The Unfolding Divine Plan

 

Dear readers, we come to you in love and with appreciation for the Light you are bringing earth’s ascension process. Always remember that a Divine Plan really is taking place even if it isn’t what you had expected a Divine Plan to look like.

A great deal of change will be coming over the next few months and years but it must gradually unfold as a process because as of yet there remain many who are unable to accept or even imagine a world that is different from the one they believe to be reality.

Just as humans are now clearing low resonating energies, so is the earth because she is a living soul and not a piece of dirt. Wars, violence, cruelty, and activities of separation have left her with a great deal of dense energy that must clear as part of her shift to a higher resonance. As these energies surface, many who up to now have accepted them without question are starting to recognize them for what they really represent.

The material world is a reflection of the collective consciousness simply because all consciousness is God Consciousness and thus creative whether it is personally conditioned with false beliefs or not. Therefore it is the people of earth and not ETs or Beings from the Higher realms who must bring about real change. All should ask; “Do I want real change or just a return to what is already known?” As individuals awaken, the collective begins to hold more Light which in turn allows everyone greater access to higher more evolved ideas.

For too long the people of earth have lived under the influence of separation consciousness, looking to and believing what governments, experts, media, family and friends, organized religion, and self righteous “spiritual” leaders tell they must believe or suffer dire consequences.

Spiritual ascension is about reclaiming the innate power that is already fully present within but which through ignorance has been freely given over to those demanding it. It is about realizing that you do not need others to make decisions and choices for you or tell you what you must or must not believe according to their concepts. It is about drawing everything you need from an infinite Source within rather than from limited material concepts outside of self.

Know that the chaos on earth at this time is temporary because it is based in old energies of separation but it is serving as a catalyst for change for those locked into an obsolete belief system. Many require three dimensional experiences and situations that they can relate to at their level of awareness in order to begin questioning the status quo.

Every person regardless of how enmeshed in activities of duality and separation, is in reality seeking spiritual oneness. Because every person’s true nature is God individualized, everyone, without exception or understanding why, carries an inner yearning to once again experience their true Self. Because most do not know that what they yearn for is already fully present within, their lives become a series of attempts to attain a sense of completeness through power, money, control, sex, material objects, right employment, right partner, and even through activities of crime and violence.

Remember this truth as you observe a world that seems to be filled with cruel, selfish, and “power over” individuals who seem intent on harming others in some way. Even a murderer believes that their action will bring satisfaction. Your realization of everyone’s true identity with no exception adds Light to the collective and may even help some of these very asleep individuals to awaken. It is the work you came to do.

All life evolves. Those on other planets, animals, elementals, nature, and an infinity of unseen spiritual creations evolve simply because God is all that is. Reality is and always will be the only Reality. Accepting, living, and attaining this state of consciousness can be delayed, ignored, and denied, but never be stopped.

Everything in the three dimensional material world is a concept of a spiritual idea because you cannot make something out of nothing and nothing exists but one Divine Consciousness infinitely expressing ITself. On earth God’s perfect creations are seen and experienced falsely because their reality is being interpreted though states of consciousness polluted with duality, separation, and many powers.

Modes of transportation are really concepts of omnipresence. Home is a concept of everyone’s only home – Divine consciousness. Material food is spiritual energy. Love in all its forms is the energy flowing between the many individualized expressions of the ONE. Business is love (service or product) and gratitude (payment). Money/abundance is a material concept of the self sustained, self maintained completeness already fully present within.

Consciousness is evolving even though appearances would make you believe it is not. You are starting to see ideas form and actions take place that represent a collective awakening to oneness. Food banks, rescue centers, financial support ideas, animal rescues, and laws supporting these things are starting to increase even though most see them as being simply ordinary common sense.

Over time the world has become hypnotized into believing that humans are God’s only creation, that God is a man that lives in the sky deciding who is naughty, who is nice, and how to punish them. Many still believe that they are separate from this God, others, different life forms, and that some people are better than others. One of the biggest and most devastating blocks to human evolution lies in the belief that God had only one son – a complete misinterpretation of the high resonating spiritual truths taught by this master.

The unfolding Divine plan cannot be fully understood by human minds or three dimensional thinking and so it has become a time for trust and allowing. You who read these messages are evolved enough to do this because you know that what is taking place is much greater than what the three dimensional world thinks is happening.

The separation game has reigned over mankind long enough and humanity is spiritually ready to evolve beyond it. It is every person’s free will choice to join or resist, but either way the process has begun.

channeled by Marilyn Raffaele on April 13, 2025 at OnenessofAll.com

Perspective on Homosexuality

 

There’s nothing wrong with homosexuality. Homosexuality is perfectly honorable and the way it has been portrayed by various religious traditions, as sinful or harmful, stems from fear and prejudice. There’s nothing wrong with feeling attracted to people of the same gender. Actually, the preference for same sex or other sex is not as fixed and rigidly divided as many people think. You can be a heterosexual person and in some instances be attracted to people of the same sex. You might feel a soul connection that transcends the bodily form. In other words: you may be heterosexual generally, but feel attracted to someone from the same gender because there is a deep connection on the soul level. There is a sliding scale between heterosexuality and homosexuality instead of a fixed boundary.

In sexual relationships, what matters from the spiritual perspective is how you connect to each other from soul to soul. Whenever there’s a deep connection, which is marked by true companionship and mutual respect, the question whether you are male-female, male-male, or female-female does not really matter.

Of course, it does matter to the world whether you are homosexual. In many places around the world there is still prejudice and hostility about homosexuality. Many souls who incarnate as homosexuals are quite courageous, because they know they will face the issue of standing out, being different from others and having to deal with hostility and misunderstanding. It can be a conscious decision of the soul to experience this, either to face and overcome the emotional hurt of being rejected and become strong and independent because of it, or to raise consciousness on earth by making people reflect on the narrow-minded traditional definitions of sexual identity. Homosexual men, for instance, can show people how being male can easily go together with being sensitive and artistic. Homosexual men and women invite people to think differently about what it means to be male or female.

To homosexuals who feel torn and conflicted about their sexual nature I would say: do not judge the way you naturally feel, honor your nature and feel free to be who you are. Be true to yourself, don’t hide. Other people may learn something from you. Spouses or parents, who feel shocked and offended if you tell them about your nature, will somehow be touched by your courage and honesty, even if it doesn’t show on the surface. The truth always sets people free. By remaining true to yourself, you will heal yourself and be a light to others.

channeled by Pamela Kribbe at jeshua.net on December 22, 2019

Everything Is as It Should Be, or Is It?

"This was meant to be”, “there must be a higher purpose behind it”, “everything is exactly as it is supposed to be”. Remarks easily made among the spiritually inclined. Often, statements like these are made in the face of situations or events that seem meaningless, tragic or cruel. Accidents, diseases, grave setbacks put our sense of justice to the test. Why does this happen to me, why did this have to happen? The notion that behind everything that occurs there is a higher order, a divine hand that means well, is reassuring. But is it true?

The idea that everything happens as it should, is a deterministic notion: it states that there is a higher power who predetermines what is going to happen in our earthly lives. This higher power may be God, or your soul or higher self. Whatever it is, the creative power does not belong to you, but to this higher source. The idea that we as human beings have free will and can make free choices is thereby severely affected.

Thus, a paradox arises: starting from a spiritual worldview, most people consider their power to make choices and take responsibility for their life to be essential to who they are. If it weren’t for that power, the whole notion of inner growth and transformation would become obsolete. At the same time, there’s the statement, often sounding like an invocation, that “everything is as it should be”, or as others put it, “everything is in divine order”.

This “glad tiding” that everything is really going as it is supposed to, both amazes and annoys me. First of all, there is massive suffering on earth, which is obvious from glancing through a random newspaper on any day. There is intense suffering on physical, emotional and spiritual levels in many, many human beings, as well as in nature. So how’s everything exactly as it should be?! Second, there is the above mentioned paradox that free will and predestination do not sit well together. This is a point worthy of consideration when you bring up the idea that all is well and in divine order. Third, I have noticed that putting forward this message often goes together with a typical note of pity, a kind of spiritual condescension, conveying something like: “Ah, child, I see you do not yet understand, caught as you are in your all-too-human doubts and moods and emotions, but there is indeed a higher meaning behind all that’s happening, and one day you too will witness it.” People often mean well, I am sure, but still…

When I had just healed from a severe depression with psychotic episodes in 2010, and was still struggling to come to terms with this horrific experience, someone said to me: “it is pretty clear that you had to go through this, and that the purpose of it was that it has enabled you to now help people with similar afflictions”. I could not respond to this suggestion as I was gasping for breath, but later on I realised that there were in fact three implicit suggestions being made: 1. The depression was predetermined and I could not have prevented it, 2. It happened for my own good even though it felt terrible, and 3. The spiritual purpose behind it all was that it would make me a better teacher and healer for other people. The latter suggestion instantly promoted me to martyrdom. What really happened was that I had sacrificed myself and had gone through hell for the salvation of others. Oh my. Kind of flattering to be put on a pedestal like that; but I suspect one has a shaky balance up there.

What stands out about all three suggestions is the big gap between the way I felt about what had happened and the “actual” spiritual truth. What felt succinctly bad to me was “really” a good thing, what I had wanted to prevent most of all had “really” been predetermined and what I experienced as my personal trial during the depression was “really” something I took upon myself in order to become a better teacher for others. The anger, sadness and dismay I felt afterwards about what had happened to me, were simply the ramblings of my ego which could not surrender to the higher order of things. This example shows a general line of reasoning which can be applied to many different situations. The general tendency is to look at an event or situation which at first sight seems terrible, tragic or absurd, and then smooth it down with the help of the spiritual tenet that “things are always exactly as they should be” or “there’s a divine order governing events so at a deeper level all is well”.

What to do with this typical smoothing down approach? The notion that everything is predetermined and proceeds according to divine will, cannot be refuted on logical grounds. It is an irrefutable metaphysical claim, which cannot be falsified (or confirmed!) by empirical evidence. However, it does conflict with our deeply felt sense that we are able to influence our lives, that we have free will and the power to choose. The notion that “all is well as it is” or “all is as it is supposed to be” is in conflict with how we feel in everyday life. Whenever a spiritual tenet is flagrantly at odds with common sense, with our everyday gut feelings, this raises a red flag for me. I believe that true spirituality is quite compatible with our natural instincts and intuitions. Even more, I believe that it is through our feeling nature that we can connect with our souls. More than the mind and the ideologies it makes up, it is the heart, the locus of our feelings and intuitions, that forms the gateway to spiritual truth. Whenever there is a big gap between what feels genuinely good and true to you and what a spiritual teaching professes to be good and true, I would always choose in favor of human feeling as the proper touchstone. The air of complacent superiority with which counterintuitive spiritual claims are often made doesn’t help either.

But what then? If things are not predetermined, if there is no higher meaning behind all that happens, is life then a mere play of coincidence? Is there no bigger story, no purpose to it all? And if it is all free and open, and you still believe in God, why does God allow so much pain and suffering; what would be the explanation of that? I would like to argue that there are spiritually meaningful reasons why things happen as they do, but that does not mean that what happens is good and right. There is a reason for everything, but that does not imply that it should have happened. My claim is that there is a difference between acknowledging a spiritual logic behind events that occur, and believing in predestination. There are indeed spiritual laws at work in our lives, but they are not at odds with our free will.

To clarify what I mean let’s apply it to the example above. My depression was clearly caused by fears and negative beliefs inside of me. I believe it belongs to my soul’s purpose to bring these fears and negative beliefs to the surface of my awareness at some point, so that they may be healed. But that does not mean things had to happen exactly in the way they did, or that I had no choice about what transpired in my life. I remember clearly that before the depression really took hold (and I had to be hospitalized), I received several signals, especially from my body, that showed me I was very stressed and should apply the brakes. I failed to really do that, and that was not predetermined. There is an explanation for the fact that I did not act upon my intuitive hunches and body signals: I was afraid to fail, afraid to say ‘no’ to people, because I valued their recognition and feared rejection. This explains why I did not apply the brakes in time; however, even though there were definite reasons in place, it was still my choice. The very fact that I was aware of those signals and hunches, shows that there was room for choice.

So, in hindsight I made some poor choices. Now, there’s not much use in blaming oneself endlessly about the less than fortunate choices one has made in the past. Reproaching oneself in a harsh manner gives rise to feelings of guilt which are destructive and counterproductive (I speak from personal experience here). To pass judgment on oneself is not very useful. However, to say that I could not help any of it because it was supposed to happen is like going to the other extreme; this is pure denial. There is no getting around the fact that I could have made other choices. The best way of looking back on this is with an eye of compassion and mildness. By being compassionate toward yourself, you acknowledge that you are a fallible human being, and it actually becomes easier to learn from your mistakes. If you are able to forgive yourself, you can see the pitfalls of the past as meaningful lessons which have enabled you to gain insight and make better choices in the future. In that way, tragic situations may become purposeful and meaningful, not because they are intrinsically good or desirable (they often aren’t), but because you are prepared to learn from them and even be transformed by them. Thus, whether something is spiritually meaningful is not determined by the objective events themselves, but by the way you experience and interpret them.

In this way, free will and a certain degree of predetermination can be reconciled. Imagine that your soul wanted to live through certain experiences in this lifetime. That is why your soul chose to be confronted with certain challenges, which were kind of pre-programmed into your life. Certain people you encounter, different opportunities or setbacks that come your way, may indeed be fixed beforehand. The pivotal question, however, is how you, the human you with free choice, will respond to these encounters and situations, and to what degree you can detect purpose and meaning in what happens to you. This is not fixed, and it is your soul’s ultimate purpose to embrace the lessons inherent in the challenges with love and acceptance. That way, you will make different choices in the future and attract more positive encounters and situations in your life, eliminating the need to face the same challenge time and again.

It is often very hard to respond to life’s gravest challenges with trust and acceptance. That’s why I say it is your soul’s ultimate goal. It is often a huge struggle to recognise the value of deep experiences of loss or pain or rejection. Resistance and despair are normal, and very human. Yet I do believe this is our soul’s deepest invitation to us: to embrace even the darkest part of our lives and of ourselves with understanding and warmth, not because it is “good as it is”, but because accepting and working with it is the only way out. It is the only way into the light.

When I was in the middle of my psychotic depression, I did not experience any meaning or sense in what I was going through. For my loved ones, it was a nightmare, too. I was eventually taken to the psychiatric ward of the hospital against my will. My recovery started there. After I recovered, I found out what it is like when deep suffering bears fruit. As soon as I turned toward the light and wanted to live again, I experienced deep joy and took note of the abundance in my life as never before. What was taken for granted before, became a source of wonder and profound gratitude. I would sometimes stop in front of my house, returning with groceries, and just marvel at the fact that there was a place for me on earth, where I could live with the two people I love most, my husband and daughter. I was amazed at the genuine care and support given to me by people around me; what were acquaintances before, now became intimate friends. Not only did the complete breakdown that psychosis brings give me a new appreciation of what I took for granted before, it also gave me some lasting insights which now help me live my life with less fear and more fulfilment. A few years later, I wrote a book about my dark night of the soul, which helped me integrate the whole experience more fully and with the benefit of hindsight. After publishing this book I received letters from people who recognised themselves in my story and felt supported and comforted by it. Thus, my dark night of the soul gained in meaning. Gradually, this horrific experience appears in a different light, the light of healing and meaningfulness. However, this does not mean it was “supposed to happen” or that it was “really” a good thing.

Is everything as it should be? Is all well as it is? No! There is much suffering and tragedy on earth. I do believe we attract some negative situations in our lives to become aware of the negativity inside of us (anger, fear, distrust). These situations may in part be pre-arranged. But the purpose behind those challenges is that we make different choices in the future so that we can let go of the negativity and stop attracting it into our lives. A painful or tragic event is not intrinsically good or valuable; it will become that only when humans have the courage and clarity of mind to find meaning in it and be transformed by it. We have a choice in how we respond to “what is”. We have the potential to transform negativity and pain by our inner attitude, and to make life more light and joyful for ourselves and others. This is the true purpose of spirituality. The higher order which we so desperately seek behind the external events in our lives, does not lie outside of us. We need to create it ourselves: that is our mission as free children of God.

channeled by Pamela Kribbe at jeshua.net on December 25, 2019

Our Earliest Memories

 

Do you remember where you were before you were born? Where do our memories go, beginning at incarnation? Our earliest memories disappear from our ego-consciousness, but they’re still in our subconscious, including memories of past lives, and can be retrieved through hypnotic regression therapy, deep meditation in a theta wave state and in consciousness beyond the body. The subconscious records everything and stores it for us and for universal consciousness.

For the limits of our conscious minds, we’ve set boundaries of frequencies and polarities, so that we wouldn’t reach total freakout by the dark force, while allowing it to move gradually toward complete control of humanity. We have things happen to us as a result of giving our life force, through our attention and alignment with energy patterns, to the qualities we hold in our thoughts and feelings. The dark force exists apart from the world of life-enhancement. As a result, it has no natural life force. It must be parasitic to us, because it needs our life force to survive. If we withdraw our attention from it and instead focus on gratitude, love and joy, we enter a higher dimension and become exempt from the dark force, provided that we maintain a higher perspective in our thoughts and feelings. This requires practice until we have thoroughly trained our subconscious mind and transformed our limiting beliefs.

We are all capable of creating truly wonderful experiences for ourselves and everyone around us by transforming ourselves in greatest love and joy. This is what we all want, which means that it’s our innate state of being. We can unlimit ourselves from all of our deeply-held beliefs in suffering, illness, aging and death. From within ego-consciousness, this seems impossible, because the ego cannot know who we are beyond our limiting beliefs. Without limiting beliefs about ourselves, the ego does not exist, except as a cooperating participant with us in the empirical world, which we can direct with inner knowing in the heart of our Being.

Because the empirical world consists entirely of patterns of energy that our consciousness can interpret as physical sensations, we allow ourselves to believe that things exist apart from us or outside of our conscious presence. We have developed the realization that we are separate persons from everyone and everything else. This is a trick that we play on ourselves, and we all do it together. It’s part of human consciousness, which we all participate in empathically and telepathically, without knowing what is beyond the empirical world, or even how we exist.

This is where quantum physics can help us. It has discovered that everything is an expression of infinite consciousness. Although the quantum sciences haven’t discovered the origin of universal consciousness, we have the innate ability to go beyond the empirical world of physicality and find out about our true essence. We now have many books and video reports from people who have died and come back, informing us about their experiences beyond body-consciousness. The reports all confirm that beyond the body our awareness expands as far as we’re willing to go in an environment of great love and joy in the company of many wonderful persons, including friends and ancestors. If we can transcend our limiting beliefs, we can open our awareness beyond the body and even regenerate our bodies and live in this world as long as we desire in deepest love and joy. This is our destiny, and it’s governed by our beliefs about ourselves.

by Kenneth Schmitt at consciousexpansion.org on March 18, 2025

When the Power of Love Replaces the Love of Power

 

The End of the Old World Order

 

Trump didn't kill the old world order - he just pronounced it dead. In the first 100 days of his second administration, President Trump has made it clear that he intends to end the Old World Order that has shaped our planet since World War II.

Free trade is out; tariffs are in. Nation-building is out; territorial acquisition is in. Wars of ideology pitting democracy against communism are out; trade deals are in. Foreign aid to win hearts and minds is out; bare-knuckled mineral deals are in. America as policeman of world is out; America First is in.

Talking heads (and writing hands) have expended much energy trying to discern the thinking behind this Trumpian strategy.

The Trump-deranged opposition believes that there is no rationale, that Trump secretly adores dictators and, like them, seeks to overthrow democracy to aggrandize his oversized ego. This says more about them than Trump.

Defenders of the existing order, including the diplomats, generals, deep state bureaucrats, and contractors see a treasonous sellout to former enemies. This reveals less about their patriotism and more about their lost influence.

The Left envisions a new imperialism and a return to the bad old days when white colonialists plundered the lands of brown people. This betrays a long-discredited view of class and race that even the Communists don’t believe anymore.

Former allies in Europe, Canada, and Mexico are just confused and exhausted.

There is a simpler explanation for Trump’s foreign policy actions: he is a businessman trying to fix America’s balance sheet.

Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has underwritten a global trading system by which we import cheap goods in exchange for political allegiance, and foreigners use those same dollars to buy our debt. This keeps inflation low and subsidizes gobs of domestic social spending and foreign wars. The price is massive trade deficits, even bigger fiscal deficits, and an uncomfortable reliance on foreigners -- not all of them friendlies -- to make it all work. This is a kind of reverse mercantilism, which erodes the financial strength of the country.

Having spent some time in bankruptcy court, Donald Trump knows a losing trade when he sees one. He must stop the borrowing. He must cut spending. He must reduce the trade deficit. He must pull back from far-flung commitments around the world and get us closer to home.

On the asset side of the ledger, private resources need to be protected and developed. He must preserve whatever is left of our manufacturing base. He must leverage our biggest asset, the deep, rich American market, to gain trade concessions.

Here’s how Trump’s foreign policy can repair the U.S. balance sheet.

Stop trying to buy hearts and minds. The Cold War is over. America won. If the rest of the world still wants to be ruled by totalitarians, monarchs, or Sharia law, that is their business. Too much foreign aid is wasted in pushing progressive exports (like DEI) onto an unwilling world. This is a fool’s errand.

No more nation-building. The U.S. tried to build American mini-me’s in Vietnam, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan. Despite massive amounts of ordinance, napalm, troops, shock and awe, the objects of our affection refused to love us back. We thought China could be transformed into a like-minded democracy if only we ran enough trade deficits with them. None of this has worked. We have only impoverished ourselves in the attempt.

Hey, policeman of the world - you’re fired. Every time a fight breaks out somewhere in the world, the U.S. has to back someone, whether we know anything about it or not. The Russians are bombing the Taliban in Afghanistan! We’re for the Taliban! Whooops. Iran is at war with Iraq! Let’s take out Saddam Hussein! Really whooops. We’re like a cop called in to break up a domestic dispute that has been going on for 20 years - we don’t know anyone and everyone ends up hating us. We’re not good at this.

America cannot fight a three-front war. Our opponent is China. Not Russia. Not Iran. Better to use European surrogates against Russia and Israel against Iran. This seems to be working. Europeans have increased spending on their defense. Sweden and Finland joined NATO. A re-awakened Germany will further stiffen European resolve. Israel can handle Iran.

Do not trade off economic benefits to win talking points. We Americans have a bad habit of opening up our domestic markets to anyone who tells us what we want to hear. Tell us how much you love us, and you can sell here. Nobody else does this. In the 1990s, China demanded 51 percent of any in-bound investment (for which they paid nothing), controls on the repatriation of hard currency, and the right to steal your Intellectual Property -- all for the privilege of building a factory in their country. Access to the gigantic Chinese market remained a distant promise. We know how that turned out. In Trump’s view, trading off hard economic benefits for soft power is a mug’s game. Better to learn from the Chinese and drive a better bargain against anyone who wants to access the American market.

Platinum immigration card. The right to live in the U.S. is another undervalued asset, which needs to be repriced. Joe Biden gave it away for nothing. Trump plans to charge $5 million a pop. If he sells 20,000, that’s a cool $100 billion -- per year. From a commercial viewpoint, the U.S. gets the top draft picks of the entire world, which will bring new investment and employment to the country. Over time, this new source of revenue could make a dent in the federal debt. I’m not tired of winning yet, but this is a good start.

Use tariffs to build up manufacturing. Tariffs remain the most controversial tool in the Trump toolbox because they raise consumer prices and protect inefficient enterprises, which raise prices further. They stir up unnecessary political problems with reliable trading partners in Europe, Canada, and Mexico and create uncertainties for business at home. On the other hand, American auto-makers survive on the profits of small trucks, which would not exist but for long-standing tariffs set up during the Johnson administration. Think of what Chinese EVs would do to domestic car manufacturers. Broad-based tariffs on our friends are destructive. Selective tariffs on our enemies are necessary.

Future trade will be conducted within ideology-free zones. The Chinese stopped exporting international communism a long time ago in favor of textiles, toys, and electronic components. Trump has ceased the export of democracy in favor of better trade deals. For better or worse, the world is returning to a time when self-interested nations scrapped over markets, raw materials, ports, and sea lanes rather than political ideology. In other words, the way it has always been.

Tectonic shifts of this magnitude will surely have unintended consequences. How will Europe react to a remilitarized and newly strident Germany? Will the heavily armed Turks wade into the Middle East to fill the Islamic vacuum? Will China sense strength or weakness in these changes?

The post-World War II order should have ended with the Cold War. Instead, it bumbled along for 35 years in search of a new enemy and caused a great deal of economic damage to the U.S. in the process. Trump did not kill the Old World Order. He just pronounced it dead.

by Kevin Brady at americanthinker.com on March 25, 2025

Old Age: A Time of Awakening

 

What does everyone want to become but no one wants to be?

OLD

In our society, aging is associated with frightening realities such as physical and mental deterioration, the loss of friends and loved ones, isolation, being left alone to figure things out, and the threatening cost of healthcare. The way it is portrayed in the media, growing old is considered highly undesirable. The question is, how do we deal with the inevitable? How do we make our way with confidence and connection to the end of our lives?

Everyone approaches aging in their own way. In this essay, I want to share how I think about it, because having been born in 1956, I am now considered old, and am facing the same negative messages and realities. Ideas about aging as they are expressed in society today are fundamentally wrong and usually negative. If we could let go of these worn-out ideas growing old could be an enriching, joyful, liberating path back to the light, the truth, yourself.

I may sound naïve, but I believe that the years we have left on mother earth can be a time when we bring our focus back to the source, to presence. Old age doesn’t have to equate with living a meaningless and joyless existence. Ask yourself why you might be so sure this can’t be the case. Don’t believe everything you think. Be aware that most messages about aging play on our fears. Reject them as erroneous and limiting.

If you are certain that old age is a process of watching the body decay, and there is no life after death, there is no hope. Why not entertain the possibility that there is life after death, that there is always hope that we go on without the body. If you suspend your beliefs even for a trial run, hope arises. What is there to lose? The workings of the universe may be different than you think. Look back on your life with an open mind. How many beautiful, inexplicable things have happened to you in your lifetime? Aren’t we, not to mention the vastness of the universe, miracles?

I saw an interview with a famous professor of psychology who was in the last phase of his life. He passed away years ago, but I’ll never forget what he said, “Why is there no one who will honestly admit that we don’t really understand anything at all?” Even people who are experts in their field and have an abundance of knowledge recognize the mystery and wonder of life and admit that our understanding of it is extremely limited. If we stop relying on our thinking and reasoning so much, we can fill our days with joy and hope.

Take an honest look at your life. Look into someone’s eyes and see and feel what is behind them because you will see the presence of an inexplicable miracle. In uncertainty there is room for mystery and hope. The deepest moments of your life cannot be described or explained in words because they are mysteries. As we grow old, allow this mystery in, invite it into your awareness. Old age is meant to be a profound spiritual process and it consists of letting go and allowing.

Letting Go

“It all diminishes,” I once heard an elderly woman say. This is why many of us do not look forward to it because she is right, it is a time of loss and diminishment. We decline physically and mentally. Our children are busy, and we don’t see them as often. We understand less and less of the world. It is hard to keep track of everything going on around us. Our youth is gone, and many of our friends are gone as well. It is no wonder we don’t want this to happen to us. Ironically, it is exactly because we don’t want it to happen and can’t accept it is happening that we adamantly cling to it. This is a tragedy because clinging to anything makes aging difficult. When we resist change, we suffer because we are unable to let go and flow with life, flow with consciousness. If we can’t let go, we swim against the current and over time this effort robs us of our strength. It takes a great deal of energy to hang on in desperation. We are literally “old” when we cling to ideas whose time has come, while resisting the new that could bring youthful, renewed energy to our lives.

What does it mean to let go? Everything is constantly changing. Look at the world around you and compare what you see now with what you saw as a child. It is clear that things have changed so much. If everything is constantly changing, why do we hang on to what we know is going to go away? How can we not release our grip and let go? It is a strange trait humans have, to hold on to things, people, and ideas for dear life. Is it possible not tograsp and cling, but instead to say Yes to life and the changes it inevitably brings?

Our minds are full of ideas about ourselves, about who we are, about what happened to us in the past, about how the world should be. Observe these thoughts and ideas that are anchored in the past. Just as a ship’s anchor keeps it from moving with the ocean currents, these thought forms are an inner, energetic anchor that keeps us connected to the past and inhibits moving forward. When we observe this in an aging person, we say they are stuck in their ways. In other words, they are “old.”

Our thinking anchors us in the past, in the way things used to be, the good old days, and living in the past is what really makes us old. When we are stuck, and anchored in, it is the end of growth. Sometimes we don’t realize that we are holding on to outdated, exhausted ideas that belong to a world of the past, not to the world of the present. These ideas we hold onto so tightly are not who we really are. We are not our thoughts. We are timeless beings of pure light.
Those who hold on to the past for dear life grumble about young people who do not live up to their expectations. They see young people who are free and loose, who are less interested in working themselves to death, and are more interested in enjoying life. These young people do not let themselves be pigeonholed, but instead of receiving support, they are sharply condemned.

During my youth in the sixties, when many men had long hair, it was interpreted as a sign that civilization was surely coming to an end. “Long-haired, work-shy scum” was the common cry. In their estimation, it was considered wrong for a man to grow a beautiful head of hair, embrace his feminine side, and enjoy a life freely chosen. This kind of judgment didn’t happen just in the sixties, it has happened throughout human history. The older generation always grumbled about the new one—the past was better than the present, young people lack character and do whatever they want, they don’t play by the rules. Eventually, the grumbling dies down because life has a way of going on. The sun still rises in the east. We interpret change as bad, negative, less than, and these critical judgments have been handed out since the beginning of time.

People who condemn the young condemn the energy of their own souls. The soul wants to grow, expand, be adventurous and instead is blocked in its trajectory by worn-out ways of thinking and judging. Old age doesn’t have to partner with old thinking. Sometimes, we see an old person, but we can feel they are young in spirit. This is possible. These elders are open, accepting, curious, and non-judging. No matter how old one is, this is a sure sign of youth.

The first step to letting go begins with embracing doubt, because if we admit we have doubts, we acknowledge our ignorance. A person who does not question their thinking assumes they know everything. Socrates said, “All I know is that I know nothing.” This is the first step—to admit how little we know. It is possible to allow some doubt in and realize that our true self is different from the personality we think we are. Most of the world, however, does not think this way.

Let go of time to experience your eternal self.
Let go of space to embrace oneness with the universe.
Let go of the non-self to be more Yourself.
Let go of fear to embrace love.
Let go of thinking inside the box—you are bigger than the box.

Let go of limiting ideas, and your life will change, you are limitless and eternal.

Allowing

Letting go becomes easier when we realize that we can allow something beautiful into our awareness.

“You become old when you cling to something that is past. You do not allow the new, which always carries within it the renewing energy of the young – youth.”

This is a liberating idea because the new always brings with it a refreshing, youthful energy, and when we allow that energy to come in, it is the key to eternal life.

We die in order to be born again, but it need not be a sharp transition. Just as the fetus develops in the womb, an angel of light develops in the aging human being. This angel carries consciousness further along its cosmic journey and is capable of leaving the earthly body behind without holding on. This is the angel of the new. As we age, this angel helps us grow new wings and when we allow that Angel in, we become it, and we can also let go of the old.

We have (almost) completely lost ourselves in our belief systems and the fear of living in this world which emphasizes performance, looking and being successful and winning the rat race. But now there is something within us that perceives and experiences things differently and does not want to live in the old way. When you nurture this angel within, you are it and a new life will reveal itself, and show you its power, light, and wholeness. Let go of the past and allow the angel in. This is how to grow old.

Letting go is easier and more natural when we realize what we are allowing our true self to emerge. When we grow old, we can become who we really are. We have played a role for so long in this world that we think we are the role, and the game of life is all there is, but as we age, we come to know we are more than that.

Growing old, at its deepest level is not even about letting go per se, as much as it is about our willingness to receive and restore the truth of who we are. It is about growth, not decay. It is about liberation, about allowing. We are liberated from untruths, from the chains of the physical world. Growing old is a process in which we leave behind forever the limitations of physical reality, the limitations of human society, with all its musts and fears. It is a process by which we allow our divine reality, our eternal self, our freedom to come to the fore. Why is that so difficult? Because who we really are is at odds with who we think we are. The Truth is at odds with what we believe.

The aging human being is pregnant with the Angel that is emerging in her or him. But many reject this Angel, do not want to be it; thus reject the nurturing and healing energy of the Angel.

The key to dealing with old age is understanding that you are pregnant, the key to dealing with older people is understanding that they are pregnant.

And the beautiful thing is you are pregnant with yourself. Slowly you allow your true self, slowly you let go of the role you have played in this life. Getting older is only problematic if you do not accept this. Decay occurs when you resist this development: when you resist ascending into the light – the light that you are.

Awakening

What is light? When we talk about light, we think of an external phenomenon like the sun or a lamp we can turn on. But what brings light? Unity brings light. The moment the sun rises, and the night disappears, everything is One in the light. Oneness is, everything is connected. We feel part of the world. Light connects us and banishes fear. The world of cubicles and boundaries and struggles now looks unreal to us. Light is a timeless state. If you travel on a beam light, at the speed of light, time and space disappear. Everything merges into the eternal now. We know light because light is love. Love connects, it transcends time and space. Love brings us back to the source, and in love we become the source.

To grow old is to hear the call of the source.

“Come back to me, leave the world of separation, of fear, come back to me. This is your home. You are the source. You are the universe. You are love.”
Allow it. Say yes to it. Become who you are.
The time of awakening has arrived.

Accept the inexplicable. Let go and know.

Accept the miracle.
You are the miracle.

by Gerrit Gielen at jeshua.net on February 5, 2024

Messages From the Future

 

1. Realize that at the core of all Creation is spirit, not matter.

2. Elevating the material laws of physical reality to the ultimate laws of Creation is extremely limiting and prevents you from seeing true causality at work.

3. Spirit is truly creative and you have been handed down a part of Spirit, an inalienable part, unique and indestructible.

4. You are not supposed to be One with anything other than You. You are not supposed to become one with others, or with anything transcendent, nor to give up yourself. You are supposed to feel, recognize and Be the God spark within. You are meant to be unique.

5. The Youness of you is the biggest creative feat, yet you seek to escape it because you think it is hampering you from experiencing Oneness. In truth, you can only have experiences of mystical bliss and ecstasy when you are fully at one with yourself, being the conscious conductor of Oneness. Oneness cannot be experienced without Consciousness. Consciousness can only Be where there is a You.

6. There is no beginning and no end, time is a measure of experience, of growth, it is not an objective, measurable quantity. When we say that we bring messages to you from the future, we say so to deliberately confuse you. The future does not exist yet, cannot exist by definition….only the past and the present seem to have an objective existence “out there”, as a collection of facts to be remembered (past) or experienced (present). How then can there be messages from the future? It can only be so if there is something inside you that remains the same regardless of Time, something that is out of Time. To speak from the future is to speak from the Unknown. To your human brain it seems that the past and the present are known and the future is not. We bring messages from the Unknown, meaning that we tell you about what you are yet to discover, and what is helpful to know in order to jump off your limited awareness of Time.  The future is open wide, you choose it, our vibration does not come from a future “out there” but from a place inside you that has become veiled. The future is the unveiled You.

channeled by Pamela Kribbe at jeshua.net on March 16, 2025

Massive Underground Network Discovered Beneath Khafre Pyramid

 

Corrado Malanga, from the University of Pisa, and Filippo Biondi, involved in radar and remote sensing research with the University of Strathclyde, published peer-reviewed research in 2022 via MDPI, entitled, “Synthetic Aperture Radar Doppler Tomography Reveals Details of Undiscovered High-Resolution Internal Structure of the Great Pyramid of Giza.”

Their research was conducted using SAR data, Synthetic Aperture Radar, along with proprietary software, developed by Filippo Biondi, that transforms the radar signals into phononic information which allows for the detection of millimetric vibrations. This cutting-edge technology is capable of revealing underground structures invisible to traditional methods, and revealed internal structures never seen before.

Having established their expertise in using SAR to explore pyramid structures non-invasively, a recent press release on their current project was released last Saturday.

This March 15th press release summarized the key findings in the team’s research of the second largest pyramid of the Giza Plateau, known as the Khafre Pyramid. And what they found was astonishing.

The analyses of dozens of tomographic SAR images obtained from different angles enabled the 3D reconstruction of inside the pyramid of Khafre. And deep beneath the surface of the plateau.

Near the base of the pyramid, 5 identical structures are seen, connected by geometric pathways. Inside each of these are 5 horizontal levels and a sloping roof.

Below these 5 structures are 8 cylindrical structures which appear to be vertical wells, hollow inside, and surrounded by descending spiral pathways. These 8 vertically aligned cylindrical structures, arranged in two parallel rows from north to south, descend to a depth of 648 meters where they all merge into two large cubic structures measuring approximately 80 meters per side.

The entire structure extends approximately two kilometers beneath the surface. And extends beneath all three pyramids of the Giza Plateau complex.

Mainstream Egyptology tells us that the Giza pyramids were tombs for pharaohs, Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. And that they were built around 2500 BC using ramps, sledges, and levers.

But the redundant mathematics in their construction, which include Pi, the golden ratio, and the speed of light, along with the testimony of today’s expert architects, suggests that the official story does not hold up.

The massive underground structure revealed by the recent SAR data shows what appears to be a mechanical or functional system. And this has been hypothesized in the past.

Nikola Tesla believed that the pyramids could harness earth’s natural frequencies. This arguably inspired his experiments in wireless energy transmission and scalar waves.

In “The Giza Power Plant,” Christopher Dunn argued that the Great Pyramid was a power-generating machine using resonant and acoustic forces to convert mechanical stress into electricity.

In “The Giza Death Star,” Joseph Farrell proposed that the Great Pyramid of Giza was a weapon of mass destruction using a type of physics, that he calls “paleophysics,” to focus energy as a scalar weapon.

The cylindrical wells could be conduits for energy or sound waves, and the cubic structures might serve as energy storage or stabilization units, akin to components in a large-scale weapon or generator. And the detection of vibrations in the pyramid’s internal structures, reflects all of these ideas.

The Khafre Project hopes to plan an excavation in order to discover more about this underground structure.

from the substack of Greg Reese on March 18, 2025

If You Have These 7 Traits, You’re in Your Last Life Cycle

 Have you ever felt like you’ve lived many lives before this one? In this intriguing video, we explore the 7 key traits that suggest you might be in your last life cycle. If you’ve ever wondered about reincarnation, spiritual growth, or the purpose of your existence, this is a must-watch!

Discover the signs that indicate you’ve reached the final stages of your soul’s journey. From a deep sense of inner peace to an overwhelming desire to help others, these traits reveal a soul that has evolved through countless lifetimes. Are you ready to find out if you’re nearing the end of your karmic cycle?

from Wise Minds on March 18, 2025

Ready to Meet Your Twin Flame?

 

Beloved ones, we greet you. We Pleiadeans honor your sacred unfolding and hold a strong platform of love as you step forward into this next phase of awakening within yourself. The shifts on earth are intensifying as you move closer to your next cycle of the new transformation. There is a pure force, a transformation of frequencies, emanating from the magnetic core of your earth. This has been created through the re-opening of a doorway, a higher more complete directional link from the collective universal consciousness to the earth plane. This vibrational light is forming a higher consciousness throughout the energetic grids across the planet, bringing to every individual a resurrection frequency within each heart cell.

Be in stillness and answer the call that is beginning to arise from your heart cells. There is a higher electrical frequency that can now pulse through you as you transform. Consciously choosing to let go allows a surrendering to this frequency that emanates, carries your unique signature of God-light. Let go and allow the filtering, the returning of your higher light to anchor and be restored through you.

This is a returning. We greet you with much joy today. We'd like to bring messages from above concerning your reality. Now is the time to move forward and add more meaning to your life. It's time to reunite with your Twin Flame so you can merge your energies to serve humanity.

Please know that many of you have not yet met your Twin Flame because you haven't activated your 5D missions. The Twin Flame appears when your commitment to ascend to higher timelines forms. The intention to activate your mission is: “I am here to serve humanity at this time, driven not only by intention, but also by unconditional love for All That Is.”

Your Twin Flame is “the other you”, meant to take form so that He/She can join you as you join Him/Her to fulfill your missions. If your attention is focused on personal issues, day-to-day problems, survival, and so on, you are not functioning on a 5D timeline and your Twin Flame cannot find you. It requires awakened beings to unite their energies as Twin Flames with the highest purpose of truly serving the whole.

Does this resonate with you? Or are you still looking for someone to make you happy? The Twin Flame is not meant to join you merely to bring happiness, but to help you achieve your highest purpose. Happiness is already within you, and once you discover it, you'll be able to share it as well.

It is crucial first to address all your emotional baggage before you can discover and live out of joy. The veil of illusion has obscured what is real and you have started to seek happiness externally. You have included your Twin Flame in the same mindset. But the Twin Flame does not exist in the 3D matrix. It takes a lot of courage and determination to welcome such a soul into your life. It requires wisdom, maturity, selflessness, and commitment.

Do not seek joy outside yourself and do not base your happiness on illusory narratives. Are you ready to meet your Twin Flame? Are you truly prepared to accept Him/Her as He/She is, letting go of desires, judgmental thoughts, and limiting beliefs for the benefit of all?

Just Do What You Love and Trust the Universe

We here in the twelfth dimension are supporting you in so many ways, and we are so very proud of you for taking on the lives that you have. You who are receiving this message have decided to be trailblazers. You knew that you would be alone in many ways in your awakenings, and yet you come together as a collective to help serve the larger collective and bring them forward into the new age. You may ask yourselves from time to time whether you are doing enough, living your purpose, on your path, and so on, and I want you to know that all you had to do was be born into that reality to be of service to your fellow humans.

Now, I also want you to know that more will be awakened within you, including inspired ideas. You are going to be moving forward in such a way that there will be no doubt regarding how you can serve. There is so much more coming to you from your guides, from your higher selves, from those like myself to inspire you, to give you the ideas that you will absolutely want to implement and won’t hesitate to do so. Therefore, at times, you can relax, open up, and receive the downloads, the upgrades, and the activations that are coming to you, because they are just as important as any action journey you will be on later on.

You all need to let yourselves off the hook and recognize that your vibration is enough, your level of consciousness is enough, and you are enough. And remember that you cannot force inspiration. You cannot force a brilliant idea to come to you. You cannot force an impulse that comes from within, but you also don’t have to wait around and do nothing. There is plenty to enjoy and partake in right there in the physical reality you find yourselves dwelling in.

You may not always feel like you are on a spiritual path when you are doing something that you love, but by doing what you love, you are more likely to then open yourselves up to the inspired ideas that will drop in. And, also, your ascension, the ascension of humanity, it is all guaranteed. Therefore, nothing is resting on your weary shoulders right now, and you can relax and you can receive, and you can benefit from all that you have already done, already created, and already become.

There will always be more to come. That is a guarantee. You may not always know what that is, but if you can embrace the unknown, if you can see the unknown as something that is wanted, something that is good, then you can keep moving forward step by step in your lives, knowing that what you are moving towards is a higher-dimensional plane. It is a higher level of consciousness, and it is a more expanded state.

There is nothing wrong with sitting around, doing nothing, breathing, and feeling for that expansion, receiving more of those energies that are coming in all the time and waiting for inspiration to strike. It often comes when you’re least expecting it and in the strangest of ways. Embrace it all, and embrace yourselves and enjoy the rest of the ride to the completion of the shift in consciousness.

I am Saint Germain, keeper of the violet flame.

channeled by Daniel Scranton at danielscranton.com

How to Establish Time Portals Between You and Your Past Self

 

Greetings everyone. We are once again delighted that our information reaches you again. We express our gratitude and love with this occasion and we invite you to take a little... time-traveling journey with us.

We know very well that many of you believe that time traveling is not yet possible, but what if we tell you that your consciousness generates different time frame realities and that you can train yourself to access them intentionally.

This might sound quite complex but if you follow our guidance exactly, you will definitely see the results. Take it as a game and try it out.

Firstly, our protocol is very clear, but please follow it as it is, without changing anything.

Select a selenite crystal, choose a proper dimension of at least 100 grams, or larger is even better. Then meditate with your crystal; create a connection with it and imagine sending your vibration for it to register. Do this for a while — it is actually sufficient to hold it in your hands for at least 15-30 minutes.

Then choose an isolated place in nature where you will hide your crystal. Be sure that no one will find it, but also that you keep the exact location in your mind. You will come back for your crystal in one year or more. It is very important that the spot is totally isolated from human beings and other elements that could affect its frequency,

Then place your crystal, but not before looking at the astrological chart of that very moment: day, month, and precise time. Keep the picture of the chart with you. This is essential.

Now be sure that before you leave, you do two things: you know exactly where the crystal is, and you have the chart.

The crystal has your frequency codes from that specific time.

Now, go back to your crystal in one year, when the astrological chart is quite similar. You will have to check the charts and be sure that you are trying to match the moment as best as you can. A passage through that time frame reality will open up. Go and take the crystal back at that time and connect with it, then with you in the past — create a ceremonial space and go deep into its vibration. Imagine how you guide yourself to do everything better, faster, easier. Imagine that in one year you accomplished easier all that you wished to — send this information to the crystal.

Observe any images that might open up — some of you might be pulled into an energy vortex having a very vivid experience. Do not be fearful, but navigate it with love and curiosity. Try to connect with your past self and tell them about you — coming from the future. Establish a good connection. Be sure to tell them that you will reconnect. Observe any reaction and send them love.

You can leave the crystal there, and come back to it in one year or even change its location, following the same protocol.

Be sure to maintain a connection with your past self. Upon your own spiritual evolution, some of you will be able to actually "jump back in time" — do not worry, you will just visit.

This experience, when done correctly, will have a great impact upon you. A lot of knowledge might be revealed, and certain "time guardians" might connect with you and check your intentions. Be sure to start your ceremony with asking for permission to access the specific time frame reality, say why and express your loving intentions towards your past self, but let them know also that in this way you wish to learn more about the reality of time and how you can use it wisely.

If everything goes properly, your evolution will expand, and the teachings that you will bring back with you will change your life.

Do not share this with anyone — not yet. Let it be first profound, talk little, and mostly do it with a lot of spiritual dedication.

We will be here with you, with love and appreciation for your Earth journey, the 9D Arcturian Council.

 

from the FaceBook page of the Pleiadian Transmissions of Light and Love on March 14, 2025

Cultivating a Beginner's Mind

 

With traditional arts in Asia much emphasis is put on long-term practice and effort so as to reach continuously higher levels of skill development. There is a deeper character training happening as well, to reduce the ego’s voice, let go of fears, cultivate mindfulness, increase gratitude and live more fully in the present moment.

Beginner’s Mind is a phrase from Japanese Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki’s book Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind. He uses it to describe an approach to life that is empty of preconceptions and egotism, yet very mindful.

In Japan we have the phrase shoshin (初心), which means ‘beginner’s mind.’ The goal of practice is always to keep our beginner’s mind… This [means] an empty mind and a ready mind. If your mind is empty, it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.

The idea of an empty mind in Asian cultures is different from Western conceptions, which signify that something is lacking. It is closer to our idea of being open-minded, providing a spacious awareness that allows the outer world to flow in freely through our senses.

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tsu shared a similar conception of emptiness, in verse 11 of the Tao Te Ching, describing structured spaces which invite participation as being very practical and useful.

Thirty spokes share the wheel’s hub;
It is the center hole that makes it useful.
Shape clay into a vessel;
It is the space within that makes it useful.
Cut doors and windows for a room;
It is the holes which make it useful.
Therefore benefit comes from what is there;
Usefulness from what is not there.

In Zen Buddhism, to maintain a beginner’s mind means to be open to continuous growth and deeper understanding. One is encouraged to drink in each moment of life, without excessive desire, pride or judgment.

A beginner’s mind is not willful, power seeking or egocentric. As a beginner, we are encouraged to develop skills without comparing ourselves to others or seeking to be superior in any way. In Japan, this also relates to the idea of kenkyo (謙虚) which means to cultivate modesty and humility, to not be full of oneself.

In Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Rep there is a section entitled 101 Zen Stories. Here a tale is told of a University professor who visits Nan-in, a Japanese Zen master. The professor says he wants to learn about Zen, but is filled with his own knowledge and opinions. Nan-in pours tea into his cup and does not stop so that it begins to overflow.

What are you doing? It is overfull. No more will go in!” yells the Professor. “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

Even now, a beginner’s mind is very much a part of traditional arts training in Japan. The idea of mu (無) or mushin (無 心) is commonly taught to students. It is often translated as ‘not, nothing’ or ‘no mind’ but it’s closer to openness of awareness in meaning. Students are encouraged to be attentive and mindful, carefully observant of the present moment.

With traditional arts education in Asia much emphasis is put on long-term practice and effort, so as to reach continuously higher levels of skill development. There is a deeper character training happening as well, to reduce the ego’s voice, let go of fears, cultivate mindfulness, increase gratitude and live more fully in the present moment.

A core idea with Zen-influenced arts is that deep mastery and learning requires that we keep all our senses open. Over time one’s knowledge becomes intuitive, instinctual. We do not have to ‘think’ consciously to act skillfully.

The goal with arts training is not to receive praise or do better than others, but to grow spiritually, develop as a human being and learn to live each moment peacefully, mindfully and deeply connected to the present.

The Buddhist scholar D.T. Suzuki (no relation to Shunryu Suzuki), gave this description, in his essay An Introduction to Zen Buddhism:

The idea of Zen is to catch life as it flows. There is nothing extraordinary or mysterious about Zen. I raise my hand; I take a book from the other side of the desk; I hear the boys playing ball outside my window; I see the clouds blown away beyond the neighboring wood — in all these I am practicing Zen, I am living Zen. No wordy discussion is necessary, nor any explanation… When the sun rises the whole world dances with joy and everybody’s heart is filled with bliss. If Zen is at all conceivable, it must be taken hold of here.

Zen teaches that living in this way is not difficult, but modern ‘civilized’ people make it hard for themselves, and their children. Educational systems (both in the West and in Asia) put great emphasis on competition, status and ranking, requiring the memorization and testing of knowledge.

The goal of modern schooling is for students to remember vast amounts of information, to do better than others on tests, so that one can get higher grades, get into the ‘best’ college, attain a high-paying job. This ‘training’ (that most of us have received) keeps our minds focused on information storage, future goals and how we compare with others in the present.

Living and learning this way has created a world where a rat race mentality dominates. Where many ‘well-educated’ people’s minds are crammed with disconnected bits of knowledge (about math, physics, history, etc.) that we never developed the ability to apply in meaningful ways.

In recent decades, Western psychologists have described some of these dynamics. Carol Dweck talks about a growth versus fixed mindset. A growth mindset is open and curious, the person understands what they are studying and is continuously learning, updating their knowledge and skills. We do not compare ourselves with others and see learning as a lifelong process.

Psychologist Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi describes this approach to life and learning as flow, the psychology of optimal experience. With our minds open to the present moment we experience a sense of unity and intimate relationship with our current situation and context.

A growth mindset and flow are quite similar to the beginner’s mind approach of Zen. In the book Zen in the Art of Archery, Eugen Herrigel shared his Japanese archery teacher’s advice:

Don’t think of what you have to do, don’t consider how to carry it out! The shot will only go smoothly when it takes the archer himself by surprise.

Goals can be helpful, but the focus with Zen arts is to anchor our consciousness in the present moment, detached from ego and desire. “A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at, is how Bruce Lee put it.

Numerous athletes, artists and musicians have described their most satisfying experiences in this way, as being in ‘the zone’, where a sense of self drops away and we feel a deep connection with the present moment. Skilful actions happen of themselves, intuitively, without willful thought or direction.

When playing sports or music, thoughts of future outcomes or failure can trigger powerful emotions that distract our awareness. It is only by paying full attention to what is happening NOW that we can respond mindfully and effectively to current conditions, and deeply connect with the present moment we inhabit.

Moreover, as our skills develop without egoism, we will naturally cultivate positive psychological qualities (such as mindfulness, optimism, compassion, creativity, kindness, joyfulness) that make our lives more happy, successful and meaningful.

As the composer John Cage put it: Get yourself out of whatever cage you find yourself in. There is poetry as soon as we realize that we possess nothing.

When we learn and grow in this way, over time we may discover what Japanese call ikegai(生き甲斐), a deeper sense of purpose and direction to our lives. Ikegai is about developing your many unique gifts so that you can share these with the world. Finding our life’s purpose brings joy to us and benefit to others.

To do this successfully, it helps to be aware of how we are connected to the rest of the Universe. Finding deep meaning can only be discovered in the now, not in the future. This is why Taoist and Zen teachings encourage us to cultivate an intimate relationship with (and appreciation for) Nature as she manifests in the present moment.

We are at all times connected to the Cosmos in ways that mundane concerns distract us from seeing. Alan Watts has described how we are each like waves of a larger ocean, unique and creative expressions of the Universe we inhabit.

When our mind is empty of self-centric thoughts and emotions, we can more easily connect with our surroundings. Maintaining space in our minds allows the magic of the world to enter through our senses.

For Taoist sages and Zen masters the Universe that surrounds us is experienced as our ‘original face.’ It’s the Source of all that exists, a living matrix of creativity that we all belong to, that has brought each one of us into being. As Alan Watts put it:

If you see yourself in the correct way, you are all as much extraordinary phenomena of nature as trees, clouds, the patterns in running water, the flickering of fire, the arrangement of the stars, and the form of a galaxy. You are all just like that…

While this is not difficult to comprehend conceptually, it can be challenging for ‘civilized’ people to experience directly and frequently. Not buying into the rat race mentality of modern cultures is an essential first step. Training mindfully in an art form or sport, learning to meditate or do yoga, will provide us with a system of practice that assists greatly.

As we learn to meet the world like an empty cup, we allow inner and outer realms of our lives to flow together. Where there had been separation before, now there is greater unity and love. Every living being we meet, every experience we have, can be seen as magical in some way.

More and more, we may begin to experience yūgen (幽玄), a term that Japanese artists and poets have used to signify a deep appreciation and feeling of relatedness with the Universe.

Vietnamese Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh describes this as a deepening awareness of inter-being, the fundamental unity and interconnectedness of every ‘thing’ in the Cosmos. In a flower exists water from clouds, energy from the sun, molecules from the earth, atoms created billions of years ago within stars.

This understanding is very important if one wishes to grasp Buddhist teachings about emptiness, as Thich Nhat Hanh explains:

A flower cannot be by herself alone. To be empty is not a negative note… A flower is empty only of a separate self, but a flower is full of everything else. The whole cosmos can be seen, can be identified, can be touched, in one flower. So to say that the flower is empty of a separate self also means that the flower is full of the cosmos.

Such an attitude and recognition brings greater peace and happiness in our lives (and wisdom in our actions) because instead of trying to manipulate outcomes and take from the world we become more aligned with Nature, moving in unison with life, like a musician or dancer.

By letting go of distracting thoughts and emotions throughout the day, we create space for the world to move through us, be a part of us. This letting go allows for a deeper experience of inter-being, our intimate connectedness with everything and everyone.

Over time, connecting & letting go, like breathing, becomes second nature for us. Not seeking far off goals that the modern world considers to be important, we discover that everything we need is already here. We just need to cultivate inner space and connect fully with what is happening right now.

Maintaining a beginner’s mind helps us to experience flow in our activities, joy in our relationships and growth as human beings. Like the lead characters in the films Groundhog Day and About Time, we start to discover deep meaning and poetry in all of life’s moments.

In the Japanese tea ceremony this connection and appreciation is expressed with the idea of ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会), translated as “one time, one meeting.” Every meeting we share with others is a once in a lifetime event, a sacred moment that we can treasure and enjoy deeply.

Over time, as we practice seeing and living in this way, everything we do can be experienced as an art form to be mastered and/or appreciated, every interaction with others becomes a potential source of joy, gratitude, peace, love and beauty.

We will never find happiness in far off places or goals that we imagine in our heads. The way to happiness is to realize deeply, that each moment of life― each snowflake, flower, mountain, sunrise, friendship― is a work of cosmic art, both unique and precious. Each step of our journey we have already arrived, for we have always been home.

To dwell in the here and now does not mean you never think about the past, or responsibly plan for the future. The idea is simply not to allow your self to get lost in regrets about the past or worries about the future. Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness.
~Thich Nhat Hanh

by Christopher Chase at uplift.love