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The season is upon us. As the year passes into its last quarter, we start with Halloween, once a celebration of the dead, now a celebration aimed at trivializing death. That’s not a bad thing, as the Monks of old used to keep a skull as a reminder of death. Through its acceptance fear is removed and decisions made are based on things other than fear of death.

Next comes Thanksgiving, let us all be thankful regardless of religion for the abundance we enjoy in this age.

Then come the more notable holy days, Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanza, and Eid ul-Adha. Oh there are many more I have not mentioned, forgive me if I left your favorite out, but here is my point: celebrate love, celebrate abundance, and celebrate the love of the Creator for his creation. Focus on love not fear, giving not taking, and peace not hate. Blessings to you all and I hope this newsletter serves you.

It has been a wonderful year for Jeffrey and I. This year has been a year of change and growth in so many ways. Jeffrey's job has been very rewarding in the way of learning and also utilizing his writing talents. For me, it has been a year of rest with enjoying a little more time off and some traveling to see loved ones that I hadn't seen in a while. I intend to do more of the same and start teaching again in the coming year.

We have just recently visited our daughter, Ashlee and grandson, Austyn. They moved to Vacaville, CA and both of them seem to be adjusting nicely with a lot more opportunity for growth. Ashlee started working right away and Austyn loves the daycare sitter. It is only a 6 hour drive for us instead of 9 hours. We really look forward to spending more time with them.

The Holidays can be fun for many people and at the same time it can also be full of expectations ending in resentment. It shows us what is truly important in our own lives and teaches us how to set boundaries for ourselves and others..

Through millions of millennia on your planet, history has repeated itself over and over again. We see the fear that arises and the resentment of the decades in establishing control over belief systems.

Do you not see your part in the world dynamics? Judgment reins freely in your world and creates much havoc within the masses. Your world will always mirror what it yields energetically.

Many are rising so their voices may be heard within families, communities and nations. Do you want your voice to be heard through trepidation or compassion? What we wish for you to understand is that when light beckons change, darkness rises and releases to create balance. This is a Universal process.

Displacing blame creates more of what you are not wanting. Could you not see these changes as a rise in consciousness and leading your way towards peace in which you ultimately desire? Violence is fears outward expression. As the energies of fears rise in each and every one of you violence appears planetary and manifests itself in a multitude of events.

It is a time of internal cleansing for all inhabitants of your earth and the planet itself. Self reflection will manifest in your daily lives to emphasize and encourage releasing old patterns and behaviors that no longer benefit the whole. Resistance creates struggle and will intensify until you set yourself free from the very fibers of self loathing.

As the cleansing process continues, that which is not peaceful will rise to the surface and be released. We ask you, "Are the wars not truly within?"

Franklin Roosevelt During his 1933 inaugural address said “ So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself...”

This was during the great depression, an apt metaphor for the emotional state I see our nation in today.

It saddens me to hear my friends, loving intelligent people, attacking the commander and chief of our nation with terms like I hate him, and he is an idiot. If a Harvard business grad even though he is not a Valedictorian, is an idiot, and if an idiot can become the most powerful man in the world, then humanity is doomed, and I simply don’t buy that.

The more likely truth is people are enraged, and so powerful is their feeling that they are irrationally lashing out. That phenomenon dear ones is fear at work.

You might look back to newsletters past. I mentioned some time ago that there was a growing polarization occurring. That the extremes were expressing themselves more vocally and in some cases more violently then ever, and that the trend would continue.

Many of us (I among them) have prayed and participated in the meditations for peace and prayers for peace and the hope that we could spontaneously lift the vibration of the planet and its people to grow beyond the need for war. But in my study of spiritual science I have learned that you can use one Universal law to change a circumstance caused by another, but there are some things you simply can not affect. While you can influence others by subtle manipulation of energy, you can not usurp another’s free will. Also you must look at the balance of energy, the bigger the hole the more it takes to fill it. The darker the room the more light you need to make things clear.

So long as a large part of the world values life so poorly, and preaches hate, things will continue, until the extremes can be shown where the error of their thinking lies. This is a process of education and it will take time.

We can not practice love when we are coming from hate. We owe it to ourselves and to the future to defend ourselves, but that said, we can still minimize the negative effects of the violence put before us.

I will tell you now that I believe the war in Iraq is required, on a spiritual level. War is not glorious, but it brings on great lessons about beliefs and principles. If war was easy for us (as it still appears to be for some humans), if it failed to shake us up and make us reevaluate our beliefs, if it failed to bring to the surface the hidden prejudices, then I would have no hope for this race. But war brings to the surface all the demons of fear.

It is easy to think and feel spiritual in a monastery or ashram. It is harder in the real world and even harder still when you feel threatened and vulnerable.

Times like these can be even harder on spiritual seekers who reject the dogmas of organized religion, and with that, lose the comfort of blind faith. It is easier by far to hold onto a faith that you haven’t really questioned and to find strength in that faith. But for those of us who have long questioned everything, there is not that comfort of sweet innocence, that says our way is just the right way and God is on our side.

Now please don’t fault or blame, or rage against those that feel that way. They are on thier own path with their own lessons. Beware declaring anyone a fool for their particular belief. It is just such arrogance we must all over come, within ourselves first.

For some of the extremists, the only way to see the error of their belief that "God is on our side" in war is to be so thoroughly beaten, not by an adversary, but by the pain of war itself, that they hunger for peace. It is a lesson they must learn, and we all must learn to move ahead.

Have faith, that there is a Divine plan, that good ultimately will prevail though the road may be a long one. Know that you are making a difference. Every time we stop ranting, about immigration, about war, about oil, about greed and about… our fears, we stop that energy from propagating. Every time we listen and understand the fear in others, we offer hope for healing. Every time we calmly, gently and confidently say to the ranting human, “Yes, but I still have hope”, you do the most basic of alchemy. You transmute the energy of the moment and interrupt the cycle of fear. Fearful people are not calmed by debate, they are calmed by calm, non-threatening people who set the example. Yes, you can still challenge things you do not believe in, but ask yourself; “is this really the best way to do this?” If you are a confrontational person, then expect it back. But please don’t be surprised if you confront with anger and anger is returned, it is Universal law.

One of the greatest lessons of this incarnation on this plane is how to integrate emotion. It is no accident that some of the greatest spiritual teachers were calm and warm, but their passion was controlled. Consider Jesus, Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama.

Diane was quite a skeptic. The following is her account of one of the transitional experiences that opened her eyes to the spirit world, and the door to her new life.

In the small town of Soap Lake Washington, Diane’s mother, Dorothy suffered for 18 months with a brain tumor. Diane’s past with her mom and step-dad was filled with the wounds of alcoholism and abuse, but Diane put all that aside to help her stepfather, Harold, take care of Dorothy. The rest is Diane’s account.

I had just finished the bulk of my work when I got an icky feeling in the pit of my stomach. I reached for the phone and called to talk with my mother, Dorothy. She was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1986, also having a couple strokes and now in a wheel chair due to paralysis on her right-hand side. Her husband, Harold, answered the phone.

Harold told me, “Your mother dropped a cigarette on herself about a week ago. I was sleeping on the couch and, when I woke up, she and the curtains were on fire.”

I was extremely upset; Harold and Mom had owned a tavern for 17 years and, since her illness, he had been known to leave her at home alone and go sit in a bar.

I rounded up a baby-sitter for my daughter, Ashlee, who was 2, and headed out of town. The 2-½ hour drive seemed to take forever and my worst fears were about to be challenged. When I arrived at their house, I could smell burnt flesh outside. I prepared myself for what I was about to see and stepped through the door. Mom was sitting at the table and she was unable to talk. She was burnt from the middle of her chest, up the right side of her face and head. Her skin looked like leather and was quite scabbed over. “Harold, I’m taking Mom home with me and taking her to the hospital.” Without hesitation, he packed some of her things for the trip and we left.

“Mom, I don’t know what happened to you, but we are going directly to the hospital so that the doctors can take a look at the burns.” She was not fond of hospitals after her brain surgery, and I am sure the chemo and radiation treatments didn’t help.

We reached the hospital and they called the burn specialist in from home around 11:00pm. He looked at my mother and pulled me out into the hall, “Why hasn’t she been to a doctor before now? Her burns are severe and this will be much more painful for her than if you would have brought her in earlier!” I explained what I knew. With a tone of admonition he said, “We will proceed with the scrub-down process and get her set up for skin grafts.”

At this point, I was unable to hold my tears back and with compassion he said, “It’ll be all right, we’ll take good care of her.”

He left and I informed Mom that she would be admitted into the hospital. She started crying and shaking her head no. “Mom, the burns can get infected easily and these people know what to do, I don’t.” She turned her head away from me as the interns came in taking her to begin the scrub-down process.

I was allowed to go with them and comfort Mom while they worked on her. No matter how gentle they were, it was still excruciating. Mom wasn’t one to complain, but you could see it in her eyes. It seemed to take forever, but finally we went to her room where she rested and I could stay for as long as I wanted. Both exhausted, I lay down beside her and we quietly watched TV.

I called my brother, Roger, and told him what had happened asking him if he would come over. He said, “Why? She wasn’t there for us, why should I be there for her!” Then he hung up. My mother knew…she just rolled over and I walked out of the room. She stayed in the hospital for 5 days before Harold came to get her.

A few weeks after she returned home, Mom went into a coma so Harold had hospice nurses coming to stay with her. She was still in a coma when I drove over to see her. After reading to her for a little while I put the book down and said, “Mom, I know this may sound strange, but some people have said that their loved ones visited them after they had passed on and I would really like it if you would visit me. I won’t be scared.” I could tell by her eyes that she heard what I had said. It was Sunday, so later that evening I headed for home.

The following week Harold told me that Mom came ut of her coma, sitting straight up in bed with arms outstretched yelling for Erma to come back. Erma was Mom’s friend and neighbor, who had passed on 3 months earlier. Since Mom had regained consciousness, she was not talking and she slept most of the time. Again, I felt this icky feeling in the pit of my stomach and decided to leave work and go see Mom. Before I left work a friend brought me a book called “Life after Life”. I read 25 pages while driving to her house. I had never done this before nor have I made a practice of it since. When I arrived, I shared the stories of near death experiences with Mom. They were very positive and uplifting… she seemed to enjoy them.

That night I gave her water before going to bed and she stopped breathing. “Mom, please don’t go yet, I am not ready!” I said, my voice cracking.

Her eyes were filled with fear and without any words being said, I heard, “I’m drowning.” I sat her up so that her airway would clear and she began to cough and breath again. I had a feeling that the struggles my Mom and I had been through for the last 18 months were almost over. I slept with her that evening, hoping that it would make her transition easier. Mom starred at one focal point throughout the night, her face was pail and clammy and her labored breaths had what some people call a death rattle.

At 2:00am I got up and went around the bed to sit by her side. “Mom, you know that Roger can’t be here right now and he does love you, he’s just having a hard time with all of this. I’m going to pray that God take you home now.” I prayed for about 20 minutes, then got back into bed and fell asleep.

At 6:00am, I found myself on my feet walking around the bed to my mother’s side as she was taking her last 3 breaths. I could feel her presence around me quite strongly, it was really overwhelming. I felt Erma in the room and asked Mom to go with her as she would show her the way home. Within about 5 minutes, I felt a sense of relief and could breath clearly again as she left.

About 3 weeks after my mother passed on, I met a wonderful gentleman by the name of Jeffrey, whom I married in 1990. Yet, even though we had a wonderful relationship, I was becoming more depressed as each year went by. I had not truly grieved the loss of my mother. Finally, I reached a point of total exhaustion where for 3 days, I released years of pent up emotions. I cried myself to sleep, wondering where Mom was, if she was all right, and if I could just see her one more time.

Around 2:00am of the third night, I felt something kiss my mouth, and I started petting it, thinking, “Oh, it needs love.” As I was slowly waking out of my dazed sleep, I realized that whatever I was touching was small and furry and crawling its way down along my leg. A little bit panicked, I asked Jeffrey to grab the flashlight from the nightstand. As he shined the light on this furry little animal, we were amazed. It was my daughter’s hamster, Rowdy. It struck us a little odd that Rowdy would get out of his cage, which was sitting on my daughter’s dresser, and come clear across the house to get up on our bed and not hide at the first place he came to. We put him back in his cage and giggled at the unusual event, then we went back to bed.

I awoke in the morning to two spheres of light bringing me back, from where I don’t know. I knew instinctively that one was my mother and the other was her angel. Mom told me that she was moving on and that everything would be all right. It was such a profound moment. I felt such inner peace and my questions had been answered in a way that I never thought possible. She really was alive, more than she had ever been on this earth and for the first time, she was at peace and so was I.

This experience changed my life forever. I thank my mother for that visit, which taught me that life is truly eternal, and that with an open heart anything is possible.

On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to stash the

quarters in her room. "I'll be right back and we'll go to eat," she told her husband and carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator.

As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two black men already aboard. One of them was big... very big and an intimidating figure. The woman froze. Her first thought was: these two are going to rob me. Her next thought was: Don't be a bigot, they look like perfectly nice gentlemen. She stood and stared at the two men.

She felt anxious, flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn't read her mind - but God, they had to know what she was thinking! Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too obvious now. Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the other foot until she was on the elevator.

Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every pore. Then one of the men said, "Hit the floor." Instinct told her to do what they told her. The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed. More seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button." The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh.

The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket. When the elevator arrived at her floor they insisted on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor. At her door they bid her a good evening. As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the elevator.

The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses. Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill. The card said: "Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years."

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