Religion

Conditional Giving to Haiti

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The world has generously given and pledged over $200 million dollars in aid to Haiti. I gave like so many people because it seemed like the right thing to do. However, today I read in the newspaper that structured religious groups, such as Baptists, Catholics and Jehovah’s Witnesses and others are deeply opposed to the Voodoo religion and are considering withholding food from Voodoo practitioners. Voodoo has been practiced in Haiti since the 17th century. It was brought by the slaves from West Africa and combined with the Catholic saints.

In the News and Observer article, Voodoo priest, Max Beauvior, was quoted as saying, “I hope this does not start a war of religions because many of our practitioners are being harassed now, unlike any other time that I remember.” And Pastor Frank Amedia of  Touch Heaven Ministries, who has been distributing food, was quoted as saying, “We would give food to the needy in the short term, but if they refused to give up Voodoo, I’m not sure we would continue to support them in the long term because we wouldn’t want to perpetuate that practice.”

It’s interesting that we withhold our help and generosity when we feel that our support condones behavior we find ‘unsavory.’ It is difficult to see people beyond their actions and forms, and remember that we are cut from the same cloth. Fear often plays into this. Fear that we are leading someone astray by condoning their actions. Fear of failing God. But when we react to anyone with fear instead of love, we have forgotten to see the light of God within them. I don’t practice Voodoo, attend church or follow a structured religion, but I love God. There are many paths to God, and I wouldn’t try to dictate which path you or anyone follows.

I am deeply saddened that this opportunity to love and help has been turned by some into an opportunity to put more seats in the pews. The article claimed that some Voodoo practitioners have said they’ve converted to Christianity for fear they will lose out on aid. Say hallelujah and pass the gravy.

Walking with the Divine

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The road to spirituality is a lonely path from the world’s perspective. You won’t find a guidebook or set of rules – there is none. You might find a teacher for a short time, but no one will walk the same path for long. Religion offers structure, companionship and rituals. You will find acceptance walking through religion’s door, but religion was created for the masses. It cannot fit each individual perfectly. Religion is a two-edged sword.

I tried the religious path. I’m grateful for the insights it gave me, but it no longer suits me. I now walk personally with the Divine to receive personal instructions and guidance, using shamanic journeying to communicate directly with spirits guides, Jesus and other enlightened beings.

I know this spiritual path is right for me, but there are struggles. It takes courage to trust the messages that I receive. I can’t look to others for advice and sometimes miss having a spiritual community to depend on. In addition, the world is not very accepting of beliefs outside of main-stream religion, even though each started with a man who stepped outside the matrix.

Since I haven’t been on my spiritual path for long, I have to think about every move – just like when I first learned to drive. I try not to second guess myself or let other’s fears or disdain obscure my vision. I have passed the fork in the road, there is no turning back. I walk on the path. One foot in front of the other, walking with the Divine.

Will You Go to Heaven?

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A question was raised today by my hairdresser: “Do you think everyone will go to heaven? Even the murderers?”

We are not our bodies, thoughts or actions, which are part of a temporary world and not eternal. Our spirits are eternal and have never stopped being perfect. Our spirits have never lost their connection to their divine source. So, the question, “Will everyone go to heaven?” can be answered by simply saying, “We have never left.”

Blessed journeys!

The Two Sides of Eve – Ego vs. Spirit

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Over and over for a week, I have heard comments from people stating that they don’t fit in this world – and never have. I knew they were echoing what I felt as well. Especially this last week, when I kept vacillating between peacefulness and flights of profound sadness and fearfulness. I realize now that it was a lesson to show me the rewards of being connected with the spirit versus being connected with the ego.

What is the ego?
The ego was created by our thoughts (we are creators, just like our Creator). We create an ego for ourselves and each person we meet. The ego will die without us, but believes that it can live without us. It’s mad and insane. It longs to be free of us, thinking it can live without its creator. It is emulating our original decision that we could live apart from our Creator. It fears that we will awaken and realize that the ego is not who we really are—that we will remember our true spiritual self. Once we know our true self, the ego will cease to exist—a state of mind called enlightenment.

The ego uses conniving methods, such as feelings of bravado to motivate us, and fear when we are headed toward enlightenment to cloud our vision. You could compare the creation of the ego with the ‘Garden of Eden’ scene in the Bible where Satan convinces Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. The forbidden fruit was symbolic of the thought of living separately from our Creator—a decision that created the ego thought-system which deceived us into believing that we could be created by something other than God, and at the same dissociating ourselves from the fear and guilt that stemmed from the separation.

How do we live on this earth without the torment of the ego?
I believe that it is possible to listen to our spiritual self through the Spirit to know how to go about our day. Listening to the Spirit is not a conscious act to ignore the ego, but rather the natural outcome. When listening to the Spirit, we are connecting to our higher selves which automatically fills us with love and overpowers the thoughts of the ego. There are only two basic emotions – love and fear (lack of love). The ego is ruled by fear and the Spirit is love.

I’d love you, but…

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I read several comments in the newspaper lately where the religious leaders were asking the question: “Is it okay to love people outside your faith?” This is mind boggling to me. I haven’t been to church in 20 years, so maybe I am out of the loop on the ‘love your brother as yourself, as long as he is member of your church/temple/mosque’ ideology.

I am going to offer an answer on this, although I am sure that those asking this question don’t care what I think.

First, love everybody. The saints, children, your mother and father, politicians and lawyers (they really need it), hard working teachers, your neighbor, and everybody else! How we feel toward others and treat them is a direct expression of how we feel about ourselves. And since we are all connected, we really do hurt ourselves when we hurt others, and love ourselves when we love others.

“…See the Love of God in you, and you will see it everywhere because it is everywhere. See His abundance in everyone, and you will know that you in Him with them. They are part of you, as you are part of God.”
– A Course in Miracles

Shamanism vs. “A Course in Miracles”

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I read A Course in Miracles (ACIM) book a year ago in August, because I wanted to compare the beliefs in this book against shamanism. The writings were channeled by Helen Schucman and put into words by William Thetford, both professors at Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. The channeling was a strange occurrence to have happened to an atheist professor who had never practiced metaphysical activities.

Last August, my family and I were about to take a two week road trip from Florida to Michigan to visit family, and I knew I would have a lot of time to read. My father had given me the A Course in Miracles book several years earlier, but I had only read the first page to where it stated, “All miracles mean life, and God is the Giver of life…” when I saw the word God I had stopped reading. The book had sat in my bookshelf ever since. But I had changed my viewpoint on God since then, although not religion. I wanted to read A Course in Miracles to see how it claimed miracles occurred and whether it was a different thought process than shamanic healing.

The ACIM book is written in a biblical style and is difficult to read. To be able to read as much as possible and utilize my time on the road, I would read a paragraph or page at a time and set it aside for a few minutes. Once the words sunk in, I would resume reading. In the several days it took to reach Michigan, a week visiting family, and the travel back to Florida, I managed to read the entire book except for the daily lessons.

I was surprised that I could not find anything in A Course in Miracles that contradicted shamanism. In fact, it added valuable insight into how shamanic healing occurs. ACIM talks of how there are teachers of teachers (teachers in spirit form) such as Jesus and others. In shamanism, the others would be called spirit guides. In a religious context, they might be called saints, angels and the Holy Spirit. In my shamanic journeys, I work with spirit guides, Jesus and angels, as well as nature spirits, ancestors, and animal totems.

ACIM talks of how miracles alter space and time to undo the perception of illness. I have seen for myself how a past life healing can cut the karmic ties between a past and present life. And, a soul retrieval can release the negative effects of a past trauma through acknowledgement and forgiveness.

Shamanism is the oldest known spiritual practice and has endured because it follows truths that have stood the span of time. The book, A Course in Miracles, although a much more recent revelation, offers ancient truths and is a perfect companion to my shamanic practice.

Gift of Enlightenment

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Dreams offer profound messages at just the right time. Their conceptual scenes give us insight into our unconscious, provide divine messages, and sometimes take us on voyages to other places and realms. I had a dream last month that affected me deeply, because it was so insightful. Plus, it featured one of my favorite authors, Eckhart Tolle.

The dream starts with me in the kitchen of a large mansion in the middle of campus. It’s my home and I am waiting for husband and kids to get back from grocery shopping, so I can get ready for an event on campus. In the mean time, people keep accidentally walking into my home, because they think it is the event center. I keep redirecting them to correct building which is next door. When my family finally gets home, I rush upstairs to take a shower.

When I come downstairs an hour later, the kitchen and living room are full of 40 people eating a fish dinner. I realized that I had forgotten to tell my husband that people were accidentally walking into our home instead of the event center next door. I found it strange that he fed them and asked him why. He said he didn’t know if they had come for one of my events or not and didn’t want to be rude, so he fed them.

Next, we are at the campus event featuring Eckhart Tolle as the guest speaker. I noticed that we are sitting right behind him in the best seats in the house! I was told that since we helped feed his guests, we were given a place of honor. I felt that we didn’t deserve the seats, since our kindness had been more out of confusion than generosity, but was thrilled to be so close. As we sat there, I noticed a man dressed in a black suit sitting next to Eckhart Tolle. Suddenly, I realized that the Man in Black was the power behind Eckhart Tolle’s success and message.

After the event, Eckhart Tolle and the Man in Black came up to me and my husband to thank us. While talking, the Man in Black said he wanted to give us a gift – the gift of enlightenment. He then grabbed my husband by his root chakra, infused him with energy and then my husband floated away. The Man in Black came towards me and I started to run away and yelled, “I’m not ready!” But he caught me and began infusing energy through my root chakra. I started to levitate and then everything went black.

When I woke up, I felt as if it really happened. That I had received a divine message to let me know that my journey is on the right path. I thought about the interpretation and came up with this. The feeding of the strangers in our home showed how my husband helps me in many ways, even though he doesn’t believe as I do. So the fact that he does not understand the path I am on is not important. He helps me by programming my website, setting up chairs, and watching the kids while I go to a gathering. His help allows me to follow my path and enhances the experience (hence the great seats). The Man in Black is the Spirit talking through Eckhart Tolle. His black suit, as opposed to being a white suit, concerned me. But I think the blackness represented my fear of his power – the fear of losing myself when I surrendered. The relationship between the Man in Black (Spirit) and Eckhart Tolle showed what could be achieved when someone listens to the Spirit. Eckhart Tolle, has gone from being homeless to becoming a best-selling author and respected spiritual teacher worldwide (I highly recommend his books). The gift of enlightenment in the dream, shows that none of us can truly do anything to deserve it. We may be blessed for our efforts, but our efforts will always be less than perfect. Enlightenment will be ours simply because we are worthy.

Blessed journeys!