The Gateway To The Divine

My first experience with the Divine happened when I was twelve. I was at church camp in the hills of Ohio--Camp Bountiful to be more precise--a place I had been coming to with my family from the time I was a small child. It was a place I loved. It was way out in the country, so none of the distractions of my daily life were there. It had cabins nestled in the hills, a large shelter house for services and campfires, a dining hall to eat and fellowship in, and a pool for recreation. A creek traveled through much of the property, water meeting earth in a beautiful union. It was definitely one of my happy places.

I had been attending a Junior High Camp that week. Classes and activities had been fun, and I enjoyed hanging out with my friends. As usual, I was friends with everyone. Also as usual, I had a couple of friends who didn't like each other. In fact, I can remember both of them asking why I liked the other one that week. I had the same answer for both: because they were nice! They were nice to me (just not to each other).

The last campfire we had for the week took place on a Friday night. While campfires started out boisterous, they always ended on a quiet, thoughtful note. At this final campfire, they gave people the opportunity to stand up and share experiences and thoughts they had of the week. Some people stood up and shared problems. Some people talked about how God had touched them personally in their lives. What touched me most though was my two friends that spent the week not liking each other. They apologized to each other for the way they had acted. As I sat in this atmosphere of caring and love, I felt the whole Universe open up in a way I had never experienced before. All of a sudden, I became aware of the presence of angels. I could even seen the outlines of them standing in the leaves of the trees on the other side of the creek.

There was no doubt in my mind that God loved me. I could feel the love emanating from those angelic beings. I could feel the love in my friends. All barriers between us came down as love was given place in our hearts. Love had become the gateway to the Divine. Even though I was limited to this time and space, my heart allowed me the freedom to explore and expand in ways I never dreamed possible.

As I look back at that time so long ago, I understand the place of the heart even better now. All the blessings I've received in my life were from those times I was open to love. At those times when I allowed my heart to be fully opened, I became fully engaged, fully enlightened. Nothing was held back from me. Love is the state where energy flows freely. 

Love is the gateway to the Divine. When we can break down the barriers that stand between us, energy is free to flow. We allow ourselves to access the knowledge and wisdom of the Universe. It is this in this process of connection we finally find our place of acceptance and power. It is in this place we truly find ourselves.

~CSE!!!

 

Divergent: A Book Review

A spirituality blog seems like a strange place to find a book review on a popular sci-fi/fantasy book, yet here it is. I finished the book last night. This morning, all I can think about is how many parallels I can see to life here in the United States in 2015. As I have been writing here with the idea of writing where my own spirit leads me (and not fighting it), the book is where my thoughts take me this morning.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth, is set in a future dystopian Chicago where five separate factions live and work together. All factions are based on a single principle. Each faction is responsible for some aspect of service to the community as a whole. The factions are Abnegation (selflessness), Erudite (knowledge), Amity (friendship), Candor (honesty) and Dauntless (fearless). At the age of sixteen, each person is given an aptitude test to help them determine if they want to stay in the faction they were born into or if their personalities require something different.

The main character, Beatrice Prior, is from Abnegation. Although she appreciates her faction she does not really feel she can be selfless and finds herself looking to other possibilities. Her aptitude test is inconclusive, meaning she does not identify strongly with any one particular principle. The person running the test tells Beatrice she is Divergent, which is a dangerous thing to be in that society. The tester encourages Beatrice not to divulge her test results and to choose from the three factions that were not ruled out in her test.

The idea of being Divergent is what speaks to me at a spiritual level. The bottom line is, Divergent means a person is able to think in many ways. The reason Divergence is considered dangerous is because a person who is Divergent can think for themselves. They will not go with the status quo if they believe something is wrong.

Living in modern day United States, I see the parallels. Every aspect of our society is highly controlled: education, medicine, food production, energy, politics and entertainment. The only choices we have are those the powers that be give to us. As time goes on, more rules and regulations are brought in, confining all of us to particular routines. Those of us who have the tenacity to question what takes place are minimized in ways that the majority of people fear to follow.

The really scary part of the book comes at the end, where the author discusses topics such as mind control, using such techniques involving injection of microchips and electronic signals. Even though microchipping and electronic commands seem like science fiction, they are quite real. I have read through some of the actual patents on such things. I have a few friends that have experienced these sorts of commands working on them.

The book was well written and difficult to put down. As I have always enjoyed a good read, I definitely appreciated the process. Still, all I can think about today is that this story is just one more disclosure of truth that we all give our unknowing consent to. The fact that the storyline has reached the masses through movies is extremely significant to me. Most people are not big readers. Many more people will pay for the entertainment of a movie.

There is truth all around us. If something is hard to put out of your mind, understand that is something you need to pay attention to. It is usually the wisdom/connection of your heart, telling you there is an important concept you need to be aware of. Trust your instincts. They may keep you from being one of the mindless zombies and make you Divergent.

~CSE

Confronting Darkness

There are some who are meant to look at and promote the light. There are others who are meant to face the darkness and shine a light on it, drawing it out of the shadows where it no longer has the power to hurt anyone. I am one of the latter.

My own life this go-around has been relatively easy. My parents are wonderful people who loved and protected me. I believe this has been important to my growth and personal story because it has given me the strength I needed to confront the darkness.

My empathic nature made me extremely aware of misery when it was near. I was often the champion of the underdog at school, defending people who could not or would not defend themselves when they were being bullied. I could not allow such darkness and negativity to go on around me without doing something about it.

After my family moved to South Carolina in the early 80's, I had the opportunity to volunteer with a camp that had been started to work with abused and neglected children. Some of the kids at the camp were not a whole lot younger that me at the time. (I was 16 the first year I volunteered.) For whatever reason, quite a few of the kids that week shared some of their personal stories with me. These kids had experienced so many things I could not imagine--abuse (some of it sexual), extreme poverty where they did not have enough to eat, parents in prison for violent crimes. I listened, and I loved them anyway. Even at that relatively young age, I had the strength to face and acknowledge there was ugliness in the world. I vowed to make it better.

This eventually led to getting a bachelor's degree in psychology and working several years in a group home with emotionally disturbed children--children who had severe behavior problems because of extreme abuse and neglect. This work was stressful and time-consuming. Change was slow as I helped these children unlock those experiences that caused them to act out. Again, I was able to look at the darkness and love them unconditionally.

We are all bits and pieces of light and dark. Ignoring darkness does not make it go away, nor does it get any less potent. The best way I know to face and overcome it is to look at it head on and turn on your connection to unconditional love.

Love connects us to Source/God. Love connects us to each other. Love connects us to animals and even to Mother Earth. Unconditional love allows us to face the darkness and not become overwhelmed by it.

It is unconditional love that will save us all.

~CSE

The Nature Of Light And Darkness

There is a powerful struggle going on between light and darkness. As with all things, there are varying degrees of light and dark--some lighter than others, some darker than others. There are two natural laws you must be aware of in this battle. The first is that the smallest amount of light is enough to expose the darkness. The second is, the darkness will do its best to extinguish any light there is in order to keep from being exposed.

Darkness is literally attracted to all things light, just as light is also attracted to darkness. It's the way our dualistic world attempts to balance things out. However, we have come to a period of time where the darkness has become exceptionally strong, and it has been that way for quite a long time. We are so used to dealing with it that is seems second nature and we don't realize the battle is taking place.

Have you ever noticed that people who are exceptionally light often carry tremendous burdens? Some of them might be constantly sick. Others cannot seem to catch a break financially. Many of them have no excess energy. There is a reason for this. The darkness sees them as a threat and attacks. Darkness will also feed on this light energy, draining it of strength. Darkness has a voracious appetite and is constantly looking for energy to feed on.

Recharging Light Energy

It is extremely important for those of the light to participate in activities that protect and energize at this time. There are extra efforts on the parts of those who are more dark to extinguish light so they can continue to live in the shadows.

Here are a few things you can do to recharge your light batteries:

1. Daily meditation.
2. Prayer (especially for protection)
3. Journaling
4. Singing or listening to uplifting music
5. Artistic pursuits, such as painting, drawing, crafting, etc.
6. Humor/Laughing/Smiling
7. Connecting to pets/animals
8. Connecting to nature
9. Exercising
10. Drinking pure, filtered, unfluoridated water
11. Eating unprocessed, fresh, organic food

The more you consciously take the time to connect to your heart (which all the activities listed above allow you to do), the easier it is for you to keep your light energy strong. Understand that you are important!!! If you will not take care of  yourself, no one else will either.

It is time to allow our light to bring darkness out of the shadows and into the open where it cannot hide any longer. Consciously recharge your light batteries so the task can be accomplished!!!

~CSE

Revisiting 9/11

As long as I live, I will never forget that day. The horror and shock of it all will be forever etched in my brain. I was a daycare teacher with a classroom of one-year-olds. I had already been working for an hour or two when news of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center was brought to my classroom by a float teacher. We were stunned that such an accident should happen, but work went on as usual. Shortly thereafter the same teacher came back in the room and told us a second plane had hit the other twin tower. As we stood contemplating the odds, the same teacher came in a third time and told us the Pentagon had also been hit. It was at that moment we had to admit to ourselves that someone had plotted this savage attack on American soil.

Feelings of panic and overwhelm set in as I contemplated the number of people that might have been in the building that day. News reports continued to show pictures of the second plane hitting, the burning buildings, and their ultimate collapse, which added to the heaviness of my heart. There was so much pain at the thought of the death and destruction. The whole world stood back in shock and grief over the events of that day.

It took well over a year for me to look at a plane overhead and not see a savage weapon. I accepted "the facts" as the government laid them out, never questioning the official story. I believed that the United States was being attacked by a foreign terrorist and that it was important for our safety to find that terrorist wherever he chose to hide and bring him to justice.

I didn't not want to believe that someone inside my own country might have had reason to commit such an atrocity. I wanted to believe that the people in charge were a lot like me--basically good but making mistakes along the way. The fact of the matter is, I was not at a point in my life where I was willing to look at truth.

Truth never changes. It never goes away even though we choose to ignore it. As time went on, I began to question other subjects where the facts did not add up--topics that were not quite as insidious as 9/11 that were easier for my mind to handle. After quite a few years, there came a day when I was ready to admit there might be more to the 9/11 story than I had been willing to see at the time it happened.

Some of the most compelling evidence came from a group called Architects and Engineers For 9/11 Truth. A video they put out entitled, "Solving The Mystery Of Building Seven" held some intriguing information that was largely left out of the whole 9/11 puzzle. It focused on World Trade Center 7, which also collapsed that day even though no planes hit it and falling debris from the twin towers did not overwhelm it (as they fell in their own footprints). The brief documentary makes a good case for WTC 7 coming down in a controlled demolition.

Part of the reason the group put this particular video out is to point out that building 7 collapsed within its own footprint at freefall speeds--just as the Twin Towers did. It uses experts witnesses to explain how the government's story has a good many holes in it. It uses sound logic--at least for those who have enough courage to finally confront truth.

It's been several years since I have had the fortitude to look at the truth of that day. While the facts were hard for me to accept, they have also brought me a curious new freedom. I broke out of my programmed little box and allowed myself to ask new questions and see new information.

Even though I understand there is great evil in the world, I also know there is great goodness. We all have the power to tap into this goodness and use it to improve the world around us. It is not an easy process, nor is it a quick one. However, little by little, we are beginning to change the outcomes. By tapping into our awareness and seeking out new information, we are starting to have the upper hand. We are exposing the evil to our light every day, forcing it out into the open. At some point, the evil will be overwhelmed by the transparency and will no longer be able to hide.

In many respects, 9/11 woke me up to my role in allowing evil to take hold of the world through my denial of its existence. It has forced me to stand up and take responsibility for what has happened and  allowed me to shine my personal light on truth.

Life's greatest lessons often result from terrible tragedy. As we revisit and remember the tragedy of 9/11, may we appreciate the fact that it has become an amazing catalyst for change. May it continue to help us evolve into a people of light, peace and love.

~CSE

        

Energy Exchange And The State Of BEing

I smiled as a kid. A lot. I was pretty happy, but I also knew the power of a smile. Smiles opened doors. A confident smile allowed me to walk in to any group or social situation and be accepted. There were also many occasions where I found I could pass along my smile to someone who was sad or in pain. My smile could make people feel better. Genuine smiles contain immense positive energy, and it was this energy I freely shared and accepted back from the people I shared them with.

My smiles were a form of energy exchange. There are many such exchanges we make with other people every day. We also exchange energy with animals, plants and even Mother Earth. Most of these energy exchanges we pay no attention to because we are not consciously aware of their value. However, there are many cases where it would be difficult to live without such exchanges.

Let me give an example. A cotton farmer plants his fields, nurtures the land and his crop and harvests this resource. The farmer expends his energy with this work and is rewarded back with a commodity he can then sell to a mill to make into threads and eventually into cloth and clothing. 

Our money system is a form of energy exchange. Typically we put in some sort of energy at a job (usually a thought process and/or physical labor) and we receive back cash we then use to pay our bills. The problem with this system is that it is highly limited. Only certain actions are considered worthy of money, and only under certain conditions. Much of the energy we put out into the world is never acknowledged--like my smiles--and never given a monetary value. 

It's silly to put a price on a smile, right?

The right smile can change the world! In my lifetime, I have managed to get smiles back from people who you would never believe had a smile in them! A smile can give hope, courage, joy, love, peace, acceptance. It can give another person that little something that helps them cope and move forward. In very real ways, smiles can give others much needed energy!

Sit back and think about all the things you do during the course of the day. Maybe you exchange a quick kiss with your wife or husband or child as you head to your job. Maybe you stop at the local coffee shop for a quick coffee and chat with the barista. Maybe you interact with coworkers in an effort to solve a problem that will propel the business further.  Maybe you make dinner for your family so you can spend a little time talking about their days. Did you share a smile or a laugh with someone? Did you do something to touch someone's heart? Did someone do something to touch your heart? How did you feel? How did other's feel?

Every day, we go about our lives without a thought to all the ways we give to others and receive from others in return. This energy we put out into the world is who we are--the very essence of BEing!!! Our BEing creates value in the world, and yet we don't get paid for most of it. We don't even get acknowledged for it!!!

Tell me. What is the worth of a smile? When we understand the answer to that question, the world will change in very profound and powerful ways! 

~CSE

    

Starting Over With Money

I'll be the first to admit I have a tendency to bring up the doom and gloom that goes on in the world. It is not a pretty picture. That said, I do not bring it up because I believe everything is bad. I believe there is a great deal out there that needs to be changed. I point it out in order to break people out of the apathy they have been stuck in for so long. Problems occur when we do not care enough to take control of our own lives. As the world we have always known caves in, understand this is an opportunity!!! When things break down, we have the ability to change them!!! We have the ability to start over!!!

One of the most important things we can do to get the process started is to think in different ways. We have been stuck in a rut which has gotten deeper and more difficult to get out of as time passes. For example, here in the United States we have been stuck on the idea of a forty hour work week. Way too many of us work jobs that do not make us happy (aka don't fulfill our heart's desires). We know something is wrong because our hearts tell us so! We continue to do the jobs we do because we are dependent on money to supply us with what we need. What if there was no money (or what if the money we had and had worked for was worthless)? How would we survive?

Before our present technology, people needed to do physical work in order to supply what they needed for themselves. They might plot a big garden, raise animals, and can food. Many of them made their own clothes or bartered or traded for what they needed. The built their own homes. Some of them had businesses where they supplied goods and services to others. Sometimes they were paid in things like gold. At other times they were paid in different goods and services. My point here is, they did not necessarily need money. Why did we need money again?

We believe money is necessary because we have been programmed to believe it!!! As technology advanced, we no longer have to work physically demanding jobs (or even long hours) to supply our needs. The deceptions that have taken place though are quite real. Subtly and behind the scenes, various jobs have been assigned monetary values. This is extremely important. At the same time, those things we need have also been assigned monetary values. This is where the fun begins. As we become more dependent on technology to supply our needs, the people in power have worked to control more and more of the sources of those needs. They control our food production. They control our clothing production. They control our energy needs. They control our medical needs. They control our entertainment (including what we call news). They control our education. The fact of the matter is, if they control all our resources, they control us!!! With all this control, they can then begin to artificially manipulate prices on what we can buy but also on what we earn! Eventually, they end up with all the money!!!

This is the same mentality that brings you CEO's of huge corporations stating that the world's water supply should be privatized!!! (Meaning certain people should control a literally life-giving resource!!!) It seriously doesn't get any more screwed up than this!!! Note this is the very same company that is taking California's lake water during the biggest drought on record for FREE and selling it for PROFIT!!!

As our current economy grows weaker, it is imperative we begin to think in ways new ways. If we continue to believe those who supposedly own the world's resources actually "own" them, what happens when money we use to purchase those things no longer has the ability to purchase them? Will we allow ourselves to starve, or will we force these people to give up their power and control for the survival of the planet?

The changes we require are dependent on a whole new way of thinking about money and resources. By asking questions and opening ourselves up to new ideas, it is possible for us to not only survive but also thrive!!! Starting over with money depends on changing your though processes. Are you up for the challenge?

~CSE