newsletterno1July2001

Christmas is such a special time for individuals, families and whole nations. What I like about Christmas is that it almost coincides with winter solstice. Even as a young boy I disliked the idea of days getting shorter and nights longer. It simply meant less time for pleasant outdoor activities. Christmas seemed to reverse this trend. It was giving me this difficult to explain sense of optimism and hopefulness. As if the falling into darkness was interrupted, and gradual ascending toward (more) light began. Perhaps for similar reasons winter solstice was such an important moment for many pagan and not only pagan religions.

Birth of Christ has naturally added a totally new dimension to these pagan intuitions. According to Christian belief God gave us His son so by following Him we could achieve eternal life. By imitating Him, following His light, we have a chance to overcome our own darkness. We are invited into God's Light. As this invitation is extended to everyone, regardless of our religious affiliations, birth of Christ can also be seen as invitation to Unity/Oneness. Through Christ God shows us His humanity and unconditional compassion. Christ is an expression of His universal love for everyone. It is an invitation to the conversion of the heart and not, though this seems to be a popular opinion, to conversion to Christianity. That is why Christmas can be such a joyous occasion for everyone.

Human and religious unity is naturally one of the main themes of Roche Miette Newsletter. I hope the selection of texts in this issue will inspire our readers with ideas how this unity can be neared. We will start with Aq'naton Ben-Isha's stipulation that we are all gods. This is not a new proposition though still often misunderstood. Oneness of human soul with the Supreme Spirit has long been experienced and proclaimed by mystics from all religious traditions. It has also been postulated in many philosophical and theological systems. I have also written about this subject in my books - "The Practice of the Presence of God," and "Unity Beyond Division." Oneness however does not mean identity or equality. Aq'naton seems to offer some interesting insights on this subject. His text seems to stipulate that we have to achieve oneness with ourselves first before we can achieve unity with others. As psychologist I fully concur. On a daily basis I observe how a conflict with oneself (e.g. inability to integrate some darker aspects of our psyche) leads to projection of negative qualities onto others and to constant conflict with other people. I believe the same phenomenon is behind many political and religious conflicts, both current and historical. Aq'naton seems to encourage us to relax, to be ourselves, because in our imperfect humanity we are one with all our imperfect brothers and sisters. We belong to God with all of them.

Reflection of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami seems to offer another angle on the same subject. We have to love if we want to unite with the Source of Love, God Himself. This was naturally also attested by Christ. He made our ability to love the main test of our humanity. By your love people will know that you are from Me, said Christ to His disciples. Nothing has changed since then. The test continues.

These ideas seem to be behind Michael Robins "Enlightenment Project." To become aware that we are one with God and one with each other is in fact a form of enlightenment. The problem is however not in intellectual, incidental recognition of this theoretical oneness, but rather in maintaining this awareness in our every day, practical activities. To maintain this awareness, to "see Christ" in every person is not an easy task. Michaels suggests, as many before him, that proper thinking plays a crucial role. Easier said than done, one could say. Nothing is faster than human thought. I once had a chance to observe a praying person, who in the middle of her prayer responded to a phone call, almost immediately switching to some racial slurs. How something like this is possible amazes me. As amazes me that you can be a Christian and an anti-Semite at the same time. Perhaps you will find some answers on Michael's web page. We need many enlightenment projects as his. Every religion is such a project.

Proper thinking and responsibility for one's thinking appears to be the main subject of the polemic between Jeff Solomon and David Huggett. As the issue is very personal and great outcomes are at stake, their argument seems to be personal and full of strong emotions. Today it is Jeff's turn. And what do you think? Can our own thinking be responsible for the state of our health? Share your thoughts with Dave, Jeff and the rest of us.

Both Jeff's submission and David's poetry seem to touch another interesting subject - to what extent we should be rational human beings and to what extent dreamers, idealists? My rational mind tells me that to try to harmonize world's religions is a futile task, something beyond human capacity. And still a dreamer in me returns to this utopian idea again and again. As so many before me I dream of a land where "goat and lion drink from the same spring." (Teachings of Babaji). And there are many other dreamers among us - those looking for love, beauty, perfection, immortality. Many years ago I had an interesting case during a group therapy for alcoholics. One of my participants, a rather simple, quiet miner told us the dream he had during a session of conscious connected breathing. In this dream he saw himself being a king, surrounded by the court of many servants, beautiful women, etc. His face started to glow when he was sharing this story. His demeanor changed. This dream alone, no matter how trivial, "transfigured" this rather uninteresting person into someone entirely different. Someone with whom it was a pleasure and privilege to share the same space and time. I surely hope that none will follow David's advice and "beat the capacity for dream out of him." I hope none will beat this capacity out of David and the rest of us.

This issue of Roche Miette Newsletter is concluded by Diana DeVita's piece entitled - "Be Not Afraid of Death." I only used those fragments that seemed most closely related to other discussed subjects - personal responsibility for our thoughts, our relationship with God, our dreams for immortality, etc. Diane seems to postulate that achieving sense of connection with God and His creation heals our fear of dying. Not a bad by-product of practicing unity, I would say. I encourage all the readers to visit her web page and read the entire text.

So in this auspicious time of Christmas I wish you all the blessings. May our descending toward personal, familial and communal darkness be stopped. Let us all move toward Light, and longer and brighter days. Come Holy Spirit and renew our faces as You renew the face of the Earth.

The God That You Are

By Aq'naton Ben-Isha

Your most powerful expression of Oneness begins here, now, in your life. From that place and that place alone will global and cosmic oneness blossom into the eternal lotus of truth. Coming Home: Living in the Radiant Oneness of the God That You Are There is much talk of Oneness these days. It's a powerful concept. But what does it mean? Does it mean that we are returning to that amorphous, undifferentiated blob of energy out of which all emerged at the time of "separation"? Does it mean an end to individuality as we now know it? No, it does not. Does it mean that you and I and everyone will merge into some homogenized super-being? No, it does not.

Thomas Wolfe's most famous words, "You can't go home again," apply here. Yes, we are going home. We're just not going back to the home we left behind at the time of separation. As Wolfe might point out, that home does not exist anymore in the way it did when we left it behind. It has changed. You have changed. I have changed. We now vibrate at higher frequencies. And this home into which we are moving is a place of higher resonance, a place of Divine Purpose and Power, a place of eternal knowingness, a place of God Realization.

What is God Realization? It's the journey we all travel, some more consciously than others, as we merge in sacred union with the fullness of our Divine Potential, with the God That We Are, each in our own way. Yes, there is much talk about oneness. Most of that talk focuses on all of us joining in a wondrous communion of light, creating a Heaven on Earth in which we all dwell together. It's an awesome concept that, while true, centers on externals - the notion of all of us forming a brilliant, interconnected mosaic. In energetic terms, of course, that is already true.

You are a multidimensional energy matrix that is part of a larger matrix of which I am also a part. The hundredth monkey syndrome, in which a shift in one being activates a similar shift in a seemingly unrelated individual tens of thousands of miles away, speaks most eloquently to that. The Internet, which has brought you and me together in our own communion of light, is another powerful representation of the truth of our interconnectedness, of our oneness. Globalization, for all some might express concern over its local consequences, is another expression of how we are moving more fully and forcefully into oneness.

And yet, for all the truth and power of this external oneness, we all know that nothing truly exists outside of ourselves. Therefore, our most powerful expression of oneness begins within each of us. Your most powerful expression of oneness begins here, now, in your life. From that place and that place alone will global and cosmic oneness blossom into the eternal lotus of truth. Just as the planet upon which we live is an agglomeration of billions of people and other beings all forming a oneness we call Mother Earth, so you are your own oneness.

You, as the seemingly single individual reading these words, are a collection of billions of cells, memories, thoughts, aspects, gifts, skills, personalities, factions, lights, communities, political parties, angels, devils, closeted skeletons and assorted other energies - all cohabiting one body physical, spiritual, emotional and energetic. Some of those aspects get along fine. Some are at war. Some are out in the open. Some you have kept so deeply hidden that even you have lost conscious awareness of their existence. Yet all form part of you. And the extent to which they all come together in a peaceable oneness within you is the same extent to which you find peaceable oneness in your home, your community, your nation and your planet.

The message for me and you is that until we acknowledge and embrace all parts of ourselves, there can be no oneness, no coming home, for us or the planet. We all have parts of ourselves we would rather keep out of sight, pushed to the back of the darkest closet we can find. But here's the thing: the more we try to hide or suffocate those parts of ourselves, the more they will act up, act out and attempt to sabotage our journey home. If you want to see and experience Heaven on Earth, the only way is to allow all parts of you to reunite into the holiness and wholeness of your full self - your Greater Self, I call it.

The only way is be the shepherd who calls all the sheep back into the fold, who loves every member of the flock into the oneness of communion. It doesn't matter whether the sheep are black, white, green or gray, whether they're compliant or rebellious, whether they are old or young, fearful or fearless, helpful or not. They are all parts of you, and if you cast any one aside, you cast aside a part of yourself and you sabotage all attempts at oneness, inner or outer.

If you broke your arm, would you cut if off because it caused you pain and could no longer do what you expected of it? Or would you nurture it back into wholeness? If your child is mischievous, do you cast that child out or do you love that little one back into family union? The same is true of the fearful, pain-causing, sabotaging aspects of yourself. Don't exile them. Don't annihilate them. This is not about ego death. For your ego is an important part of your wholeness. This is not about death and separation. It's about union and communion, about bringing all of your selves - your child-selves, your ego-selves, your smaller selves, your frightened selves - back into the fold of the oneness that you are.

It's about remembering that your God beingness comprises all that you are. And that that allness makes up the very riches and richness that gives your life texture, meaning and aloha. You have many gifts and skills, many talents and assets. Some may not seem related. But as you call in your sense of purpose, as you awaken to the fullness of your vision, it's incumbent on you to pull together all those gifts and talents, to open to the ways in which they can come home for you into their own oneness.

My conscious spiritual opening came through writing and my earliest spiritual work out in the world involved teaching writing. At some point, I recognized that the work I did with writing was a metaphor for living and I began to move away from writing classes and workshop to more expansive teachings. As the years progressed, I would waver back and forth - from teaching writing to more metaphysical work, and then back again. My web site reflected this apparent lack of clarity, as its focus and contents shifted one way and then the other. One day, I would be afraid that my "straight" potential writing students would be put off by my metaphysics. The next, I would dismiss the writing as irrelevant to those more spiritually inclined.

This wavering back and forth continued until I realized that I could no longer compartmentalize myself. I was a unit of oneness. My gifts were aspects of that oneness. And if I didn't come into integration (integrate = into great), I was crippling and dishonoring both my gifts and myself. I am many things, as are you. And our call - yours and mine - is to bring all of those gifts and aspects home into the radiant Oneness that we already are, if we but open more fully to it.

Be the Oneness that you are. Be the God That You Are in full expression of that Oneness. Open the doors, windows and gates of your beingness and welcome in - welcome back - all parts of you. Welcome them back as the father welcomed home the prodigal son, the small aspect of self that was raised and transformed by his experiences. Welcome back those aspects of you that you deem good, those that you deem bad and those that
you deem ugly. Welcome them back knowing that they are none of those. They are you. And you are a glorious, radiant, wondrous aspect of the Universal Oneness, a powerful, empowered, mighty, all-loving aspect of the eternal All That Is, the God That You Are, the God That I Am, the God That Is All That Is.

Meditation

Note: "Ha" is the Hawaiian word for breath. "Mana" is the Hawaiian word for spirit. What is the name of the Rose? The name of the Rose is HA - the breath eternal - each petal a separate lifetime coming together in simultaneity, in the infinite nowness of the One Moment, all lines existing as one, coming together in the multidimensional flowering of the Rose Eternal, the Cosmic HA.

Breathe in and see the Rose that you are in the HA of this moment - all your lives existing as one, at once, creating a sacred pattern that is as old as time itself - older, for time is a recent phenomenon, and the geometry of the Rose has always been. Where there was no time, the Rose was already in bloom, its delicate petals already coming together in opening and openness that defied and still defies reason. The Rose is the lotus. And each blossom, protected by thorns, illuminates the Earth, radiating its energy out in the infinite reaches of the cosmos, on the infinite rays of the One that is All.

It is time now to remove the thorns, to eliminate the pain that has so long been associated and affiliated with beauty, the pain of beauty. Free the Rose. Free the beauty. Free the mana. Free the HA. Let the Rose breathe unencumbered, unfettered, unchained. Let the energy move through it - unstopped, unblocked, unstoppable. The time is now. The age of the Rose has returned. Open your heart to it, for your heart is the Rose and in opening to it, you open to yourself and to the oneness that is the one HA, the one breath, the Cosmic Breath. What is the name of the Rose? The name of the Rose is HA. The name of the Rose is now. The name of the Rose is forever.

THE GOD THAT YOU ARE: Inspirations from Aq'naton Ben-Isha is published by Aq'naton Ben-Isha, PMB 244, 2370 W. Hwy. 89A Suite 11, Sedona, AZ 86336. For a free e-mail subscription, reprint permission or other information, please contact the publisher at ABI-aloha@Aqnaton.com, (928) 399-0488 or visit http://www.aqnaton.com. (c) 2004 Aq'naton Ben-Isha. All rights reserved.

Quoted after: TOOLS FOR CONSCIOUS AWARENESS. Newsletter for A NEXT STEP. Light Center For Emotional Healing. Volume 48, September 2004. A NEXT STEP - light center for emotional healing, P.O. Box 429, Dona Ana, New Mexico 88032 toni@anextstep.org www.anextstep.org 505-382-8771

What Is Pure Love?

by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Love is the sum of all the spiritual laws.

We may say that love is the heart of the mind. Anything that comes before you in life can be conquered through universal love, a force which is a demonstration of the soul. Universal love has nothing to do with emotional infatuation, attachment or lust. It flows freely through the person whose mind is unclouded by resentment, malice, greed and anger. But in persons whose minds are partially out of control and under the control of another, the force of the soul ends up as infatuation or attachment.

Pure love is a state of Being. Whereas everyone is running around trying to get love, it is found in giving.

When a person begins to lose the idea of his own personality through concern for others, he will attract, a like response to himself. The outgoing force of the soul in action brings freedom to the lower states of mind. The instinctive person is ordinarily so preoccupied with his own self, so wrapped up in his own shell, that he cannot give a thought to the welfare of another. He cannot give anything of himself. Such a person usually feels sorry for himself and finds other people unloving and unresponsive. He is still far from any realization of the Self within.

The unfortunate person who is burdened by resentment, for instance, feels that the world owes him more kindness than he is receiving. When he loses his resentment for the world simply by becoming interested in people, the world will once again reflect back the expression of this soul force, known as universal love. You may visualize this pure state of love as a force of light flooding out from the center of your Being. If you place sheets of paper too close to a light source, you temporarily block the light and scorch the paper. People are always scorching themselves by holding up against their own "inner-light paper" qualities such as resentment, malice and greed. Spontaneous acts of benevolence and selflessness, prompted by a will to perfection, lift the striving soul in feeling and begin slowly to remove the coverings from the light which is the soul. You can't expect immediate action, of course, because you may still carry the seeds of destructive qualities within you, and it is these seeds which continue to hold man in lower states of consciousness.

Submitted by Jeffrey Solomon.

The Enlightenment Project

by Michael Robins.

Imagine a More Perfect World. Imagine a world where everyone feels valuable and happy, is involved in doing what they love, and are making a contribution to life. Harmony, joy, peace, and cooperation prevail. Sound unrealistic and impossible? Well, you’re right; it is from the predominant perspective in our world, but if that perspective were changed, our world would change.

We Have Strayed from Our True Self-Awareness

Our world is designed for harmony, abundance and beauty. Look at the wonderful vastness of the starry skies and the richness and diversity of nature. There are no ugly flowers or sunsets. Similarly, we are meant to create in alignment with those expressions of beauty and abundance, but we have strayed from our real self- awareness that allows and enables us to do so.

We Are One with a Principle of Love and Growth

The new physics offers a clue to solving the problem. It has come to the same understanding that the wisdom teachings of the ages have shared. All things are made of energy, which can neither be created nor destroyed. A principle of love and growth animates all life, and because we are part of it, we must align with it to create in harmony with it.

When We Live in this Awareness, We Create a Different World

We are beings of light and energy that, by virtue of our real, inner nature, are one with everyone and everything, and we are creators who have the power to create wonderfully with our thoughts, feelings, and actions. From this outlook, regardless of appearances, the potential of everyone is great and valuable. When we adopt and live in this awareness we become peaceful, loving, confident, creative, compassionate, cooperative, and we create a different world.

The Importance of Thinking Differently

Much of the world does not know of or operate from this unifying principle. The paradigm of separation still predominates, but our problems cannot be resolved from that perspective, which generates them. Moreover, we have a recurring, historical tendency of dealing with opposition through conflict and bloodshed, sometimes even calling it the will of God. Our technology has surpassed our moral and spiritual capacities and created the real possibility of planetary destruction. We should, therefore, be strongly motivated to ask how can we think and create differently so we assure our survival and create happier outcomes.

Enlightenment Awareness and Practice Should Be a Priority

Enlightenment awareness, which is simply understanding who we really are, and enlightenment practice, which is learning to live and operate from that awareness, should be our educational priority, because all our growing problems arise out of a misunderstanding of who we are. The lenses through which we look determine what we see and what is possible. Only a unified perspective will allow us to create balance, harmony, love, and abundance for all.

Learn about It and Share It

The sharing of this knowledge is vital. Every person who accesses this understanding enhances the quality of life for everyone. Study it, pass it on, tell people about it, and create enlightenment circles (any number of people who wish to know themselves better and help others do the same can form one) to share and explore this empowering way of viewing ourselves. In this way enlightened awareness can be passed around the world person to person.

Www.urgreat.info

www.urgreat.info is one web-site that can assist people in appreciating and acquiring this understanding. Visitors to it can answer self-revealing questions, ask their own questions, get assistance, understanding, and support in shifting their outlook from fear to love, from separation to unity, and from conflict to harmony. There is also a forum, which fosters an open dialogue about who we are and how to live and create more abundantly. We can learn and grow through the sharing of ideas and experiences. Through your participation and cooperation The Enlightenment Project helps you make a difference in our world.

Taking personal responsibility is the first step.

by Jeffrey Solomon

(Response to "Between the dichotomy of ‘negative’ and ‘positive’" by David Huggett, Roche Miette Newsletter, No.10, August 2004. )

I read David Huggett's piece again in your current newsletter (# 10), I did not realize that you intended to publish his comments about me otherwise I would have replied sooner so that both articles could have appeared at the same time. What I see in this piece by Huggett is not a sane argument, but rather I see and feel the anger and the vehemence that comes through. Sure he is angry at having cancer, mad as hell I would say. Everybody and everything is to blame - the place in which he lived, the cigarettes he smoked, and of course me, for daring to suggest that the metaphysical quality of life and indeed death are self motivated.

The ONLY person not responsible for Huggett's life is Huggett himself. This is classical transference of blame or victim consciousness and his letter could not stand as a better example of this. God or the Universe must surely be showing us his mind as a lesson for us all, because it is so clear. So I am very grateful to him for writing in this way. He, more than anyone should read my book, "Playing in the Mind of God." but I think that right now, he would rather be angry and play the role of a victim than to be healed. And that is fine too. He could also read Louise Hay - You Can Heal Your Life - if he does not want to read my book. (...)

Huggett begins his criticism on my piece as follows:

Clearly what I wrote became personal for him and it triggered or activated his case. I can understand this coming from him, him after having been diagnosed with a horrible illness. I myself was like Huggett, and I was saved from the brink of death by embracing these thoughts and changing how I think. It is in my book "Playing in the Mind of God." (...)

In my experience, when I have a strong reaction to something, as Huggett did to my article, this tells me something about myself. That is, that this is something that I need to pay attention to in myself! No matter how much I may not want to hear it or how much I may choose to fault it, if I get a charge out of it, then it is MY CHARGE. The Universe has presented me with an opportunity for this to come up for healing. Precisely because it plugged me in - I must look at what is going on with me rather to than to find fault with the message and argue that the message is wrong.

Suppression of one's feelings does not lead to healing. So one can choose to stay stuck in anger and resentment if that is what one wants, or one can look at ones own thoughts to see why one got so plugged in. Healing can only begin when we are willing to be honest with ourselves first. Being willing to be healed requires taking personal responsibility as the first step. When we do this we are in Divine right accord and we are inviting healing (God) to come in to start the process. Creating more hate, anger and blame is counter intuitive to being healthy and well.

I wish Mr. Huggett well, he writes lovely poetry and may I close by quoting his own prose to him? (...) Mr. Huggett pay attention to your higher self - it is talking to you.

Forget the frost and snow and dream of love again.

In Love, Jeff.

Submitted by Jeffrey Solomon, the author of "Playing in the Mind of God," which is available online at www.PlayingintheMindofGod.com and at www.amazon.com World-wide shipping is available. Jeffrey Solomon jeffmsolomon@cs.com Tel USA (727) 363.0800; Tel UK (44) 0871 - 871.2971; Fax USA (727) 363.1500

Who told me dreams were not real?

by David Huggett

From "Holding Hands." To order call the author at (780) 414-1534, or write him at: David Huggett, 12156 - 93 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T5G 1E8, Canada.

David Huggett describes himself as a West Coast writer transplanted to Edmonton via Nelson, British Columbia with periods of residence in Germany. He has worked as CBC broadcast journalist, university administrator and producer for the Alberta Book Fair Society. David served two years as Secretary for the Writers Guild of Alberta and participates in Edmonton's Stroll of Poets. His short stories have appeared in Minus Tides and Unpublished Fiction.

Be Not Afraid of Death.

By Diana DeVita.

It is impossible to live a fulfilling life if the subject of death remains an enigma. From the moment we are born, physical life is a process of maturation and deterioration and most people begin to fear death early in their development. The first experience of a grandmother or grandfather dying usually impresses a youth with horror, grief and often times, permanent trauma due to the aura created by the mourners. Hysteria, confusion, extreme sadness, depression are the emotions a child is exposed to from a parent who lacks an understanding of death. The youth is so mortified by the horrendous ordeal that he may live the rest of his life riddled with anxiety about death. How is it possible for this child to mature with a wholesome attitude about life and death if he refuses to probe beyond his childhood introduction to death? I believe it is imperative that each of us deals with the question of “death” in an academic way as we deal with other subjects throughout our lifetime. To dismiss it from our conscious mind as “an unanswerable question” only serves to bury it deep within the subconscious mind where it gradually festers and takes its toll on our vitality.

The secret of successful, healthful living is one’s attitude toward one’s daily experiences. Resisting change creates stress. Fighting situations and people who don’t conform to your mental pictures of what you think they should be drains your life energies and poisons your physical being. Each time you allow yourself to indulge in negative emotions, such as hatred, anger, fear, your glandular system is severely strained, causing imbalances that gradually debilitate the functions of your body. It is imperative to health and well being that negative, destructive feelings are transformed into positive, constructive ones on a daily basis. There are lessons to learn from every experience and all are valuable to your personal evolution. Don’t try to divert opportunities from your life stream. They are all tributaries of your growth whether you can believe it or not at the time. In retrospect, we all can see some merit from what we previously deemed “loss” or “failure” in the past. The understanding we glean from opposing viewpoints and situations is of paramount importance in expanding our awareness. Likewise, the death of a business venture, a friendship, a marriage, a mother, father or child can only be approached with clarity and serenity if the incident is viewed within a broader perspective than a myopic world view.

One can broaden one’s perspective by exploring the nature of life and death and creating a personal philosophy that makes sense of life’s inequities trials and tribulations. What a hellish life for one is a heavenly existence for another. The difference lies in one’s comprehension of one’s true identity as a spiritual being. (...)

Where did we go wrong in our thinking? Living in this material world, we forgot that we are perfect, expressions of God energy. Instead we began to perpetuate the myth of “Adam and Eve” by believing we were created “in sin” and subject to punishment and death. A careful look at the creation stories in Genesis, however, revels two separate accounts. The first account relates, “and God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31). This is the description of the True Creation of the World, which was perfectly Good (God) and its perfect manifestation. “In the image of God created He him; male and female created He them.” (Gen. l:27).

God is as impersonal as the law of gravity. If one jumps off a ladder, one knows one will fall down, not up. The laws of nature are consistent with each act and not partial to the individual actor. The Divine Intelligence, we call God, operating in the universe, is an operation of law which works the same way for all. Simply expressed, it is called “The Law of Cause and Effect” or “Karma.” Karma is a Sanskrit word meaning literally “action” but implying the totality of action, or action and reaction. Emerson referred to karma as the “law of compensation.” We need only to think upon this concept for a moment to realize how inevitable it is. Every act of every day influences either our families, our business associates and strangers we encounter. Karma is the principle implicit in the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again” (Matt. 7:2). St. Paul’s statement, “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7) is referring to Karmic Law. Whatever you experience in this lifetime is the product of your past thoughts and actions. You are the creator of your own destiny, and you, alone, hold the key to your future.

There is a reality, invisible to the human eye, which is your True Essence; that is intricately connected to everyone and everything. Your mind is a radio transmitter, your voice a powerful amplifier of your thoughts sending vibrations into the universe which resound and have an effect upon your life. Every thought and every act is not without some chain reaction, or consequence. Lincoln Barnett expresses this very well in his illuminating book, The Universe and Dr. Einstein, (p. 11). He comments that philosophers and scientists have gradually arrived at the startling conclusion that “the whole objective universe of matter and energy, atoms and stars, does not exist except as a construction of the consciousness, an edifice of conventional symbols shaped by the senses of man.” He closes his book with the statement that man can perhaps but marvel, as St. Paul did nineteen hundred years ago, that the world was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was made out of things which do not appear.”

Jesus, the Master Teacher, understood the Law and lived in harmony with the Truth. He realized that matter is simply a construct of consciousness, a creation of Mind vibration, having the appearance of immobility while, in reality, being in a constant state of motion. Matter can be composed, altered and decomposed by changing the frequency of the vibrational patterns, and it was Jesus’ deep understanding of the operation of this law that enabled his Higher Mind to change the nature of water to wine, create fish and loaves of bread from the ether, and materialize a body after the so-called “death” of his physical body. Jesus bid us to tap into our God powers and follow him: “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matt.17:20). “He that believeth in me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12). If you want to change your life, and even alter the material surroundings you experience, there is only one way. You must change your own consciousness; your thoughts, your perspective, your values.

Since all forms are just the symbols of consciousness, everything we perceive in this world of form is symbolic. Even our bodies are the manifested symbols of our inner consciousness. You have a body but you are not your body. You use your body as one uses a space suit to travel within a foreign atmosphere. Think of your body as a vehicle you have selected to explore this planet, Earth. You put it on at the moment of birth and will shed it at the torment of death; however, YOU, that Eternal Intelligence, or God Energy, will travel for a while unencumbered by a physical body until, “your longing shall gather dust and foam for another body… a little while, a torment of rest upon the wind, and another woman shall bear me,” expressed beautiful by the poet, Kahlil Gibran, in The Prophet (1923:103). (...)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (John 1:1-5). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). He came to shed light on the darkness, which is man’s false concept of himself. He came to tell us we are immortal, we are powerful, we are perfect spiritual beings. The world failed to understand the real message of Jesus’ ministry. Instead, they chose to make him a false god, to worship him rather than follow him. Instead of recognizing our own Divinity, we continue beating our breasts with guilt and damning ourselves with our own demeaning ideas of who we are. Jesus was trying to tell us to get in touch with the Source of our lives, which is in Spirit, and live in conformity with the laws of spirit, and the “greatest of these is LOVE.” God is Love and we are all part of that God Energy, inter-connected, One Spirit, no individual being greater nor less than the whole. Jesus’ message was simple, “love thy neighbor as thyself" (Matt.22:39).

For, in reality, thy neighbor is thyself. We are all responsible to all and for all,” says Dostoyevsky. So soon as men understand that, the kingdom of Heaven will be for them not a dream, but a living reality.” Seek to find the truly loving attitude and action for every thought and situation in life and tune in to that inner voice, your God-Self, to direct you. You were born into this life to express God. Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Gautama Buddha, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, The Bab and Bahaullah are examples of perfect expressions of God within the physical form. Their teachings, although they span over forty centuries, are remarkably similar. They all emphasize the immortal nature of man and the importance of allowing our Divinity to be reflected in all our thoughts, words and actions and to express Love to everyone and everything, for in so doing we are loving ourselves – for we are all One Spirit. The life we experience beyond the grave is a continuing evolution of consciousness toward the ultimate goal of recognition of our Divine Union.

How can we be certain there is life after death when no one has returned to tell us about it? If you choose to discredit the historical resurrection event of Jesus of Nazareth as “mass mesmerism,” surely you cannot avoid taking a serious look at, the contemporary studies done by such credible professionals as Raymond Moody, M.D., Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Q.D. and Kenneth Ring, Ph.D. These investigators have interviewed hundreds of persons who have been in the final stages of the dying process, terminally ill patients or others who were termed “clinically dead” and later brought back to life, such as accident victims, attempted suicides and victims of serious illnesses and heart attacks. The accounts bear striking similarity, too uniform to be mere coincidence.

Life at Death, by Dr. Kenneth Ring, A Scientific Investigation of the Near-Death Experience, is the most recent comprehensive publication on the subject. From conclusive evidence, Dr. Ring has described the near-death experience in a series of stages. The first stage, after the victim ceases to struggle to survive, is an “absolute feeling of such peace and contentment” (p. 39), a painless state, free from all fear, euphoric, warm, calm, soft, darkness.

The second stage is described as “a definite sense of detachment from one’s physical body” (p. 45). Most cases described it as a floating sensation and a state of observing one’s body, and the setting wherein the near-death trauma took place, with no judgment or anxiety. Accident victims report looking down on their bodies, and the medical persons in attendance, from a high and extremely illuminated perspective. They recognize their bodies yet feel it’s not happening to them. They are able to hear those below speaking clearly their concerns and, when resuscitated, can relate accurately what was said.

The next stage, Dr. Ring calls “entering the darkness” (p. 53). It is described as a passing through a dark tunnel-like void – with no sensation except that of float toward something not to be feared. A peaceful movement through darkness toward the light, “a brilliant golden light” at the end of the tunnel, which is “very restful, comforting and of ineffable beauty” (p. 56).

The last stage, Dr. Ring describes as “entering the light” and experiencing a “world of preternatural beauty” (p. 60). The colors are said to be unforgettable, the scenes differ in context but all have beautiful images, sounds and simultaneously scenes of indescribable beauty. During this stage, respondents commonly relate encountering a presence, an unrecognized being, not actually seen, yet clearly felt and heard.

The presence usually explains that the individual is at a crossroads and it is his choice whether or not to return to his physical life. At this point, the individual experiences an instant review of his life, “my life flashed before my eyes,” and he evaluates whether or not he has unfinished business to complete. In some cases the respondent actually sees the “spirits” of deceased loved ones and experiences a joyful reunion. However, these spirits inform the respondent, “You must go back, it isn’t your time.” At this point, the decision is made to return to life due to the individual’s feelings of “unfinished business” on earth and the pull of loved ones, usually children or spouses, who need the individual’s guidance and support. The decision made, the individual returns to the world, regains his vital signs, is proclaimed “clinically alive” and lives the remainder of his life free from any fears of death.

In the San Diego Union newspaper, dated May 25, 1975, there was an article about Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, a well-known psychiatrist, who has made some interesting conclusions from over ten years of observing the dying and the dead. Dr. Kubler-Ross states, “They died and experienced peace and wholeness. The blind could see and those who suffered were free from pain; and as physicians worked to save them, they resented being brought back to life.” Author of "On Death and Dying, Questions and Answers About Dying and Death: The Final Stage of Growth," Dr. Kubler-Ross said that she has drawn her conclusions from hundreds of interviews with people who have survived a brush with death. She found that they resented being brought to life, but after recovering, are exuberant about having a second chance. “None is ever again afraid to die.” Dr. Kubler-Ross says that her research has made her “religious in a beautifully undogmatic way."

“Why are you afraid of death? It is but a passage from life to life. Scientific research has proved there exists a reality beyond the physical form and survivors of “clinical deaths” all relate similar accounts of the peace and beauty surrounding their “out of the body” experiences. All philosophies and religions differentiate between the physical and metaphysical natures of man, which are in and beyond this world. The essence of you is God energy and cannot be destroyed. Seek to discover who you are through metaphysical studies, focusing your attention on that internal God intelligence to direct your life. Don’t resist situations and personalities that challenge you. Let go and go with the flow of life. Regard every encounter, pleasant or unpleasant at the time, as an opportunity for you to grow in understanding and to change old patterns of responding to life.

With your expanding awareness of your true nature, there will come a death in your life, but it will be the death of the old you who lived in darkness within a limited perspective. The new YOU acknowledges that you are the creator of your own destiny. Every thought, word and act is a cause that has its effect upon your aliveness. Simply refuse to allow fear of anything to distress you. Look at that which you fear, strip its mask and you will see only beauty and harmony at its core. If the ultimate fear in life is death, and you truly know you cannot die, what is there to fear?

Jesus spoke of the death of the old man and the need for man to be born again, of spirit, in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. He also said the Kingdom of Heaven is “within you,” meaning that state of awareness wherein you realize your spiritual nature and “see the Light.” Open your eyes to the Light of Eternal Life, embrace it with joy and a sense of unlimited adventure. Fear nothing. Believe, and be free to be who you truly are. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).

"One God Notes" consist of quotations from spiritual writings of many religious traditions. The purpose is to inspire, to open hearts, so people perceive God's Presence in and around them. In this way I hope to create a sense of human and religious unity.

Roche Miette Association is an informal group of people who try to achieve the ideals of human unity as expressed in the Roche Miette Rule. One of the characteristics of this group of enthusiasts is love of Nature and willingness to love God through His Creation. In particular, we are drawn by the beauty of Roche Miette Mountain, near Hinton, Alberta, and organize once a year a non-denominational hike/pilgrimage to this mountain. People of all religious backgrounds are invited to participate with us in this auspicious event.

If these ideals appeal to you, you may want to support them through a financial donation. Please, send checks for "Roche Miette Association" to:

Piotr Rajski
Roche Miette Association
576, Lessard Drive
Edmonton, AB, T6M 1B2
Canada

Would you like to contribute to the Roche Miette Newsletter? Please, send your text in Microsoft Word or HTML format to rajski@shaw.ca. Of special interests are stories, reflections on the following subjects:

Human and religious unity.
Harmony between different religions, cooperation between religious groups.
Examples of interfaith dialogue, tolerance, forgiveness.
Love of Nature (especially mountains).
Spirituality.
Meditation, Contemplative Prayer.
Religious life, especially Practice of the Presence of God, pilgrimage.
Mysticism, especially in the context of the mountains.
Poetry, art, music, photographs related to the mountains.

Manuscripts to be considered should be original articles (not published elsewhere). Some previously published materials may
also be considered if submitted with the info and consent of the publisher. Some promotional materials, such excerpts from books, can also be considered if related to the above topics. Announcements of interest for wider audiences are also occasionally accepted.

The Roche Miette Newsletter has a circulation of approximately 400 recipients. Copies of the newsletter are sent to National Library of Canada for research purposes. To see the previous issues you can visit http://rochemiette.ca/newsletter.html