The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword

posted in: Blog, channeling, inspiration | 2

Our title today is an 1839 quotation from 19th-centruy English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

As you’ve probably heard, the legendary writer Salman Rushdie was brutally attacked recently as he was giving a speech.

This dreadful event happened at the famous Chautauqua Institution in Chautauqua, New York. That happens to be a short distance from my old hometown of Westfield in rural western New York State.

Spirit

As our friend Seth says, “There is never any justification for violence. There is no justification for hatred.Read more

What Happens When You Die?

posted in: Blog, channeling, inspiration | 4

Arguably, one of humanity’s greatest questions—and greatest fears—is What happens when you die? Does anyone really know? Is there anything to fear?

Spirit

Those are great questions. Are there any good answers? Definitely, yes!

As Johnny said, our title is arguably the most-asked question among humans. So the first thing we want to address today is the myth of death. For there is no death. Most humans move through their lives fearing something that does not even exist!

We realize what you call “death” seems to be a real experience.Read more

Your Inner Voice

posted in: Blog, channeling, inspiration | 6

One day many years ago, I was driving to my office in the Washington, DC suburbs. I had stopped at a red traffic light. When it turned green, I started to pull into the intersection. Just then, a car on my right ran through the red light and nearly hit my car.

A bit shaken, I waited a few seconds, and then started through the intersection again, the green light still in my favor. At that moment, a loud, clear voice shouted, “Stop!Read more

Joy and Love

posted in: Blog, channeling, life purpose | 4

A couple weeks ago, Berna and I went to a concert by the legendary Dutch orchestra leader, Andre Rieu. Because it was in his hometown of Maastricht, Netherlands, it was pretty special and spectacular.

Andre has a gift for making his music a powerfully joyful and fun experience for everyone. And this old world of ours certainly needs more joy and fun! As he says, “My concerts are about joy and love.”

Spirit

If we said you were all meant to experience lives of joy and love, would you believe us?Read more

Peace Is Simple

posted in: Blog, channeling, peace on earth | 0

In today’s crazy, chaotic world, more and more folks find peace, inner and outer, nearly impossible.

There’s a famous story in the Bible about Jesus calming a raging storm while he and his disciples were at sea. Jesus was sleeping, and his terrified men awoke him. He simply arose and said, “Peace, be still!” A great calm descended over the sea, and all were safe.

Can creating peace be that simple? Merely saying, Peace, be still!?

Spirit

We’ve talked about peace many times over the years.Read more

Doomed To Worry

Berna and I don’t pay much attention to the mainstream news media. Though we do glance briefly at the headlines so we know what’s going on in today’s world. No doubt, it’s a tough world to navigate these days.

A recent trend that’s caught our attention is using the word “worry” in news headlines. For example, “Should we worry about (fill in the blanks here — viruses, artificial intelligence, polluted water, etc. etc.)?”

As if people didn’t have enough to think about, and now the news media tells you what you should worry about.Read more

Lost and Broken

posted in: Blog, body mind spirit, channeling | 0

It’s a tough time to be a human on Planet Earth today. So many are feeling lost and broken. Perhaps you’re one of them.

Spirit

You’ve likely heard that tired old cliche, “No one promised you a rose garden.” Many interpret that to mean what one of Johnny’s old friends used to say—“Life’s a bitch, then you die.”

That’s a pretty sad, depressing outlook on life. But it’s the experience of many who feel lost and broken.

So is life on earth meant to be a joyless, tragic, and sad experience?Read more

Your Body

posted in: Blog, body mind spirit, channeling | 2

One of our favorite quotes from A Course In Miracles  is in Lesson 204: I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.

Do you believe those words are literally true? Or are they just a “figure of speech?”

Spirit

Your bodies are what you might call a “mixed blessing.” The importance you, as humans, place on your bodies is often inappropriate, to put it mildly.

Why do we say this?Read more

Struggle Is Useless

Ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu had an interesting philosophy:
Effort and struggle are useless.

That’s just the opposite of Western society’s credo:
Success always depends on hard work and struggle.

So who’s right?

Spirit

As you know, you all create your own reality. Everything—no exceptions—in your physical human experience is there because you created it and put it there.

We realize that’s a tough one for humans to accept. But take comfort in knowing your higher self, or soul-self if you prefer, can take anything you have manifested (job loss, car accident, divorce, etc.)Read more

The Power of Doing Nothing

posted in: Blog, channeling, life purpose | 4

Ancient Chinese philosopher and poet Lao-tzu, author of Tao Te Ching, once said, “When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.”

Spirit

When you are at a place in your life where you do not know which way to turn, what is your usual response?

In our view, the best response is always to do nothing. We’re aware the usual response in Western society is to take action. It doesn’t matter what the action is. Just do something.

Your Western mentality dictates, when faced with challenges, you should do something, anything.Read more

Who Are God’s Children?

posted in: Blog, channeling, life purpose | 2

My first job out of college was as a New York State probation officer in the United States.

Though I loved the work, I was young and had never seen much of life’s dark side. One of my first assignments was supervising a convicted murderer. It was not an assignment I would have willingly chosen.

Over the months, Bill (not his real name) and I got to know each other well. Despite his awful crime, he was a gentle caring man.Read more

Who, What, and Where Is God?

 

Richard Wagamese was a revered and prolific Canadian indigenous writer. Here’s his definition of God/Creator:

Remember that Creator is the wind on my face, the rain in my hair, the sun that warms me. Creator is the trees, rocks, grasses, the majesty of the sky and the intense mystery of the universe. Creator is the infant who giggles at me…the beggar who reminds me how rich I really am….

Spirit

In your upside-down world today, many humans are confused and lost.Read more

Churches At War

posted in: Blog, channeling, Global oneness | 2

We realize that might be a crazy-sounding title. Churches don’t go to war. Or do they?

Spirit

When Berna and Johnny were growing up in the Roman Catholic Church, the church defined what it called a “just war.” In other words, war (and all its brutality) was justified under conditions the Church defined.

Many years ago, our friend Seth said “There is never any justification for violence, for hatred, for murder.”

What’s the answer? Is there any single answer?

We will side with Seth.Read more

Aging and Agelessness

posted in: Blog, body mind spirit, channeling | 2

In the book series, Life and Teaching of the Masters of the Far East, Baird Spalding talks about meeting a beautiful young woman in his travels through the Himalayan Mountains. He said she appeared to be about 19 or 20 years old. As it turned out, she was well over 100 years old!

How could that be?

Baird goes on to explain the lady’s people were known for their long lives, some as many as 800 or 900 years, as we count time today.Read more

Guilt

posted in: Blog, channeling, mind body soul | 4

The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines “guilt” as “feelings of deserving blame, especially for imagined offenses or from a sense of inadequacy.” (Emphasis added)

Over the years, Spirit has spoken rarely about guilt. Berna thought it might be a good subject for today’s discussion. I agreed. After all, guilt is the proverbial “albatross” around the necks of many humans.

Spirit

Guilt is the most useless, unnatural experience you can have as a human being. While it is not harmful to your ultimate spiritual growth and remembering, it can certainly significantly slow down your progress.Read more

Compassion and Life’s Other Side

posted in: Blog, channeling, compassion | 0

In a recent post we talked about a neighbor who died by euthanasia.

Berna and I ran into her widower the other day. He was, understandably, sad and sorely missing his wife. They’d been together 63 years. And their son had died many years ago when he was just 7 years old.

Berna, a deeply compassionate woman, spoke with him for a few minutes. He did not speak English. So he and Berna spoke in Dutch. I didn’t understand their conversation, but she told me about it later.Read more

Find Freedom Through Forgiveness

posted in: Blog, channeling, life purpose | 3

Over the years, Spirit has talked a lot about forgiveness. In today’s chaotic, often callous, world the subject of forgiveness has never been more timely. Here are a few of Spirit’s thoughts.

Spirit

  • There is no dis-ease today that is not caused by you. Most times, the true cause is your unwillingness to forgive.
  • If you are suffering from any disease, discomfort, or dread in your lives, it is for one reason only: UNFORGIVENESS.
  • When you discover the hidden power of forgiveness, you will find the key to total healing—physical, emotional, spiritual.

Read more

The True Meaning of Easter

posted in: Blog, body mind spirit, channeling | 4

Easter is, obviously, a major religious celebration. It marks Jesus’s resurrection from death. But the true meaning of Easter goes beyond the obvious. Here are a few random thoughts about Easter:

  • Easter is very important to me. It’s a second chance. ~ Reba McEntire
    Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless. ~ Charles M.Crowe
  • The very first Easter taught us this: Life never ends and love never dies. ~ Kate McGahan
  • Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.

Read more

Religion And Fear

posted in: Blog, channeling, spirituality | 2

Berna and I grew up in the Roman Catholic Church. It’s changed some since those long-ago days. But for better or worse?

In hindsight, it’s obvious the church in the old days ruled largely by fear. The standard fear they promoted ran something like this: If you don’t do what we say, you’ll burn in hell forever.

And we believed that!

(In fairness to the modern Roman church under Pope Francis, we note they acknowledge they have work to do.)Read more

Beyond Death

On one of the popular social discussion websites, a user asked what comes next after death. The answers varied all over the place. Here are a few of the more interesting ones:

  • Our energy moves on.
  • No need to fear.
  • Isn’t this reincarnation?
  • Nothing.
  • The great nothing.
  • You become fertilizer.

So what really does happen to us after we die physically?

Spirit

Many of your religious and spiritual traditions tell you death is nothing to fear. And yet humans, nearly without exception, fear death.Read more

The Hidden Power of Forgiveness

In today’s partisan, chaotic world, we rush to judgment and are slow to forgive.

In Tina Spalding’s book, Jesus: My Autobiography, Jesus says “Judgment is the biggest crime that can be committed against yourself and against others.”

How often do we even notice when we are judging? In our opinion, not often.

Spirit

One of the human traits we in spirit find fascinating is your reluctance to forgive.

When you perceive, in your limited vision, another has harmed you, you often focus on the “harm” and not on your part in creating that harm.Read more

You Are Not Your Physical Body

posted in: Blog, body mind spirit, channeling | 4

Lesson 212 of A Course in Miracles tells us “I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.”

But do we really believe that? After all, so much of the Western world, defines (and limits) everything as if we were only a physical body. Obviously, we all have a physical body. But we are not that body. Nevertheless, we have a duty to care for our bodies as we would a beloved family member.Read more

Kindness and Caring

posted in: Blog, channeling, inspiration, kindness | 4

In today’s world, it’s often tempting to believe humanity has gone to hell in a big way. But there is much kindness and caring out there that never makes it into the mainstream news media.

Spirit

Your world is so obsessed with the illusion of separation. And it’s making you feel more separate than you could ever be.

In face, you’re not separate at all, except in your minds. And your minds have been brainwashed into seeing what is not there.Read more

Reality and Illusion

posted in: Blog, channeling, inspiration | 2

A few weeks ago, Berna and Spirit had a discussion about the question of what is real, and what is illusion.

Berna and Spirit

Berna
On the subject of reality and illusion, I thought I really had it clear with all the reading I have done. But recently I’m confused about it again. So what is really real in the material world we see? I know our perception forms the illusion—the idea we are separate is an illusion.

But the material world itself, like the trees and the mountains and the chairs we make, and the bicycles, the material stuff—is that all real or is it also an illusion?Read more

Your Best Advisor

Back in the late 1800s in the American state of Vermont, a minor family squabble blew up into a major confrontation. One hot-headed family member called the police. The matter ended up in court.

The local neighbors thought that was a huge overreaction to a minor difference of opinion. The end result was the hot-headed one was driven out of his hometown, never able to return.

A bit before all that happened, the legendary writer Rudyard Kipling penned his famous poem, “If.”Read more