October 2020 – Voices in My Head

What’s in a Name?

I’m excited! The world has spun out of control and we’ve nearly hit rock bottom. We’re almost there, folks—just a little further to go and then finally, at long last, we will see the light. It’s time to reinvent our vision, and turn our attention away from the doom and gloom and look instead to the good news that awaits us once we hit bottom and begin our rise from the smoldering ashes of what once was and will soon become. But the thing is—we have to live through it all first. How do we do that amidst all of the craziness that confronts us day by day, moment by moment? How much worse can it get before it gets better and we rise like the Phoenix? Maybe a lot. Or not.

From what I read and hear from astrologists, we’re in for a pretty wild ride until the end of the year, so hold onto your hats. And from what I know and hear from within the depths of my own inner being, (yes, without scientific proof), those with an open mind and eyes to see will soon be dazzled by the light of a great Being. Could this be the light of the Promised One, the One who bears the name of many, but Who, in Truth is The One?

It boggles my mind and I am intrigued. Is there such a One? If so Who is it? Is It a He or a She, or neither? Can our human minds grasp the possibility that such a Being might actually exist? Are our imaginations great enough to embrace the idea that there is a Being that will emerge as a worldwide teacher, or that there is the slightest possibility that each one of us might be divinely connected to such a Being by virtue of having a soul?

Will this One appear before us as the beloved Master of our own religious or spiritual belief system, as the Christ, Krishna, Maitreya, or one of the other 114 names of God that I found listed in a Google search? Will this One look like us? Speak our own language? Is it possible that this mysterious One is The One disguised as many, clothed in different images, speaking our mother tongue? Is it the Christ to Christians and Krishna to Hindus? Is it in truth, The One of many names? Can we fathom such a concept, particularly if it flies in the face of a traditional belief system? Such thoughts spark the imagination and boggle the mind.

My enthusiasm and excitement during this darkest of times stems from my unshakeable belief that once we’ve hit rock bottom, we will at long last be met by the Light of the One who will soon arrive as a World Teacher, by whatever name one wants to call It. In my world, it would be Christ. In yours, it might be Buddha, or Krishna, or Muhammed, or the Messiah. Perhaps in time, this Awakened One will teach us that in Truth, there is only one world religion, and that its name is Love.

It is entirely understandable that this idea may well be a stretch of the imagination for those steeped in the teachings of traditional religion. But I like the idea that there is an all-inclusive God embracing all religions, all spiritual paths, treating all equally, drawing the citizens of humanity together under one great umbrella of love. That One would be the God of my choice. That’s the One I am waiting for.

Do not fear the downward spiral, for an explosion of light will soon arrive and serve as the launching pad for the upliftment of humanity into a new world akin to a Heaven on earth. Bless the darkness, for it shall bring the Light. This is an event that many have been awaiting for eons. Open the eyes of your soul and you will see it soon.

Note: The photo above is courtesy of New Waves of Light, a website designed by anonymous individuals around the world who share the intention of bringing light and love to a world of darkness and chaos. (newwavesoflight.org or NWOL.us)

Ode to Joy

I once came perilously close to becoming a homeless person when my temporary abode was suddenly sold out from under me and I desperately needed to find a new place to live. During a frantic two weeks of waffling between abject fear and the occasional sense of peace that washed over me from out of nowhere, I knew there was a perfect place for me and that I would find it. A voice in my head frequently reminded me that my job was to keep the faith and keep looking.

Today we’re faced with an election in less than one week, and again I feel as if my precious home is being torn out from under me. The fate of our nation will be sealed by the outcome of the presidential election—an outcome that will have an impact upon our planet both now and into future generations. This presents a threat to comfort and security, a fear of the highest order. This time I have stepped out of fear because I know where the secret key to my new home is hidden.

Whichever way it plays out, there will likely be discord, and chances are that whatever happens immediately following the final count won’t be pretty. We might have to live in the Divided States of America for a while longer until we wake up and reclaim our status as the free democracy of the United States. We can’t change the election results. We can only change our minds about how we respond to the results. Make peace? Or make war? We have the power to decide. We have the power to make peace. We need to choose wisely and quickly.

Meanwhile, we have a bridge to cross, and we’re all in it together. We need to find a way to get from one side to the other without collapsing in the middle before we reach our destination. On one side, huddled masses stand mired in fear, unable to take the first step. On the other, successful journeyers cheer joyfully and urge others to follow.

In a recent conversation with someone with polar opposite beliefs from my own, I realized how deeply embedded our beliefs are, how strongly and closely we hold them to ourselves, how fiercely we hold onto what we believe is right and true, how unwilling we may be to see or hear another point of view. The Netflix movie, Social Dilemma paints a picture of how the greed factor has reached into social media and skewed our vision so that truth is hidden. We only know what we are force fed by the underground power mongers who are happy to manipulate us into self-destruction.

As I learned during my painful brief brush with homelessness, it may seem nearly impossible to rip attention away from the clutches of fear and instead seek the possibility of solutions. Though we may not be able to change the outcome of the election we can change our minds about how we allow the results to impact our personal reality. We can add to the fear, or we can add to the light. We can learn to see with double vision—on the one hand observing life as it appears to be, and on the other, viewing it from a higher perspective and seeing the possibility of what it can become if we raise our vision to a higher level.

I do not deny that we are living in a frightening world filled with chaos and turmoil, yet we need not be victims. We have the power and capacity to take matters into our own hands and determine that we will make a difference. We can decide which thoughts and attitudes to incorporate into our belief system and which to discard. We choose which thoughts are beneficial to our health and well being, and which are not. Does anxiety, worry or fear about the future change or fix anything? Does it make us feel better? Does it do anyone any good at all? No. Does it cause harm? Absolutely. It destroys peace of mind, stresses the body, and adds negative energy to an already overloaded fear bank.

We have the power to take back our power from those who have stolen it. Those who have the courage to cross the bridge of light and successfully make it to the other side will speed the advance of humanity into the joyful life that we are meant to experience. The salvation of our world depends upon our willingness and ability to change our minds, look on the bright side, keep the faith, and find joy, even amidst the appearance of all that seems to warrant otherwise.

Listen closely for the still small voice in your head that whispers beneath the screams of doom, that faithful voice that will remind you always that your job is to keep the faith and keep looking within to find the key to your own truth, your own joy. Faith is the key that unlocks the door to a peaceful and joyful future. Choose light.

I stand with millions of others on the joyful side of the bridge, cheering you on and waiting to welcome you to the light with a non-Covid hug. Blessings dear ones. Stay well, be safe, and keep the faith.

Walking into a New World

Many years ago, I had a dream with an impact so profound that it gave me the courage, energy, and strength to make a major change in my life, to end a toxic marriage, uproot my life, and move from one coast to another in the sunrise of my senior years. At the time, it felt like walking a tightrope above a deep chasm in a hurricane without benefit of a net.

In those very dark years, I was stuck in a quagmire of unhappiness, despair, and hopelessness, paralyzed by fear that blinded me to the possibility of any form of escape into a better future. Things were looking very bleak indeed, and I seriously questioned my ability to survive in my current circumstances. It is reminiscent of the collective experience of humanity that we face today.

As we navigate through these deeply troubling times, I feel inspired to share this dream again, (Gateway) this time as a metaphor, in the hope that it may give others the hope that these chaotic times will come to a halt and be replaced by a new and better future.

Again I find myself standing at the dark end a bridge in a real-time remake of Groundhog Day, watching in horror as my world falls apart before my very eyes, wondering about my ability to survive. Then it was personal. Now it’s global.

Today you and I hold in our hands both individually and collectively, the gift of choice, for it is up to each one of us, to decide whether or not we wish to stay on the dark side of suffering and pain, or if we want to join forces with others determined to gather the will to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and move forward into a new and improved future. The decision rests in my hands, as it rests in yours.

I sometimes catch myself thinking about the current plight of humanity, and realize how very easy it is to become caught up in the fear that runs rampant throughout our society and indeed, the world. It is tempting to fall victim to the belief that all is lost and there is no hope, much as I experienced those many years ago in a dying marriage.

On the ego-driven human side of the bridge, we are ruled by materialism and greed and live at the mercy of those who seek power and wealth at our expense. On the Divine side, love rules, a new world awaits.

Our hope of survival depends upon our ability to shift our attention away from the evil that seeks control by fostering fear of the future to confuse us. Instead, our hope of survival lies in our ability to turn a blind eye to the dark side and develop an intention to rewrite our own future using the power of our collective imagination to create the vision of a new and better world. The future of the world is changed one mind at a time.

Wait! Time out! For some reason, this blog has wandered off track and can’t find it’s way back. It has been days of trying, and for some reason, I can’t find a satisfying conclusion. Why is that, I wonder? Am I trying to hard? Am I listening to the voice of ego rather than to the voice of Spirit? Is my ego trying to convince me that I’m doing it wrong? That I’ll never get it right? What’s the story?

Is that what we are all doing these days—listening to the voice that tells us that everything is wrong and nothing is right? Is it that conning little voice that feeds on the fake conspiracy theories that we read on social media telling us that evil rules and all hope is lost? Isn’t that just exactly what the evil-doing power mongers want us to believe to weaken us and keep us off balance?

Maybe so. Maybe it’s time for us to take our power back. Maybe it’s time for us to stand up for ourselves, shine our individual and collective light into the darkness and flush out those who seek everything for themselves by stealing everything from the rest of us.

Speaking of walking from one side to another, this wasn’t the path I had intended to take when I started this blog, but then I am always willing to admit that I never know what’s coming. It’s kind of life itself, isn’t it? We start out going in one direction and somehow find ourselves headed in another. Sometimes the path is good, sometimes it needs tweaking. We need some tweaking now friends, some serious tweaking. We need willing souls, disciples, do-gooders, kind-hearted, light-bearing, well-meaning, God loving souls to join forces to spread around the importance of turning away from the dark side and walk hand in hand toward the light. Most especially, we need to find a way to help folks who are captured by the darkness of fear to take a peek around and find a glimmer of light. If the rest of us will shine bright enough, we will help prisoners of the dark escape into the light.

That means you. That means me. That means every single solitary soul who is invested in the best interest of humanity, the planet, and every creature that dwells upon it. The world is changed one mind at a time. One light joined with many will light up the entire world and irradiate darkness, and when that happens, miracles happen. We hold the power.

This time as we walk across the bridge to the Divine, we have a safety net. We walk together toward a new and better future, we have each other, and we have the power of the Light enfolding and protecting us. Together we will stand strong, stand steady, and we will reach the other side in a blaze of triumphant glory.

Goodbye to Guilt – Again

I must really be on a crash course on guilt-free living because apparently, it was the subject of my last blog written a couple of weeks. That blog seems so far in the distant past that I forgot all about it, until I did a quick blog review, yet here I am again, still chipping away at the same old subject. I guess I must still have a lot to learn, because I have given myself yet another opportunity to practice what I preach. If you’re sick of reading about the subject of guilt, quick—push delete. If not, check out Inching Toward Freedom and read on.

Yesterday was a useless, do nothing sort of day that highlighted my lifelong tendency to enjoy life in the leisure lane and take care of business whenever the mood strikes. It was a day when I heard a few words emerge from my mouth that I later regretted. They weren’t the kind of negative, damaging, words that would slice through someone’s heart had they been heard, but still, they were not words worthy of a soul seeking to understand, heed, and express the concept of living a life of harmlessness.

It was the kind of day that invited guilt to move in and wipe out whatever enjoyment I might have experienced in my leisure. Guilt—the master thief of peace of mind.

This morning I woke up with the realization that I did not do anything wrong or guilt-worthy, but rather, I did something that I would think twice about doing again. It was a lesson, another learning opportunity to give me a choice about how and who I choose to be in this life. It was another chance to practice self-forgiveness and have compassion for my still-human ways rather than contempt. It offered a ‘what would Jesus do’ moment in which I was given another opportunity to get it right. Guilt—the master teacher of how to turn sins into blessings.

Guilt and sin are partners in the creation of insidious treachery that ruins the health and well-being of body, mind, and soul. They hide out deep within the psyche and strike when least expected, catching the vulnerable victim off guard, sending them into a downward spiral of negativity. I did something wrong, bad, unforgivable, I am a flawed human being, I deserve to be punished. I am a sinner therefore I am not worthy of happiness, or joy, or the love of God or anyone else.

Sin is a devastating word, in and of itself a guilt-producer. I prefer to use the word mistake instead. Is that a cop out? Am I letting myself off the guilt hook by telling myself that I made a mistake rather than a sin? Maybe. Sometimes it’s easier to correct a mistake than it is to forgive a sin. For that reason, I’ll always employ my lazy nature and take the easy way out.

The benefit of my do-nothing, lazy, selfish yesterday screams loudly in my ear. It gave me a reason to get up, get moving, and do better today than I did yesterday. It also gave me something to blog about after a two-week hiatus. With patience, diligence, and maybe a little help from my unseen friends, this will be the last blog I’ll ever be writing on the subject of guilt.

It seems to me that the extent to which I indulge in guilt is directly related to the extent to which I am practicing self-harmfulness. No thanks. I’d rather indulge myself in love and practice the art of harmlessness for all instead. I’ll keep working on it.