Transcending Ascension Consciousness

Sometimes as a spiritual traveler you have to step out of the ethereal world and deal with the concrete, the things that are real-seeming in this reality we co-create and exist within.  I won’t debate whether that reality is truly real or not as that just isn’t the purpose of this piece.  The purpose and point of this piece is a string of thoughts or musings, if you will on the topic of duality and the spiritual path in general.  First and foremost, we are conscious beings, even when we are asleep our consciousness is quite busy – just at a different level of awareness.  We are even when awake, existing at various levels of consciousness and I’ve written about those from the technical perspective and there is a non-technical less tangible side to awareness as well.  What does this have to do with duality you might ask?  Well, everything.

In many circles, we have this strong dogmatic urging to detach from the world, embrace the oneness, go into the void and experience the nothingness.  This is how you become enlightened, this is how you ascend and this is how you grow. This sounds really cool doesn’t it?  I mean, who wouldn’t want to elevate themselves above the rest of the populace through spiritual practice and evolving to higher levels than your neighbors, right?  Not so fast.  I want to give you some very practical food for thought in sharing with you a blasphemous thought in the context of New Age thoughts (at least from some perspectives).  There are those who can tell you none of this – Earthly experience – is real.  Nothing you can perceive exists outside of the very way in which you can perceive it – go within and understand the truth.  Would they be wrong?  Not really.  Should it be your life purpose to spend all of this physically limited conscious existence pursuing our return to that space from which we came?  Why?  Why would we do that and why would we hold that as a goal from deep within us as our core mission?  What opportunities in our lives might we miss if that were our only goal? I think sometimes it sounds like a cool alternative compared to the every-day commonly experienced mundane existence.  But there is another piece that is very important here:  Why we came.

If our soul or sole intent and purpose here was to go back to where we came from, why on Earth would we be here at all?  We did not come here to spend all of our time in meditation (although meditation has some very beneficial effects I wholly support), most of us actually came here to experience life in 3-D.  We can also experience some of the aspects of other dimensions but you are here in a physical body for a reason.  You naturally transcend it when your physical time clock gives away its last tick and you move on from this realm.  So, what is it with the rush and the hurry to do it all right now?  What if I told you that you were already enlightened?  What if I told you that a part of your consciousness is already ascended and so, there is no place for you here now to ascend to?  I know, blasphemous thoughts right?  Well, think about it and think about it carefully.

I’ll say this again and a little differently.  You are Spirit, spirit is consciousness and your physical existence here is your consciousness specifically projected in this dimension to experience life here in this very physical dimension of vast dichotomy.  So, why rush to get out?  You will miss that very thing you came here to do.  What I suggest is that you live your life here through thoroughly embracing your life just as it is—crazy, maddening, wonderful and exciting.  Embrace you – crazy, creative, wonderful and so very precious.  Your mind thinks thoughts, you send your body then into action creating this scene or that scene with other wonderful souls from which you learn about love, about life in 3-D and just how terrible and beautiful our home in the Milky way Galaxy can be.  So, consider carefully my above questions again.  Is there duality?  From our perspectives, Yes.  Is there a Oneness in Consciousness of which we are all part?  Yes.  Is there a Cosmic Consciousness from which we gain much of our love, courage and drive to do the things we do in this life?  Yes again.  When you begin to understand the machinations of your own Earthly life, you begin to see there are all of these little things you were meant to learn and transcend.  These little things may be learning how to get along with other human beings, how to forgive so you don’t stay in a space of illness producing toxic anger or how to give of yourself in pure kindness just for the absolute joy of the experience.

Humanity is amazing if a little unaware of just how amazing and wonderful they truly are.  We need not fight for a piece of any illusive pie and we need not chase any imaginary dragons of enlightenment that we already have deeply ingrained in the core of our consciousness.  Learn to understand your environment, yourself and then others a bit more and you know what you might find?  Compassion.  This is one of life’s most beautiful treasures and only through our connected consciousness can we fully comprehend the wonder and beauty, power and strength this one thing holds for us.

So, my thoughts for this day along the lines of consciousness – you intentionally projected your consciousness in a physical body with an ego alive to protect it and keep you on this side of the veil.  Through meditation and prayer even, you can pierce the veil to assist with your understanding and better support your growth in life if you want to.  Just remember the term moderation.  Avoid extremes and the fanatical embracing of any new concept, idea or goal unless, of course, it involves love of the completely unconditional kind.  I’ve been to the other side consciously and I have to say that as amazing and wonderful as it was and is, my job and my focus is to live my life.  A great conversation with another wonderful human being I met randomly yesterday reminded me.  This message has come to me 3 times in just the last couple of weeks and while I may be a little slow at getting some messages, it all begins to make much more sense.

Find what inspires you in life, embrace your amazing and indescribable consciousness and enjoy your creations here on this Earth for they are many and wonderful and support not only your learning but the learning and experiences of every soul whose path you cross.  Consider that science, spirituality and New Age thought based on ancient philosophies have given us so very much to consider.  So many often wade into the shallow end of the pool and proclaim they’ve completed a swim of the entirety of the ocean.  It’s okay.  They learn from their proclamations and wading and learn that what they thought was swimming the ocean hasn’t even scratched the surface of possibilities.  Consider even further your existence here.  Would you be here if there were no one here to perceive you?  How do you know?  Maybe it is not everyone and everything else that is the illusion but you are the illusion?  It’s easy to take certain concepts and throw them about carelessly as truths but you have to dive into the deep end of the pool and learn the difference between knowledge, belief, perception and assumption. These things are the biggest challenges we grapple with whether we realize it or not.  Our consciousness has vast potential as long as we refuse to close our minds around belief alone.  Let others be as they are and explore as they will through any path they deem most worthy.  You have that same right of exploration or not as you deem right to choose.  Just choose and explore and while you are in the process, appreciate your ability to be here right now and experience all the wildly imaginative, creative, seemingly concrete aspects of reality that is life on Earth.   Let your mind and heart expand not with belief but knowledge.  Nothing limits a mind more than belief.  Your consciousness is not limited by belief unless you believe it to be.

The illusions that we consider truth run like a common thread through all of our lives and the really amazing and wonderful thing about us is we get to live and through our experiences learn to discern truth from fiction, fact from fantasy and knowledge from mere belief.  Expand your consciousness and embrace the fact that you are here for a reason. There is no place to run to and no place to hide.  Your perception is focused on this movie in this theater and it’s an amazing one.  I leave you with these musings now as I need to go experience my own life a little bit.  Until our paths cross again, I challenge you to look for the beauty in the ugliness, search for meaning in the seemingly insane and seek understanding at the deeper levels of your consciousness and you’ll find some surprising things about the true meaning of life.  Bless.

 

© 2015 J.L. Harter (photo/words)

Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, M.Msc., B.Msc., Author, Blogger, Teacher,  Spiritual Counselor and Founder/Editor of the JMCC.  See Bio section for more information.

Energy Signatures - The Perception of Vibrational Consciousness

Abstract

Background

The perception of vibrational consciousness has manifested in a number of individuals via the reporting of hearing tones not otherwise attributed to medications, tinnitus or other external identified sources. This study had several goals: 1) to gather self-reported information regarding whether these tones are heard by individuals, 2) the quality of the tones heard and 3) the perceived origins of these tones.

Results

Quantitative results are shown for the number of respondents that perceive tones, the quality of the perception of the tones along with the perceived origins of the tones. The results also show whether there may be a correlation between the perceived tones and the reported participation in spiritual practices such as meditation or of having a spiritual experience. A majority of responders from all age groups in the survey indicate that they perceive tones and that more than half of survey respondents believed the tones to be of a spiritual origin.

Conclusions

The survey concludes only that there is a high perception of hearing tones from the survey respondents, that the quality of the tones is perceived differently and that while the origins are perceived to be spiritual in origin by more than half of the respondents, the origins are not necessarily clear. More studies are needed to determine the true etiology of the tones perceived by individuals.

Introduction

It has been noted by several luminaries in the metaphysical and new age genre of writers, teachers and those who meditate that tones are often perceived of an unknown origin. In order to better understand the occurrence, perception and quality of the tones seemingly heard, I developed a survey to gather data on the phenomenon to determine whether it could be determined valid as a common occurrence, whether there were correlations to specific age groups, gender or religious beliefs along with the qualitative data related to the perceptions. It was my goal to gather data and provide information on my findings in order to provide the community with further information on the topic and determine if it warranted further study with more rigor. Through understanding this phenomenon, we may better understand its occurrence and what messages our consciousness may be attempting to communicate to us. I believe that all of the results of our perceptions are messages presented to us for greater understanding of our existence in life. With greater understanding, we can make better use of information freely available to us through our own perceptions and experiences in life.

Research Objectives

The objectives I set at the beginning of the survey were first to validate the occurrence of the perception of tones of unknown etiology, better understand the way the tones might be perceived and attempt to discern the perceived origins by those participating in the survey. With these goals in mind, I established my survey questions. For the most part I believe that the survey met my objectives and the results speak for themselves in terms of the respondents experience of the occurrence of the perception of the tones.

Data Collection

Given that this research surrounded individual experiences and perceptions with tones, an online

survey was developed using a simple Survey Monkey only survey tool. Basic responses were solicited such as age, gender, location, religious believes, participation in spiritual or meditative practice as well as the direct experience of tones and the quality of the perception of the tones. Responses to the Survey where solicited online through The Journal of Metaphysics and Connected Consciousness, my personal blog, social networking sites such as Facebook, Tsu, Spiritual Networks and Google+. Between my blog and Journal readership as well as social networking connections, its possible the survey reached between 15,000 to 25,000 people potentially. The goal was to reach as many potential individuals as possible. Given the Social Network medium is not known for a high-response rate, I had hoped to reach at least
100 respondents for the survey, which I held open for two months from October 17, 2014 through December 31, 2014. I issued reminder posting at two-week intervals to attempt to gather respondents. During that time, I gathered 53 responses. There was an inherent bias potential in the survey responses given the readership of my blogs and social networking community in that the associates I shared the survey request with held more of a spiritual and metaphysical focus. This actually worked for the survey as the genre of authors and teachers who raised the question for me as I began to assemble the concepts of the survey were of that same focus. The analysis of the survey results was conducted by reviewing the individual responses.

Summary Findings

Of the 53 survey responses gathered, an overwhelming 48 individuals reporting hearing tones they did not believe where due to medication or a known medical diagnosis. One significant trend in data was that there were two main age-bands in highest volume of responders. Those were the 40-49 and 50-59 age groups. These two groups combined represent 36 respondents. Of those combined age bands, all but 3 reported hearing tones. There were no significant trends in data between the various religious beliefs held but that was a slight increase in the break out of respondents in that nearly half cited that they were spiritual and not religious or cited no religion at all. The distribution between genders was near half and half at 29 reporting female and 24 reporting male gender.

With regard to the variations of the 48 respondents who affirmed that they perceived tones, the variation of the tones was interesting. All 48 reported that the tone itself was perceived as always being the same, 20 respondents indicated that the pitch never changed, 17 individuals reported the tone was always perceived in the same ear and 16 indicated that the pitch of the tone varied. 15 respondents reported they perceived the response in both ears, 4 indicated that it switched ears and 4 indicated that they perceived multiple tones.

When further pressed to provide more qualitative information, 17 respondents indicated that the tones were perceived internally. 12 respondents perceived tones with no other sensations while 8 indicated the tones were accompanied by other physical sensations. Of all of the respondents, 18 indicated that they have engaged in a spiritual practice, meditation or have had a spiritual experience such as a Near Death Experience or an Out of Body experience.

With regard to the origins of the perceptions, respondents were given 3 choices concerning their concept of origin: Biological, Physical or Spiritual. In this category, 52 overall responses were received. The break-out of these are as follows:

Male and Female both trended at 14 citing a spiritual origin. Of the respondents reporting physical origins, 2 males and 1 female cited this as their perceived origin of the tones. With regard to the physical perception, 6 males and 4 females cited this as their perceived origin. The remaining respondents either skipped this question or cited that the origin was unknown.

Detailed Findings – Data Tables

The following Data Tables outline the specific questions asked and the response rates by question.  Each of the tables represent questions 1 through 8 in sequence.  Questions 9 and 10 included only personal information to validate there were no duplicate responses and affirm permission to use responses given.

Summation and Recommendations

While it is clear from those surveyed, the majority experience tones and those tones widely vary in terms of the way they are perceived, the perception isn’t necessarily tied to a religious belief and the origins while perceived by the majority to be of a spiritual nature, we must acknowledge that these are the perceptions of the respondents. Similar subjectively reporting experiences are far from empirical but do seem to indicate there may be a phenomenon worthy of further exploration for deeper understanding. These sounds or tones as energy signatures are heard clearly by those who are religious and not, and the respondents report being unaware of any medical diagnosis or medication that could be the cause of the tones they are perceiving. The tones seem to be the same to the perceivers but sometimes they have a tendency to shift in pitch or the perception of the side of the head they may be hearing the tones more from. Some report they felt the source of the tones they experience are internal in nature rather than coming from an external source. The question remains, what is this tone that we are perceiving? Respondents come from all over the world, from different cities, different age groups and different spiritual or religious practices and beliefs. So, what are these tones we are perceiving? Are we in some way perceiving the energy of our own consciousness? Does consciousness have a sound? After reviewing the research findings I begin to wonder. Is it merely our consciousness or could it potentially indicate something more? Are we hearing the sounds of the vibrating energy in the universe, in our own bodies or are the otherworldly in origin? Unfortunately, my findings do not address these specific questions but I believe they are worth further exploration for the purpose of understanding.

Given that the energy vibration of tones are being perceived by some individuals on the planet, I think further study is needed to understand the true source of the tones. No doubt in some cases these perceptions can be readily scientifically or medically explained by the body’s reaction o chemicals or disease states. But what if they actually could represent the various stages of our consciousness? What if Alpha, Beta, Theta, Gamma and Delta states of brain wave activity have a corresponding sound perceived within our consciousness? What if there is a sound that is not simply related to blood pressure moving through the vessels heard physically? What if there are those who have no medical or mental diagnosis, no former injury to the ear, who seemingly hear things that, are not readily understood? What if our perception represents otherworldly existence in terms of energy signatures perceived as sound? What if there are other worldly dimensions from which we can feel and hear but not see? There are more questions than there are answers.


In metaphysical studies we are taught that Aum is the sound of the center of the entirety of the universe and from that sound, all of creation stems. That sound is vibration and vibration is energy. I these tones myself and in my own perception, they vary in tone, in pitch and are usually coming from one side or the other although when I experience the tones and quickly inquire of others in the room, no one else reports hearing anything. I also have personally experienced very strong sensations that seemingly envelop the entirety of my physical existence and seemingly distort my perception of reality. It made me very curious as to whether others have similar experiences. The more I wrote and researched this very topic, the more I found hits here and there of others who have had these experiences. Considering myself to be an energy sensitive, having experience of specific tones right before a person I know is about to call me or send me a text message, I cannot help but wonder if we each have unique tones ascribed to our personal consciousness and with thoughts we project that outwards and others can perceive it. There are so many possibilities and little solid data to explore this. I’d very much like to see more formal exploration with a stronger scientific bent towards study of the origins of these tones and answering some of the questions I’ve posed. I think we could learn a lot more about who and what we truly are beyond the limited constructs of the corporeal existence we hold as reality.
use the term energy signatures to identify the variation in the tones perceived. I have experienced

I want to personally thank all of the survey participants for their willingness to help the Journal of Metaphysics and Connected Consciousness explore this topic. Perhaps our wading into these waters may spark greater curiosity in consciousness and noetic-type studies that may help us all come to better understanding.



© 2015 J.L. Harter, Ph.D., Founder of The Journal of Metaphysics and Connected Consciousness and The Ministry of Connected Consciousness, California, USA.

Sources:

Abstract photo: Energyfanatics.com
Introduction photo: J.L. Harter
Data Survey Photos: Survey Monkey
Summation Photo: Theventchronicle.com
Other photos: Clip Art

Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, M.Msc., B.Msc., Author, Blogger, Teacher,  Spiritual Counselor and Founder/Editor of the JMCC.  See Bio section for more information.

The Illusion of Pain: Exploring Consciousness Within

I was thinking a lot over the holidays having a lot of time to just relax and do absolutely nothing (which is rare for me).  I was thinking specifically about emotional pain.  Having a strong interest in helping others understand and come to terms with pain, I was toying with an idea.  I’ve written in my books about the concept of malware.  Malware as I’ve used it is very much like a computer virus that get’s in and infiltrates your computer’s operating system.  I see pain not at all differently.  It becomes like an emotional virus that infiltrates and infects our mental human operating system.  Once resident (and there is something resident in all of us), it results in pain deep within us that causes our perspectives to be jaded, skewed and well, often, completely inaccurate.  It causes us to lose our ability to see the truth in our human interactions.  There is much we can do once we realize that we have something within us that needs our attention.  We can learn to find out what it is, understand it and then learn to see things differently thus minimizing the effect of the “malware.” 

A interesting thought I had was whether pain ever truly healed or not.  I mean, it seems that once we have been emotionally wounded, those wounds never seem to go away. At least not entirely (if they did, how come we keep being triggered?). We go through our lives reacting, wincing, transferring and projecting the pain that we’ve suffered to and through others as we interact with each other. I think malware stems from beliefs we have created around emotional wounds. For some, the malware is mostly benign and so there is no real or dramatic harm done. But for others, this malware becomes an epic roadblock to our ability to have and maintain healthy human relationships.  What do we do then?  Is there no hope?  Is there no cure?  I think that the pain caused by malware (and that term should be read as a hidden belief held with a pain charged memory) cannot ever be healed.  Yes.  You read that right.  Pain suffered emotionally cannot be healed.  It remains resident like the RAM resident programs in your computer’s operating system (e.g., programs that take up memory continually while your computer is running – draining and dragging on your computer’s performance).  This malware in the human mental operating system does the same thing.  It runs in the background taking up precious energy, clouding our memories, our vision and our experience and there it remains, mostly undetected by us consciously.  Oh, others may see it and even draw it to our attention but in so doing, it just results in poking the wound causing us to react.

I have proposed that pain cannot be healed.  That once you have formed a belief with an emotionally charged memory, the pain is there and remains forever resident in our mental operating system.  Well, that is until you can find the precise belief that is at the true core of the malware and seek to understand it.  Now, that understanding part is like climbing Mount Everest and just like climbing said mountain, you’ll need a guide.  You truly need someone to help you navigate unfamiliar terrain, to help guide you around the cervices, canyons and steep slippery slopes.  It isn’t easy.  But, once you have engaged in the climb and endeavored to find and root out those beliefs that formed emotionally charged memories that resulted in malware running in the background of your conscious existence, you can begin to understand.  Once you come to understand the belief at the core of the pain, you don’t really heal it or make it go away but you come to understand it.  Once you come to understand it, you start removing the energetic charge of emotion.  With the highest level of understanding possible, you could completely transform the malware through understanding and then the whole belief and its perceived emotional harm can be transformed as if it where a fog being dissipated by the sun’s light.  We don’t remove it completely in this regard but we understand it.  Through awareness, we can understand our own behavior and eliminate reactions to certain situations that trigger the original pain from the belief.  Once you can get to this plateau, you can walk a little taller, with more confidence and less of the malware filters your experiences.  You learn to react differently.

Now, how do you know if you have something infecting your human mental operating system?  There are many ways to tell.  What are you afraid of?  What causes you the most pain?  What do you dislike the most in others?  What do you dislike in yourself?  What have been the sticking points in current or past relationships?  Did you know that you are so amazing that you will actually attract to you the very specific kinds of people you need to interact with that will help bring the original belief to light?  Did you know this isn’t limited to personal relationships and that it can happen on the job, during shopping trips or even while driving?  We even invite certain situations to us that will brush up against that belief and cause us to wince a little bit not as punishment but as a reminder that something is resident in the psyche that maybe shouldn’t be.  If you can find it, and I do not by any stretch of the imagination mean to suggest that it is a simple and easy process, but you can dissipate the malware through understanding.  When you can do this, your perceptions and perspectives are automatically transformed and your old behaviors and desires for interactions are also transformed bringing you new and hopefully healthier experiences.

I think that we run into these situations on purpose.  I think it is part of our life or lesson plan to take on certain things to over come.  That doesn’t mean we have to stay stuck in the class.  See my article on A Class in Life for some additional food for thought.  I believe that we were not put here to suffer for our sins (or past beliefs that formed emotionally charged painful memories).  I believe that we were put here to learn and transform the things we hold within our egoic selves or little “c” consciousness that prevent us from knowing fully the truth about us.  Once you can find a way to dig deep beneath the layers of the accumulated beliefs that have truly caused you nothing but pain and a compromised human mental operating system, you can live a more meaningful life with a sense of greater well-being.  Anything is possible when you make up your beautiful mind and take action.  As the Tao Te Ching says, even a 1,000-mile journey begins with a single step.  So too, does the journey of healing begin.  Although healing is a funny word, when you get to the true essence of it, healing isn’t really about finding an emotional wound and treating it.  It is removing the idea of something you think exists through understanding the truth from a 360-degree perspective. When you can get there, all illusions fall away.  Pain never just heals on its own with time.  It is a filter we carry with us to protect certain wounds we believe that we have accumulated.  And, well, we do have them as long as we choose to run certain programs (read:  View certain experiences in a specific way to protect yourself from pain).  Sometimes just acknowledging something exists and going through the pain helps you to release it.  However, when you can come to a state of true understanding, the original wound in the mind is eliminated through the transformation by understanding it.  The pain is gone, we heal and learn to live with our experience as well as learn to integrate the emotions and all of the reinforcements of it that we’ve carried all of these years.  That does take time but it is worth it to explore I think.  A life lived in emotional pain is a tough life to live.  If you find yourself there mentally, physically or spiritually, please do seek out the right kind of assistance for yourself.  You have so many options from self-help books, counselors in psychology, metaphysics or spiritual…all can be of assistance if you want it.

My theory is just that, a theory.  I write about this often and have touched on these subjects in a number of my books written specifically to bring light to these concepts.  ChangingPerspectives:  The Journey is theDestination, ExpandingHorizons:  Growth and Beyond, So, It’s Over.  Now What?, Awakening from the Dream and Solving for X all carry this theme as does my online training course, Exploring the Conscious Self (see Training tab).  We all carry what we carry for very good reasons and through the experience of carrying wounds, we learn.  This means that an emotional wound is not a death sentence but an opportunity or challenge, if you are to take up the challenge you actually presented for yourself to overcome.  That is the metaphysical or spiritual twist to all of this, I suppose.  As a metaphysical practitioner, I cannot help but look to all sources for understanding.  Through being resourceful and tenacious, I find there is nothing I cannot overcome. The only failure one can ever truly achieve is never trying.  But even in that, we have a choice.  We can endeavor to grow with intention or continue to unconsciously.  Life truly is amazing.  With my theory, I have intended to paint a picture of understanding because I have discovered that this simple act of understanding or being open to understanding or seeking understanding has become the key that has unlocked so very many doors for me.  I hope understanding opens doors for you as well.

As you go into the New Year, I challenge you to consider “understanding” in all that you do.  I challenge you to become very curious about your lives and the multiple meanings every single interaction and event holds.  Enjoy your time here in every way that you possibly can.  I wish you great blessings of love, light and understanding.

 

© 2014, J.L. Harter (photo and words)

Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, M.Msc., B.Msc., Author, Blogger, Teacher,  Spiritual Counselor and Founder/Editor of the JMCC.  See Bio section for more information.

Allowing the Forces to Work

My friend Shonda*, at one time, was committed to journaling, and meditating. Shonda tells me she has of late experienced a strong sense of negative feelings such as misplaced anger as well as the inability to transform negative energy into positive energy. She mentioned feeling “out of balance.” This was a sign that Shonda needed to reconnect with her Higher Self.
 

Lately, Shonda has gone about her day making several failed attempts at dealing with mainstream earthlings (e.g., banking, shopping, other trans-actions, and inter-actions). Shonda puts off communing with Spirit Energy resulting in the progressive degeneration of poise, and self-confidence.
 

My friend denies ever experiencing such intense, negative erratic cogency. For example although Shonda is an affable woman she seems to have lost her inside compass, putting it another way Shonda is off center, attracting into her sphere more dis-ease.
 

Shonda lives in a New York City, west side apartment and states hearing loud noises coming from her neighbor’s apartment; she actually went to her neighbor’s door expressing concern as to whether or not her neighbor was safe as the noises did seem as though they could be coming from the neighbor’s apartment. Shonda felt relieved by her neighbor’s reports that this was not the case.
 

The intermittent unexplained noises, she assured me, are not imagined to include irritability. Where was this energy coming from? Although Shonda finds solace engaging in a Full Moon Ritual she reports being “too busy” to be active in the ceremony this month. Shonda was usually observed journaling, praying, burning oil or incense, affirmations, burning candles as part of her daily sacred grooming process for many years. When I inquired about her spiritual grooming regiment Shonda admitted that it had not been a priority for quite some time. Based upon everything Shonda was describing it seemed as though she was experiencing spiritual depletion.
 

Simply put spiritual depletion is when we feel despondent, alone, agitated, and a disconnection from self. This happens as a result of failure to seek, obtain and maintain on some level a connection with our Higher Self or a Power or Force which we feel is Greater than ourselves. This disconnection leaves us nothing to feed from, nothing to sooth as a balm for our soul. Therefore a lack of spiritual sustenance results in spiritual depletion of which Shonda was experiencing. Shonda’s soul was in S.O.S. mode crying out for help. She began to experience what she called “strong instinctual feelings” accompanied by thoughts of her maternal aboriginal Cherokee roots. 

The Evocation, Intercession, Invocation Process




During Shonda’s childhood and teen years her mother made every attempt and used every opportunity to ensure Shonda was aware of her aboriginal Cherokee roots to include the practicing of rituals and ceremonies. Shonda grew up in a Cherokee matrilineal kinship system. In a matrilineal kinship system, a person is related only to people on their mother’s side. Her relatives are those who can be traced through a woman.
 

“Early Cherokee culture the family unit was traced through the wives and not the husbands. The major members in each family were the mothers, aunts, grandmothers, brothers, and uncles, not fathers.” (Cited source http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-twoworlds/1882 )
 

Shonda stated that, “Lately, there seems to be a negative force so strong there is no way to escape it.” Shonda may have avoided such an uncomfortable experience had she continued her daily ritual of sacred spiritual grooming.
 

The invitation from her ancestral roots became progressively stronger as she hesitated engaging in the invocation or summoning process. I wondered just how far her ancestors traveled to reach my friend. I reflected upon what was or is the reason for her predecessors’ journey? What, if at all, is their message to her? If this is the case there is a lot to be said about the help Shonda can receive, the messages she can obtain if she is open and receptive. The availability of assistance was accessible and therefore not the issue, The Force(s) required her permission to intercede. The Greater Power(s), call it whatever we want, came to help Shonda in her time of need.
 

Shonda instinctively gravitated towards initiating the practices of her aboriginal Cherokee roots. She allowed me to be part of a cleansing ritual.

White Sage and Lemongrass Oil
 

Shondra engaged in what she termed as “smudging.” She stated that, “The intention is to drive out bad influences.” I’d heard of smudging but now I was allowed the privilege of participating in the ritual. She lit aflame two small white sage leaves, no more than two inches long, extinguished the fire, fanning the smoke by using a feather she began to smudge herself from head to toe very slowly, ensuring the heart/chest area was smudged. She continued slowly smudging the floors, slowly moving upwards to the ceiling as far as she could reach. Room to room, doorways, thresholds, windows, closets and myself again. When Shondra completed the ritual she extinguished the sage smoke via placing the remnants of the two small leaves into a small bowl of sand.
 

Afterwards we journaled what may have been received messages. There seemed to be a sense of release, and calmness about Shondra. I was happy for her as well as myself.

The Lemongrass
 

I asked her what the significance of Lemongrass was within this ritual. She responded with, “For me it helps to improve digestive problems, detoxifies my entire system, chase away sluggishness, stimulates the central nervous system, to develop a sense of self-esteem, confidence, hope, mental strength, and it uplifts spirits and fights depression.” She thusly placed a drop in the palm of her hand, rubbed her hands together then inhaled softly for 30 seconds, the scent in her hands.
 

She began to talk about envisioning successes with her career goals, personal life, a sense of security and wellbeing. Shonda made a decision to get out of her way, allowed a connection with Higher Forces, resulting in tranquility. In witnessing her transformation it was conclusive for me that her faith in the ritual ceremony, and connection to her matrilineal kinship ancestral roots, reestablished Shondra's connection with her Higher Self.


*Real name changed for reasons of personal privacy.

© 2014 Rev. Barbara Williams, M.Msc.
 

Rev. Barbara Williams provides services in the areas of premarital counseling, facilitating addiction workshops aimed at the progressive benefits of holistic counseling, officiating of weddings or civil ceremonies, christenings, baptism’s, baby naming interpretations, home blessings, transitional or home going ceremonies also known as funeral services and the reading of the Tarot. Rev. Barbara Williams currently resides in Poughkeepsie, New York. See the Bio section for more information.

A Class in Life

Consider something way far outside of the lines for a moment.  Clear your mind of all preconceived notions, perceptions and beliefs.  Go back into the imaginary part of your being like that of childhood where imagination was plentiful and so much fun.  Imagine a moment; a time before this life.  Imagine that lives were like a catalog of classes that you wished to take to learn.  So, you visit the grand library in a crystal city far far away outside of time and space and you have your guidance counselors with you knowing your history, the levels of the learning you have achieved so far.  Imagine vast catalogs of potential life classes that you could choose to take.  Imagine selecting one and studying it, spending time contemplating your spirit and your soul and where it needs strength or more experience.  Imagine now selecting a life plan that presents you with all sorts of possibilities to support the life lesson (or class) you wished to choose for incarnation in this realm.

You carefully consider and discuss with your guides the life you have chosen.  You converse with your soul family and decide upon a most opportune course of study in the realm of Earth in this Third-Dimensional existence.  You prepare for the life as you would a college course.  You brush up on the knowledge you’ll need to take with you.  You might study a bit of some of the similar courses you’ve taken (e.g., other lives) that call to you in full remembrance the other lives in which you have previously learned things that might help you in the next class like taking and completing all lower level math classes before ascending into algebra, calculus and then trig.  You brush up and ready yourself to incarnate here on Earth in this dimension through concentrated conscious projection.

The thing about the life or class that you choose is that there must be a premise from which you operate or handicaps of various kinds that will set up for you the most perfect opportunity to truly learn.  Maybe you have to take a life you might from this life consider as difficult as calculus or something like it but although you’ve studied all other forms of math, this time, you don’t get to take your notes or your calculator.  The design of the program you set up with your guides and soul family creates an ample opportunity for you to learn and slowly over time your memories of prior learnings will become reinforced as you live the next life.  Knowing this, you gladly leave those memories behind or the calculator even because you know these things are ingrained within the memories within the archives of your soul.  At the right time and with the right study, the lessons previously learned will represent themselves in new places, faces or times.  So, you come (project your consciousness into Earth) and you grow with a family that helps reinforce the premise or handicap.  I have called this malware but it is not some victimizing thing at all but rather the very thing that helps you learn and reinforce all prior learning when you incarnate.

While projecting your consciousness here in this frame, you remain connected to your spirit back home, your guides and the idea or concept of the lesson plan chosen.  You also carry with you the latent memories within your soul that you can, at the right time, access.  You grow into your life incarnate on Earth and have many experiences that reinforce your learning.  Whatever it is you set out to learn, your life is perfectly designed to bring to you the most opportune events and people to assist you in your learning.  There will be those who share similar lessons or the opposite aspect of what you are learning in terms of other Soul Family who incarnated here with you and together you learn and together you grow.  You continue in this fashion until your spirit has gained all of the knowledge you wished and then it begins to fade its projection in the Third-Dimensional reality.  The vital essence of the body begins to subside, the fullness of your body’s experience appears to deteriorate and you turn gray and begin aging all in perfect time holding all of the new and beautiful lessons you have had the opportunity to learn.  The final day comes and you let go of this projection here and then with a final breath in the manner of your planning and choosing comes and you allow the projection to be turned off. 

You find yourself now in the space between and eventually make your way back to the place you truly started from, Elsewhere.  When you arrive back home you are greeted by guides and loved ones so happy to see you return and so eager to hear how your journey of life went and you celebrate together the things that you learned and you receive encouragement for your efforts and you debrief from the lesson or class just completed.  You rest and recuperate glad you got through it, grateful for the opportunity to learn and then you sit and take it all in with all the other things that you’ve learned.  If more learning is what you most need, you know the way back to the Grand library and can strike out again and may wish to retake portions of your last lesson because you could have done it better or you may wish to assist one of your soul family members who wanted to retest his or her abilities in form.

In contemplating all of the various levels humanity seems to exist within, this idea, this imaginary idea seems to speak to the reason why there are all manner of experiences here…some good and some bad but what if every class isn’t your favorite class?  Sometimes we must take classes we’re not very good at and look around you, some people are not very good at this thing called life and that is really and truly okay because by the very act of them being present here, they learn and as they learn, they expand the collective of knowledge.  Each spirit that projects here to learn adds to the seasoning of the dish or the color of the artwork that is the Whole of our shared Consciousness.  If we can contemplate this view if even for a moment, we can find greater compassion for others here learning instead of raw toxic judgment.  What do you think?

© 2014 JL Harter (photo Google - aetherforce.com)

 Rev. J.L. Harter, PhD, M.Msc., B.Msc., Author, Blogger, and Spiritual Counselor, Editor of the JMCC.  See Bio section for more information.