During a contemplation last week, I realized how fortunate I’ve been to have been surrounded by love my entire life. I took that for granted for most of my life, not realizing how special it was. During this contemplation, I had several revelations I would like to share.
When I met my wife, Nancy, for the first time, I fell instantly in love. At that moment, I realized that I had never been in love before. Real love transcends time, space, and logic. It simply is.
I felt complete. Little did I know at the time that love is never complete. It is constantly expanding. My first realization of this was when our first child was born. When you hold that special soul in your arms, you feel as if your heart could burst. That love continued to expand through the years as we experienced this with two more children.
My point is this. Love is a never-ending journey. Whether we are here in the physical or elsewhere, even if we wanted to, we cannot escape it because everything in existence is sourced from God’s love.
Grief is a love trainer. It’s akin to starting a workout program where your trainer tells you to forget what you think you know and do this instead. Little by little, through the aches and pains, you start to become a new you. You become stronger, more flexible, and can take on new projects you’ve put off for too long. Your world becomes more effortless. You have more energy and a better outlook on life. Your light begins to shine again.
Grief is your spiritual trainer. Not one you chose, but one nonetheless. And like a fitness trainer, it breaks you down before it can build you up. And grief is a trainer you can’t fire. You’re stuck with the task master. You can try to fight it or run from it. None of this will work. If you want to gain all the gifts grief has in store for you, simply immerse yourself in it. Go with the flow. Allow it to ravage you. This is the greatest of grief’s gifts.
It cleanses the soul in preparation for the new life you are about to be born into. A life filled with new adventures and endless possibilities. A life that has been handed to you with blessings from God. The only question that remains is, what will you do with it? It’s entirely in your hands. Make it a miraculous one.
My life has been an orchestra of love Those I’ve loved are the notes I have played I sincerely don’t know what I’ve done To deserve the chance to conduct this heavenly serenade
I‘ve conducted a wonderful symphony of souls All the sharps and flats creating a gravitational mass An inimitable universal love that unfolds A treasure chest of love that I’ve amassed
Sing to me my choir of shining stars That I may sail away upon your wings Let’s erect our personal spiritual alcazar A palace to share our heartstrings
Let me sail away upon your perfect harmony Scaling notes beyond human comprehension As all our love melds with eternity While we entertain each spiritual dimension
We’ve all been there—moments in your life that defy definition. This is one of those moments in my life, and I will attempt to tell this story. Many of you will think it is a tall tale. That’s okay—I’ll let you determine if it is. I firmly believe tall tales are sometimes more real than our supposed reality.
APRIL 8TH, 2024: The total eclipse of the sun…or was it?
I arrived at my girlfriend’s home in Northwest Arkansas on April 7th. We were both excited about viewing the total eclipse for the first time. The sky would be clear for this event. Armed with cheap “special” sunglasses, we ventured out to the front lawn to witness this cosmic event.
She lives in a neighborhood of heavily forested properties. I expect a bear or wolf to attack me every time I visit. I’m only half kidding about that. One never knows what strange creatures are hiding out in these woods. Hmm…I think a new book could be in my future.
The moment the sun disappeared and the day became night, I was out of body, timeless, soaring towards this heavenly display. I was no longer interested in this strange marriage of the sun and moon. Instead, my attention was drawn to Mother Earth. I felt the power of love like never before. In honesty, it was overwhelming.
Then, realizing the gift I was receiving stunned me and shook me to the core. This planet I was observing wasn’t just a big rock with all types of living beings on it. Earth was love. Everything that exists throughout the universes and inner planes is love. All of life is love and was created because God is love. We are love—not these human frames we toy around with in many incarnations until we realize what we are—soul, a co-worker with God.
The subsequent realization blew my mind. God learns from us. He needs us to trip, fall, love, hate, live, and die. Why? Because he learns and grows through our experiences the same way we do—like any good parent who discovers the greater meaning of love through raising children. And like any good parent, God is always there to help.
This gift, granted to me, answered many questions that hounded me for decades. Why is there so much suffering on Earth? Why would a loving God create such an environment?
Because we, as souls, never feel pain, suffering, or loss. We are eternal and have Godlike qualities. But just like a human infant who has no idea it is human, a new soul has no idea it is a child of God. Hence, we need to learn to be love in the harshest of environments. It is a crucial factor required to experience the immensity of love.
Since that day, I’ve contemplated this often. My life has changed in ways I never would have expected. I attract more love by simply being a vehicle for divine love. Like attracts like. I see every obstacle in my life now as an opportunity for spiritual growth, to trust in the process, and, to put it simply, to be more aware. My gratitude for this gift is boundless.
Naiche was a mischievous teen Sewing wild oats while creating a scene To the chagrin of his father, Chief Cochise Cochise determined it was time to intervene
He led the boy to the highest peak of Dził Nchaa Si’an It is time my son for you to comprehend The gifts you’ve failed to apprehend Into the stars, we’ll ascend
Both father and son entered a trance Through the use of the holiest of chants Their spirits soared into the never-ending expanse Every particle of their being was enhanced
The silence between stars surprised Naiche You are greater than the stars, said Cochise As humans we are incomplete As souls, we have a window seat
To Ussen’s magnificent creation To gift you with an undeniable affirmation That we are simply stewards of his heavenly plantation And to immerse ourselves in his spiritual libation
Grieving is Soul at play, or more specifically, soul surfing. As Soul, we ride the waves of grief among its crests and valleys. We immerse ourselves in the thrill of it and rejoice in the immensity of love crashing in upon us. As well as the overwhelming emotional pain that consumes us. We are tossed like ragdolls from our celestial surfboards, gasping for air as we try to survive the pounding surf. All the while learning to let go of fear.
Eventually, we become surfing champions, able to ride the waves to shore. We grow stronger having gained the knowledge and understanding of what love is. It becomes apparent to us we need to pass that love unto others. We all become grief counselors.
Grief is another powerful step for us as souls in becoming spiritual masters. Grief helps us learn the immense power and depth of divine love. It is incumbent upon us to share this knowledge. It is the reason why we exist.
89.9% of humans cry at birth. Noncrying after birth had 100% sensitivity for nonbreathing infants after birth. Taking this into account it is highly prevalent for humans to cry at birth when we survive it.
WHY?
Because the physical is extraordinarily harsh compared to any of the higher planes. What simile could I use to express this? I’ll let you determine this. Think of the happiest, most joyful event in your life. Relish in it. Now do the same for the worst moment in your life. And that is nothing compared to what we experience at birth.
Now there is an important reason for this. The physical plane is where we as souls choose to visit. Why would we do this? There are multiple reasons for this decision. The prime reason is so we can burn off karma quickly, allowing us to attain higher states of consciousness more rapidly. Did you catch that? We made this choice.
Why would we be that stupid?
Because as souls we know this is just an illusion. This life is no different than a child playing with a doll. It doesn’t matter in the least what this physical body does or doesn’t accomplish beyond learning to become a vehicle for divine love. That is why humans struggle throughout their lifetimes. They have forgotten they are souls. A soul brighter than ten thousand suns. A coworker with God.
What happens when we become a vehicle for divine love?
The world becomes a better place. Not that anything changed. You changed. You see love all around you. And everything from the tiniest molecule to the tallest mountain feeds off this divine energy you share without even being aware of it. People smile more when they are with you. They become aware something is happening to them, but they can’t quite explain it. Without their knowledge, they become vehicles for this divine love. They may smile more. Be more loving. Enjoy the simple treasures life on earth has to offer.
Fighting to find fleeting memories Like ghosts, they pervade her dreams They escape when she awakes Leaving her nothing left to claim
Left alone with her imagination Exploring her heart for any inspiration Finding dissatisfaction in every action Desperately seeking a spiritual transaction
Disturbing to her that she received so selfishly Gifts provided prophetically Granted by God for her spiritual benefit She’s become an imperfect perfectionist
Her days of delightfully dancing departed The reward she earned, brokenhearted The days, they fade away In a web of disappointing ways
As a child, I dreamed I wanted to be Superman, The Flash, Spiderman, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Zeus, Davy Crockett, Tarzan, Zorro, Paul McCartney, and others. It is my firm belief that I was not unusual. There is nothing like a child’s imagination when it comes to creating fantasies. Or is there?
Then we leap into the world of teen madness. The Twilight Zone, where children’s dreams go to die. Yes, the brave new world where that horrible word responsibility enters our vocabulary. I am a firm believer that the average life span of a human should be twelve years. Yes. I know. There would be fertility issues.
As a teen, I wanted to be…uh-hmm, hell if I know. Though I was a good athlete, I was not going to get drafted by the Yankees. I was average. I managed to get good grades without trying. I was socially adequate without trying. I found girls attractive. But not enough to have to convince me it was worth the effort. The greatest achievement I attained in high school was having a modicum of success without trying.
Realizing this I began to ask myself challenging questions. What’s the point of all this? Why am I here? What am I missing? It certainly was not love. I lived with and was part of a loving family. I was not destitute. My family was typical middle-class. Back when that meant something. So, I decided to go on a mission in my junior year.
A spiritual exploration. I was raised Catholic even though my parents seldom went to mass. Did I believe Jesus was the Son of God? Well…yes. But no more than any of us. I considered him and his message to be from a highly enlightened soul who chose to be a coworker with God and make the supreme effort to share his spiritual knowledge with the world. Not unlike many such souls that have walked this earth since the beginning of time and continue to this day to work behind the scenes to help us all.
I and a good friend of mine explored Buddhism for some time. I began to see a common thread. Highly evolved souls that incarnate on earth do not seek earthly rewards. If they do attain material riches they are not attached to them. In Buddha’s case, he walked away from great wealth and influence as a prince to live the life of a beggar taking charity from others. This raised an interesting question in my mind. Does one have to give up the pursuit of material things to reach spiritual enlightenment?
Then one day I was in a bookstore exploring the spirituality section and came across a book written by Brad Steiger, In My Soul I Am Free. In it, the author spends many hours with Paul Twitchell who was the modern-day founder of Eckankar. It delves into the life of Paul and discusses in length the teachings of soul travel and so much more. It has come to light through the years that Steiger was being Steiger and some of what he relates in the book is rubbish. But in the end, the result was bringing to light a most important message to the world. We are souls and we don’t have to die to experience it.
I was given a gift that day in 1972. The most precious of gifts. The realization that I am soul. Not that I have a soul. I am soul. Temporarily using this body. This changed my life in so many ways. It began to slowly sink into my thick skull that it was not an accident I happened to be in that bookstore on that day. That my life was about to drastically change. Scary stuff for a nineteen-year-old. Finally, I had something worth trying.
This all led me to my exploratory years. Those young adult years when everything is on the table. College, sex, drugs, alcohol, travel, work. It was a busy, exciting, life-altering, period of my life. During all of this I had read In My Soul I Am Free several times. Each time brought more moments of enlightenment. Was it the book? Or was I awakening to the fact I am soul? Or both? I can’t really say. In the end, it doesn’t matter. It all led to a most amazing life.
A life filled with great love, adventure, misadventures, and a greater understanding as to why I have been so blessed in this life. It really is a simple formula. It goes like this. Love God (by any name). Share God’s love.
In good times and bad times. All the time. Realize you are soul using a body to accelerate your learning curve. We learn the most from the lessons that test us. Each lesson is just a step toward graduation. There are always teachers guiding us, placing us in positions that test our resolve that eventually open us up to greater understanding. Most often we lack the awareness of their most generous guidance.
How does one gain that awareness? Do you remember when you first learned to drive? Your parents or driver-ed teachers guided you and helped you master what would become an amazing world-changing event. Your outlook and understanding of the world around you grew exponentially. You traveled to places you had never been to.
It is no different when traveling the inner worlds. Spiritual guides help us maneuver through amazing, consciousness-raising experiences throughout higher planes that exist for the benefit of our enlightenment. Most often this is done in the dream state. Why do they choose this task? Love. And so one day we may follow in their footsteps.
On earth, as it is in heaven.
So often throughout human history ignorance and misunderstanding of the role these advanced souls play in our journey home have shined a light on the purpose we are all here for. To learn to rise above ignorance, prejudice, and hate. We will continue to return to the physical plane for countless lifetimes until we learn the only lesson worth learning.
LOVE GOD ABOVE ALL ELSE. BE AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHERS TO FOLLOW. THE REWARDS FOR THIS? INDESCRIBABLE SPIRITUAL AWE.
I realize this piece will have different effects on those that read this. I apologize if this article offends you in any way. It is not intended to do so. Things of a spiritual nature always affect others in unique ways. Each of us is on our own personal journey and like the title of this article states you can only be you. And how wonderful is that? The path we walk toward God-realization is uniquely ours. We have eternity to get there.
