidance based on her longer life experience. The Queen rules all the commonwealth—Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada; apparently 53 countries at its height!—whereas her mother rules no longer. The Queen Mother resides quietly in the background, quite retired from the limelight. But when the reigning Queen needs help, does she go to the chapel and commence a fast and vigil? No, she goes directly to the royal family’s grandmother for immediate, practical guidance. The Queen mother dispenses her hard-won wisdom, reminding her of the vows she made upon her coronation, and looking tenderly but firmly at her she emphasizes that those vows are not just to the people, but they are to God, and she mustn’t ever forget that. It’s a beautiful scene and it illuminates the “Three Great Kingships” idea exquisitely.

I realized: whom else would God work through in one’s own life than someone dear and close by—someone older, wiser, more experienced and who deeply loves us? It made sense then, that God’s position in an original 4PF would naturally be the grandparents of the family. Assuming that they've grown in their faith and three blessings, who else would know more about patience, love, forgiveness, life’s challenges, heartbreaks, triumphs and tragedies, etc., than that member of the family?

Also, in my own three-generation family—although I do understand that I am the spiritual ancestor of my lineage—I could nevertheless understand the centrality of my own Mother’s position, heartistically. When my Mom was nearly blind and had progressed from her 80s to her 90s, she had ceded all family business to me, grateful to be relieved of the burden of such things. So I was the functional head of the household—King of the present, as it were. But whenever I ran into something that was beyond my experience, she was my immediate resource and she usually had some life experience to draw on that would help me address whatever difficulty had appeared. And as I wrote last time, her life of faith with God was over 30 years longer than mine, irrespective of my being a blessed couple. (Blessing and lecturing doesn’t magically confer substantial life experience, no matter how many workshops attended or taught. ;-) So I could have a real sense of what “King/Queen of the past” really means and why it is so crucial in a family’s life.

So going back to the question I'd mentioned at the start of this story “Am I ready for this?”, the answer is probably “no”, not yet. But with my Mom’s example before me, it’s clear that if I keep trying, if I keep praying and studying and working through the challenges of life, I can try to be ready when my time comes—that time when I will be called upon to be a “king of the past” and a representative of HP’s parental love, wisdom and experience. (Full bow to you who already stand in that position!)

I hope you can quietly reflect on these last two quotes that demystify the odd choice of royal language in our lexicon:

“…the original concepts of grandparents, parents and children are very precious, and the conventional concepts are not able to convey the same noble sense as do the original concepts. There is no better means of expression than to use the concept of king in order to express their nobility, importance and gloriousness… Parents should not treat their children casually, even when their children are young. Rather, they should treat their children just as a king would treat his prince and princess… Therefore, from now, parents should not neglect their children. And children should attend their parents, regarding them as king and queen, and attend their grandparents, regarding them as honorable king and queen mother…. • New Essentials of UT, p. 545

I think there’s something there for new parents—regardless of their generation—to give serious heed to. Especially, going forward in this post-Foundation Day CIG Settlement Age, it’s a new blessed family’s calling to be a beacon in the darkness.

And again:

“…we should look at the members of our family, and other families, as those who are as precious as kings and queens. Hence, a home is a royal palace. After bequeathing his throne to his child, the king becomes the grandfather in the royal palace, and stays in the central position as the great king, representing the spirit world and God. A home is as precious as a royal palace…” • New Essentials of UT, p. 545

And finally, from The Man Himself, these words:

“…we have to attend our grandparents like we attend God, to attend our parents like the king and queen of the world, and the grandchildren, we have to attend like they are the kings and queens of the heavenly Kingdom of Heaven and earth that will come in the future….” • Cheon Seong Gyeong p. 2451

Yes, these are very obviously high ideals, but I don’t think that should detract from their enormous desireability. In our “Golden Age”, we still have a lot to become; HP really depends on us to keep growing as much as we can, so that we can be the nearby, readily accessible channel of love and wisdom that our descendants will surely have need of in their lives. We can try, not just because we “must”, but because our hearts are deeply drawn to our children and especially to their children.

Happy Belated Father’s (and Grandfather’s ;-) Day.

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