Why do we climb mountains? Why do watch sunrises and sunsets? Why do we take long walks in the park? Strolls at sunset on the beach? Even perhaps sit in a cave or on a rock or in an ashram for hours on end? Well, as the old adage goes… because they are there. However, the deeper meaning, I believe, is to find or experience just that… the deeper meaning of this thing called Life.
They say that traveling makes one appreciate that which one already has. There is no doubt about that. After traveling for over a year now in the far reaches of southern Asia, I’ve come to appreciate many a thing about home back in the western world. In particular, I’ve come to truly appreciate a sense of community; quiet contemplations of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina; friends and family in the busy metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia; electric power; running water; clean streets and sidewalks with trash bins. Yet, the biggest thing I’ve come to realize and appreciate is the diversity which is this world and all of life.
I’ve sat in the monastery. I’ve walked through bamboo forests of northern Vietnam. I’ve rented a house in the middle of a Balinese rice field. I’ve done yoga and qigong in the mountains of Nepal. I’ve watched the sun rise over the clouds amid the mountain tops of northern Philippines. I’ve walked the busy streets of both modern megalopolis and the quaint village which have required hours on bus, plain or even train to reach. Some of those places only reachable on foot even. The world is a big place, and I have by no means seen every inch of it. Indeed I have seen more of it than some and far less of it then a great many others. But the way that I’ve seen it has been with eyes looking beyond what can even be experienced by simple sight.
I have looked under the surface of all there is. I have gazed into the eyes of the water buffalo while sipping masala tea in the east. I’ve peered down from some of the tallest spires of man’s making in Singapore. I have gazed out equally upon the body of the great Mother Earth which man seems determined to alter and even conquer. I’ve sat amid ancient rice terraces created by men whose goal is to simply feed their own families and communities, let alone a hungry if not starving world. I have witnessed gaping wounds of earth on the edge of rivers where machines gauge out quarries of rock and soil to make room for more of man’s making and to provide the concrete that would eventually provide shelter and industry of an ever-increasing population.
I have looked into the face of an ancient past with an eye set on a not-so-distant future. And what have I seen? That underneath it all, it is all completely the same. Whether struggling to survive or coming into the knowing and understanding on what it means to thrive upon this little blue planet of ours, in the end all men and women kind are pretty much exactly the same. Under the surface of it all there really is no difference. Just as a goat is a goat is a goat (and trust me, I’ve seen a lot of goats on this journey), and a field is a field is a field, and a mountain is a mountain is a mountain, so true is the statement that a human is a human is a human.
So, essentially, here is the big fat secret… Something you probably already know… at least in your head. In theory perhaps. However, here it is… Are you ready for it? Are you sure you want to know?? Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Okay, here it is…
No matter how you slice it, no matter where you go in the world, it’s really all… the… same.
Point blank. Truth at its most simplest and deepest form. Experienced. Laughable even. But absolutely True. And I mean that with a capital “T”.
Now, I know there are going to be a number of you who are going to want to argue with me on that. How do,I know? Well, let’s just say that I do. Like I said, I’ve looked under the surface. But before you postulate those counter points, bear with me here for a moment. Be with me now…
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“When one travels around the world, one notices to what an extraordinary degree human nature is the same, whether in India or America, in Europe or Australia. This is especially true in colleges and universities. We are turning out, as if through a mould, a type of human being whose chief interest is to find security, to become somebody important, or to have a good time with as little thought as possible.” -Krishnamurti
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Sure, cultures are different. Languages vary even more than hair or eye color by the hundreds or even thousands. However, the deeper language is all the same. I hear it in the voices I’ve engaged with no matter what the origin of the tongue or tribe. I’ve seen it in the eyes of just about every villager and city-dweller I’ve had the privilege to share space with. I’ve felt it on a soul level with every being who has allowed me the honor to reveal my own. Time… space… distance… culture… language… likes… dislikes… it’s all the same. It’s all an illusion, and yet those illusions are the very threads that make up the fabric of Life itself. How beautiful is that?
What is it that you yourself most desire in life? Freedom? Same. Safety/Security? Same. Family and/or Friendship? Same. Same. Good food? Same. Safe drinking water? Same again. Good health? You guessed it… all the same.
You see, no matter where people are in the world there are these basic human fundamentals that exist for all beings. Okay, so what I’m saying has already been said by so many beings, both mystical and practical thinkers alike. Abraham Maslow coined it as the “Basic Hierarchy of Needs” in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”. But even beyond our basic needs of food, family and shelter we all have deeper desires built into the very fabric of our own being that seek to be manifested… Joy… Personal connection… Communion to something greater than ourselves be that Nature or God (like there’s a difference)… and the greatest of all these… yup, you guessed it… Love.
Oh come on, I know that even some of you diehard, serial singles (whether by choice or circumstance) out there can’t deny that what you ultimately seek is to have love in your life. But this is where the road diverges. Don’t worry, it’s still all the same. However, where some seek love outside of themselves, others have gone beyond the basic needs of acquiring food, family, shelter, a decent job, a husband, wife or partner and taken the road less travelled in order to fall completely, inexorably, head-over-heals in love with themselves. That’s the main driving force that shifts one from the basic concept of survive-abilty to the ultimate conquest of thrive-abilty in this third dimensional school for the soul. Move beyond the basic and even second tier fundamentals, and there is a whole new world in THIS world just waiting to be explored.
Thus, I proffer, that people are all the same. Either they are simply surviving and working in life to take care of their basic needs, or they have moved on from focusing their energies on the basic fundamentals by focusing whatever resources they have, real or imagined (I’ll let you figure that one out), on the next level of the human experiential. OR people are somewhere in the between; somewhere between the old world and the new. Same… same… same.
And so I leave you with this thought and well-heard truism… “wherever you go, there you are”. I also often tell both friends and clients alike that one often has to go away in order to find their way home. And in the end, we are all here just helping each other home.
So, don’t be afraid to take that leap. Don’t be afraid to cut those cords. Don’t be afraid to let go of everything including whatever you think it is you about yourself. But do hold onto the Truth that the Universe knows exactly what it is doing. Do remember that you are a divine, intricate and valuable expression of the Source… just like everyone else. Do know that beyond living there is loving and eternal learning. Do know that we are all in this together, we are all exactly them same and yet profoundly unique in all that we are capable of doing. Yet, in the end, everything comes back around full circle. Think of it as a spiral actually, infinitely above as it is infinitely below. Infinitely without as it is infinitely within. And eventually, we end up right where we began, but perhaps with a slightly higher perspective next time. Hmmmm… now that’s what mountain tops are for.
I love you. Keep breathing. Within the eternal now ever-unfolding, Pheonyx
Three easy ways YOU can support the Project today: (1) Click the LIKE button below. (2) SHARE this page with others. (3) DONATE today! → Yes, why not now? Absolutely, we totally agree… there’s no better time than the present! ♥ AND just so you know… NO gift is ever (never ever ever eeehhh-vah!) too big or too small. Every share and every love offering goes directly towards helping us help raise awareness, inspire others and build a larger, stronger, wiser, more connected community of beings all around the world. Thank you! ♥ -PRS
Rain… The sound and smell of it permeates the air. Thunder rolls just over the northern ridge of the famed Himalayas and grumbles like an old man in his rocking chair. Technically it’s still the dry season and the monsoons are officially another month or two away, but the sound of thunder and the cool pitter-patter of rain is a welcome gift here at the end of my second full week in Nepal.
I’d been praying for rain, hoping that a little bit of liquid manna from the sky would clear some of the dust and air pollution of Kathmandu enough to allow one to breathe a bit of fresh air for at least a short while as well as afford a decent view of the mountains which had otherwise been obscured by a constant thick grey haze of smoke, dust and vehicle exhaust. So it seems, the rain gods were pleased and have proffered me my request.
I left the busy crowded streets of Kathmandu two days ago seeking higher ground and a little more breathing space (and air). I landed in Kopan, a foothills village just on the outskirts of Kathmandu Valley, a stone’s throw away, and yet a world apart from the noisy, congested, peddler-pushin’ streets of Nepal’s capital city. Kopan Monastery, my home for close to a week, sits high atop a hill overlooking the town which remains sparsely populated and picturesque from this bird’s eye view with Bhoudanatha, home of one of Nepal’s largest stupas.
Shortly after I checked into my room the thunder began to roll. Apparently, however, that was only meant to be the sounding bell for not a single drop of rain made it over the ridge. Yet, the following day was a different story all together as Mother Nature unleashed a lovely torrent upon the hill valley. The rain had an equally cleansing effect upon my own heart and mind as I sat by candle light in my own little monk’s quarters quietly listening to what the weather had to say.
At around 5am the next morning, I arose as usual with the first sound of my beloved bird friends, the caroling of the usual cocks and crows mixing with other various song birds which share the sanctuary. I was eager to take to my morning meditation with hopes of clearer views of the mountains to the east as the sun made another round over the foothills. I was not disappointed, and though not crystal, the sight ridges yet before unseen was met with an unusual coolness of breath as the wind ushered in a cool breeze from the northeast corridor of the valley.
The question that came to my awareness during both the previous evening as the thunder rolled and the rains fell and again that morning as the sun rose over the mountains illuminating the morning mist was, “What am I doing here?”
I had to laugh at the question which was sourced by the makings of my own thinking mind. Morpheous, whom I refer to as the egoic nature of my self, doesn’t much like not knowing, and though he is better at relinquishing control of the unknown these days, We (Pheonyx and I/We/Source/ the Higher Self) still have to have some casual conversations of assurance with this more rational part of our self.
“We are here… just being,” the internal dialogue between the heart and mind commenced. “Just waiting for the next sign to appear as to whether our next move is to the east or to the west.”
“But what are we doing here in Nepal?” Morpheous persisted.
“Again, we are just here. Moving with the flow. All internal signs pointed north, and north we came. Relax. All things will be made clear in time. We have to trust.”
With those familiar words, Morpheous relented a bit and allowed the mind to become clear and at peace. What was replaced was a beautiful receiving of energy, clarity, physical and emotional stillness. As I breathed facing the morning sun a new breathing meditation began to circumnavigate the outer recesses of the higher mind.
Breathing in the words came to me, “As I breathe, in I open the channels of my Mind.” Breathing out, the following words ensued, “As I breathe out, I release all obstacles that stand of the way of total receiving.”
Eyes closed, the breathing began to slow and become even deeper. Moving beyond the realm of thought, further instructions followed as my listening became deeper as well. Dropping the awareness to the heart center, “As I breathe in I open the channels of my Heart.” Exhaling, “As I breathe out, I release all obstacles that stand in the way of total receiving.”
Going even deeper still as my awareness dropped into the first and second chakras, the point of origin and the energy points most associated with the physical form of beingness, “As I breathe in, I open the channels of my Body.” Allowing the breath be exhaled down into the Earth,” As I breathe out, I release all obstacles that stand in the way of total receiving.”
Additional aspects of this newly received mantra-breathing meditation began to reveal itself at the eastern base of my tiny meditation mound in the temple garden. It had been a while since I’d received any new information involving healing meditations from my guides and I/We (even Morpheous) were delighted to be receiving some new instructions. The breathing meditation was then combined with a new sounding meditation I began to use and share with others while in Vietnam. The technique utilizes the primordial sounds of “Uhh”, “Ahh”, “Eee” and “Oh-m” in correlation with the three major dantiens (energy points) and astral realm as utilized in the ancient practice of Qi Gong. More on that to come soon.
And thus with the clarity of Mind, Body and Spirit, we remain still and yet ever-changing. Following the meditation, the call to head west to Pokhara felt strongest. So, we shall head there and see what the Universe has in store. There is much to explore for the next several months. A great deal more lies between the valleys and ridges of the inner/higher mind which I have come to realize are now seeking further exploration. THAT is why we are here, dear Morpheous. As above so it is below, and our exteriors are nothing more than a reflection of what is within. We shall seek even higher and awe-inspiring ground. And so it is, and so it shall be. In full faith, trust and ever-lasting grace of the Divine, we shall continue. ♥, Pheonyx
Three easy ways YOU can support the Project today: (1) Click the LIKE button below. (2) SHARE this page with others. (3) DONATE today! → Yes, why not now? Absolutely, we totally agree… there’s no better time than the present! ♥ AND just so you know… NO gift is ever (never ever ever eeehhh-vah!) too big or too small. Every share and every love offering goes directly towards helping us help raise awareness, inspire others and build a larger, stronger, wiser, more connected community of beings all around the world. Thank you! ♥ -PRS
CT WROTE: Pheonyx I have some questions that really needs answering: Why must you be still and silent to be in tune with yourself? What if moving is what you love doing and staying still is literally torture for you? I need another break from reality… I wanna go to where happiness is…
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PHEONYX FEEDBACK: What we most resist is what has the power the teach us the most, CT. All life is also about finding the perfect balance for what it is we have come here to do. Some have come to fly. Others have come to learn what it means to be on the ground. Some walk. Some crawl. All life is letting go so that within the non-resistance may be revealed the most divine flow. Keep breathing. Just because one is still does not mean one is not moving, no more than the truth that not all who wander are lost.
As to happiness, it is not a place outside of you, but something very inherently within. People and places outside of you only have the ability to reflect such states of being. There are plenty of people out there in the world who are so miserable that even people and places which hold great joy for others may make them feel even more miserable because they are so focused on what they don’t have versus what they do.
“But look at my life! It sucks!” says the one who has the privilege of a warm bed, a roof over his/her head, food to eat and a family who loves them. “But how can I be happy when THAT person over there has what I want most?” says another so determined in their ego to create a life of unbalance between the concept of “have” and “have not” instead of finding appreciation for that which is and the opportunity to put forth one’s will into place by creating even illusionary somethingness out of virtual thin air.
The Art of Alchemy is the creating something out of nothing with the same simple elements that exist for all sentient beings on this planet. The simple realization and appreciative understanding that thoughts not only create things, they ARE very much things in and of themselves. They carry weight, power and affect one’s direction. And what you don’t physically create but simply attract into your experience for the higher purpose of learning has the opportunity to teach you the balance within the Life between that which you can control and that outside of you which you can not. And too, realizing that all things that are meant to be shall be, should your own will and purpose for destiny be in alignment with it. This is the path towards ultimate surrender to the flow of Life.
The irony? By surrendering to what IS, one creates more space for that which God/Source/The Universe desires to reveal to you for a more fulfilling life filled with a deeper more unconditional love and even greater joy. LOL… funny isn’t it? But you won’t know it until you know, and the only way to truly know is to let go, trust the process and come into appreciation of each and every difficult as well as not-so-difficult step along the way.
Life can be very complex or very simple. All that is to say, choose happiness for where you are. “But HOW do I simply CHOOSE to BE happy given all the suffering I have and/or see in the world??” says many a student of this very clear teaching. Through GRATITUDE. Let that be your door to shifting the course of your life, and thus the course of your source for happiness within it.
Three easy ways YOU can support the Project today: (1) Click the LIKE button below. (2) SHARE this page with others. (3) DONATE today! → Yes, why not now? Absolutely, we totally agree… there’s no better time than the present! ♥ AND just so you know… NO gift is ever (never ever ever eeehhh-vah!) too big or too small. Every share and every love offering goes directly towards helping us help raise awareness, inspire others and build a larger, stronger, wiser, more connected community of beings all around the world. Thank you! ♥ -PRS
NF WROTE: In our last coaching session, something you said in the beginning stuck with me. Basically, that some people may not “get it” and will have a life of suffering – that it’s just what they are meant to do this time. I feel a slight sense of sadness in that regard, and find myself periodically wondering about the best space in which to hold these individuals. Can you give me a little more on this?
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PHEONYX’S FEEDBACK: Greetings, Dear One. Aho, that one usually gets people stuck. As the Universe would have it in its right and perfect way, no sooner did I receive your inquiry did I receive the following information which I believe will shine some additional light on the issue…
Of course, the rabbit hole can go deeper, but on the surface, it is very simple… we are all here to do exactly what it is we are here to do. Suffering is simply a teacher for life lessons on a soul level. We can only truly know what OUR karma (life lessons) are at any given time. also, new karma (opportunities for growth and/or reward) is generated constantly as long as we are in the life. The moment we let go of suffering however, that is the point where the true lesson is learned… the basic goals for highest growth on a soul level. A greater sense of love, compassion and appreciation. That is what I mean when I say “It’s simple, but it’s not easy.”
In the end though, it is all a matter of choice. Some choices are conscious, even on an egoic level; but some choices are not. At least not until it is deemed necessary and important enough for us to know from a higher soul’s viewpoint. It’s the premis for the first chapter, “Chapter One: In the Beginning… Again”, available for reading here at http://theocgproject.com/book-one if you haven’t had a chance already.
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“When you go into the dark and this becomes total, the darkness soon turns into light” -The Tao Te Ching
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In addition, choosing to feel sad for someone is based still upon a judgment. “Oh, I wish it were another way,” we often say or think to ourselves. “Oh, I’m so sorry…”, etc, etc,
Why are we sorry, if the direct pain and suffering of another is not directly caused by us? We “feel sorry” because someone’s else’s suffering brings upon a sense of empathy for us. Why? Because we know suffering. We know how much pain suffering can create, and in order to connect (aka sympathize), we often go to that place of pain with someone and say “I’m sorry for your pain and suffering”.
However, the true place of suffering is not in the pain. The pain is the pin-point that begets all suffering… OR not. Of course, the loss of a friend, a family member, a beloved pet or any loved-one is painful. Yet, we know that all life is temporary, so why are we so sad or surprised when someone dies? Even when we KNOW that someone is dying? Simple, the ego attaches. The ego doesn’t want to let go. And this is how all pain has the potential to become suffering. When the physicalness of a person is gone, it creates something to hold onto… the pain which then becomes the suffering.
The solution? Gratitude… Love… Compassion. We know these things in concept, but many are still very much learning how to integrate them more fully into presence, into their higher state of being, Truth… it takes a great amount of practice AND letting go of judgment. Even the judgment of sadness, because sadness is based upon the story of “wishing it were another way”, or as most people often refer to it as “the sad, terrible, and/or tragic” event; and in truth, it may very well be… in the moment. A child dying of cancer is sad. A person ridden with illness is sad. A being who is so emotionally riddled that they walk around all their lives hating everything, is sad.
BUT these things are also what IS. The deeper underlying story as to WHY something is (or isn’t) lies on a soul level, and that truth can only truly be known by the individual soul. However, EVERY THING on some level IS connected. So, if it were my child who died at a young age to cancer or some horrific accident, what is it that I AM here to learn through that rather painful, heart-rendering experience? Would I have actually lost anything? Is that soul truly ever gone?
Time IS malleable, movable and completely illusionary which in and of itself makes time temporary. Nothing in life is permanent nor guaranteed. How have I come to learn to appreciate it more fully? What gifts did I find by coming into contact with that young life even if for a short amount of time? These are the questions a soul garnering it greatest growth would be called to ask of one’s self.
Do you see what I’m saying? The same set of questions is applicable to every situation… the despondent parent… the sick friend… the angry neighbor. Just about every one of us can sympathize with these types of beings because we have been one or all of them at some point in time of our lives.
We are not immune to being human, mind you, but how do we move from pure sympathetic/empathetic response and be drawn down into their story and to a place of pure, loving compassionate response which places no judgement on what IS but still has the ability to love and give nurture to such beings and holds them the highest light? We choose. Simple as that. Choosing compassion and choosing NOT to judge that which we do not know or understand, these are the pillars and posts that move us to higher truths and our highest state of being.
And, of course, keep breathing. I love you. ♥, Pheonyx
P.S. One last piece I can recommend is to read or audiobook Caroline Myss’s “Sacred Contracts” (http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Contracts-Awakening-Divine-Potential/dp/0609810111). This book literally opened my eyes to understanding my relationships in general but also very specifically with those who would prove to be my greatest teachers in this lifetime… those who suffer… so that I myself may learn true compassion. I hope that helps. Let me know if you still need more direction for clarity on it.
Three easy ways YOU can support the Project today: (1) Click the LIKE button below. (2) SHARE this page with others. (3) DONATE today! → Yes, why not now? Absolutely, we totally agree… there’s no better time than the present! ♥ AND just so you know… NO gift is ever (never ever ever eeehhh-vah!) too big or too small. Every share and every love offering goes directly towards helping us help raise awareness, inspire others and build a larger, stronger, wiser, more connected community of beings all around the world. Thank you! ♥ -PRS
So, are you okay? With being strong that is? Because it’s okay. You don’t have to “be strong” all the time. Yet, here’s the deal… surrendering does not mean that you are weak. And in truth, it often takes more courage to surrender to what is than it is to keep fighting that egoic struggle against it. And to be vulnerable requires more strength than all that energy you expend holding back those illusions which you fear the most. So, the question is, are you okay? With being strong that is? ♥, Pheonyx
Three easy ways YOU can support the Project today: (1) Click the LIKE button below. (2) SHARE this page with others. (3) DONATE today! → Yes, why not now? Absolutely, we totally agree… there’s no better time than the present! ♥ AND just so you know… NO gift is ever (never ever ever eeehhh-vah!) too big or too small. Every share and every love offering goes directly towards helping us help raise awareness, inspire others and build a larger, stronger, wiser, more connected community of beings all around the world. Thank you! ♥ -PRS
TJ WROTE: Thank you for your post, it really felt like a synchronicity, something I needed to see. I’ve been crying all day and past emotions/memories are coming to the surface for me, all I have done is cry and I just want to be loved and accepted. In your experience has it usually been healing to cry and feel these bad happenings and let them out? Maybe forgiveness would help, I have a lot of anger at the situation and ppl. So, it’s hard. Any suggestions or things that cross your mind, I’m open to hear them. Thank you very much!
PHEONYX’S FEEDBACK: My honor, TJ. Yes, there is much releasing taking the place upon the planet as we speak. Let go of resistance to it and fall into the flow where how others have hurt you holds no more “story” no more “power” creating conflicts between your heart and mind. If your heart calls you to forgive, then forgiveness is the medicine which your soul seeks to move to the next level.
Yes, “crying it out” is truly that. But allow the higher vibrational energy of Light (aka Universal Love) to fill in those empty places once the crying is done. These wells of emotions run deep for many people. It may take a few tear-filled, heart-wrenching sessions to release the old debt/karma we have accumulated in this and perhaps many other lifetimes. In truth, we are working on several layers all as once right now, and the layers of our karmic selves run very, very deep. But eventually you CAN reach the core of your Being… to the place where the light of pure Source resides.
Continue to let go of any and all obstacles that currently keep you from getting to that. You know what those obstacles are. TRUST your Self. You know what those lessons are. BELIEVE in your Self. You know what potentially lies beyond the illusions and focusing on the past pains to create present suffering. KNOW that you are capable of pushing through the barriers and peeling back the layers that will eventually reveal your Self to You.
You are loved. You can do it. We all have the potential. Blessings, Pheonyx
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“Tears are nature’s way of dissolving the old, calcified residue of painful belief patterns carried in the body, often since childhood. Allow these painful feelings, but do question their origin – for they are often built upon fear-based lies, that, once made conscious, can heal the wounded psyche and free up mind space for peace.” -Lynne Forest
Three easy ways YOU can support the Project today: (1) Click the LIKE button below. (2) SHARE this page with others. (3) DONATE today! → Yes, why not now? Absolutely, we totally agree… there’s no better time than the present! ♥ AND just so you know… NO gift is ever (never ever ever eeehhh-vah!) too big or too small. Every share and every love offering goes directly towards helping us help raise awareness, inspire others and build a larger, stronger, wiser, more connected community of beings all around the world. Thank you! ♥ -PRS
“Peace, Power and Persuasion: The Art of People Being People” by Pheonyx Roldan Smith
The realm of expectations is a pretty tenuous one. I’ve written about it almost ad nauseum. I’ve spoken about it with friends and clients to the point that I myself have come blue in the face. It’s a 101 level sort of thing to understand really, but somehow most people, no matter how long they’ve been working at it, still have a difficult time letting them go. The concept is simple enough… do not expect anyone to be anything more than they are.
Look, people are people; and being people means that they’re going to be human. That’s a given. Of course, we live in a day and age where achieving the highest level of human understanding is at its greatest potential. However, it is also one of the most challenging things to achieve because there are so many different levels of understanding and self-awareness being applied on the planet at this time. In fact, we now have the largest number of people inhabiting this big blue ball called Earth at a single time than has ever been experienced, I dare say… EVER!
And so what does that mean for me and you? Well, it means that we have to be even more aware of not only where we happen to be along that learning curve of self-awareness and true understanding than, I dare say… ever. Do not assume that someone is where you hope or want them to be. Do not pretend to think that people will not surprise you. And that’s not to say that they will always disappoint you. Indeed they might, no matter how conscious you believe or even hope someone to be. And that’s not to say that they can’t often surprise you. Certainly, it has occurred, and most often from your least likely of sources. However, again I say… people are people. There’s no getting around it.
Look, I’m not going to pretend that I know it all. That would be my first mistake. However, I know enough to know people. It’s my job. It’s what I do. I’ve walked a long hard road to try to understand them… us… me… all of it… more and more. In truth, it’s what I’ve been called to do; otherwise (and trust me on this), I would not be doing it. Yet, the I have found that often times the more one seems to understand, the more confusing people become. I’m beginning to think that it might be part of the Universe’s cosmic joke… creating humans and then giving us our own free wills and minds to muck things up. Why? So that we can learn. Learn what? To learn what it means to be human. (LOL: Laughing Out Loud) There’s the punchline! Do you get it??
Look, I’m not trying to be cynical here. You guys know me. Well, some of you guys anyway. Some of you know me very well. Biblically even. Some of you know me through these writings and videos and audio stuff and workshops and yada-yada-yada. However, what you don’t know, which I ‘m about to tell you, is that despite the fact that I frickin’ love people, all of them… big, small, old, young, rich, poor, gay, straight… again yada-yada-yada… there are days that I am driven absolutely bat-shit crazy by them! LOL… okay, there. I’ve said it. It’s true.
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“M’Lynn, I don’t know what it is you see in Drum Eatenton. I used to think you were crazy. But now I know… you must be on a mission from God!” –‘Oiser Beaudreaux, Steel Magnolias
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I think perhaps I must be addicted to people. I love meeting them. I love learning and appreciating what makes them click. I love helping them figure out what’s going on in their heads and how to drop that and truly understand how it works in their hearts. I love watching them learn and grow and how many of them go on to teach others. Shit, I just love watching them. Airports are one of my favorite places to be because it’s such great people watching. I love listening to them (okay, well sometimes). I love taking their photos. I love holding their hands while they cry, and laughing with them at a funny joke.
But what do I not love? When they come right out of left field and confuse and disappoint you. It’s true. It happens. I accept that. You always hope that it doesn’t happen to you. You always pray that the ones you are really close too won’t do something to hurt you, but again… people are people, and I think it’s just a part of the process.
And so, what’s the solution? Don’t talk to people? Don’t interact and get to know people? Crawl up in a hole or some cave somewhere and forget about people?! Surely, there have been some of those who have done so. There have even been stories written about them; whole annuls for the world to know about some dude (or lady) running off to spend half a lifetime in some forest or desert or cave to find enlightenment (and a little peace and quiet from people, no doubt). There is much to learn in a cave. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer quiet caves in the world today with nearly seven billion people walking/crawling/running around.
So, what’s the next best option? Well, to be with people then I suppose. All of them. Each and every one in each and every unique and varied way. To LOVE them for all that they do, even the ones who may have hurt, disappointed, surprised or even shocked you. But the WAY to be with people in that way is to let go of every expectation that you could possibly have about… yup, you got it… people. That’s right. I’m saying it. So, much so that I’m going to say so again… LET GO OF EVERY EXPECTATION THAT YOU HAVE ABOUT PEOPLE. Yep, there’s the other punchline: People ARE people and they will surprise you every time.
Hey, you’re people too! So the same rule applies to your self… LET GO OF EVERY EXPECTATION THAT YOU HAVE ABOUT YOUR SELF!
Whoa now, Pheonyx! What are you saying?! Look I’m not saying to give up hope. I’m not saying to give up your dreams. You know me. I propose just the opposite of all that. Flourish your hopes! Pamper your dreams! But don’t EXPECT anyone OUTSIDE of you to do anything more than they are capable of doing. Live YOUR dreams but don’t expect others to want to live the exact same one with you. Don’t expect someone to be more than they are. Don’t expect anyone to say, do or be anything more than who they are meant to be; any more than they CAN and/or CHOOSE to be!
But how can you know what people are meant to be? By letting them be. Simple as that… letting them be. Let go of the need to hold onto ANY idea of ANY thing or ANY one to be ANY more than they are. Sure, if they choose to grow then support that growth. Love them. Support them in ways that you yourself are capable, but know your limits, or as I prefer to say, know your boundaries.
How can you know your boundaries? Know fully who you are. Know too that you can not create the experience for another being. You can not dream or even fantasize it into reality no matter how hard you try; no matter how much yoga and meditation you do; or how much you pray, pray and pray for it to be so. People are people. They are going to be exactly as they are. As they are meant to be. Your wishing and wanting it so does not make it so. Again… you can hope, but remember there is a fine line between hope and hell-water. You figure it out.
Some of us are living in fantasyland. Hey, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. Law of Attraction and all that good stuff aside, if you want to live in fantasyland, then live in it. Live in it with gusto even! If it makes you happy and does harm to none, go forth and prosper. But don’t expect for someone else to live in that fantasyland with you. Someone else may support your dreams, but that may not necessarily mean that it’s the same one that they’re holding onto, and your fantasylands may have to simply share mutual borders but not coincide. Why? Because people are people and as varied and unique and somewhat quixotic as they are, so will be their dreams.
Here’s a very important rule to remember when you are creating your vision, your dreams, about the life you most desire to live…
DO NOT PLACE YOUR DREAMS ON THE BACK OF SOMEONE ELSE. IT’S NOT THEIR’S. IT’S YOURS. KEEP IT ABOUT YOU. DO NOT BUILD YOUR VISION ON WHAT YOU WANT/NEED/DESIRE/HOPE FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IN ORDER TO MAKE YOUR DREAM A REALITY. NO MATTER HOW SMALL OR UNATTACHED TO THE OUTCOME YOU THINK YOU ARE, DO NOT CREATE SPECIFIC ROLES FOR OTHER PEOPLE TO FULFILL IN ORDER FOR YOUR DREAM TO COME TRUE. DOING SO CAN BE THE ULTIMATE DREAM-KILLER.
Okay, that’s a big one which is why I’m leaving it all in caps. You see, in the world of make-believe, which is what this entire world is by the way… we’re all just making it up as we go along… and in the world of make-believe the most basic and yet most greatly misunderstood and misapplied rule is the one above.
Remember, people are people. And people means ego. Ahhhhhh there it is! There, I said it. The “E” word… Eeeeeeeeego! ‘Er go the ego. I see it all the time. I see it in people walking around asleep not even knowing they are dreaming, and I see it in people who have done more work than Moses on the mountain, and still the ego manages to project itself into the process. It’s an insidious process if you’re not paying close attention (which apparently keeps folks like me busy and employed I suppose); and if I were a judging man, I would say it’s a very sad thing to see indeed. But I’m not a judging man, so I say to you that it is what it is. But when it hits close to home, it still hurts.
Why does it hurt? Well, because when it occurs (which fortunately for myself is less and less often these days) we realize that in that moment of revelation, in that moment of self (and other) realization, that even our own ego got involved… the thinking/rational/logical part of our self held a certain level of expectation. It had hoped for something more, but was faced with the truth that it was nothing more than it was. However, the projection of the other upon the understanding of the personal self is no less troubling to one’s spirit when it occurs.
So, what’s the point? Simply that if you are going to walk this path; if you are going to seek the way of total surrender to living the ultimate dream of clear conscience, greater consciousness, clean karma and gentle compassion, you have GOT to let go of any and all expectations you have about people. Point blank, people are people. And people are you.
It is what it is. So either love it and deal with it, or the other choice? To love it and let it go. It really is that simple. Hey, I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m just saying it’s simple. It will probably be the hardest thing that you will ever do. I don’t envy you. I don’t envy me. LOL… but I still love you. Why? Because I AM in complete and in total love with me. That’s not a bad thing. If more people totally loved themselves I think we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. But we are, and so it is. So, there it is. I’m letting it all go now. What you do with it your self? Well, that’s your truth… your reality… and/or your fantasy. Whatever it is, simply be sure to live it knowingly, and live it well.
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“Mirrors and Medicine: Taking the Steps for Healing Heart, Mind, Body and Soul” by Pheonyx Roldan Smith (originally composed in Bali, Indonesia on September 08, 2012)
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“The pain body is the emotional aspect of egoic consciousness. When the ego is amplified by the emotion of the pain body, the ego has enormous strength – particularly at those times. It requires very great presence so that you can be there [in] the space also for your pain body, when it arises. That is everybody’s job here – to be there, to recognize the pain body when it shifts from dormant to active, when something triggers a very strong emotional reaction. At that moment, when it does take over your mind, the internal dialogue, which is dysfunctional at the best of times, now becomes the voice of the pain body talking to you internally. Everything it says is deeply colored by the old, painful emotion of the pain body. Every interpretation, everything it says, every judgment about your life, about other people, about a situation you are in – will be totally distorted by the old emotional pain.” -Eckhart Tolle
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THE OPPORTUNITY…
I received G’s email back in July of 2012 in response to a simple inquiry to his well being. I was aware that he had recently returned to Asheville after a stint of working and self-exploration overseas in Europe. I really just wanted to say hello and let him know that I was thinking of him and wishing him well as he moved onto the next phase of his journey. I was under the belief/impression that the journey between us was karmic water under the bridge, and despite some deep pains, much healing had taken place.
I think it’s part of my Aquarian nature… if I can, I want to keep the windows and doors of communication open with my exes. I know… I know… I can hear some of you thinking now, “Well, you MUST be crazy.” LOL… but seriously, I don’t want hard feelings, bad blood, and old shredded karmic threads left between me and my “long-lost” lovers. No matter what, so it seems. I’ve always been that way. I truly believe that in due and proper time, AND if weallow them too, AND we do the work that we need to do, that eventually all things do heal. You may not love what happened let alone have come to like it. But if you get it, you’ve learned from it, and as an awakened/ing being, that’s the part of the process you truly come to appreciate. If not, well then, carry on. I believe that with enough practice and surrendering the simple truth of what is, you will.
Nothing is ever as bad to hate someone forever. There are beings who have walked this planet who have suffered some of the most unimaginable torchers and atrocities and have still been able to find forgiveness and compassion. You see, everything is here to teach us as much about ourselves as it is through our relationship with others that we learn the most. As well, forgiving does not necessarily mean forgetting. It’s part of the healing process for me… forgiveness. Communication is an important piece for me. However, communication is a two-way street and this most recent ex in question had been running one way in the opposite direction for a while.
It had been two years since our paths passionately crossed, quickly came together, blazed through for approximately three months, and forked off again onto distant trails in the world. Yet, that gnawing (and sometimes annoying) still small voice within me kept pressing. Come one. It’s been almost two years already. Just reach out and say hello. the voice persisted. I knew if I sent an email this time, I also sought a response. Previous hello’s in the prevailing year had gone unanswered. I didn’t expect any those previous times. I knew G’s soul. I knew/know it was going to take him a while to learn how to heal from it. I get that he has big work to do here on the planet. One of my other big practices on this planet is patience. I get that I get A LOT of opportunities to learn that one as well. I’m still practicing. However, this time I desired a kind a hello, a decent thank you… any response really. Just something. In truth, the silence was bugging me.
Another thing I constantly remind others… watch out what you wish for, you just might get it. This I know… the Universe always says “yes”. Maybe not how, but always yes.
The response that finally arrived from G with a finger pointing directly at me. The judgment (aka the accusation), nothing less frightening and horrid to my being than being accused of rape. In fact, that’s indeed what I was accused of… “spiritual rape”. More metaphysical mind you, not the physical kind. The alleged victim, my formerly aloof ex-lover, now stood also as judge and jury, which immediately sent me into my own sense of despair and victimhood.
How could this be?! How could he accuse me of such a thing?? Me, of all people?! Have I not suffered enough by the hands of this beautiful but tragically hardened being?! My heart ached. My mind stiffened in shock. Even my body became tender and sore at the thought that somehow I had failed to love unconditionally the one person whom I was attempting to love the most… unconditionally.
I needed some additional outer guidance, so I pulled my Angels of Atlantis cards. I know… I know… how “new-agey”. Don’t judge… I’ve got enough of that going on. Besides, I needed to see what the cards had to say in association with my own inner thoughts and emotions. I love these cards because they’re simple, straight-forward and easy to read. The deck is based on the archetypes of the archangels. Yes, the same ones from the Hebrew and Christian Bibles as well as other ancient texts. The cards themselves are by no way religious or associated with any belief system beyond the belief that the energies of a league of what many refer to as Guardian Angels do in fact exist. But more importantly, there is a word, a thought, an idea, a concept of being that coincides with each card, which in turn coincides with a message for the one receiving the reading.
I pull cards from time to time. Sometimes for fun. Sometimes for ice-breakers at the beginning of classes and workshops. Sometimes for a very specific purpose for clarity, understanding or to help shed light on a path towards clear healing; such as it was this time. Sometimes I pull just one card. Other times more than one; usually three, five or seven. On this day, a day that I had a few things to say to G, I felt called to pull five. Here are the cards I pulled (hover your mouse over each for further descriptions). They appeared to me exactly in this order. Upon receiving them, I knew exactly what I had to do. I knew I was already doing it. Now, I just needed to complete the process.
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“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” -The Buddha
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THE LESSON…
Upon receiving G’s email, like most people accused of something they know they did not do, my first reaction was shock. Then my pain body began to wake up. The next level was a deep sadness to the fact that I clearly felt I was not being seen for the true nature of my being. Not then, and apparently not even now, two years later.
As I worked through these levels of self-awareness and attempts to understand (and there was a lot of long, slow, intentional breathing going on, by the way), along came that dear old friend, Fear; who just happened to bring along his dear old friend, Anger. In truth, that was a bit of a surprise to me at first. Together, Fear, Anger and I did the dance of a hundred dances… spinning and turning within the mind around the series of events which have played out between me and this ancient soul whom I’ve known for so long in the greater scheme of infinite time and space, but only for a moment’s glance in terms of Earthly time in that summer of 2010.
The period of physical romance between us lasted less than three months. It was beautiful, highly volatile and tenuous. Big things can arrive in small packages of time as well. However, the karmic lessons and transformative healing opportunities have gone ocean deep and mountain high on a soul level. The first six months of healing after our separation were the most intense I’ve ever experienced, even for a seasoned veteran of relationship-reeling such as myself. During pretty much all of 2011, I worked hard to let go of every old pattern around attachments and “needs” that I ever had around relationships. It was a year of deep and profound progress and huge growth opportunities in trusting the Universe in its knowing. I was able to process a great deal during that summer and fall while volunteering at The Omega Institute for five months. What I got out of that experience has forever changed my life as well.
The following year presented an increased capacity of flow towards healing. Again, eventually in time all wounds eventually heal. No doubt, 2012 was a banner year for me in terms of life-altering, full-on growth experiences along with turning 40. I’m a day-before-Valentine’s baby. See, it’s all about relationships. I also launched a two-to-three-year long journey to travel and teach around the world. I was determined to not carry the energy of the old into this new work/play/world of mine. Over the course of the most recent two years, I had achieved a much greater sense of my Self and clearer understanding of my old karmic life patterns. I was good. Life was good. l felt good about where I was and what I had learned about myself and was able to let go which is why I felt strong and courageous enough to reach out and say hello to G and ask for the sake of simply reaching out in hopes that after two years he too was at a similar place.
However, looking back I now realize that deep down, somewhere in that yet to be understood place, I knew that there just might be one or two lingering bits and pieces left to deal with. And thus, my soul body (aka, higher self) cried out for final clearing. Apparently Ya’ think?? So, I sent an email to G also asking for some acknowledgment of some other messages I sent previously in the year. The response I got back was the subject of what I outlined above… the spiritual rape. On one level, I could hardly believe the response. But on another level, I looked at the calendar. It was annual anniversary time of July, August and September. Yup, perfect cosmic re-cycling time. And so it was confirmed… on a soul level I knew I had some last bit and final work to do with one of my closest soul mates, most stubborn adversaries and greatest teachers.
However, the message from G arrived while I was still in the Philippines and up to my neck in teaching and healing work with others. I had to table it. I was in the middle of teaching a ton of workshops, running life coaching appointments and helping plan the two-day OHM Talks 2012 summit in Manila. There was just too much going on with me there to allow for proper reflection and response. I pushed it to one of the back burners of my mind. I needed time. More importantly, I needed space. Space I knew I would have once I arrived in Bali.
My first week in Bali was set aside for some fun exploration time with a new friend and fellow traveler. Chip and I were introduced through a mutual friend and after a few long-distant skype conversations, we decided to meet up in Bali. He happen to be doing a speaking tour in Singapore and considers Bali a bit of a second home to his busy life in San Francisco. It was obvious that there were some things for Chip and I to explore on a personal level in terms of friendship and chemistry. Again, the Universe works in perfect and mysterious ways. So, I said yes to the offer to hang out. Upon arrival though, I felt I needed to share with Chip bits and pieces of my story with G, and that I needed time and space to work on coming to completion with that. He was immensely supportive and understanding. No pressure. No expectations. We allowed ourselves to live and enjoy ourselves in the Now.
After 10 days of sharing space, getting to know one another and exploring some of the local sights and sacred sounds of Bali, Chip flew back to the states to continue both his work and his own journey of exploration of old and new ideas for discovery. I moved into “The Hermitage”, the name I gave a little writing cottage set up on the edge of one of the many rice fields which I rented for the remaining five weeks just outside Ubud ( which is Balinese for “medicine”) near the tiny village of Batuyung (not sure what that word means; probably “take your…” LOL); and soon it was time to go inward. It was time to deal with that which was stirring underneath. That which needed to be addressed so that I could move to the next level of clearing.
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THE LETTER…
I actually began writing the letter to G just a few days after Chip arrived, on August 9th, another auspicious date on the calendar for me for the past three or four years. However, somewhere in the early morning of August 12th I awoke from a deep sleep and some active dreaming around 5am and felt pressed to write some things down. The moon in Aries was on the move again. I could definitely feel it.
In the pre-dawn hours, as I sat on the porch amidst the Balinese bamboo and banyan trees, I felt a door or a window to my soul opening. I looked out beyond the threshold of it into some strange new world. A bird on a branch. A flower in a pot. I saw these things sitting all around me, asking for permission to be seen, like something deep down in me that wanted to be recognized. And so I did. I wrote and released what came through. Some of the sadness wanted to be expressed; and so I expressed it. Some of the anger (actually, all of it) wanted to be expressed; and so I expressed it. The confusion, I let it go. The self-judgment, I released all that could be acknowledged. Apology. No, not yet. I wasn’t quite ready to play the victim. Or rather, I was not willing to play the victim anymore! was the thought that occurred to me. I’m done with that. I’m done with being accused of something I know in my heart of hearts I did not do… to be seen or remembered for someone for who I am not.
However, I have come to realize the nature of human beings, especially when their own pain bodies have themselves been engaged in conversation. I knew I could not deny the truth of G’s own experience any more than I could deny the sun to shine, or the Earth to spin upon its own axis. I could only share what was true for me in that specific moment which he referred to which took place nearly two years ago.
I had to let go of the question of why he waited so long to even bring it up to my attention. Perhaps he didn’t know. Perhaps it was a new revelation for him only recently realized (although I doubted it). Perhaps someone else guided him to such a conclusion. I didn’t know and may never, but what I did know was that which was true for me in the situation was the complete opposite side of the coin of his experience from intention, to facilitation to completion… or what I thought was completion. As much as the ego of my pain body wanted to let loose the hounds of vindication and to defend its sense of honor as a perceived loving and sentient being, I also had to remind my self that the Truth need not be defended, but merely shined a light upon for others to decide for themselves whether or not they are able and/or willing to see.
So, I commenced with the long and arduous process of shedding some personal light upon the other side of the situation. That side of the coin which was my own experience and ultimate Truth for me. The process looked something like this… Meditate. Release. Write… Meditate. Release. Write.,, Meditate. QiGong. Yoga. Release. Write. (LOL…. you get my drift.) This process had not taken up all of my time, but a great majority of it during those first couple of weeks in the Hermitage. And interestingly, other writings, fueled by this process of connecting with the essence and strength of my own Higher Self in a new and powerful way, began to flow through me. It all poured out… channeled messages from my spirit guides, old poem revisions, new poems, a few new dream journal entries, and deep and very clear reflections about life and the many relationships we tend to bear in the process.
But each day, when it was time to write, I would come back to the letter to G to review what I had written in previous days before. Is that true? I would ask myself when something of questionable authority would arise into my awareness. Am I really saying that because it’s true or because I want to be right? I wanted to be sure. I had to speak beyond any shadow of a doubt.
It you’ve ever asked yourself that question when it pertains to an internal conflict of story, you know how difficult the process of discernment can be. The battle between ego and soul is a complex and difficult one… until it’s not. But the Truth is really simply, when you learn how to listen. I listened deeply and with full intention to fully express it.
Let me tell you… I have assigned this exercise to many a client in the past. It has many names… the “I Love You Letter”… the “Thank You Letter”… the “Forgiveness Letter”… and it is no easy task, mind you. The concept is simple enough… write what is truly on your heart and mind. Tell that person to whom you are writing whether it be a parent, a loved one, a spouse, a former partner, whomever; tell them EVERY THING that you’ve EVER WANTED to say but for whatever reason (usually for fear or shame) you never have. No holds barred. The anger, the sadness, the frustration, the confusion, the hurt… write down ALL of it.
You must, however, write from the place of how YOU feel about those moments in the NOW. It’s not about blaming or pointing fingers. It’s not about hashing out and slicing further open old emotional wounds. It’s not about how that other person MADE you feel. It is true, in fact, that no one can “make” you feel anything. However, they can trigger emotions within us that REFLECTS something we are already feeling deep down inside. The letter IS about you personally owning your feelings around it all in current right now; and if it’s a negative emotion, trust me, it probably goes wayyyyyy back; but the trick is to find the point of origin and work on shifting everything from there while working from a current space of self-awareness, personal compassion and intent for healing and perfect understanding. If you aren’t willing to see that, you won’t. Yet another Universal Law… one can not see what one is not willing or capable of seeing.
So, the question is, are you willing? And if you are willing, will you be brave and honest enough to allow yourself to see what most desires to be shown? Only you can decide.
If you decide to try this exercise (and I do hope you do), I encourage you to write as if it was the last letter you were ever going to write to that person; as if you had one final chance to say to them what you want them to know… the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. The most important part is to be completely open and honest with yourself throughout the process. One other bit of advice… write also as if you might never give the person your letter. Strange logic, right? Welcome to working with the subtleties of the egoic mind.
That tiny little clause gives your ego a little bit (just a little, not too much) of wiggle room to feel comfortable enough to let it all hang out in the letter. It allows a bit more room for full “freedom of expression” once the egoic mind knows (or believes) that what you think and feel about this person may never actually be SEEN by the one you are writing to. Then, I say, after the letter is complete, and once you have said all that you have needed to say, you can decide in the end what you really want to do with it.
Look, the writing of the letter is the exercise that holds the most power AND the most magic. The steps taken through the process of writing allows you to achieve steps towards personal freedom from the pent-up anger, pain and frustration of never saying what you for so long have been avoiding to say… even if it is only for yourself. Whether the “recipient” of the letter actually ever gets to know what you have laid out there is in the end irrelevant. The act of forgiveness is more for the forgiver than the forgiven. BUT if in the end, you realize that the ultimate karmic step can be achieved by letting the receiver know ALL of it, then it can become one of the most singularly powerful gifts you can choose to bestow… to you both.
“To heal” means to bring two things that are separate back together. To become whole, no longer separate, once again. This is as true for external healing as it is for what’s been injured and/or separated within. I’m not talking about mending any other relationship right now other than the one you have with yourself. The process of releasing angers, worries, fears, doubts, confusions and whatever else lies around the circumference of a fractured relationship is something that allows us to meet our Self in the middle and to heal what needs to be healed. It’s not so much about healing the fractured relationship outside of us, which is clearly only a mirror for the fracture that lies within us, the one that requires the most healing.
Although, avoid getting caught up or attached to end results. Just write the darn letter. Let the Universe take care of the details of how the healing will come about. Trust me, It does a pretty good job of taking care of what we most need. Remember, in the end, the Universe always says “Yes”. ”How” and “When”? Well, those are an ultimate matter of trust, but in my own experience, it’s always given in the right and perfect time. Exactly when I’m truly ready for it. However, right now this is about you. I’ve done (am doing) my work, and for now it is complete. Which is why I’m telling you all this. The letter is your doorway back to the place of wholeness, but on a new level, before you became separated from your Self and chose to go on this long journey of remembering.
Okay, now some gentle reminders: One, write it ALL down. Don’t hold back. Be completely honest. Take as long as you need to write it… hours, days, weeks, etc… but be sure you write it all down. You owe it to yourself. For most people the process of writing about angers, frustrations and fears comes easy. Most people are pretty apt at knowing those things right off the top of their hot little heads when the time comes to listing them. Many have a long litany of frustrations that can be copied and pasted throughout the regular rigor-n-role of their daily lives. But the second part of the exercise is often something more daunting, and for some will sometimes stunt the process before it begins…
I ask each client, after writing down all their pains and grievances about the other to then, and only then, record ALL the things which they are THANKFUL for about that very same person who has been the primary cause of their profound pain and frustration. Now THAT’S the kicker! Most people look at me like I just grew a second head. It’s often difficult for most to conceive (at first anyway) how the same person who has been the source of so much fodder for their own suffering and pain could have possibly given them any fruitful gifts deserving of thanks in the end. “What are the valuable lessons you have learned from coming into contact with this being?” I ask. “What is that you NOW know more definitively about your SELF that you could not have known before going through the pains and heartaches you have suffered with and by that being?”
The process takes time. I’m not saying that everyone gets it; especially on the first go-around. Hey, I’ve been doing this type of work for a long time. I even teach it, remember? And it still took me nearly a month to write down all things I had to say. Of course, I knew I would be giving the letter to G, even if it was the last thing I did before either one of us left this mortal plane. The process works. And the pain and anguish of moving through that process helped me strengthen core muscles of personal belief and a garner a greater level of compassion for other beings still in pain, especially those still choosing to play in the egoic game of judge and victim.
And thus, I knew too, the letter was not so much for G. It was for me. He has simply served as a vital and important mirror for me to look at who/what/where I was versus who/what/where I most desire to go/do/be as I continue to move forward. I have stared deep into the reflection of the one within me who once felt abandoned, abused, neglected and in some ways tossed aside and misunderstood. That is not my place any longer. Been there, done that. Ain’t gonna do it no more, as the saying goes. I could not claim as my own truth what G had accused me of. Nor was it about denying the truth. It was about standing within my own and allowing that ultimate truth to be known.
Here’s another make or break tip… you have to choose to let go of the false concept of “right vs. wrong”. Would you rather be healthy or whole, or would you rather be “right”? All judgment, all pain, all sorrow, all anger, all fear, all doubt, is all victimhood… all of it. And what you choose to let in is something much more profound and healing than all of that suffering combined.
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THE GIFT…
The result for me is a pure and complete understanding of my own egoic needs and previous sense of lack I held in my own life, especially around not having a loving, fully connected relationship. I knew it in my heart of hearts. It is that thing I was seeking all along through my interaction with my each and every one of my former partners… complete and unconditional love and acceptance of myself. And it swooped in like a bird on a wing and took seat upon the branches of my inner Soul on the day I completed my final and most complete letter to G on September 08, 2012. Whole, perfect and complete. No attachments. No regrets. Simply Love.
So, what’s done is done. I chose to let go of the reigns of destiny (again) as to what the future may bring to the unfolding of that relationship and any other that my follow. In the end, time also reveals all things to those willing to see, and more importantly, to those who are willing to pay attention to the course of the bigger picture. And although the letter in and of itself is of a private matter, I share the words of the another piece I wrote to him in a reflection a year and a half after our separation. I’ve even left the “to” and “from” blank so you can insert your own and practice with it. I invite you to use it, and hope that it will inspire you to create your own eventually in your healing work with others…
Dear __________, I won’t be afraid to love you with all my heart, because to be afraid is to be in fear, and to be in fear keeps me from fully loving. You taught me that when you left me so that you could go on to learn how to love yourself.
And so I did. And so I also let go. I place my trust that the Universe alone could love me enough to show me how to love myself with my whole heart, too. And just when I thought it was going to break apart once again, perhaps for one final fantastically, seemingly fatal time, it did what you said it would do… it broke wide open and the love of the Universe flowed right through it into everything I touched with it. It was and has been amazing and I have you to thank for that. And I learned to let go of fear because there was nothing there left to hold onto. It served me well so that I could navigate the many rivers of life into this amazing vast ocean of Unconditional Love and Trust.
Thank you for giving me the final push that I needed to launch into it. So, since I do not fear, all that I can do now is love you fully… without fear… no matter what… with all of my heart… wherever and whomever you are now; wherever you shall go; and into whomever you shall ultimately and beautifully become.
love always, the I AM of Me, __________________
Here’s the deal, loved ones. The choice is yours. You can choose to be the victim of your circumstances OR overcome them. Not everyone’s perceptions of the truth of you are necessarily True. That’s not to say it’s not true for them. May very well be so. But now is the time that you have to begin to own your own Truth.
The great master-teacher of self love and compassion, the Buddha, states, “Pain is necessary, but suffering is optional.” If you choose not to suffer the pains of others, then you begin to step through a doorway of new and amazing self-discovery. It will take courage. What you thought you knew will most likely have to be forgotten, or at the least will need to be set aside for some time. What you know within the heart of hearts of you will be tested. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. But they don’t, and that’s okay too. Let go of all judgment around how you THINK the process is SUPPOSED to work for OTHERS. As the master-teacher of love and compassion for others, Mother Teresa (whose teacher was the master-teacher Jesus), taught us, “Love them anyway.” Let them go if you have too. Let them do their own soul work. It’s up to each one of us to do the work that we are here to do for the purpose of more fully supporting one another.
“The journey of thousand miles begins with a single step”… by step… by step… by step. But there are as infinite many paths up the mountain as there are conscious beings on this planet. Honor them. Each and every one. Find your own, and follow through. And as the master-teacher song-writers of love, the ’80′s band Journey said, “Don’t stop believin’!”
Anything is possible. Don’t stop loving those who are unable and may even refuse to love you back. And most of all… don’t stop breathing. It’s a life saver.
Remember… love enlights. Much more to come. I love you all.
Three easy ways YOU can support the Project today: (1) Click the LIKE button below. (2) SHARE this page with others. (3) DONATE today! → Yes, why not now? Absolutely, we totally agree… there’s no better time than the present! ♥ AND just so you know… NO gift is ever (never ever ever eeehhh-vah!) too big or too small. Every share and every love offering goes directly towards helping us help raise awareness, inspire others and build a larger, stronger, wiser, more connected community of beings all around the world. Thank you! ♥ -PRS
STEP 1: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW UPON ENGAGING THE LIGHTBODY…
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STEP 2: VERY IMPORTANT FYI’S: PLEASE READ AND LISTEN CAREFULLY AND AS OFTEN AS NECESSARY…
YOUR LIGHTBODY IS ALIVE. Realize that your LightBody is alive. It is conscious and aware of everything that is going on in the entire universe including other dimensions.
LOVE IS THE KEY TO HIGHER CONSCIOUSNESS. Your LightBody becomes more alive and it’s awareness more accessible as your love for Life grows. As you move through the resistance and child-like fears of the ego and let go and forgive those that have harmed you; as you begin to love your enemies; as you begin to see the perfection in each moment with every breath; your LightBody begins to function on higher and higher levels. You become more conscious and able to function in new ways. Your human potential is probably beyond anything you have ever imagined. Love is the key. The instructions that will follow are meaningless without this Love. Please do not underestimate the energy of Love. One of the most powerful forms of Light.
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STEP 3: FIND A QUIET, PRIVATE, PERSONAL SPACE, CLEAR THE MIND, OPEN THE HEART, TRUST THE PROCESS, AND ENGAGE…
IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS IS SIMPLY A “TASTE OF THE MERKABAH”, A MINI-WORKSHOP TO INTRODUCE THE CONCEPTS AND THE POWER OF ACTIVATING ONE’S MERKABAH LIGHTBODY VIA A METHOD THAT WAS PRESENTED TO ME YEARS AGO WHICH I NOW OFFER UP TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. SPECIAL THANKS TO BRENDON CULLITON OF PARADIGM SHIFT CENTRAL WHO CREATED THIS VIDEO, AND THE PEOPLE AT “THREE DAYS OF LIGHT (3DL)” COSMIC GATHERING FOR AWAKENING IN ASHEVILLE, NC. TO LEARN MORE OR TO GO DEEPER WITH THIS WORK, VISIT THE “MERKABAH METHOD LIGHTBODY ACTIVATION FULL-DAY WORKSHOP” PAGE FOR MORE INFO/TESTIMONIALS.
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STEP 4: THE CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR NEWLY ACTIVATED LIGHTBODY: HIGHER AWARENESS/CONSCIOUSNESS IN, THE HIGHER AND HEALTHIER ENERGY YOUR LIGHTBODY PUTS OUT…
YOUR LIGHT BODY WILL RESPOND TO YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS. Your LightBody will simply exist around your body if your consciousness does not give it instructions. It is very much like a computer. You can own a computer, but if you do not put software into it, it is not of much value. And, of course, depending on what software you choose your computer will perform differently. The LightBody is similar.
Another example is a crystal (very similar actually). A crystal will accept programs (thoughts, feelings or emotions) and will continue to send out theses programs forever with great precision until someone or something erases the programs. It was Marcel Vogel who first scientifically discovered this fact in recent times, but the native peoples of this world have known it at least back to the beginning of known civilization. Marcel further found that crystals can only hold as many different programs as there are faces on the crystal. This is not true with the LightBody. There is no limit to the number of “programs” that can be run in your Light Body or Mer-Ka-Ba. If you already know how to program crystals, then realize that your Light Body is very crystal-like and is “programmed” in exactly the same way.
DON’T KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT CRYSTALS? CHECK OUT THIS FUN AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND VIDEO ON THE LIFE AND CAPACITY OF CRYSTALS BY THESPIRITSCIENCE.NET…
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STEP 5: CONTINUE TO LET GO OF THE OLD PATTERNS AND BEGIN WORKING MORE IN LINE WITH YOUR HIGHER SELF WHICH IS MORE FULLY ACTIVATED THROUGH THIS PROCESS AS WELL…
IT’S TIME TO TAKE ANOTHER STEP AND GROW BY MOVING MORE INTO THE FLOW. Which also means then that you must continue to remove and let go all old programs. You are now receiving massive upgrades to you spiritual and physical beings. Old programs will become even further obsolete as your knowingness begins to expand and change as you integrate the new energies and new understandings communicated through your Higher Self. Remember… your Higher Self is NOT separate from you. It is a part of you. Your connection to it is never broken. You may lose your sense of direction of it, but it’s never broken. You are never truly ever alone.
As your awareness of how you are intricately connected to it increases, you become more conscious on the various levels of how it communicates with you… through the LightBody, through the physical body and through the channels of both the thinking and feeling minds. Yes, your heart has an intelligence of its own, but it too needs to grow and learn the subtle arts of discernment. And thus like the mind, it must make decisions within this 3D reality and grow and experience LIFE through those decisions. The more you practice and TRUST the more you will understand. And the clearer the channels will become between the Higher Self and the Heartmind, and thusly, the clearer you will be able to understand the messages more clearly, and more fully follow the inner guidance you have been seeking.
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STEP 6: KEEP LIVING/LEARNING/LOVING YOURSELF MORE AND…
REMEMBER, Love is the energy of Light that the information rides upon. The vehicle is the breath. I love you. You are powerful, and you can do any thing. With much Love, Light (it’s all just information) and Appreciation, Pheonyx
“All About Energy” - A collection of videos all related to energy work, qigong, vibrations, frequency and energetic medicine, and personal healing modalities .
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Three easy ways YOU can support the Project today: (1) Click the LIKE button below. (2) SHARE this page with others. (3) DONATE today! → Yes, why not now? Absolutely, we totally agree… there’s no better time than the present! ♥ AND just so you know… NO gift is ever (never ever ever eeehhh-vah!) too big or too small. Every share and every love offering goes directly towards helping us help raise awareness, inspire others and build a larger, stronger, wiser, more connected community of beings all around the world. Thank you! ♥ -PRS
I feel this is an important enough PSA to make serious comment on it and share it here Please be advised. The following opinion simply my own, but I feel very strongly about this issue and want to be sure that everyone has an awareness of their options… Now, I personally believe that vaccines are the biggest lie. The evidence, and much common sense to parents actually now THINKING and doing research for themselves on behalf of their children as opposed to just following that the government and highly-paid doctors have to say. Just say no, is my firm and committed opinion. Here’s a good article which provides some simple facts: “The Healthy Home Economist’s Six Reasons to Say No to Vaccination”. There ARE quite an extensive number holistic, all-natural, earth-based preventative measures and even cures for all the common ailments that would harm us. You may have to simply do your homework, but they are out there. And now with the internet, the information is not so difficult to find.
I haven’t had a flu vaccine in nearly 7-8 yrs, for example. just something inside me said, no more. And I haven’t had the flu, let alone many of the other common ailments since! People I know who go to doctors and get shots for everything?? Sick all the time. Do that math, people. Of course, personal stress, poor eating and sleeping habits, and WORRY about getting sick are all probably factors that contribute to one becoming chronically ill as well. But rest assured, a vaccine ain’t going to do much to quell stress-related susceptibility. If your immune system is weak, you’re going to get sick, people. It’s the body’s NATURAL way to tell you that you need to take a break, get some rest, get healthy and back to optimum health. No amount of drugs are going to truly get you well. May help serve the symptoms*, but the ailment is up your body to repair. Get it??
In addition, vaccines (to me) really don’t make sense, and the pharmaceutical companies that create the vaccines can hardly be trusted in my opinion. It’s a multi-billion (trillion?) dollar industry these days, and they are out to make money. May have started out differently, but that’s the bottom line of CORPORATE pharmaceutical companies today. By the way, your doctor gets paid every time you and members of your family get shot via doctor’s appointment visits too. So it’s lucrative for them as well. I’m just sayin’. Free will, choose wisely.
♥, Pheonyx
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*FOOTNOTE: Now that being said, I believe the same rule does not apply to underdeveloped, third-world countries where sanitation, eating, and clean living conditions may be deplorable and ramped. In which case vaccines may be the only tool to assist poor and weak immune systems to simply survive. But keep in mind the solution is only temporary, and if conditions and the human body of the being living in that environment are not improved, quality of life and overall life expectancy remains low, fraught with illness (living in poverty has its own number of stresses, no? like if you are going to even have food to eat that day perhaps?), vapid and though one may be alive, quite sufferable.
Three easy ways YOU can support the Project today: (1) Click the LIKE button below. (2) SHARE this page with others. (3) DONATE today! → Yes, why not now? Absolutely, we totally agree… there’s no better time than the present! ♥ AND just so you know… NO gift is ever (never ever ever eeehhh-vah!) too big or too small. Every share and every love offering goes directly towards helping us help raise awareness, inspire others and build a larger, stronger, wiser, more connected community of beings all around the world. Thank you! ♥ -PRS
They say that traveling makes one appreciate that which one already has. There is no doubt about that. After traveling for over a year now in the far reaches of southern Asia, I’ve come to appreciate many a thing about home back in the western world. In particular, I’ve come to truly appreciate a sense of community; quiet contemplations of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, North Carolina; friends and family in the busy metropolis of Atlanta, Georgia; electric power; running water; clean streets and sidewalks with trash bins. Yet, the biggest thing I’ve come to realize and appreciate is the diversity which is this world and all of life.
I have looked under the surface of all there is. I have gazed into the eyes of the water buffalo while sipping masala tea in the east. I’ve peered down from some of the tallest spires of man’s making in Singapore. I have gazed out equally upon the body of the great Mother Earth which man seems determined to alter and even conquer. I’ve sat amid ancient rice terraces created by men whose goal is to simply feed their own families and communities, let alone a hungry if not starving world. I have witnessed gaping wounds of earth on the edge of rivers where machines gauge out quarries of rock and soil to make room for more of man’s making and to provide the concrete that would eventually provide shelter and industry of an ever-increasing population.
I have looked into the face of an ancient past with an eye set on a not-so-distant future. And what have I seen? That underneath it all, it is all completely the same. Whether struggling to survive or coming into the knowing and understanding on what it means to thrive upon this little blue planet of ours, in the end all men and women kind are pretty much exactly the same. Under the surface of it all there really is no difference. Just as a goat is a goat is a goat (and trust me, I’ve seen a lot of goats on this journey), and a field is a field is a field, and a mountain is a mountain is a mountain, so true is the statement that a human is a human is a human.
Sure, cultures are different. Languages vary even more than hair or eye color by the hundreds or even thousands. However, the deeper language is all the same. I hear it in the voices I’ve engaged with no matter what the origin of the tongue or tribe. I’ve seen it in the eyes of just about every villager and city-dweller I’ve had the privilege to share space with. I’ve felt it on a soul level with every being who has allowed me the honor to reveal my own. Time… space… distance… culture… language… likes… dislikes… it’s all the same. It’s all an illusion, and yet those illusions are the very threads that make up the fabric of Life itself. How beautiful is that?
You see, no matter where people are in the world there are these basic human fundamentals that exist for all beings. Okay, so what I’m saying has already been said by so many beings, both mystical and practical thinkers alike. Abraham Maslow coined it as the “Basic Hierarchy of Needs” in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation”. But even beyond our basic needs of food, family and shelter we all have deeper desires built into the very fabric of our own being that seek to be manifested… Joy… Personal connection… Communion to something greater than ourselves be that Nature or God (like there’s a difference)… and the greatest of all these… yup, you guessed it… Love.
So, don’t be afraid to take that leap. Don’t be afraid to cut those cords. Don’t be afraid to let go of everything including whatever you think it is you about yourself. But do hold onto the Truth that the Universe knows exactly what it is doing. Do remember that you are a divine, intricate and valuable expression of the Source… just like everyone else. Do know that beyond living there is loving and eternal learning. Do know that we are all in this together, we are all exactly them same and yet profoundly unique in all that we are capable of doing. Yet, in the end, everything comes back around full circle. Think of it as a spiral actually, infinitely above as it is infinitely below. Infinitely without as it is infinitely within. And eventually, we end up right where we began, but perhaps with a slightly higher perspective next time. Hmmmm… now that’s what mountain tops are for.
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Look, I’m not going to pretend that I know it all. That would be my first mistake. However, I know enough to know people. It’s my job. It’s what I do. I’ve walked a long hard road to try to understand them… us… me… all of it… more and more. In truth, it’s what I’ve been called to do; otherwise (and trust me on this), I would not be doing it. Yet, the I have found that often times the more one seems to understand, the more confusing people become. I’m beginning to think that it might be part of the Universe’s cosmic joke… creating humans and then giving us our own free wills and minds to muck things up. Why? So that we can learn. Learn what? To learn what it means to be human. (LOL: Laughing Out Loud) There’s the punchline! Do you get it??
And so, what’s the solution? Don’t talk to people? Don’t interact and get to know people? Crawl up in a hole or some cave somewhere and forget about people?! Surely, there have been some of those who have done so. There have even been stories written about them; whole annuls for the world to know about some dude (or lady) running off to spend half a lifetime in some forest or desert or cave to find enlightenment (and a little peace and quiet from people, no doubt). There is much to learn in a cave. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer quiet caves in the world today with nearly seven billion people walking/crawling/running around.
Some of us are living in fantasyland. Hey, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that. Law of Attraction and all that good stuff aside, if you want to live in fantasyland, then live in it. Live in it with gusto even! If it makes you happy and does harm to none, go forth and prosper. But don’t expect for someone else to live in that fantasyland with you. Someone else may support your dreams, but that may not necessarily mean that it’s the same one that they’re holding onto, and your fantasylands may have to simply share mutual borders but not coincide. Why? Because people are people and as varied and unique and somewhat quixotic as they are, so will be their dreams.
Remember, people are people. And people means ego. Ahhhhhh there it is! There, I said it. The “E” word… Eeeeeeeeego! ‘Er go the ego. I see it all the time. I see it in people walking around asleep not even knowing they are dreaming, and I see it in people who have done more work than Moses on the mountain, and still the ego manages to project itself into the process. It’s an insidious process if you’re not paying close attention (which apparently keeps folks like me busy and employed I suppose); and if I were a judging man, I would say it’s a very sad thing to see indeed. But I’m not a judging man, so I say to you that it is what it is. But when it hits close to home, it still hurts.
It is what it is. So either love it and deal with it, or the other choice? To love it and let it go. It really is that simple. Hey, I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m just saying it’s simple. It will probably be the hardest thing that you will ever do. I don’t envy you. I don’t envy me. LOL… but I still love you. Why? Because I AM in complete and in total love with me. That’s not a bad thing. If more people totally loved themselves I think we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now. But we are, and so it is. So, there it is. I’m letting it all go now. What you do with it your self? Well, that’s your truth… your reality… and/or your fantasy. Whatever it is, simply be sure to live it knowingly, and live it well.
“The pain body is the emotional aspect of egoic consciousness. When the ego is amplified by the emotion of the pain body, the ego has enormous strength – particularly at those times. It requires very great presence so that you can be there [in] the space also for your pain body, when it arises. That is everybody’s job here – to be there, to recognize the pain body when it shifts from dormant to active, when something triggers a very strong emotional reaction. At that moment, when it does take over your mind, the internal dialogue, which is dysfunctional at the best of times, now becomes the voice of the pain body talking to you internally. Everything it says is deeply colored by the old, painful emotion of the pain body. Every interpretation, everything it says, every judgment about your life, about other people, about a situation you are in – will be totally distorted by the old emotional pain.” -
The response that finally arrived from G with a finger pointing directly at me. The judgment (aka the accusation), nothing less frightening and horrid to my being than being accused of rape. In fact, that’s indeed what I was accused of… “spiritual rape”. More metaphysical mind you, not the physical kind. The alleged victim, my formerly aloof ex-lover, now stood also as judge and jury, which immediately sent me into my own sense of despair and victimhood.
The period of physical romance between us lasted less than three months. It was beautiful, highly volatile and tenuous. Big things can arrive in small packages of time as well. However, the karmic lessons and transformative healing opportunities have gone ocean deep and mountain high on a soul level. The first six months of healing after our separation were the most intense I’ve ever experienced, even for a seasoned veteran of relationship-reeling such as myself. During pretty much all of 2011, I worked hard to let go of every old pattern around attachments and “needs” that I ever had around relationships. It was a year of deep and profound progress and huge growth opportunities in trusting the Universe in its knowing. I was able to process a great deal during that summer and fall while 
In the pre-dawn hours, as I sat on the porch amidst the Balinese bamboo and banyan trees, I felt a door or a window to my soul opening. I looked out beyond the threshold of it into some strange new world. A bird on a branch. A flower in a pot. I saw these things sitting all around me, asking for permission to be seen, like something deep down in me that wanted to be recognized. And so I did. I wrote and released what came through. Some of the sadness wanted to be expressed; and so I expressed it. Some of the anger (actually, all of it) wanted to be expressed; and so I expressed it. The confusion, I let it go. The self-judgment, I released all that could be acknowledged. Apology. No, not yet. I wasn’t quite ready to play the victim. Or rather, I was not willing to play the victim anymore! was the thought that occurred to me. I’m done with that. I’m done with being accused of something I know in my heart of hearts I did not do… to be seen or remembered for someone for who I am not. 
Let me tell you… I have assigned this exercise to many a client in the past. It has many names… the “I Love You Letter”… the “Thank You Letter”… the “Forgiveness Letter”… and it is no easy task, mind you. The concept is simple enough… write what is truly on your heart and mind. Tell that person to whom you are writing whether it be a parent, a loved one, a spouse, a former partner, whomever; tell them EVERY THING that you’ve EVER WANTED to say but for whatever reason (usually for fear or shame) you never have. No holds barred. The anger, the sadness, the frustration, the confusion, the hurt… write down ALL of it.
I ask each client, after writing down all their pains and grievances about the other to then, and only then, record ALL the things which they are THANKFUL for about that very same person who has been the primary cause of their profound pain and frustration. Now THAT’S the kicker! Most people look at me like I just grew a second head. It’s often difficult for most to conceive (at first anyway) how the same person who has been the source of so much fodder for their own suffering and pain could have possibly given them any fruitful gifts deserving of thanks in the end. “What are the valuable lessons you have learned from coming into contact with this being?” I ask. “What is that you NOW know more definitively about your SELF that you could not have known before going through the pains and heartaches you have suffered with and by that being?”
The great master-teacher of self love and compassion, the Buddha, states, “Pain is necessary, but suffering is optional.” If you choose not to suffer the pains of others, then you begin to step through a doorway of new and amazing self-discovery. It will take courage. What you thought you knew will most likely have to be forgotten, or at the least will need to be set aside for some time. What you know within the heart of hearts of you will be tested. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it. But they don’t, and that’s okay too. Let go of all judgment around how you THINK the process is SUPPOSED to work for OTHERS. As the master-teacher of love and compassion for others, Mother Teresa (whose teacher was the master-teacher Jesus), taught us, “Love them anyway.” Let them go if you have too. Let them do their own soul work. It’s up to each one of us to do the work that we are here to do for the purpose of more fully supporting one another.
