Love or Fear: That is the Question!

She didn’t aim an Uzi at us in staff meetings, but if words could kill, we’d be all dead. Working for a crazy lady who struck the fear of God into her employees whenever the mood struck was terrifying. This woman was so difficult to work for that 19 of her 22 employees quit within a period of three months. Each time someone walked out through the revolving door, the remaining few would stare at each other and ask ourselves, “Why? Why are we still here?”

Why indeed?

My answer came in a profound journal entry at the end of my first three months when I was struggling over whether to stay or to go:

“If you can stay and be happy, then by all means, you should stay for there is much for you to learn. If you cannot stay and be happy, then by all means leave, because to stay in a situation in which you are not happy does not benefit you or anyone else.”

Words to live by. My choice. I decide. 

I stayed, and for the next five years and learned life-changing lessons from an unbelievable teacher of love and fear.

One evening after a particularly brutal verbal assault, I went directly from work to a weekly workshop series that I had been attending. Still reeling from her most recent verbal attack just hours prior, I sat myself down and tried to settle in. The workshop leader began with a simple exercise in which she invited us to close our eyes and imagine a situation in which we felt fearful. No problem. I was right there—in it!

After a few moments, we were asked to switch gears from a state of fear and imagine a situation in which we experienced love. It was in that moment that I learned one of the most valuable lessons of my life. Love and fear cannot coexist. While in a state of fear, it is absolutely impossible to experience love. As hard as I tried, I was not able to move beyond fear and find love. 

That memory reignited the realization that in today’s challenging world, fear is running rampant in our lives. It makes me wonder—if just one person can strike fear into the heart of just one other person (me!), or into the staff of an entire company, imagine the mayhem caused by fear running amuck on a global scale.

My experience in that exercise was a turning point in my life. My journal rambling was right; there were lessons to learn, if I was willing to hang in there long enough to  learn them.  Either I control my thoughts, or my thoughts control me. 

Just as I was confronted with a choice point about love or fear so many years ago, it seems apparent that we are all being confronted with the same question and asked to make a choice now. We can either add to the world turmoil with fear, or we can help to dissolve it with love.

Love and fear cannot coexist.

The mind can hold only one thought at a time.

If your life depended on it, would you be able to choose love?

And with that question, I will stop writing and start pondering about what love is. Compassion, forgiveness, understanding, empathy, non-judgmentalism, acceptance of self and others, acknowledgement that we are all one. If what we think is what we get, rest assured—I’ll be thinking love. 

Will you? I hope so!

As the World Turns

Life is like a soap opera, have you noticed? It becomes more fascinating, outrageous and unpredictable by the day. Take today’s episode, for example.

On March 22nd, Saturn is entering Pisces and Pluto is on the move. I don’t know much about astrology, but I hear that this is a huge, unprecedented cosmic event—like the first time in forever.

Okay, so I’m not an astrologer or rocket scientist. Clearly, the intricacies and complications of such fields of endeavor are best left to the erudite among you—I never claimed to be a good student.

But I am a serious student of the mysterious—intrigued by all things puzzling, strange and mystical—magnetically drawn to seek a peephole in the veil that prevents us from seeing the magic that awaits on the other side. But that pesky soap opera keeps blocking my view.

So what does all of this unprecedented, never-before galactic activity mean to us mere mortals who still fumble our way along through this earthly life? From what I see, read, hear and discern, this Saturnly romp into Pisces is a very big deal. There is remarkable conjecture about what will happen once this great planetary shift occurs—amazing miracles perhaps, like our bodies morphing from dense physical into light bodies needing no doctors, dentists, or roofs overhead. Wow. Wouldn’t I just love to not have to figure out what to wear tomorrow, or what to have for dinner? Or joy of joys, cross my dentist’s name off of my contact list? 

After sifting through the plethora of possibilities, I’ve finally settled upon something that makes sense to me. Will I wake up on March 22 like the emperor wearing only a new birthday suit of shimmering light? No? Rats. I was hoping. . . Well, heck. What’s for dinner?

My logical, non-astrological, unscientific self concludes that for those who have sleepwalked their way through life so far, the March 22nd solstice will simply be just another day. That’s it. Just another ordinary day.

But those who are awake and aware may sense, see, and feel a new reality that will amaze them. Imagine, for instance, awakening to a profoundly increased sense of the Divinity within, of oneness with all, a lighter body, a joyfulness, a lightheartedness, a  greater attunement to intuition and telepathy, a newly discovered ability to shift consciousness from the dense physical realm into one that exists beyond the physical eyes. 

This long-awaited increase in consciousness might not strike like a lightning bolt, but may silently creep into awareness, slowly, gently, day by day, moment by moment. If this miraculous metamorphosis doesn’t happen for you, take heart, have patience, allow for the possibility and simply observe. 

The portal will open, for all. Those with eyes to see will see. Those who prefer to remain as they are will do so, yet when they decide to wake up to the possibility of something greater, they will find the light peeping in through the darkness and when ready, will find their way onto the path of personal evolution.

This momentous shift has been likened to the apocalypse—it is a time to decide whether to hide in the dark and stay asleep or wake up and move into the light. Plain and simple. Our loving, forgiving Creator offers no punishment for choosing the dark, for the pain and suffering born of darkness is punishment enough. Eventually all eyes will open to the light and the lost will be found. 

We are told by wise Elders in the spiritual realm that we will soon be visited by The World Teacher, The Christ. It will be the end of an old story and the beginning of a new script.

Have you decided how you’d like this episode of the soap opera to end? As the world turns, what better time than now to decide which way to go. It is never too late to write a happy ending. I have! What about you?

Before you go, I am inspired by the courage of a soul-sister who candidly shares a portion of her own spiritual journey from darkness to light in her blog, Coming Out of the ShadowsIn it, she invites us to join in monthly conversations about “Living as a Soul as we Prepare for the The Coming One.” 

Saturday, 18 March ~ 8 pm GMT, 4 pm New York, 8 pm London, 9 pm Rome, 7 am Sydney (Sunday). To join monthly Circle Conversations, click on the link below. Also offered every Wednesday: Meditations for the Soul. For more information go to A Tree of Light home page.

Baring my Soul

It feels a bit risky to make an out-loud bold profession of faith to the world at large about my personal beliefs, but I am going to take my heart in my hands and do it anyway. My proclamation should come as no great surprise to my very dear and loving ministerial family members and Christian friends who, I imagine, are already skeptical of my nontraditional spiritual proclivities. I also suspect that their suspicions may lead to prayers for the salvation of my soul. 

We all have our inner truth. Mine does not fall within the mainstream mindset of traditional religion. In my own mind (and perhaps in the minds of those who know and love me), I am a questionable Christian at best, and quite honestly, that’s probably sugar coating it. The truth is, that though raised a Protestant, I’m not sure that I can call myself a Christian at all, but I suppose that would likely depend upon one’s definition of Christian.

I confess that when I saw the above image of the Lord of my Heart standing in the clouds with His arms outstretched waiting to embrace me into the warmth of His love, I felt that I was being welcomed home. I want to sit forever at the feet of the Master and inhale his love, compassion, and wisdom. That’s the only thing in the world (or out of the world) that is truly worth wanting.

Now I ask you—does this mean that I am a Christian? Does it mean that I am not? Does it really matter?

What matters to me the most is that we—you, me, humanity—discover for ourselves the spark of divinity that dwells within our hearts. In my eyes, each one of us is a piece of creation that is the soul, and that one soul erases any sense of separation that divides us by the belief that we anything less than That.

In his blog Think2wice, R. Arthur Russell writes in his article, With:

“As this relates to billions of persons who are struggling to get along with one another, while living their apparently separate lives, the solution is deceptively simple: We must realize our Oneness. Who, realizing That which we truly are, would be prideful? Who, realizing That which we truly are, would be unwilling to forgive? . . .   We must clearly know—not just believe—that all persons of various colours, creeds, and nationalities are but apparent variations of the One. Thus, when we look at one another, we see our spiritual brother and sister.”

Does it really matter if we find the spark of divinity between the pages of a written text, or within the walls of a building, or within the heart? It matters only that we find it—not where. In my nontraditional understanding, Jesus the Christ dwells wherever we are.

I believe that He lives within the heart of every one of us who seeks to find Him, and that He patiently waits for us to discover that truth within ourselves. I believe that the sooner we—you, me, humanity—recognize that magnificent truth, the sooner we will be released from the hellish life that we are now living, and be set free to roam around in Paradise and live happily ever after.

If you haven’t already, please consider the wee possibility that maybe, just maybe each one of us does not just have a soul: we are a soul—yes, even the ones who bug us the most! Science has proven that we are energy, we are consciousness, we are connected. If we recognize and identify ourselves as souls rather than personalities, we will connect our one piece of the puzzle with the One Great Soul of which we are all a part.  

Once we manage that, we’re home free. We’ll slide gracefully from one world into the next with our eyes wide open, and be dazzled by the beauty, harmony, and love that will be our new home—a home we might call heaven. It all begins within our own heart.

Though my knowledge of theology and science is about equal to my skill as a techie, in my limited world of understanding, Christ comes bearing many names. In my world, his name is Love. I doubt that He cares very much about what we call Him—just that we call.

If we build it, He will come. When our hearts are constructed of love, we will experience a collective move out of hell into heaven. I’m ready! Are you?

PS: If you haven’t already, you may like to enjoy the comforting shelter of A Tree of Light website: atreeoflight.org. It truly is reassuring.

Oh—and please check out Voices: Who’s in Charge of the Committee in my Head? (Now available on Amazon and numerous other sites noted on Google).

 

A Whole New World

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I know this message is a bit of a divergence from my usual blog banter, but I just can’t help myself because I’m excited about an amazing website that has really helped me to weather the storm of trauma that is cluttering up the world stage today. For some reason I feel compelled to share it because it feels so absolutely, unbelievably, extremely important and timely that I cannot ignore the inner call to just do it. Perhaps you’ll think I’ve slipped off the deep end, but the truth is that the information that I am sharing is what has kept me from doing just that. It has kept me sane in the midst of insane world. I share it with the hope that it might do the same for you.

The image and words above are offered by A Tree of Light website in the hope of providing inspiration and comfort to a troubled world during this time of dire crisis. The message is written by spiritual Elders, Those who have gone before us on Their spiritual journey, and Who now live beyond the veil of our awareness. Though we do not see Them, They are here, guiding us as we travel along our own path of evolution. They are our Brothers and Sisters.

A Tree of Light website is an outgrowth of a relationship that has been forged in recent years between a group of people from around the world and Elders in the spiritual realm who have been guiding the group’s evolution.

If you feel so inclined, please visit atreeoflight.org. There you will learn a bit of the fascinating origins of A Tree of Light, and will have access to the profound words and teachings of Those whose footsteps we follow as we travel on our journey into a new new Aquarian civilization in which peace, harmony, unity, cooperation, truth, beauty, and love will reign supreme.

When you visit the website, be sure to check out the “About” section to learn a little of the Tree of Light history and those involved, and then explore the Tree for a wealth of profound teachings from our Elders. It is those words that help me keep my eye focused on the beautiful new civilization of love and light that is emerging from beneath the dark, rather than on the dying world of fear and negativity.

The “About” section, a glossary of terms, contact, and other information can be found in the menu (three lines) at the upper left corner of the home page.

Finally, I leave you with the beautiful and comforting words offered in the following brief video. https://youtu.be/TR2IGuyJSUM. Please enjoy!

Please also visit A Tree of Light on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCypJyrSfUCNz9PyBzcZgNJg

Blessings and peace to all.