Reflections on Maui
I am overwhelmed with sadness as more information comes out about the Maui fires and the failures at all levels to protect life. Between the children who were let out of school to go home to unsupervised homes to the line of burned up cars on the road out of town, there is more tragedy to digest than seems bearable. What a horrible mess. It is hard to understand, but God is in the midst. God IS there. Good will arise from this like the phoenix who rises from the ashes. In this case, literal ashes. My heart goes out to the people of Maui as they find and grieve their lost loved ones and do what they can to rebuild.
I believe every soul chooses its path on this plane and that when tragedy strikes, there is a growth experience for the soul. That said, perhaps those times when tragedy strikes so deeply, it is because we didn’t grow in the face of challenge and instead took the path of least resistance. We follow the head and not the heart. Humanity is suffering from a mass dislocation from intuition. Our souls are disconnected from our bodies. When our souls are grounded in our bodies, divine wisdom pulses through us. We know the right thing to do. We hear the still, small voice within, and respond accordingly. We don’t let outer voices or the voice in our heads direct or dissuade us.
In Lahaina, people knew in their hearts and guts that fleeing from the blazing fire was the right thing to do. Those who could, got in their cars to get out of town. But the head responds to external voices of authority. We’ve been conditioned that way since early childhood. Authority in the form of a single police officer stopped the mass exodus of cars filled with living beings – children, parents, grandparents and companion animals. Soon thereafter, the cars were all engulfed in flames. The officer later defended his actions, saying he was just following orders — another conditioned response to authority, likely associated with fear of losing his job. But how many times have we heard that ‘reasoning’ before? Did he hear the voice of his inner knowing? What was it telling him? With fire literally on their heels, the vast majority of people in the cars didn’t challenge the blockade. They let the voice of one man with a badge override their guts’ overwhelming drive to escape. It should be noted that the few who did dodge the barricade survived.
In Episode 224 - Exile and Rebirth of the Divine Mother, Maré Hieronimus and I share a metaphor of a kite set adrift, broken away from its grounding. The string is the guiding force, essential to its flight. When we are broken away from our own grounding, we too are set adrift, unable to feel the divine wisdom pulsing through us. We don’t trust our inner voice. We allow the winds of society to blow us where it wants. We follow orders and edicts that are contrary to our own health and safety. We fail to protect our divine bodies.
I pray for the people of Maui and I pray for all of humanity, that we restore the essential connection to our own divine selves. Divine wisdom is continuously pulsing through us as intuition and guidance. No one knows what is better for us than we do.
Prayer Inspired by the Prayer of St. Francis
I wrote this prayer nearly six years ago when I started my Wolf and the Lamb blog. It was my first blog entry. Recently I used it to close a Facebook live session and because so many people felt its energy, I thought I would also post it here. May those who have ears to hear, hear!
Blessed Spirit, Source of All,
I make myself an instrument of peace.
Where there is hatred, I sow love;
Wherever there is injury, I refrain from injuring;
Where there is doubt, l have faith in my own convictions and ability to move mountains;
Where there is despair, l give hope;
Where there is ignorance, I bring illumination;
Where there is darkness, I bear light;
Where there is entrenchment, I inspire with a new vision;
Where there is sadness, I allow myself to feel from the depth of my soul and stay focused on what is good and right and possible in the world.
Knowing the Divine Truth that we are all One,
I bless ALL of Life – all living beings,
Not just those I consider to be like me.
I commit myself to living as Loving-Kindness and Compassion.
No beings tremble before me,
For I AM Love, Peace and Freedom.
And so it is.
Beyond the R’s of Earth Day
This blog was originally published on wolfandthelamb.com in 2018
Every Earth Day I hear about the three R’s – reduce, reuse, recycle – as steps we can take to care for our Earth. Children learn about it in school. Nature parks teach it. Waste management companies promote it. It’s everywhere on the internet. While these are effective and well-intentioned actions, the R’s have always seemed a little vapid to me. It’s definitely good to reduce, reuse and recycle the tons of plastic, paper, glass, electricity, oil, paint and aluminum that we use in our lives. But for me, Earth Day calls me to go deeper, beyond committing to better manage my waste. It calls me to challenge myself (and those in my spiritual community) to reflect on and contemplate who we are in relationship to Earth and how we can honestly live in reverence.
Since the beginning of time, our ancestors told stories that illustrated the ideal human-Earth relationship and our fall from it. The creation story in the Bible is one of myriad creation stories from cultures around the world, each explaining how things came to be – the skies, the waters, vegetation, the flying animals, the swimming animals, the land animals and humankind.
In the first chapter of Genesis, all of Creation was spoken into existence by Elohim (commonly translated as God). Humankind was the last to be spoken into existence, created in the image of God – both male and female – with the ability to reflect, and with responsibility to care for Life Itself (Genesis 1:26-27). Humankind was given “every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth and every kind of fruit-bearing tree” as food, and all beings lived in harmony with each other (Genesis 1:29). Elohim declared it all to be good (Genesis 1:31).
It’s no accident that this story has been told and retold for hundreds of generations. It’s our story. An Eden-like state, where all beings live in harmony, may seem like an unrealistic and unattainable Utopia. But it’s actually a distant and vague memory. It resonates inside us like a faint melody playing under the layers of our psyche – layers that hold tight to entrenched, inherited beliefs in our separation/domination/superiority regarding the rest of Creation. These beliefs are what keep us outside the gates of Eden. Yet despite our beliefs and the corresponding actions we take against ourselves and nature, the faint melody continues to whisper deep within us, unceasing. At some unconscious level, we know it is our Truth. We know Eden is a place in our consciousness from which we feel cut-off, as if we’ve strayed too far and are simply unable (or forbidden) to return.
Eden calls to us.
I believe there is a way back to ourselves and to living as One. I certainly have no road map for it. I’m just as enmeshed in our separation culture and as befuddled about where we find ourselves today as the next person. But I know solutions don’t work when they come from the same level of consciousness that created the problem. Solutions rooted in separation won’t solve separation! I also know that what we see in the world is a projection of what is inside us – the good, the bad and the ugly. So, the only honest leverage we have to produce lasting change in the world requires us to change ourselves. This is a very personal journey to a higher level of consciousness for each of us. It’s a hero’s journey, back to ourselves.
To guide us on our hero’s journey I’d like to offer a few new R’s for consideration:
Recognize the spiritual meaning of the story. Whatever our views of God are, there is an animating force under all of Creation – some metaphorical ‘breath’ that brought It into existence. Whether it took place in one fell swoop as creationists believe or over eons as evolutionists believe, it doesn’t matter. There is a brilliant Life-force under all that is. It is creative and Good. We can call it whatever we want, but in this story, it is called God. The Earth and all life forms, including us, were brought into existence in Balance and Harmony. And we hold that potential within us.
Remember our Truth. We are created in God’s image and likeness. God is not a being separate from Creation, but the energy of it – the energy out of which everything came into being; the power that reflected upon it and declared it to be Good. As image and likeness, we are not separate from Creation, but of it. We hold the power to ensure its Goodness, not because the rest of Creation needs us, but because we are gifted with the capacity to reflect upon it and know it to be Good. Our truth is Oneness.
Restore ourselves as Love, Compassion and Kindness. Somewhere along our evolutionary road, we became uncaring and even cruel. Our belief in separation allowed fear, scarcity and the need to have power over others to take over our minds and hearts like a cancer. We neglected Love, Kindness and Compassion. Or we held them tightly and gave them life only within our personal spheres. But Love, Kindness and Compassion – all expressions of the Infinite Divine – desire to reach far beyond our personal selves, beyond our families, friends and neighbors. They call us to be loving, kind and compassionate toward all of Creation, with no boundaries, indiscriminately – beyond our species.
Former pig farmer Bob Comis in The Last Pig, an award-winning documentary.
Refrain from harming any living being. Our separation consciousness wreaks havoc everywhere. We have invented all sorts of ways to inflict harm on others including oppression, exploitation, abuse, confinement, enslavement, torture and killing. Most of us believe ourselves to be vehemently opposed to all that, and most of us don’t harm each other in these ways. But most of us do harm animals – God’s Creation – for our daily wants, not even for our needs. We mass produce them in unnatural conditions so we can eat their bodies. We take their babies so we can drink their excretions. We take their skins for our shoes, purses, belts and coats. We pull out their feathers for our fashion and décor. We use their eyes and skin to test the toxicity of household products, medicines and cosmetics. We force them to perform for us. We destroy their natural habitats. We discard garbage that maims or kills them. We have the erroneous thought that their bodies are ours to use or are inconsequential. They are not. They have inherent value independent of us. Harmony and our original nature will always elude us while we are hurting and killing others.
Revere Creation. Merriam Webster defines reverence as “profound adoring awed respect.” Reverence demands alertness. Most of us are preoccupied with our own life dramas, the allure of electronic devices, the lives of celebrities and political leaders, and the events taking place in our minds. We walk around essentially asleep to the impacts of our own actions and to the wonder of Life Itself. When we awaken to the wonder of every being, we can see the value in every being. We can see that everyone wants to live and sing their song in their own way. From the magpie to the oak tree to the honey bee to the salamander to the lilac to the elephant to the pig, cow, lamb and chicken, we are profoundly blessed when we stand in awe of who they each are and what they are here to teach us. Every being is a gift.
Resolve to live a life of prayer. Prayer is something that has been misunderstood for eons. If we pray at all, we usually pray in a beseeching way pleading for God to make something happen. That is what separation consciousness does. It puts God outside of us. If we practice praying from Oneness consciousness, it’s a whole different ball game. We elevate our consciousness to align with God Mind, or Oneness, and know, realize, claim and declare what is spiritually true but not yet manifested. This is also called believing before receiving or faithfully holding an intention. We can know together that humanity is awakening. We can know together that Harmony is being restored. We can know together that solutions are being made known to us. This is how healing happens. From a consciousness of Oneness we can also be in powerful action – signing petitions, demonstrating, supporting sanctuaries, etc. – without condemning or judging others. No matter what we do, it is essential that we act as Love, Kindness and Compassion. Hate, disgust and fighting separate. They never heal or move us forward. And the world doesn’t need another ounce of it.
Recreate our world. Every day that we wake up to our Truth, and move from separation to Oneness consciousness, we recreate our world. Even if the rest of the world hasn't budged an inch, the change within us matters because we are all connected. When one of us rises in consciousness, we impact the whole. By our example we also encourage others to join the journey. And as more of us join this inner journey, a tipping point will be reached and we will see a new world begin to emerge.
The faint song of Eden is calling us to return. Can you hear it?
Recognize--Remember—Restore—Refrain—Revere—Resolve--Recreate
“God spoke: ‘Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.’ God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female. Then God said, ‘I've given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food.’ God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good!” The Message Bible Genesis 1:26-27, 29, 31
© carol saunders 2018
Please join us for this year’s Whole Planet Spirituality Forum & Retreat at Unity Village. Our theme this year is The Road to Eden.
Movie Recommendations
It can be challenging to find movies without a dystopian message these days, but I found a couple worth watching. I may be on a Ryan Reynolds streak because I have two movies to recommend where he played the protagonist. They are The Adam Project and Free Guy.
The Adam Project
In this movie, Adam, a time-traveling fighter pilot, meets his 12-year-old self. There is a 'Back to the Future-esque' plot where together with their father, they need to change the present in order to free the future. The plot is entertaining, but what I love about this movie is the way it illustrates our avoidance of, and the disdain we may have for, our younger self/inner child. This avoidance/disdain hides unresolved trauma and shows up in our lives in a number of ways, including illness and projection.
Future Adam finds his 12-year-old self pitiful and embarrassing, while 12-year-old Adam idolizes his future self. Tiny in stature and constantly bullied by a gang of boys at school, he can't believe that he grows into that man! His future self has muscles and kicks butt. He is a bold and daring pilot! He gives 12-year-old Adam a sense of confidence. But young Adam isn't the only Adam in need of a lesson. Future Adam finds his heart again through his 12-year-old self. This movie is funny and heart-warming.
The spiritual message in this is three-fold. First, inner child integration is vital to our quest to become whole. Second, connecting with our future self can help us see that all is in Divine Order now, and everything will turn out okay. Third, when the two Adams finally have a moving, heartfelt conversation, we are shown how our memories can be altered by our feelings about the past, and may not be accurate at all. All good stuff for anyone on the soul integration path.
Free Guy
In this movie, Ryan Reynolds plays a bank teller named Guy, who discovers he is in an NPC (nonplayer character) in a brutal video game. For those who know nothing about video games (i.e. me), NPC's don't have a playing role in the game. They are the background characters with repetitive, non-reflective actions who end up as collateral damage from the confrontations between the power-wielding game players. They aspire to nothing and they question nothing. They wake up every day to the same world, making the same (programmed) choices. Game players give them zero consideration. This is us, unfortunately, as we are for the most part, utterly blind to the programming that runs our lives, and to how easily we give up our power to culture and authority.
Guy begins to see the world differently when he is moved by the feeling of love for a new character who comes on the scene. He begins to see the extreme power imbalance of his world and the unconscious nature of his fellow NPCs. He starts to realize that he makes the same choices every single day and when he tries to make a different choice, the people in his community won’t tolerate it. He wakes up to the fact that there is a 'real world out there’ that is controlling everything. With the help of his love interest — who turns out to be a player who co-created the code for the game in the first place — he launches a quest for freedom and meaning for all NPCs.
This is a story about awakening - awakening to the reality of the 'game' we are all in (but can't see), and to our inner power and creative abilities. The people in the 'real world' have their own awakenings too. As I told my family, it is a cross between The Truman Show, Pleasantville, West World, Inception, Groundhog Day and Elf. That's quite a combination! Overall this movie is inspiring and funny. But if you don’t walk away reflecting more deeply on the NPC nature of your own life, you will have missed its gift.
Healing Our Inner Child
In Unity we teach that we can change our world by changing our thoughts. Our minds are incredibly powerful. They can also be incredibly weak and lazily accustomed to habit. That's why it can sometimes take work to change a thought. In my twelve years of ministry, I have found "change your thoughts" to be a difficult prescription for the vast majority of people to follow. Because most people's changed thoughts keep coming back.
The thoughts that plague us with their repeated return are rooted deeply in the unconscious mind. They took root at an early age as some type of survival mechanism. If you investigate them, you will find they have an age and a place where they formed, which most likely intersects a point of trauma (disconnection, abandonment, abuse, fear, etc.). To change such a thought can require a visit to its place of origin and to go back and visit that place is not at all enticing. In fact it repels us because we don't want to feel the feelings again. Yet we must if we want to live free of limiting, life negating thoughts. We must if we want to learn how to live as our own authority. We must if we want to break the cycles of disconnection, abuse and domination in our world. This is the healing that calls to us.
Often when I pray with or coach people, inner child work comes up. When I hear that a person is trapped in a thought (some examples are "I'm a bad/good person" "I am unlovable/unworthy/unattractive/not deserving" "People are too critical of me" "I feel embarrassed/inadequate/superior" "I have to take care of others" "It's bad to have money"), I can usually tell that the idea was formed at a young age. The thought keeps coming up because the inner child who formed it needs to be heard and lovingly parented by the Higher Self. To do that, a person must be willing to go inside and find the child, feel his/her feelings, listen deeply and have a conversation. This is what the inner child seeks, and without it, s/he may throw tantrums, project what is missing inside onto others (often onto outside authorities who may or may not have good motives), or keep tapping at the conscious mind with thoughts of victimization (powerlessness) or superiority (power over others).
This is at the core of most of the acting out we see in families, in romantic relationships, among friends and co-workers, and on the world stage.
We each have inner child work to do, and doing it is the kindest thing we can do for ourselves and the world. It is the hero's journey. Like heroes in mythical lore, when we complete the journey, we live at another level of consciousness. We are more whole. We can feel vulnerable without having to fight or flee. We act out less and project less. We nurture life and innocence rather than destroy them. We are closer to our authentic nature.
There's obviously a lot of work to be done because you can see the world we have created all around us. The widespread non-integration of our inner child shows up on the world stage nearly everywhere -- so much so that observing aliens might conclude that there is a war on the children of our species, as we seem to consistently traumatize them. Remember, we are creating with the thoughts and beliefs that we hold -- the ones we decided on ourselves and the ones we inherited. We have the choice to create in alignment with spiritual principles or out of alignment with spiritual principles. With new thoughts/beliefs, we can create differently. A review of this can be found in Episode 71 - It's All in Divine Order, Or Is It?.
One of the earliest traumas we inflict on our kids is the normalization of violence. We all know that violence is rampant in TV shows, movies and video games, which are all now part of our social fabric. Whether you live in the inner city, country or suburbs, violence unfortunately is a part of every child's socialization process. Every time a child accepts the okay-ness of violence, there is a wound, a loss of innocence. But it starts much earlier than the introduction to media/entertainment.
During my conversation with Victoria Moran a few years ago, she shared that every hungry child who is given the choice between an apple and a bunny rabbit, will always choose the apple. Every time. That's because it simply isn't natural for a (non-psychopathic) child to want to sink her teeth into a living animal. The natural inclination of the child is to move toward animals, to touch, pet and hold them. But out of conditioning, adults put the rabbit (or chick, pig, calf, etc.) on their child's plate over and over again. It's a habit, a custom. In the beginning, the child doesn't know what he is eating - a nugget or a corn dog is the food that is given. But eventually he finds out, and if there is still some innocence left in him, it can be an unwelcome awakening.
I'll never forget the look on my own two-year-old's face when her grandma served her dinner and said, "Here's your fish!" As my little daughter's mind churned, she connected the fish on her plate to the fish swimming behind her in the fish tank, and her eyes widened in shock and horror. But then she was told that it was okay. Is it? We systemically numb our children and ourselves when we eat the flesh of sentient beings, who are not unlike our cats and dogs. We do this because we hold the thought/belief that violence is a necessary way of life. With another thought, we would create differently. This is an deep unconscious wound, because our original nature is love, and we compromise ourselves whenever we kill or cause harm that isn’t honestly necessary. This is the healing that calls to us.
Most recently, our thoughts/beliefs in infection and the finality of death caused us to systemically terrorize a generation of children. We taught them to be deathly afraid of an invisible monster. With an infinitesimal risk of becoming ill themselves, we taught them that their breath had the power to kill grandma. Then we masked them to make sure that they didn't kill her, and forced them to learn in awkward, non-social settings. For the less privileged, social skills and learning were dramatically impaired.
The relentless fear program broadcast 24/7 by media and authority figures now rests deep in the recesses of our children's psyches, making a home in the mysterious unconscious. When these children grow to be adults, these fear programs will surely surface and scream through metaphorical masks, acting out in who knows what ways. There has been little to no consideration during this time for the innocence of our children and the future minds they will inhabit. What would we have created if our beliefs were centered on life rather than the fear of death and disease? What future would we have set in motion? Believe what you want about COVID, masks and teaching children to care about people. We have no idea what is hidden inside these kids that will undoubtedly impact generations to come. This is the healing that calls to us.
Perhaps the most horrific example of our collective non-integration of our inner child is the ubiquitous nature of child sex trafficking. It's very hard to see how we are creating this in our world if we aren't a participant, but alas, we are. What keeps this ghastly program in the collective consciousness going is our unwillingness or inability to see it. In the USA alone, 300,000 children are prostituted each year as victims of child sex trafficking. It crosses classes, races, nationalities, international borders, genders and economic status. It is hidden in plain sight with abusers often being those who are most esteemed in a society. It's so egregious we just can't bring ourselves to believe it is real.
I encourage everyone to dig into this and see what you can find, for it takes light to dissipate darkness, and we are that light. In Episode 159, John Paul Rice speaks of his own observations of the misuse/abuse of children in Hollywood during his many years there. The raw testimony of Anneke Lucas will open your eyes to the satanic rituals that esteemed world leaders participate in. There are many others who have tried to get their stories out, without success. Additionally, it is worth noting that we all seem to be okay that no charges have been brought against any of the hundreds of elites who regularly visited Epstein Island. That was yesterday's news and we are onto the next thing. What are we thinking? Literally.
I personally know many spiritual journeyers who simply refuse to look at this, believing that by thinking only on positive things, evil will not manifest. This is the ultimate spiritual bypass and an error in our teaching. When we refuse to look at the darkness in our world, we are refusing to look at the darkness in ourselves. And neither goes away on its own. Only when we are brave enough to see it, can we shine light on it. Only when we have the courage to delve into our own shadows and see what lurks there, will we recognize our own part in it. Only when we are able to take back the projections of our golden shadow onto leaders and celebrities, will we be able to see their participation in it. With new awareness, we can create differently. This is the healing that calls to us.
I have barely touched the surface. There are many other ways that our non-integration of the inner child produces suffering in the world. The bottom line is the children of the world need our protection, as does our own inner child. The two are interconnected. To even begin to bring heaven to earth, we must heal ourselves. Jesus was very clear on the value of children and the need to restore our innocence and wonder:
“Let the children to come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” Luke 18:17
"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:5.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones who trusts me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea." Mark 10:16
There is a lot of healing to do and a lot of old beliefs to release, on a personal and global scale. We need to get to work and begin with healing our own inner child. There is no more important work we could be doing. Every child within who is emotionally held and integrated, creates the space for authentic relating and weakens the collective abuse programs that harm the world’s children. Put feet to your prayers, go within and begin a conversation with the child in you. God will see this through. And remember, "With God, all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)
© carol saunders 2022
Reflections on Close Encounters and the Choice We Are Facing
When Christopher Peters contacted me about being a guest on The Spiritual Forum podcast, I wasn't sure what to think. I was intrigued, but also had a healthy dose of skepticism, tempered with wonder. He was either on the crazy side, or he actually had an ongoing, fascinating relationship with the Divine. I wanted to discern for myself, so I scheduled a meeting with him before committing. We hit it off right away and talked for an hour at least. He was filled with zeal about the divine creators, how they show up for him, and their message for humanity - the choice we are facing. I thought his story should be heard. Thus was the birth of Episode 158.
I don't discount how the Divine shows up for others, no matter how out of the ordinary. For me, God arises within me as intuition/knowing. Others look for signs or experience apparitions. Where I am in life now, I feel completely open. After all, I might learn something, and who am I to say that God should show up in a particular way? The Bible is full of stories where God showed up and asked enormous tasks of extremely unlikely people. Think Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Paul. It's kind of what God does.
Is our Creator a set of extraterrestrial light beings? I have wondered about that. Sometimes it seems so when you read the Bible. If you look at the Bible as historic storytelling, God is sometimes portrayed as loving and caring and other times seems demonic and demands blood. It's hard to reconcile the polarities. Could they be different beings/energies? In Genesis, God refers to him/herself in the plural. “And the LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us.’” (Genesis 3:22) In Exodus, Moses and his caravan of Israelite followers were led through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. What was that?
Christopher's life was turned on its side when he started experiencing and communicating with what he calls our creator family, divine angel creators, or God. They are with him all the time (see the podcast page for photos and video). Inspired by his connection and experience of deep love, he spends much of his time outdoors now, caring for the wild birds and squirrels. After three years, he is ready to communicate their message to humanity. That message is a good one and has some urgency - surrender in childlike wonder and connect with them. In essence, turn to God, the Divine Creator family. Reclaim your spark of life and stand up for all life and the innocents. Christopher talks about this in detail at the 1 hour point in the podcast.
It sounds a bit like John the Baptist's, "Repent!" which calls us to make a strong turn toward a new course of action. Perhaps this is THE message for our time on this earth plane. Two years of COVID has shone a light on us all. We are exposed. We can see each other's shadows and projections more clearly, and they aren't pretty. We can see just how afraid we are of death. So many of us are lacking a ground of being, causing greater dependence on the outer, material world and neglect of our inner wisdom. The state, media and/or 'science' are now god for millions of people. Changing course is what it will come down to if we want to find our origin consciousness again.
As I have shared before, I experienced a massive awakening beginning in mid-2020. The 3D world we live in is not the world I previously thought it was. I still have yet to fully articulate the extent of this awakening, but like Neo in The Matrix, I can more clearly see the programming we are immersed in. And I can see that humanity is facing a grave choice now, in this lifetime.
We are entering (or being corralled into, depending on your point of view) an era of transhumanism and technocracy, potentially devoid of an awareness of Spirit. Unless we consciously decide otherwise, we will walk into this world with little reflection, and our children's children will suffer the consequences. The metaverse, the internet of things, the internet of bodies, 5G everywhere, global surveillance technology, 'smart' everything, digital ID's and the coming central bank digital currency (CBDC, a currency driven social credit system) will all appear as 'the next best thing’ for our ‘safety and convenience,' and we will become entrenched and dependent. Our bodies will be merged with technology, or become obsolete. The vast majority won't object because they will be distracted, resigned or in agreement. Of note, we are considered 'hackable animals' now.
"We are no longer mysterious souls. Free will is over. Today we have the technology to hack human beings on a massive scale."
NOTE: The original video I posted was taken down. The one above is a replacement.
We've grown to accept that technology generally helps our lives. Who doesn't love air conditioning on a hot summer day or the ability to call a grandchild who lives hundreds of miles away? Who doesn't want a new knee or hip when the original goes out? Technology can create conditions that foster health/safety, meaningful relationships and even a connection to the natural world. But it also can create conditions where addictions, controls, distractions and slavery proliferate. That said, perhaps we need none of it.
If we genuinely realized our Divine nature -- who we really are -- we wouldn't need gadgets, medicine, better brains, communication devices or any kind of external energy. Because we have everything we need within us! We wouldn’t have illness, war, poverty, exploitation, manipulation, coercion and slavery. Because we would live by God’s law, in harmony with all creation and ourselves. Do you know this? Perhaps it is our disbelief in our Divine nature that keeps us dependent on ever greater amounts of technology. Or perhaps technology is a trap designed to keep us worshiping fake gods and from ever realizing the true power that we are. These are ideas worth considering.
Now more than ever we need to be vigilant, question everything and make wise choices. Do I need this? Is this true? Does it support life? Is my inner Guidance system or is an external authority leading me? Am I consciously making this choice? We should be wary of new products that corporations push in front of us and pay attention to how much unnaturalness we are personally willing to accept. This past year, the majority of the world’s population accepted a series of injections that informs our DNA, the blueprint of life. What is coming next?
As Charles Dickens wrote in The Tale of Two Cities, "These are the best of times and the worst of times." We have chosen to be here to witness and participate in an extraordinary planetary awakening. It will be a massive death and rebirth process. Like a baby in the birth canal, we are moving forward, not backwards. But we can choose what we are birthing. If we want to take the path of awakening to the Divine human, we will need to release the old, all of it. That means social, cultural and governmental structures, as well as the beliefs we have inherited. As Jesus said, “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:16-17) A new world can't be built on old structures and paradigms.
As we move through these turbulent times, it's important that we not fall into despair or anxiety, but do our best to keep ourselves centered on God and our vibration high. Here are a few actions steps that each of us can take now:
Pray. Ask God to show you what you have not yet been able to see. Pray for personal healing, strength, discernment, love and faith. Pray for the innocents and for peace in the world.
Hone your discernment. This is perhaps the most important gift you will use during this time. The darkness is so often cloaked in light and can be deceiving.
Turn off all corporate media. The 'news' has become a brainwashing/hypnosis system that plays on your emotions and plants thoughts in your head that you think are your own. You don't have to watch the news to know what is going on. You also don't have to know what is going on.
Stop believing what you are told and start thinking for yourself. Authority figures/leaders/media may not have your best interest in mind. In fact, they usually have their own interest in mind. The one true authority is God!
Observe yourself. How much do you parrot what your community, government, or media is saying? When was your last original thought?
Be in nature. Nature is our original home. It calls to us. Breathe fresh air and (on a warm day) feel the earth on your bare feet. Talk to the stars. Marvel at the moon. Appreciate life.
Heal what hurts inside you. Notice your triggers and projections. They are coming from a place that hurts inside you. What is it? Feel the feelings and love the part of you whose needs were unmet long ago. Remember that God loves you without conditions. God is enough.
Connect with animals - not just your pets, but animals in the wild. They are our companions and we are their caretakers. Restore this sacred bond.
Engage with the creator beings in whatever way moves you. Enter the Presence with childlike wonder.
Be grateful for your natural body. Appreciate it. Listen to it. It is terrific!
The Creator Light is here to support this journey. God is in the midst. Always.
© carol saunders 2022
The Chosen
If you are looking for a good historical drama, I highly recommend the series, The Chosen. It is a multi-season, crowd-sourced production about the lives of all the characters depicted in the four gospels. Only two seasons are published and five more seasons are planned.
I love watching Jesus movies. From Jesus Christ Superstar to The Passion of the Christ to The Gospel of Matthew to The Last Temptation of Christ to Jesus, I glean something from every one of them. Each one depicts Jesus, Judas, Mary, the disciples, and the Pharisees uniquely. Up to now, my favorite Jesus has been Jeremy Sisto (Jesus 2001). He was playful and approachable, not entirely sure of his destiny. I appreciate Jim Caviezel's Jesus in The Passion of the Christ as it helped me to experience the horrid reality of Jesus's suffering prior to and during crucifixion. And even though my first cinema experience of Jesus was Ted Neely in Jesus Christ Superstar, I think Steve Balsamo's Broadway rendition of the song, Gethsemane is unsurpassed.
When you read the Bible it can be kind of hard to get a clear picture of what is happening. There are a lots of quotes and stories, with characters moving from place to place in a land that most of us are unfamiliar with. We never get to really know the secondary characters -- who are they and where did the come from? Nor do we grasp the cultural settings as we would in a well-written modern novel.
The cinema can bring Bible stories to life. But even most movie depictions don't go much deeper than what is written in scripture. This is what sets The Chosen apart from all the rest. It is in a completely different class from the others. With 56 planned episodes, it takes its time. At the end of season 2 we have not yet gotten to Jesus's famous Sermon on the Mount, told in Matthew chapters 5-7. But we've learned a lot about the backstories of nearly every character and the historical and cultural context of the times. We get to really know Peter and Matthew. We get a sweet sense of Jesus's relationship with his mother. The fears, failings and talents of each of the disciples, including Mary Magdalene, are laid bare, and we get a picture of their inner struggles and how they might have interacted with each other in a realistic sense. Artistic license and scripture weave together a fantastic story of a very understandable, wise and likable Jesus - a man who inspired so many to leave their lives and follow him on a completely unknown and perilous journey.
If you decide to watch it, be prepared for a traditional Christian interpretation of the story. The healings and miracles are very magical. Dialogue beyond what's found in scripture is added all the time, which enriches the story, but I definitely shook my head and winced over a line or two. For example, after two seasons I have yet to hear Jesus say after a healing, "Your faith has made you well." Maybe that is coming. Additionally, Jonathan Roumie's Jesus is a bit more sure of his destiny than my own conceptual Jesus was sure of his. But we all have a concept of Jesus don't we? None of us really know. So I have learned to keep my mind open and let the artist do his/her work. If a show is good, I want to keep watching. And I want to keep watching this one.
© carol saunders 2022
Jesus, played by Jonathan Roumie, and the children
NOTE: Every episode of The Chosen is available free on the Angels Studios website or on The Chosen mobile app. I like subtitles so I watched Season 1 for free on Amazon prime and Season 2 on DVD. If you want to 'pay it forward' and make it available to more people, or fund future seasons, you can do so here.
The Original Projection
I love stories. Stories have been with us since the dawn of humanity and they continue to be told in modern day. They enrich us. They inspire us. They give our lives meaning. If we dare to dig deeply, we can find ourselves in stories - in every character. Some stories have been told and retold so many times, they are foundational structures of our culture, whether we know it or not.
During my conversation with Ronna Detrick, we shared our different interpretations of the story of Adam and Eve. Both our interpretations, while different, were 'out of the box,' not the accepted narrative. It's a good exercise to engage in conversation about stories and consider new ways of looking at them. Bible stories pose a particular challenge because if we know the Bible at all, we usually have preconceived notions about what they mean. We've heard them many times over through an already accepted interpretive lens. This is one of many forms of indoctrination/conditioning that we inherited from our culture and ancestors. If we could wipe clean the preconceived ideas placed in our minds, we may find something hidden that we've never seen before. Maybe even something that changes everything.
The story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is considered the story of humanity's fall from grace, also known as the 'original sin.' I'm not sure I could argue with the fall from grace part. It does seem like life was pretty ideal for all of Creation. But humanity was obviously not ready for the ideal. Maybe we needed to find it for ourselves, so we created a journey that made us leave and yearn to find it again.
In Genesis 3, there are two trees mentioned. The tree in the middle of the garden is not named, but is the only one whose fruit Adam and Eve are not supposed to eat. It is universally known as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There is also a tree of Life mentioned at the end of the chapter. The tree of Life represents eternal/unity consciousness. The tree of knowledge of good and evil represents duality consciousness.
We hear through Eve that God told them to not touch the tree in the middle of the garden (tree of knowledge) because if they do, they will die. This makes perfect sense because in duality consciousness, there is life and death. But God leaving Adam and Eve to themselves saying, "Don't touch," is akin to a parent placing a jar of cookies on the counter and saying, "Don't touch." It's going to happen. The only question is, was it intended?
As expected, they both eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge, Eve going first, then Adam. The very curious Eve was convinced by the serpent that this tree's fruit was not going to cause death, but would rather make them like gods. That’s enticing. And since God put the animals there in the first place, why wouldn't the serpent be trustworthy?
It turns out that the fruit of the tree of knowledge was like some kind of mad awakening trip because that's what happened. Adam and Eve's 'eyes were opened' and their reality shifted as they could now experience good and evil, light and dark. They felt the human emotions of fear and shame for the first time, hiding in their naked vulnerability. Why were they afraid and ashamed? Where did those feelings come from? There is literally no context for them to judge their condition in this way, yet they did. Was it guilt? Was it fear? Whatever was at the root of their feelings, neither of them liked it.
When God confronted them with the inquiry, "Did you do what I told you not to?" neither Adam nor Eve could stand in their own accountability! They both projected blame onto others for their own decisions. For Adam, it was Eve's fault. For Eve, it was the serpent's fault. Had either of them said something like "I know you told me not to, but I did it anyway, and I take full responsibility for my actions," it might have landed differently, resulting in a different outcome. Obviously, the ideal consciousness of the garden had been altered, if not shattered. There were victims now. And victims couldn't stay in Eden where the tree of Life flourished.
Perhaps this is the point in the story where Adam and Eve became human. And perhaps humans simply can't be trusted with the tree of Life until we have integrated within ourselves the good and evil that we see and project onto the world. Perhaps we need to live through many lifetimes outside the garden - experiencing joy and suffering - until we remember our Divine Truth and truly embody it, standing in our sovereignty and raw authenticity, without fear or shame. Perhaps we need to lay down our desire to “be like gods" and step into our true God nature. "Here I am! The good and the bad. The light and the dark." Such is the hero's journey.
The Eden story ends in a way that is rarely told. After Adam and Eve exited the garden, "He [God] placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." Notice that there is no chain link or electric fence installed with a "None shall pass!" sign. No. That's not what happened. This so-called banishment included angels and flaming lights so that God's beloved humanity could find its way back. But we can only return at a consciousness that matches the tree of Life. Or put another way, our journey is to the realization of eternal/unity consciousness, but through the shadows of the world we live in now.
This is the spiritual path -- finding our way through the light and the dark, within and without. Evolving through personal integration, not skipping steps. Embodying the authentic life with no projection and no victimization. Awakening to Truth. It's an arduous path, the narrow gate. Many are called and few make the choice. But the light is always on saying, "Come home."
© carol saunders 2022
“He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24
Our Spiritual Relationship With Animals
During my conversation with Animal Communicator, Teresa Wagner, I felt uplifted and reminded of the enormous, unrealized potential we possess. As humans living in a material-centered world, we are admittedly ‘clunky’ in our communications, relying on words, phones, computers, etc. to convey information or feelings. That is, IF we communicate at all. But there is a fascinating world beyond all that – a world of telepathic communication that is heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul, and works for animals and humans alike. It’s not a skill reserved for people with special gifts. Teresa reminded me that her ability to communicate with animals – from insects to rats to cats/dogs to whales – is something that is inside all of us. It’s in our DNA. A lost memory.
We have lived in close communion with animals in our past. Genesis chapters 1-2 tell of a time when the human and animal kingdoms were in harmonious relationship. Adamic man was given the responsibility to care for Creation. The animals were brought to him for naming:
“Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.” (Genesis 2:18-20)
This was a sacred task, and a personal one at that. I envision Adam actually naming the animals – not like ‘bear’ ‘cat’ ‘cow’, etc. but like Tess, Hector, Amalia, Jose, and Barbara .
There was no violence in this Edenic setting. God instructed both humans and animals to eat plants rather than each other:
"Then God said, 'I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so." (Genesis 1:29-30)
Now that’s more of what I would expect Divine Love to create -- a world of love, connection and community, versus fear, exploitation and murder. Humanity created the latter world and we convince ourselves that we have evolved from a primitive state, that we are now at some sort of pinnacle of evolution. But this story reminds us that we have fallen from a more advanced state and betrayed the harmony and connection we originally had with all Creation. Whether you consider the story to be historical or metaphysical, I hold Eden up as the ideal for how we are to be on the planet, living alongside the animals, and being their caretakers.
In today’s world, animals suffer horrendously at the hands of humankind. To meet our appetite for meat, dairy and eggs, 99% of farm animals in the United States are raised in large-scale factory farms, which focus on profit and efficiency versus the welfare, purpose and sentience of animals. In the USA alone, we kill cows, calves, pigs, chickens, chicks, turkeys, ducks, rabbits, lambs, and goats at the rate of over one million an hour, when they have lived just a fraction of their lifespans. If you include fish and sea animals, it is in the trillions annually worldwide. Then there are the hundreds of thousands of animals who suffer in zoos/aquariums, and an estimated 100 million who suffer in medical, cosmetic and household product testing labs. That is an extraordinarily massive amount of violence inflicted on the beings we were created to protect.
So often I hear from people that humans are more important than animals, and we should prioritize fixing the suffering of people over the suffering of animals. But it’s all interconnected, and the idea that there is an ‘other’ who must wait, or who matters less, just supports the separation illusion that we have bought into since our fall in consciousness. No one is asking anyone to help an animal instead of a human. We are not in a burning building, having to choose between Grandpa or the cat. Every day we can take action to minimize the suffering of animals, simply by choosing to not take part in their exploitation. And when we lessen the suffering of any being, or when we are not the cause of it, we magnify Good on the planet, and it lifts everyone up.
If we don't spiritually bypass and turn a blind eye to the suffering of animals at our hands, we can often get depressed by the truth. I asked Teresa how we can help animals who are suffering without getting dragged into depression. Obviously, we can stop harming them ourselves by changing many of our consumption habits. We can modify our diet, look at product labels and only buy products that do not harm animals. We can adopt companion animals from shelters and take care of those who cross our paths. I recommend taking all of these steps. It immediately feels good. But if we stay awake to reality, we are still left knowing that so many are in horribly abusive, fearful and anxious situations. The heart can feel helpless. What can we do?
Teresa shared how we can be courageous and send our energy of love and compassion to the hearts of suffering animals. This is hard because we have to squarely face the suffering. That's why it takes courage. But most authentic communication is hard. Quickly it became obvious that everything about human-animal communication also applies to human-human communication. It takes an open heart, a willingness to be vulnerable, and raw honesty. It demands that we feel the feelings, and bear the painful ones. We are powerful beyond measure when dare to do this.
On Tuesday mornings I gather via conference call with anyone who wants to pray for the animals and the awakening of humanity. During this prayer time we open our hearts to their suffering. Sometimes we pray in a general way for all animals. Sometimes we pray for specific animals in need of care or rescue. We always pray for the hearts of all humans to open and be restored to their true natures. We also pray for our own awakening, so that we may see ways we cause harm to animals - ways we cannot yet see. We sincerely seek to restore ourselves to our sacred caretaker role and remember from whence we came: Eden, a world where humans and animals lived harmoniously together and communicated heart-to-heart, soul-to-soul.
I hope you are inspired by listening to Episode 154, and decide to join us on Tuesdays at 7:30 am CT, 716-427-1142, passcode 744661#. We always welcome new travelers on the road to Eden.
© carol saunders 2022
Setting New Year Intentions
As you set your intentions for this year, I think this is really a good time to do a lot of release. We are in the process of the death of an old paradigm and the emergence of a new one. To make this transition gracefully, we have to stop living/believing in the old one.
I invite you to do what you can to release fear -- all fears - and step into the magical world of the heart. Seek Truth. Learn to recognize lies. They are everywhere and always have been. Turn off the TV, at least "the news," for good. They aren't your friends. Don't let anyone convince you that we need to distinguish groups of people and make some good and some bad, or some safe and some dangerous. We've been there before and there is no Truth in it. Walk away from anything that encourages shame, blame or victimhood. Seek a third way when you find yourself stuck in left and right politics or "good guys and bad guys" worldviews. Recognize the split that is within you and ask God to show you a bigger picture. Play with questioning EVERYTHING -- authorities, politicians, government, everything. As Michael Beckwith says (below), "The only authority you have is the authority of your own conviction. You can't outsource your authority. Those people work for YOU. You don't work for them!" I've been saying that since the fall of 2020, if you listen back to our group dialogue episodes.
What will it take to start really believing in the power of the Divine in you, including the power to heal your body and soul? You are powerful beyond measure. We all are. Are you ready to start living it and trusting your inner authority and conviction?
I think we are in for a wild ride in the coming years. But I also remember that we chose to be here to participate in this pivotal time in history, this magnificent awakening. Each of us will surely be challenged -- our Strength, Love and Faith. We will face the choice over and over, to release or stay attached to our fears and all things old.
Keep yourself centered on God. God is in the midst. Always. And join me this year for prayer in the mornings (see schedule below). Let's create a world that truly does work for all. The highest frequency always wins!
Blessings for the New Year!
© carol saunders 2022
Angels and the Christmas Story
I thought my conversation with Kayt would be a good one to publish right before Christmas. In the Christmas story, whenever someone was afraid or lacked direction, an angel or a 'choir of angels' appeared and moved things along. Mary, Joseph and the shepherds were all told to not be afraid. Joseph and the shepherds were guided to take action. Mary was told exciting news and reminded that she was 'highly favored.' The overall message was one of love and 'you matter.'
During our online Christmas Eve service this Friday, I will tell the Christmas story as written in Matthew and Luke, and there will be metaphysical readings representing the characters and places in the story. I've done this service this same way since 2010. I guess I'm a Christmas traditionalist.
Here is what the Angel reading says:
I am the radiant thought that comes to you directly from the mind of God. The message I bring to you is: There is nothing to fear. There is only Love, which is cause for much joy.
My news is always joyful because it concerns the wonderful Truth of your being. I tell you to look within to your Divine Self and celebrate it. I tell you of all the peace and happiness that you are going to encounter. I guide you toward your highest good. I remind you that you are one with all beings and that all beings are now and forever one in God. There is nothing to fear. There is only Love.
God shows up for us in so many ways - encounters with strangers, a hunch, a dream, a voice, a nudge, a new idea, a feeling of peace or strength, and more. Additionally, inside us are planted 12 Divine powers that equip us for every life situation. For me, this is a way to look at angels and their message and assistance to us.
I learned a lot in my conversation with Kayt about how the angel beings of light help and guide us as God's ambassadors. I also have many friends who call upon angels regularly. I am learning to thank the angels in advance each morning for helping me that day.
Angel painting by Kayt
I like to think that the angels help everyone, even those in dire conditions. I like to think that they are there for victims of abuse and for the animals who suffer in hell on earth at the hands of humankind. During our conversation, you will hear that I asked Kayt if there were angels who protected the animals and whether the children who are victims of child trafficking have angels protecting them. I was interested in this because I hold a weekly prayer call on Wednesday mornings to shine light on the darkness of child trafficking, and pray for these children and their perfect healing. I also hold a Tuesday morning call to pray for the animals (see details below). She addressed the children during our conversation and later sent me more details. Here is what she wrote:
“The angels have said, children who are caught up in child trafficking, pornography, and/or other kinds of treacherous abuse, are looked after by specific angels who are trained to do so.
These angels give strength, encouragement, inspiration, love, endurance, courage and the will to stay alive, to such individuals amid the darkness they are experiencing.
One man came for an Angel Consult, who had been treacherously tortured and abused by both his mother and father and then sold by his mother in a pornography ring to his father’s friends. The child/teenager, to his credit, managed to stay alive throughout the many years of this ordeal and with therapy became a sane, sensible and loving man.
He told me that he felt angels with him often and that they kept telling him, “Hold, you will get through this.” And, with their help and his own courage he did. I felt complete admiration and respect for this man. He is flourishing now and has become great friends with Archangel Michael.
Thank you to you and the members of the Prayer Group for your prayers on behalf of all who need the assistance and support of God and the angels and archangels.
Interestingly, when I was conducting Angel Workshops in London, (in which I teach people about angels and archangels, how to connect with them, who to call on, etc.), I was invited to France. The invitation came from a group in Paris and surrounds, called the Prayer Circle. They invited me to come and conduct an Angel Afternoon at a beautiful home and garden in Versailles. We had a lovely time and their purity of heart and connection with the angelics was profound. Fortunately, I have a spiritual, bi-lingual friend living in Paris who she acted as interpreter.
Every Tuesday night at 8pm, where ever the members of the Prayer Circle lived, they would each go to a quiet space in their home and pray for the healing of specific individuals. These individuals were either from within the group or from somewhere in France or around the world, who had given their names and requested healing. There were and are many who have been healed as a consequence of the prayers of the Prayer Circle.
For my part, I feel privileged to know of the Prayer Group in the USA and the Prayer Circle in France and how you all extend God’s work in the world. Bless you.”
-- Kayt Raymond
I hope you are finding peace during this Christmas season. I hope you are able to find a space inside you to commune with God and the angels, and celebrate the magnificence of your being and the Light being born in you. We must remember the message of the angels: "You are highly favored!" and "Fear not!"
If you are seeking a way to dwell in a conversation about Christmas, you may want to revisit this collection.
I hope to see you on Christmas Eve!
© carol saunders 2021
What World Do You Want?
While our media and government have us perpetually focused on the crises of their choosing (right now it’s a Covid variant called Omicron), I believe the real crisis is a spiritual one. Humanity seems to be standing on unsolid ground, disconnected from our Essence and afraid.
We have traversed a lot of ground since "two weeks to flatten the curve." Right now, countries like Austria, Australia and Germany are locking down the unvaccinated and/or isolating them into internment facilities. Mandatory vaccination is being implemented. I never thought I would live in such a world. It is a violation of everything I hold sacred about the body and our natural right to establish healthy boundaries and exercise choice. The people who are choosing not to get the jab are not making a political stance. They have legitimate reasons based on real information, and have made the right decision for themselves. This is a choice that everyone should be able to make for themselves.
These measures are being done in the name of “public safety,” making it seem (regrettably) necessary. This is of course a fallacy, because according to the manufacturers, the vaccine does not exempt a person from infection or transmission. Countries with very high vaccination rates are experiencing Covid outbreaks, hospitalizations and deaths. So there is no rational reason to isolate one group from another or deny rights. There is something else going on.
If you think there is an end to Covid if we just 'follow the rules,' I think that is naive. Covid has become a corporate-government business partnership that has successfully transferred (and continues to transfer) unprecedented levels of wealth and control to elite classes. Just as IBM and Ford saw the rise of Nazism in the 1940's as a good business opportunity (Holocaust be damned), there is too much money in passport, ID and surveillance technologies, data harvesting, and the never ending plethora of pharmaceutical products and medical procedures. Left unchecked, our fears will continually fuel this insatiable economic/power engine. But we the people could will it away, if we are able to see it clearly enough.
Do we want to live in a permanent fear-based pandemic culture? Are we willing to change our entire society and require health passports to give us access to the normal benefits of society, such as groceries and employment? Are we willing to get whatever injections/pills the corporate-government partnership stipulates to keep our passport requirements up to date? Are we okay with the government deciding that some of us (today it's healthy unvaccinated people) must be separated from the rest of society? Do we have any lines in the sand on these things?
For me, alarm bells are going off everywhere.
For some reason, we are experiencing a bifurcation of humanity. We find ourselves divided into two reality timelines, embroiled in constant disagreements about vaccines, masks, mandates, data, information sources and more -- all of which distinguish our clashing worldviews. Some families have sadly ejected their unvaccinated members from holiday gatherings. Some vaccinated people (even physicians!) literally hope the unvaccinated will die or be denied medical treatment, even though medical treatment is afforded over and over to people who constantly abuse their bodies, and even though the vaccinated are also getting hospitalized. Many long-time relationships have been broken. Each side stays cloistered in echo chambers, spewing out sound bites, unwilling to engage the other in honest conversation. Our individual and collective shadows are at play. Everything must come to the light.
Our divisive behaviors also point to our lack of cohesive grounding regarding what really matters. We should seriously ponder that. What does matter? What kind of society do we really want? Who are we going to be as divine beings in a complicated and dangerous, three-dimensional world? What world do we want to create?
We are not going back to anything we would call "normal" The ship has sailed and we are going forward into the unknown. If enough of us do our inner, spiritual work, on the other side of this could be a much more cohesive world, centered on our divine nature, health, freedom, and our need for authentic connection. If we don’t, we may find ourselves in the world designed for us by the corporation-government hegemony - a technocratic, authoritarian, but ‘safe state,' with the illusion of protection. It won't look like that at first. The darkness will disguise itself as light.
I know that the Kingdom of God will prevail and we will come to a place in consciousness where we live as the Divine beings that we are, free of all control/exploitation programs. The timing is up to us. To actively participate in this timeline, we need to first see the reality before us now, do our shadow work, listen to our inner authority, and stay anchored in our Truth. To start, I invite you to pray and be open to seeing what you cannot yet see about yourself and the world. Be open. God will show you if you ask. And anchor yourself in Love.
Finally, no matter how you view the world, do what you can to not fall into fear and make sure you stay connected in love. As the angels of the Christmas story said, “Fear not! I bring you good news!” The good news is you are an eternal, free being, and born in you is the Christ. You are God’s beloved, perfectly designed and equipped, mighty in power. There is nothing and no one that can harm you -- not a tiny virus or a behemoth world government.
"You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free." John 8:32
© carol saunders 2021
Turkey Day
I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving this week. My whole family will be together this year, and we have a recent engagement to celebrate. Woo-hoo!
Per our family tradition, we have "adopted" nine turkeys this year. Their pictures will adorn our table and remind us of the beauty and inherent value of these beings. Our meal will be a combination of catering from the Chicago Diner and wonderful, plant-based cooking from our own kitchen.
Let me introduce you to five of our turkeys. They reside at Uplands Peak Farm Sanctuary in Freedom, Indiana. Like us, they are each so different in appearance and personality.
This is Lily. She has a big, boss-lady personality. She is super independent, but enjoys affection on her terms. She gets her day started by checking all her favorite snack spots - the cherry tree, the pear tree and the acorn tree.
Here's Taffy's new friend Willow. Willow is the youngest of the flock and is just starting to feel safe in her new home. She's still a little shy with humans (past trauma) but enjoys chatting it up with Taffy!
Here's Taffy's new friend Willow. Willow is the youngest of the flock and is just starting to feel safe in her new home. She's still a little shy with humans (past trauma) but enjoys chatting it up with Taffy!
Meet Felix. Felix loves to show off just how handsome he is and has the best high-step moves! He is quite studly if I do say so myself. He and Oscar are best buds.
This is the eldest of the bunch, Oscar. He spends his day hanging with Felix. Sometimes he's the in-charge guy. Sometimes he lets young Felix take the lead. But he is always first to the snacks!
Aren't they all gorgeous? These five get to grow up free and live out their lives in a sanctuary with other rescued farmed animals. The fate of 260 million others is pretty horrendous and it's something we should all learn about.
On my first trip to Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, New York many years ago, I was most surprised by the friendliness of the turkeys. Of all the rescued farm animals I encountered there, the turkeys were surprisingly the most like pups - curious and playful, seeking human interaction. My daughter Madeline and I went to the Farm Sanctuary in Orland, California years after that and once again, we were enthralled with the turkeys. A young lady named Pamela crawled up into Madeline's lap and nestled herself there for a very long time, just like my new puppy does.
Madeline and Pamela
Every being is an intricate part of God's creation, created with a purpose unto themselves. As we enter Thanksgiving week, I invite you to look at all of God's creatures in a new light, see their beauty, and recognize that just like us, they want to move freely and live out their full lives with the ones they care about. That was the original God idea described in Genesis 1.
Happy Thanksgiving.
© carol saunders 2021
The Power of Story
I get a lot of requests from people every week to be on The Spiritual Forum podcast. Most of these requests are from people with stuff to sell - books, seminars, modalities and more. I listen for guidance and cull through these requests looking for the spiritual messages that I believe my listeners will grow through. As a podcast host, I am much less interested in helping to sell a product - even a spiritual one - than I am in exposing listeners to what spiritual living and experiences of the Divine look like. Because of this, I really loved this last episode. I felt a bit like I was thrust into Eric's personal Celestine Prophecy story.
Some of my favorite quotes from our conversation are:
"Expect the world to deliver to you what you ask for."
"I don't know why I'm supposed to be here, but I cannot leave."
"I find myself in this mental loop where I find myself saying, 'I have no idea what I'm doing!'"
"It seems insane to abandon myself to this experience."
"The reason we go someplace is never the reason that we arrive."
I invite you all to listen to Eric's story and find yourself in it. Let me know your thoughts. Email me at revcarolsaunders@gmail.com.
I seek more stories like Eric's -- stories of spiritual healing, walks of faith, forgiveness and courageous awakening. If you know someone who is willing to speak personally of such things, please send them my way. Here is what the Contact page on the podcast website says:
This is a Spirit-guided podcast, intended to share with the world what living a spiritual, God-centered life looks like. If you are interested in being a guest, here is some information to consider before contacting.
Rev. Carol likes to go deep with her guests. You do not need to be an author or teacher to be on this podcast. In fact Rev. Carol isn’t about selling your stuff. She wants to be in conversation with you about your experience of the Divine and how you live spiritually. She also likes to engage on the spiritual nature of current events.
If you have a modality, expertise or book you want to sell, that will be secondary in the conversation. Your personal story - how you got there - is her focus. Before making a request, please consider if you are willing to share in this way:
What journey have you been on?
What have you awakened to?
What is your healing story?
How are you spiritually transformed?
What is your experience of the God/Source/Mystery/Divine?
What are you doing with all of this now?
We grow by sharing stories, authentically and rawly. If you have a book, expertise or modality, it will sell itself through the telling of your story. Feel free to listen to some of Rev. Carol’s past interviews to get a flavor for her style.
Rev. Carol is currently seeking people who can share about spiritual (versus medical) healing, walking through difficulty in faith, or courageous awakenings from social/cultural conditioning.
© carol saunders 2021
A Wake-up Call from UWM Executive Director
At the recent Vegan Spirituality Forum & Retreat at Unity Village, I offered my opening remarks and shared the early history of Unity and its commitment to living non-violently with our animal brothers and sisters. After that, I invited the new Executive Director of Unity Worldwide Ministries, Rev. Shad Groverland, to offer his welcoming remarks. I thought he was going to do the usual, "Welcome to Unity Village, we're glad you are here" type speech. Instead, we were all blown away by his statements on how we have not just strayed from the original teachings of the Fillmores, but negated and ficitionalized the Fillmores themselves. I and many others, were delighted to hear his words. It was inspiring! As I mentioned in the last newsletter, I believe we have taken the easy way out rather than hold ourselves to the teachings and faith-filled lives of the Fillmores as a standard to strive for. I include myself in that. I think of how many times I wanted to boldly teach spiritual healing during this past year and a half but didn't, because it is so contrary to the predominant worldview and media messaging/propaganda that we have bought into. As a culture, we are addicted to the medicine/war/germ paradigm -- so much so that very few can see outside of it. We have work to do to reconnect with our bodies and strengthen our Faith, Strength and Will. By so doing, we will establish habits that support life and heal ourselves, just as Myrtle Fillmore did.
I am sitting with Spirit now and listening for how I can teach the Fillmore teachings more boldly going forward. Stand by.
Reflections on the Retreat
Last weekend was the first-ever Vegan Spirituality Forum & Retreat at Unity Village. I have been co-organizing this event with Lisa Levinson and Judy Carman for the past nearly three years. It was originally scheduled for mid-September, 2020, but postponed due to COVID. We decided to go forth and hold it this year and I am glad we did. Who knows what the future holds and there is no time like the present.
The event itself is catalogued well by my friend, Judy Carman, in her blog post. I will write my own blog post when I am able. For now, I want to share some feelings and reflections.
First, it was a huge success. We had around 50 people, and the group included spiritual vegans, vegetarians and curious omnivores. I am proud that the omnivores were so open minded (curious!) and so wonderfully embraced by everyone. I think we are all vegans-in-process, because none of us would ever want to harm an animal unnecessarily. And it's no longer necessary. We have been conditioned since birth to eat and use animals. And while it may seem like a personal choice, every time we do it, it is really just indoctrination, or following the orders of our culture/family. It takes a while to see this. But if you give a hungry child a knife and offer her an apple or a rabbit, she will choose the apple every time (prior to indoctrination, that is).
About half the group stayed for the Interfaith Sunday service/Animal Blessing Ceremony on Sunday morning. This is our group photo.
Unity founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore gave up meat eating in 1895, and they taught and lived ethical veg living as a key part of their ministry. Charles wrote and spoke with clarity and conviction for 40 years about the connection between our relationship with animals and our ability to develop spiritually, manifest peace, express love and live ethically. Together they opened the first vegetarian restaurant in Kansas City (Unity Inn), started a food company to sell meat alternatives (Unity Pure Food Company), bound their bibles in a leather alternative (Keratol), and published this statement: “Unity opposes the use of any product that necessitates the taking of life, whether it’s food substance, wearing apparel, or general utility.” This was part of Unity's early identity -- the years when the movement thrived. For many years I have felt guided by the Fillmores to bring their teachings back to life within the Unity movement. That guidance is what made this retreat happen.
NOTE: If you want to learn more about this part of Unity history, I have compiled some of the Fillmore teachings and history in a booklet called, The Forgotten Teachings of Charles Fillmore - How Our Relationship with Animals Connects to Universal Love, Ethical Living, Spiritual Development and World Peace.
Rev. Shad Groverland, Executive Director of Unity Worldwide Ministries, attended the retreat with his wife Errina. It was incredibly affirming to hear him share his view that over time, Unity ministries have lowered the standards for spiritual living and negated much of our history. We have. And we have suffered the consequences. We have taken the easy way out rather than hold ourselves to the teachings and faith-filled lives of the Fillmores as a standard to strive for. We no longer teach spiritual healing. We only consider humans when we say 'a world that works for all.' We 'meet people where they are' rather than call them to the Christ ideal. We are overly concerned about not insulting donors, so we water down our message and avoid speaking Truth.
This event and the way we were welcomed by Unity staff have given me hope that we are on the precipice of change in the movement. It will take some time as we must face the hard work to "put off our old self" (Ephesians 4:22). It is my hope that we are able to at least re-embrace the Fillmores' teachings as the ideal and equip our young ministers to be powerful messengers and teachers.
Before closing, I want to share about the experience of Unity Village. Unity Village is a magical-feeling place. I attribute that to the 24/7 prayer ministry of Silent Unity that has taken place there for the past 125+ years. The grounds are incredibly beautiful, inspiring and peaceful. If you haven't been there, it is a bucket list item. I plan to hold this retreat annually, so perhaps you will join us next year. Why not? Be curious!
This visit was particularly joyful for me. I have visited the village at least 15 times since the late nineties. Most of those years the food was a disappointing disconnect from what I knew of its history. How could a place whose history included founding the first vegetarian restaurant in Kansas City serve so little healthy, plant-based food? It baffled my mind and unsettled my stomach, every time. Thankfully, they now have a new, fabulous chef and he was so excited to do the research and prepare gorgeous and nutritious, plant-based lunches and dinners for us. Everyone raved about the food. The Unity staff was so impressed that they are considering serving our menu at other Unity retreats to honor the vision of our founders. If that happens, I guarantee that no one will miss their animal products. This would be a huge, huge positive step forward for Unity. Thank you, thank you God!
"We do not eat matter, but life." Charles Fillmore
As a group, we received a lot of feedback from Unity employees about how invigorating and inspiring our energy was. It was palpable. I knew it would be. When I welcomed everyone on the first day, I shared that we were seated in the heart of the Midwest, and that our energy would be profoundly felt and would reverberate outward throughout the nation. I have no doubt that was true. And I am quite sure the spirits of the Fillmores are delighted.
© carol saunders 2021
On either side of me are my co-organizers, Judy Carman, author of Peace to All Beings:Veggie Soup for the Chicken's Soul and Homo Ahimsa (l) and Lisa Levinson, Sustainable Activism Campaign Director at In Defense of Animals (r)
Thoughts on Vaccine Passports
Last year, I was all in with 'two weeks to flatten the curve.' It was a wonderful, caring gesture of huge proportions, and I was delighted to see the best of humanity come forth and be willing to sacrifice for the most fragile. But after a couple dozen anomalies (I don't have the space to name them all here), I realized that something else was going on. Yes, people got sick. Sadly people died. It has been tragic for thousands of families, as every loss is tragic. But in a broader sense, the response was not about caring for people or restoring health. There were a lot of steps we could have taken to accomplish those two things, potentially saving many lives. Instead, after implementing long duration lock downs, isolation and shuddered businesses, we were told we would not get 'back to normal' until the ENTIRE WORLD was vaccinated -- vaccinated for a condition where 80% of deaths were people 65+ and 94% had comorbidities. That's a very extreme solution for the rest of the population, which should have set off alarms in our individual and collective psyches. But since we have been culturally conditioned since birth to equate health with medicine and injections, and since fear of death and suffering was broadcast nonstop, it seemed reasonable to many, perhaps most people.
Now we are facing the implementation of vaccine mandates and passports (a year old conspiracy theory coming to fruition). This is a critical juncture in our spiritual evolution. It will have an enormous impact on all of humanity, beyond what we have even begun to allow ourselves to imagine. It's no wonder we see millions of people around the world fighting back (France, London, Italy, Australia, Canada, NYC and more). They are fighting for everyone's freedom, not just their own.
The passport will likely be deemed a "health" passport and contrary to its name, will be no indicator of health, rather vaccination status. It will not take into account natural immunity or the overall health of an individual, even though one's susceptibility to dis-ease is connected to these things. It will consider if you are up to date with the shots determined to be necessary for you. It will allow access to society for those who are deemed medically acceptable and deny access to those who are not so deemed. The criteria for medical acceptability will be continually updated, and there will be more and more and more shots (which I would guess, none of us have ever read any of their labels to discern what's actually in them). This isn't just about COVID, or health.
Half of our population is choosing to forgo the current vaccines. These people have been called selfish, yet they have legitimate and thoughtful reasons for their choice (see video below for one example). This half could potentially lose employment and be cast out of much of what society offers.
I'm just going to say it. We've been here before. We've done this before. We think it is different this time because 'those were the olden days' and 'it's a virus now' and 'we need to be safe' and it's 'for the good of all.' Yet for thousands of years humans have been told it's 'for the good of all.' We need to stop listening to people who speak those words to justify marginalizing or harming a segment of the population. The Inquisition was 'for the good of all.' The burning of witches was 'for the good of all.' The holocaust was 'for the good of all.' Segregation was 'for the good of all.' Do we really want to do this again?
If you think this isn't happening, just stay awake and observe. It never ends the way it begins. Notice incrementalism. Notice how words are used to name their opposite. Notice how fears are churned up by the media. Pay attention to censorship. Be vigilant. And be open to changing your mind.
These are concerning times. The messaging of television has fomented widespread fear. History has shown that it is easy to manipulate people who are in fear, to twist it into imagined divisions and scapegoating. It can get really mean because when it is hard to hold the feeling of fear ourselves, we project it onto others, blaming them for society's woes. We have become afraid of each other and are teaching our children to be afraid -- afraid of their breath, of connection, of themselves, and of life itself. Many of us have given up our inner God authority and relinquished it to the authority of outer experts and politicians, who may not have our best interests in mind. We are fixated on numbers of cases and variants and such, and how other people aren't behaving the way we want. We are disconnected from Source. I wonder what our lives would be like if we unplugged from the TV and were less 'informed.'
We don't have to dwell in fear as much as we do. I've been thinking about how Jesus would go to the outskirts of towns and minister to the downtrodden and outcast -- the lepers who were cast out due to fear of contagion. He simply disregarded the control structures of his time, took charge of his own life, and loved people, even the most detested and 'unclean.' He touched them! Love doesn't fear, project, scapegoat, isolate or deny people basic rights. The Christ Essence, evidenced in this great man, is in each one of us.
Who are we going to be?
I believe we are being called now to take bold steps to reclaim our purpose and remember who we are. Our souls have a creative purpose. We are not here on this earth plane to stay safe and avoid danger. We are here to have the fullness of the human experience -- all of it. Joy. Agony. Gain. Loss. Birth. Death. We have been created free and that includes making choices for ourselves and our bodies - the foods we eat, the drugs and medications we take, the water we drink, the amount of exercise we get. To grow, we also get to experience the results of our choices. That's the Law of Cause and Effect, acting on us over many lifetimes. If we could just settle into this and remember who we are, we would be okay. But it will take some deep, meaningful spiritual work. The kind that makes us cringe or turns our stomachs. Trauma healing. Shadow integration. Embodiment. Prayer. Meditation. Grounding with the earth. Releasing projections isn't a cakewalk.
On a macro plane, we are participants in a massive evolutionary shift on every level. We won't be returning to anything we would recognize as normal, so we might as well purge that thought from our minds. Change and technology are accelerating rapidly. Language is being altered and twisted. Illusions are being shattered everywhere, but not everyone can see them, rendering what looks like two distinct timeline realities. All this makes these the strangest of times. But we must remember we have chosen to be here for this and we each have a role. Each of us is contributing to the collective consciousness that is creating our collective experience. Together we are birthing something new, our next place in evolution. Will it be a beautiful child or a monster? That's how strange it feels. That's how unusually uncertain and unknown the future seems right now. In the end, Love and light always prevail. We know this and must keep our focus on this truth. But to accomplish our next evolutionary step, the light may need to root out the shadows for awhile.
.
Given all the work we have done up to this point, and standing in Faith, we can make our contribution to the collective consciousness an uplifting one. In prayer, we can 'lift our eyes to the hills from where our help comes." (Psalm 121:1). We can dig into the depths of our being and do real healing and integration work. We can use our imagination to envision a different solution than the ones being pushed on us now -- one where, like Jesus, we disregard the control structures of our time, take charge of our own lives, and love one another.
Please pray on this and anchor yourself in the Light. God is in the midst. Always.
© carol saunders 2021
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NOTE: If you are wondering, of course I am saddened and concerned about the loss of life from COVID, including those caused by the lockdowns. Every loss is tragic, especially for loved ones. This thing may be around for a long time. I do not have confidence that science can 'beat it.' I think humanity is generally stuck in an outdated war paradigm when it comes to 'fighting' dis-ease, and we should be looking at what we need to stop doing rather than trying to actively kill an invisible enemy. In any case, if this isn't a wake up call to make some drastic changes to our lifestyles and give ourselves the best chance at life, I don't know what is. Most of us have spent decades abusing our bodies, and storing trauma in our cells and tissues. We consume toxic foods that are generally incompatible with our physiology. We have forgotten how to nourish and heal our divine bodies. It is time to remember, and as I said earlier in this blog post, do the gnarly, deep, really hard, 'please don't make me' healing. Maybe that's what this whole thing is about.
To Go or Not to Go
As I write this blog, I am sitting on a porch overlooking a valley that is surrounded by majestic mountains in Leadville, Colorado. Leadville is the highest altitude town in the US - 10,162 feet. My sister lives here and we have made this a family vacation spot since our children were young. Today (August 1) is my 40th wedding anniversary, and we had hoped to make a big trip to celebrate it. With travel being a bit restricted now, we decided instead to take a road trip to Leadville and meet family and friends there. But we had quite a rocky start.
The day before we left, we spent several hours at the emergency vet with our dog, Arthur. He is in palliative care right now with a large mass on his heart and we learned that day that the cancer is now visible in his lungs. Poor boy! It was not a good time to leave him. But his caregiver adores him (she named her pet sitting business after him) and we thought it was divinely guided that she could spend this quality time with him at this important juncture. He is her pal too.
Trying to get a good night's sleep in preparation for a long days drive, we were rudely awakened by loud buzzing alarm on my husband's phone, alerting us of a tornado warning. It was annoying...we needed to sleep! But just minutes later a crazy Wizard-of-Oz-like storm hit. All around us were gusting winds and the sounds of loud cracking and thudding. Our power went out and we could briefly and intermittently see when the lightning flashed. The storm only lasted about 30 minutes and we did our best to get some sleep after that. I awoke early the next morning to survey the damage. About 10 mature trees were down. Dozens of tree tops and limbs had been sheared off. Some of these had been hurled twenty yards through the air. The truck we planned to drive to Colorado was thankfully spared, but the left rear view mirror was taken out by one of those hurling treetops. Our driveway was blocked by a fallen maple tree. It looked like the post hurricane messes we experienced five times while living in Florida and Houston.
Was this a sign that we shouldn't go on our trip? I mean, our pup was sick, we had no power, our property was a complete mess, and we couldn't get out of the driveway. My husband spent three and a half hours chain sawing a clear path. He was sweaty and exhausted and we completely missed our 8 am departure time. But with all that, we decided to press ahead. Sleep deprived and a bit cranky, it was a rough first day of driving. But miracles also happen in the midst of difficulty. We were able to get the mirror - a part unavailable and on back order in several nearby states - replaced in Seward, Nebraska, right off the interstate of our route. Easy peasy. This made for a much easier second day's drive. A big shout out to Meyer Ford in Seward, Nebraska!
As I have said many times before, life presents us with blocks all the time. When faced with a block or a series of them, the next step you take determines how you choose to order it. There is no right or wrong answer. Are there blocks in your life now? Are you letting them ruin your day, or are you moving though them? Do you interpret blocks as signs for you to stop, or as opportunities to persevere? It's up to you.
© carol saunders 2021
Episode 94 - Living Spiritually in a Coronavirus World
Coronavirus is dominating the news, social media and our attention. While we need to stay firmly grounded in the what is happening in the world in order to make the best decisions for ourselves and the whole of humanity, we also need to stay centered in God and focused on Truth. We are powerful Divine beings and there is nothing that can truly harm us. In this episode Rev. Carol shares some interesting metaphors presented by the virus and participants share how they are balancing being in the world but not of it. This was our first online gathering and we are committed to continually improve our sound quality to approximate an in person recording.
NOTES
We must do both/and
Stay firmly grounded in the world to make the best decisions for ourselves and the whole of humanity AND
Stay centered on God and focused on Truth. We are powerful, Divine beings and there is nothing that can truly harm us.
We create in consciousness. When we stay focused on our Divine Truth, we create harmony, not viruses.
What we see in our world is an out-picturing of what is in our consciousness, a reflection of our thoughts and beliefs.
The questions now are:
What are we going to do?
Who are we going to be?
What is the Good?
What are we going to learn?
We have created a virus that causes illness and results in rigorous cleansing, social distancing and a disruption to what is normal
Everything that is, has an underlying metaphysical meaning - a message for our souls.
Some metaphysics to consider:
1.Boundary management
A virus penetrates a healthy cell the way a negative/limiting thought penetrates the conscious mind
From Episode 93 - Life is for Living :
Thoughts that ‘steal, kill and destroy’ our experience of and presence to Life Itself
Fear, worry, blame, hate, unforgiveness, divisiveness
Regarding boundary management, we have allowed fear to penetrate our consciousness
Our spiritual “immune systems” can reject, release, transcend or transmute fear…and chose Love
Another metaphysical idea to consider:
2. Increased and rigourous cleansing
A metaphor for cleansing our consciousness
[You may want to listen again to Episode 8: Clearing Consciousness]
Some ways to cleanse your consciousness:
Turn off all fear transmitters and tune to the God channel
Pray regularly – touch the hem
Remember/affirm “I am a fearless, Divine being”
Imagine each of your cells as a "pinpoint of light growing brighter and brighter, connecting in a latticework of radiance"
Thank each and every wonderful cell for its radiant Light
Myrtle Fillmore: “I am a child of God and therefore do not inherit sickness.” Myrtle Fillmore
The Prayer for Protection
We have the opportunity to:
Recognize that what we think divides us is not so important
Come together and make personal decisions that are for the good of everyone
Make positive changes to our everyday lives
Create something new in consciousness
NOTE: Many months after this episode, my views on the virus have dramatically changed. With new information, I make new choices. Previously, I had learned that a virus was an invasive non-biological entity (Borg-like if you are a Star Trek fan) that takes the life force from us. This propels us to wage a war against said 'intruder' and win battles via medical intervention. Within the dominator worldview that we live in, that is of course how we would see it - as an unwelcome enemy that is against life. But I have since learned that our understanding of sickness is rooted in germ theory, which IS STILL A THEORY. The idea of germ theory is that a tiny non-biological entity can enter our bodies (presumably via human or surface contact and sneezes and such) and wreak havoc in the body, causing illness and taking life. It's a strange thought to consider if you truly believe that we are divine creations, made in the image and likeness of God. Interestingly, I learned that there was another theory competing with germ theory at the time. It was put forth by Antoine Béchamp, and called terrain theory. Terrain theory is all about maintaining optimum health in our bodies, recognizing that they are naturally healthy and that the presence of sickness is an indication that our terrain (i.e. body) is out of balance. Viruses (which are naturally present in our bodies - trillions of them live there) can become scavengers of diseased tissue or byproducts of a diseased immune system. Their presence in this state is like an alarm telling us that something is wrong. Louis Pasteur, the author of germ theory, admitted on his deathbed that terrain theory was correct. Unfortunately, John D. Rockefeller backed germ theory with his money, which decimated natural health physicians and funded the medical business as we know it today. It also made him richer and made the population more susceptible to fear and control. People became less responsible for bodily health, governments and corporations became less responsible for the health of the earth body, and today we live in fear of sickness, accepting medicines and vaccines as if they were necessary for life. Does that make sense??? Give it some thought. Here's a good video to provoke some thought. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njpVSKofxXY
Dialogue and Inquiry
What is on your heart and mind? How are you reacting or responding to what is happening?
When you observe your thoughts (where you place your attention) is it mostly on fear or Love, Peace, Harmony and Wholeness? Can you see how it shifts?
How are you using the lessons from our last topic, Life Is for Living, as we now live with COVID-19?
How are you balancing being in the world and aware enough to discern right action while also living your Divine Truth? What spiritual practices are you engaging in?
I mentioned two metaphors to consider. What else are you seeing?
Closing Thought
I am empowered and energized by the Spirit of Life. I envision my body flooded with Divine Light. I feel its presence connecting my awareness with Source. As I breathe deeply, I quietly affirm that the Life of God is my true identity. I am vibrant, strong, and made whole by this dynamic power.