Are we above the law?

These are two questions that have been going through my mind this morning and they have become real questions. How many people in this world believe that they are above the law? It is obvious to me that there are a lot. You ask how I can say such things for there are a lot more who are honest and upright in their dealings with other people. Laws are written for our benefit. They are written to give us a means of knowing where we stand in relationship to each other. In reality, laws are not, nor have they ever been required. But, because man cannot control himself, laws are necessary. If we believe that we don't have to abide by human made laws, what about the natural laws that are God's laws?

There are a number of people in my life who have said to me “I don’t accept your credentials, your ordination or believe that you have done the work that was necessary for you to receive a college, university or have done the work that has lead to a PhD degree. In fact, they say, “that they don't believe that I went to University in the first place.” They think that all I have claimed is nothing more than illusion. The laws of the state or country I live in, or lived in, have made laws that permit colleges, universities and seminaries to issued degrees to students that are recognized by every other state, province and country in the world. Who or what gives some people the right not to accept what the law has deemed as proof of study and experience?

It is not a question of whether or not a person can prove that they have done the work; it is the fact that it is believe that some people are above the law and will not accept the truth. I have found that in my life that there are far too many people who have the same kind of thinking that I have described above. The real question is why? Why can’t the truth be accepted?

Friends, you and I are not above the law. When a college, university or seminary issues a degree, honorary or not, we must accept the truth. We must accept that the person did do the work necessary and is well qualified for the degree(s) they received.

When an ordained minister ordains a person, people should accept the person’s ordination without question. If the government of a state, province or country have made laws that give a college or university the right to issue degrees, or an ordained minister the right to ordain a person who are we to question them?

I have gone on about whether we are above the law because I want all of us to take personal responsibility and to accept truth as it is/was given to us. To believe that not all people make claims that is a total fabrication. There are natural laws that govern us and guarantee that we can never get away with any errors in judgment in this - physical world. We are accountable for every decision and act in our lives. We make errors in judgment, and we must be willing to make amends for them, here, or we will make amends in the here after.

I am also thinking about all the people who have never gone to college or university; people who have dropped out of school before completing the fifth grade. I also wonder about those people who totally disregard and belittle the work and experience of those people. Those people have gained experience in life that is far greater than all the degrees in the world. [The school of hard knocks.] The question becomes, who are we to judge other people’s education and life experiences?

Folks, we have a decision to make, and that decision is about whether we are to be a little more trusting and caring of others. To live within the law and believe that laws are made for us, not against us. We need to give others the benefit of the doubt and accept them as who they are, and that they have done the work they have claimed.

Tolerance

Being tolerant of other is not an easy task. Intolerance is a plague on humanity. No one is free from it. We all partake of intolerance at one time or another, and there are natural laws that apply to intolerance that should make us sit up and take notice of our actions. One natural Law is the Law of Cause and Effect, another is what you sow, you reap.

If you sow intolerance, you will reap intolerance. If you sow hatred, you will reap hatred. If you kill, you will be killed. If you think that you got away with dishonest illegal actions and you have fooled a lot of people, you didn’t. You will reap the consequences in one way or another.

Intolerant acts cause a great deal of heartache and suffering that has lead to drug use, alcoholism, wars and suicide. You may say that intolerance is OK at times. It is only a response to other people’s action or fear. Oh?

Intolerance generates negative karma. Karma is the effects of a person's actions that determine their fate in this life and the next incarnation.

Even ministers have to deal with intolerance in their life. They are supposed to tolerate the actions of others even if they believe that those actions are “stupid”.

Intolerance in this world is what causes all of the problems. Religious intolerance is one of the greatest.

What about a nation’s intolerant of their neighbor, just because of difference in language, a different culture, or arguing over a few feet of their national borders?

Is there anyone who can provide the answers to all of the intolerance in this world? Well, maybe one and you can guess who it is - yes its God. But is God a human being? If God is would He be able to put up with all of the intolerance of His people?

No human on this earth can put up with intolerance. We are taught from birth that we are somebody and we MUST defend who we are. And it doesn’t matter who the other guy is. Sound familiar?

I hope that you are better able to tolerate others. And I would like to have you think about just how much others affect you in your daily life and whether or not you’re able to live a life of tolerance. It’s our personal responsibility to do so.

The Law of Personal Responsibility

The Law of Personal Responsibility is a primary natural law that can guide us on our spiritual path.

Accepting the law of personal responsibility wipes out self-pity, resignation, passive endurance, smoldering resentments against the injustices of life, and the masochistic game of harping on one's case against life.

Yet this apparently hard law is the most hopeful, encouraging, liberating, and strengthening truth of all truths. It enables us to resolve whatever problem we may have. It opens up life with all its rich possibilities. It forces us to see things in their true light and, uncomfortable as this may first seem, it leaves us with a lot more self-respect, integrity, and hope than the helpless resignation to circumstances life is supposed to bring about without us doing. It makes defeat unnecessary because it also removes, among other things, your childish illusion of omnipotence, which is just as unrealistic as the illusion of being life's passive victim. Accepting our own limitations and the limitations of others increases our power to direct our life meaningfully.

The law of personal responsibility is the guiding principle in the search for the root of our obstructions. Contemplating the fulfillment or the lack of it in our life gives us a blueprint of the areas where an inner corresponding attitude is responsible for either. This approach is diametrically opposed to the usual way, but it is indeed a reliable and truthful one that must always lead to results, provided we go deeply enough and are truly honest in the endeavor.

Whenever we arrive at a juncture on the path from which there seems no way out, or where we cannot see how to change, how to resolve the problem, we can be quite sure that we have not yet found an important tool to unlock the door, no matter how profound previous insights and changes may have been. A total insight always shows the way out. Thus, recognitions can be differentiated. Are they of the kind mentioned here? Or are they merely leading to them? The former always give a sense of joy, liberation, hope, strength and light. They infuse new energy into our system. The latter may have a temporarily debilitating effect on the personality. The former enable us to recognize the most unflattering facts about ourselves without in the least diminishing our sense of worth and integrity -- on the contrary, this sense increases. The latter type burdens the insight with guilt.

When we have experienced the difference between these two types of recognition, we can protect ourselves from hopelessness, or at least realize that the hopelessness is in itself a sign that the way out has not yet been found. Rather than weakening us, the hopelessness can then be an incentive to surge on with all our vigor until the real way is open.

When we finally see that an unfulfilled longing or painful conflict of long standing is the result of an inner attitude with concomitant behavior patterns, we are no longer a helpless tool in the hand of fate. If such an attitude is completely seen, observed in action, and accepted for what it is, we may still be unwilling to give it up -- for whatever reasons and misconceptions -- but at least we see a vitally important connection between our inner life and the outer manifestations of it. It is then possible to embark on a special search for the reason why we so stubbornly hold on to a destructive attitude.

Lessons ?

Hello all:

Like so many people, I have attended many different denominational churches in my life, setting through sermons that were, for the most part, uplifting and inspirational. When I have talked to the minister later on, they told me that they believed that their sermons had their origin in God. Sermons on friendship, pride, the Ten Commandments, the Pauline Epistles, life situations in general or just lessons that the minister believed he/she were inspired to give.

The majority of those ministers used Bible verses to emphasis their sermons. They took verses from both the Old and New Testaments and often combining them to get their point across. They took lesson from their own life, their family, and the life of men and women they have known or from the lives of historical people. They took lessons from men who fought in the various wars and conflicts in the world. Those ministers took the time to prepare a sermon that they believed that their congregation needed to here. Sermons on subjects that were impressed upon them by God or the Holy Spirit from the writings of various philosophers and men of high education like Aristotle, Plato, Einstein and others.

Some ministers have said that they had prepared a sermon on one subject, only to be impressed to talk on another subject at the last minute. The wording of their sermon they believed was from God. They truly believed that they were being taken over by God to deliver a sermon that was needed by someone on that particular Sunday morning or maybe several people in the congregation.

You may have read some of the articles on this blog that have reminded you of a sermon that you have heard, and believed that they are directed directly at you. If so, then they have done their job to remind you of something in your life at that time, or to get you to think and spur you into action to do something about a possible problem in your life, or personality. The subject of the article may help all of us stay on our spiritual path.

God bless

Pride

Pride can be a terrible thing. It destroys friendships, breaks up families, and causes strife between people and even cause’s people and countries to go to war with each other. Pride has been known to breaks up villages and towns and even churches into various factions. Pride can over power a person's sense of right?

In the Bible book of Proverbs, chapter 13 verse 10 it says “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom”. Webster’s Dictionary describes contention as “A contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement.” This statement says to me that if a person says something that is taken by another person as being contentious, a problem will be generated, and the problem is often just misunderstanding. The person may not have intended to express a contentious attitude but the other person took it that way, and this is where both people have to get together and sort things out.

If an apology is in order, then it must be made, even if one of the two people doesn’t believe that one is necessary, the other one does. What does it take for a person to apologize even if they believe they did nothing wrong? Just few words! Just a few words, that melts away the problem and sets things right. Or the individuals involve need to talk so that the misunderstanding can be resolved once and for all. Both individuals must be willing to do this whether an apology is made or not. The friendship has been saved and everyone is happy.

However, some people do live by their pride, and takes everything that happens in their life all wrong. They may not see it that way, but that is the way things are for them. We are not to judge others, but to always give others the benefit of any doubt. Prideful people have to eventually come to terms with their problem, and change their way of thinking so that they don’t suffer the consequences, which can mean being an outcast in midst of a crowd.

I have known several people in my life that have been so prideful that they find fault with every one they come in contact with. These people, when we first meet them, are some of the most delightful people you could ever meet, and then look out, they find all your faults and make sure that everyone else who know you and them learn of your faults. I always ask why. I really don’t understand people like these, except, maybe they are here to point out our faults and push us to make changes that we need to make.

A little pride is important in us for it gives us pride in a job well done, especially to perform at our jobs with the highest degree of perfection. This makes for a company product that makes sales and keeps us working. So there is nothing wrong in having pride in a job well done.

There are many people who give of their time, money and talents to help other people in what ever capacity that they believe they are needed. Pride when used properly can make the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, sloppy and perfect, etc. Pride is described as:

• A feeling of self-respect and personal worth [A good thing]
• Satisfaction with your (or another's) achievements
• They seem to have a trait of being spurred on by a dislike of falling below their standards
• Unreasonable and inordinate self-esteem

What is a person to do?

I suggest that the person:

• Take a minute to think about your relationship to others and what it has done for your friendships(s)
• take a minute and think about your and their way of thinking try to look at other people with a little respect
• try to over look other people’s short comings
• try to see the good in everything and every body
• be ready to apologize for any kind of misunderstanding whether real or imaginary; whether on your part or the part of the other person
• And forgive your self and the other person
• When told that you are wrong, think about it and be ready to make things right, whether you believe it or not


Pride does not have to destroy friendships, breaks up families, and causes strife between people and even cause’s people and countries to go to war with each other. Pride doesn’t have to breaks up villages and towns and even churches into various factions. Pride, proper expressed, is a good thing.

Compassion

Compassion is described in Webster’s Dictionary as: 1. A deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering, 2. The humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it.

No other person in history has had more compassion for others than Jesus the Christ. He never judged anyone. It was his purpose in life to prove to humanity that God is a God of love. Jesus even sat and eat with publicans and sinners. In Math 9:10 “And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples”. [Publicans are defined by Webster as 1. The keeper of a public house, (A tavern consisting of a building with a bar and public rooms; often provides light meals.)]

We as Christians and/or Spiritualists are supposed to be compassionate towards one another, which is in direct relationship to our principles. We believe in the brotherhood of man. This tells us that we are no different than any other person on earth. We cry, we eat, we sleep, we work, we play, we get angry, we fight verbally and physically, and then we die.

We are even taught by our parents to be compassionate towards others. We are not to fight over meaningless things, verbally or physically when additional civil conversation can bring about clarity and understanding.

We are to love one another as God love us (John 13:34). When we look at the words of Jesus we understand that we are indeed to be compassionate and loving towards others. But someone said “but we are only human” and being human the word compassion is rarely used or thought about – but we all know about it. There are consequences to not being compassionate. If we have no compassion, the judge will reward us by placing us behind bar for the rest of our life.

It is not a question of whether we believe that the Bible teaches us how to be compassionate and loving people? Loving and generous and being responsible for our daily actions and decisions – part of our responsibility.

Do we fear that if we read and study the Bible that we will succumb to its teachings? Will we have to admit that we are sinners – and not compassionate people? Do we believe that we inherited the original sin of Adam and Eve through just being human? Few of us, if any of us rally think about these things.

Most people on earth don’t accept the Bible or its teachings. Other people may have their own way of worshiping God and they don’t want anyone telling them that they are wrong in their beliefs and the way that they worshiping God. They don’t want anyone telling them that they must set aside their beliefs and accept the teachings of some other religion.

Some people may even believe that all “Christians” are among the most finical people on earth. When Christians read the Bible, they believe that they are reading the absolute word of God and every word in the Bible is absolute truth. They really believe in the teachings of their minister and the creeds and dogmas of their church. They will often tell you that God, and the Bible has saved them from a life of crime and drugs.

What these people are saying may be absolutely true for them. We just don’t know anything about their life. They could have been raised in the slums of New York City or Toronto, L.A. or Chicago. Or raised in an extremely poor family where they had to fight every day of their life, just to survive. Who are we to judge them? We, as Christians and/or Spiritualists, are taught to be compassionate toward these people, our brothers and sisters. Working together to help the poor and infirm, too achieve a little wealth and prosperity in their lives. We are here to learn and to grow spiritually working for spiritual enlightenment; working our way back to the presents of God, the Source of all Creation, Infinite Intelligence.

We are all generally hear to live a life that is disciplined and compassionate, that we do practice our principles of Spiritualism and the Laws of Nature – which are God’s Laws. Why, is it only because we are caught in the web of human life?

We look at others as a contrast between what we are and what we want or don’t want to be. If another person does not do the kinds of things in their life that we believe in, we are not to go about, gently or even harshly, to try and change them.

As I have thought about this word compassion and the Bible, I thought about the story that Jesus told about a man who was traveling to a remote city. The man had to pass through a very dangerous area along the way where the chances of him being molested were very high. As the story goes, the man was beaten and robed by bandits, and left on the roadside to die. It was only after a kind and compassionate man, who was passing along the way, stopped to help the dying man. How many of us would do the same? How many of us would have the compassion to stop and help another person – even on the streets in the slums of New York City? Or would we pass them by with the belief that some one else would help them because we fear for our own lives? We may not even care because it is not someone we know who was injured, or even a friend or family member. Where is our compassion?

The Bible and its teachings have provided us with the meaning of compassion and how we are to live in brotherly love one with another.

Life

I am often asked “why God allows us, to do the things we do to each other?” I look at the person who is asking me the question and I asked them what they are talking about. They say that they are talking about all the wars and all the killing that goes on, and the huge number of people dying each day from accidents, cancer and other diseases, and even the challenges of just living a “normal” life? I am asked about the children “why do they have to die so young?

As I think about how to answer the questions above, I can’t help thinking about the words of Shakespeare who said, “the world is a stage, and we are the actors.”

If we accept Shakespeare’s words as having some kind of truth to them, then the answer to the questions about why all the ups and downs in our lives, and why so many are dying is answered. You and I are here to play our part and when it’s time for us to leave the stage, we do. It doesn’t matter how young or how old we are or whether we are healthy or sick we have done our part and it’s time for us to leave – stage right. When you think of life in this way, it makes greater sense about the happenings in our life, and we are able to take a more enlightened look at our life and our place on the stage of life.

You may ask about the Hitler’s, Casers and dictators who have ordered so many people to be killed. But they are here to play their part even if that part is to bring chaos and strife into a world that is struggling to be at peace. Why? Their part is to show humanity a contrast between what is and what can be – good verses evil. To bring the human race to a point of knowledge that will, one day, produce peace and harmony by showing humanity that there is another way – and it is not their way. Their part was to remind us that history repeats itself, and that we are the only ones who can break the ever changing repetition.

Then you may ask why did he/she have to die so young? Why from such a terrible illness? Why, for no apparent reason? Why was that child allowed to get so close to the water that they fell in and drowned? Why did that child get away from its mother hand and run out into the street to be hit by a car? Or simply got sick one day and died. Again, we have entered this world to play out our part on the stage. We have given of ourselves to our loved ones; to the hundreds of people who have known us, to history, to those who care for our physical and emotional well being. Even the doctors and nurses who have taken care of us during our illness play their part in the care of the sick that needed their expertise. But! But! You say. It seems that we still don’t understand the why.

I cannot give you an answer that will satisfy you completely; but to say that we are here to do our part. We may be on stage as a prop attendant to make sure that the actors have the proper back drop for them to play their part as a military man, a doctor, lawyer, mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, street cleaner, janitor, sick child or even a sick elder, etc. etc.

We are indeed here to play our part on the stage of life until we are ready to leave.

Life as it Could Be

As I search through the experiences of my life, I come upon a number of joyful time, problems and contradictions. In this life I have experienced the same things that so many other people have. It is true – what we sow we reap. There is no way to think of it not being that way.

In Richard Rowley’s articles on the SpiritualismList@yahoo.com, I can help thinking more and more each day about how a person’s life now affects us when they die. In the series of articles, Richard is continuing to write about, the old woman (lady) who was in Limbo is now in a higher spirit world where she has been able to deal with the affects of “her critical and unloving and cruelty in herself and the satisfaction she had when she made others squirm”. “She consciously would not admit to all she had done”. As she says, “I thought I was ill-used, that fate was loaded to be just, through service. I could not see”. Because she could not see what she had done to others during her physical life, she had to experience the things that she made others experience by her hand”. As the woman, Helen, who talked to the lady about her physical life, the lady began to realize why it was that she was in that “Limbo” place. The lady began to understand her predicament she was able to make the appropriate changes to her way of thinking. Individuals from the higher spirit world helped her to get out of that Limbo place and get on with her life.

You may ask what does this have to do with me. Well, it has all to do with you/me. Helen told the lady that, “repentance has always been the way to Heaven." Better by far that repentance and the new birth should come to us before our release from the world of matter.” As long as we understand that there is no such thing as death, we have time to make correction in our way of thinking, our action towards others and to learn how to be a loving, respectful and joyful person. We only need to take personal responsibility for all we do in this life.

Why should we have to wait until we leave this world to understand this? If we practice love and compassion towards other people in this world, we will go to the higher spirit world light when we leave this earth plane.

It would certainly be good if the politicians, who govern the countries of our birth, to learn the facts expressed so far in this article. Maybe, we would have the health services, homes for the aged, clean water, proper disposable of discarded material - thing that we accumulate in our lives, and the production of transportation systems that are environmentally compatible, non-smog producing, and clean up the air we breathe, repair the ozone layer; what a beautiful world this would be.

I look forward to a “Star Tract” type of society where true “communism or true democracy” is at its best – all people have what they need through their contributions to society, not from handouts and forced labor by governments and industry. This means that all humans are considered equal. The almighty dollar and “capitalism” is non-existent, and each person has what they need with a simple request from a machine – a replicator. In a Star Tract society, all human beings work toward personal self worth through their studies in school, and the work they perform each day. A society, where the individual can participate and contribute to the well being of all and that all is appreciated.

I think that when a person leaves his/her physical life, in a Star Tract society, they will all go to the highest spirit world, and maybe not have a need to return to this world. We don’t need a world of physical and emotional suffering only to die under the most horrible of circumstances.

Life and the Limbo Planes

In the past, I have written about life, and what it means to me and how my life may affect others. I find that it doesn't matter what I think or do, others have their own ideas that don't necessarily agree with mine. That's Ok, for we all have total freedom of choice. Freedom of choice reminded me of an article I read by Richard Rowley.

It was an article that Richard had placed on the internet site spiritualismlist@yahoo.com about the after-life place called "limbo". I learned that it doesn't matter whether a person lives a really loving unselfish, non-self-centered life, here in this physical world, and whether they think more about others than themselves, or whether they are a total …., all will go to a spirit world that is conducive to their personality. Jesus said, “In my father’s house are many mansions.”

In the article, limbo is described as a gray lifeless place in the low astral regions (spirit world) that is extremely depressing and lonely. It doesn't seem to matter whether other people are living there also, “a person feels alone with themselves” and are not able to communicate with the others – the others just don’t want to communicate with them. The low astral regions are where some people (knowing it or not) who have, "starved their soul (self centeredness) while living in the earth plane and feeding on the EMOTIONS and DESIRES of their own personality.”

We take into the “after-life” the same emotions, desires and personality that we have in our physical life. However, not all is lost. More advanced people from the higher spirit worlds go into the grey limbo lands to try and convince those who are there to take charge of their life (change their way of thinking) through understanding themselves and their relationship to other people. The person there has to correct their wrong way of thinking by recognizing it for what it is, and to become loving, thoughtful and forgiving.

The best thing that a person can do while in the earth plane, is to become a loving, out-going person who takes personal responsibility for their emotions, desires and relationship with others in order to go to the higher astral world (spirit world) of light after the change called death.

As I continued to read the article, I realized that it doesn't matter what a person is like in their earth plane life, they will reap what they sow and get their just reward. So what does it matter whether we treat others with a total lack of respect, talk about them behind their back, belittling them, and making them out to be something their not. What you sow, you reap. This says that you haven't taken responsibility for your actions here, so you will have to make amends on the other side of physical life. If you think that I'm being a little too strong in what I have just written, maybe it is true for you and you need to think about it.

We all have to take personal responsibility for our action, emotions, desires and thoughts while here in this physical world; even though it is never an easy job for us. We have to first recognize that we have a problem, and then search through our lives to learn about the source of the problem, and then take the right actions to correct the problem and thus ourselves. If the correct action means that we have to forgive someone like our father or mother, brother, sister or a person we once called a friend, then we must do it. Waiting until we get on the other side is no excuse to procrastinate. The sooner we take care of our problems the better and the possibility of keep our friends.

I realize that most problems come about due to misunderstandings of some kind, which are most often due to pride or not hearing the person correctly due to our internal dialog that distracted us at the time. Or, not really understanding where the other "person was coming from". It may have been a poor choice of words by our self or the other person. It may have been our not asking for more information or saying that we understood this or that, and we needed greater clarification. If you didn't think to give them a chance to explain, then you are totally in the wrong and must make the appropriate corrections.

This article was written to all of us, especially me, to try and get us to think a little. Maybe we can save our friends and ourselves a lot of problems later on.

Healing

Kenneth L. Dennis PhD. Has written an essay on Lesson 18 of my course in Modern Spiritualism that I would like to share with you, my readers. The essay is as follows:

This lesson covers the history Spiritual Healing. Spiritual Healing comes from Infinite Intelligence or God. There is a subtle dance between the Healer and Spirit working together to produce a healing outcome in a person. The connection between the Healer and God (attunes) is the crucial component of the healing process. God produces healing, but those that do not accept the existence of a divine presence may still be able to go through the motions of healing. Without Spirituality, such activity would be only a basis for a bad movie or a lifetime income from television. Of course, the greatest source of spiritual healing comes from the person receiving the healing. We often look at the Healer without that important component of, “I will do my part.”

Many people have become excited with the various forms of Reki. This appears to be a good healing method with a strong historical foundation. Healers can move up the levels of certification with books and computerized instruction. At the top level of Reki Master, a Healer needs personal training. We all want our approaches to become popular, and Reki (in its various flavors) has become very popular. This popularity has become a problem. When a Respondent tells me that the rank of Reki Master has been obtained, a serious pathology (paranoia and other delusions) is anticipated. The open entry of Reki has produced a huge base of people that desire to help people and make money. Unfortunately, the screening process has not prevented actively psychotic Respondents from becoming Reki Masters certifying other Reki Masters. This is a sad distortion of a good healing method that does not seem correctable at this point.

It is not surprising that healing can be effective for present and absent people. There is an assumption that the Healer’s channeling is not bound by geographical limitations. In Hands-On Healing, the Healer, Recipient, and Spirit are all present in the same location. Absent Healing is a similar process where the Recipient and Spirit continue to be located in the same location. While we think of the Recipient being absent, actually, only the Healer is absent. The Recipient and Spirit continue to remain in the same location.

There are a few people that receive Absent Healing from my wife and me each week. Part of the Healing is letting each person know about the prayers for healing so the “doing my part” can be included. One person was having a bad day when I was visiting and he said I was spending too much time with that “spiritual stuff.” I asked him he wanted me to not pray for his healing, and he quickly said no, he “needed all the help he could get.” Perhaps we a just very superstitious and want to make patterns out of random events.

I am certain prefer being present rather than absent. Healing is a human interaction. Just as I can meditate on my own, it is more effective to have the assistance of another person, and the same applies to Healing. There are exceptions to this when the person guiding the mediation is not able to adapt the pattern and words to match the needs of the Recipient. The Healing part of the Church service starts with a guided meditation and transitions to Hands-On Healing for those that want to come up. There are usually two or three Healers for Hands-On Healing. This is at the middle part of the services. There can be logistical problems when several people want Healing. This can lengthen out the mediation of people waiting for the next part of the services (Messages). I understand that some Churches have Healing before the service starts, but the logistical problem would still exist when too many or too few people wanted Healing. People seek out a Spiritualist Church for several reasons, and it is difficult to know how much emotional and physical pain will be present at a given service.

Life is so Unfair

I am often asked, “why God can allow humanity to do the things we do to each other that we do?” I look at the person who is asking me the question and ask them what they are talking about? They say that they are talking about all the wars and all the killing that goes on, and the huge number of people dying each day from accidents, cancer and other diseases, the challenges of just living a “normal” life? I am asked about the children, “why do they have to die so young? The answer to these questions is not easy because each of us have different ways of dealing with them. The lucky ones may say “that’s life” and get on with there life as tho nothing has happened, while others say “I just don’t understand it” and feel very sorrowful for a long time.

As I think about how to answer the questions above, I can’t help thinking about the words of Shakespeare who said “the world is a stage, and we are the actors.”

If we accept Shakespeare’s words as having some kind of truth to them, then the answer to the questions about why all the ups and downs in our lives, and why so many are dying is answered very well. You and I are here to play our part and when it’s time for us to leave the stage, we do. It doesn’t matter how young or how old we are or whether we are healthy or sick we have done our stage act and it’s time for us to leave – stage right. When you think of life in this way, it makes sense and all of the tragedies’ of life then take their proper place on the stage of life.

You may ask about the Hitler’s, Casers and dictators who have ordered so many people to be killed for no apparent reason – as far as we are concerned. But they are here to play their part even if that part is to bring chaos and strife into a world that is struggling to be at peace. Why? There part is to show humanity a contrast between what is and what can be – good verses the bad. To bring the human race to a point of knowledge that will, one day, produce peace and harmony by showing humanity that there is another way and it is not their way. It may take a hundred more years, or maybe a thousand, but it will happen. Their part was to remind us that history repeats it self, and we are the only ones who can break the ever changing repetition.

You may ask? ”Why did he/she have to die so young? Why from such a terrible illness? Why from no apparent reason? Why was that child allowed to get so close to the water and fall in and drown? Why did that child get away from its mother and run out into the street and was hit by a car? Or simply got sick one day and died? Again, we have entered this world to play our part on the stage. We have given of ourselves to our loved ones; to the hundreds of people who have known us, to history, to those who care for our physical and emotional well being and to the doctors and nurses who have taken care of us during our stay in the hospital. We were the sick ones that needed their expertise so that they were able to do play their part on the stag. But! But! You say.

Their is always a "but" and I cannot give you an answer that will satisfy you completely. However, I can say, we are here to do our part and that part on stage is to provide a service to other even if it is only for a moment. We may be on stage as a prop attendant to make sure that the actors have the proper back drop for them to do their part. To the person on stage playing his/her part as the lead in the role as a military man, a doctor, lawyer, mother, father, son, daughter, student, teacher, street cleaner, janitor, sick child, sick elder, etc. etc.

We play our part from the time we enter this world until we are ready to leave and, like those in the spirit world we are in service to others who need our expertise. Those in the spirit world are all in constant service to others there, and in service to us who live here in this physical world; in service to God and others is our main purpose. Even if we don’t understand the part others and you and me are playing, we are indeed playing our part. We are on stage to make our mark, then, move on.

Out on a Branch

You have heard of Shirley McLane’s book “Out on a Limb” and its story of Shirley’s adventure into the paranormal. I decided that a good title for this newsletter would be “Out on a Branch” because Out on a Limb was already taken.

It is interesting to think that each of us sometimes find ourselves in a place that, if we are not careful, we could fall hard – out on the end of a branch that bends with every breath of wind. Insecure in the belief that we don’t have a good hold of the branch, but only have a precarious hold on our branch of the tree of life. No one wants to fall off.

“Falling” is an expression that many people use to describe how they went from living a “normal life” to being in a life of desperation. Feeling desperate over whether we will be working at the same job for another week due to the rumors that the company may be sold, or our job maybe cut due to the company being reorganized.

Maybe, it has nothing to do with our jobs, but what about our children? The son or daughter, who has all that a child could possibly want or need at home, but they believe that they are being prevented from doing all that is in their minds to do in their life with out their parents stopping them.

These kids often leave home believing that they are not loved or wanted believing that they can do better on their own. They leave home only to find themselves living on the street in the part of town where prostitution and drugs runs ramped, where love is a roll in the sack for a one minute’s feeling of being loved and wanted. They get into trouble with the police, get beaten up by other street kids and end up in a hospital with broken bones and scars that will be with them for the rest of their lives – physical and emotional.

Parents, inevitability worry about their children, day and night. Parents want only the best for their children, and in general give them more than they could ever hope for. But, kids today take advantage of this in their demands. Even parents on limited income find ways to purchase the things that their children want, not what they need, but what they want. It is a well known fact that people in general want to have all that they can get and more “come hell or high water.” They are never satisfied. That is why so many people steal from their employers and sell what they have stolen, sell drugs, buy “lotto” tickets, or go to the gambling halls in the hope of hitting it big. Many years ago it was said, “even if every man, woman and child on earth were given a million dollars, in a short time it would that the rich who would have all of the money again and the poor would be poor again.”

So what happened with the kids? Why are kids today thinking that their life is so bad that they think that the only solution is to leave home? Let me say, that I think that most of us as adults have had the same kind of thoughts that our kids have had, but we didn’t act on them. We are all looking for something better; something that will gives us a sense of direction and security. Kids today are told from the time they enter school until they graduate from university that life is tough. That they have to prove themselves constantly and that if they don’t, they can end up with nothing. Nothing, meaning that they have no job after 12 or 20 years of school, no employer will hire them and their parents have banded them from their homes and that life has taken away their ingenuity and ability to be. This sounds very negative to me and I believe it sounds that way to you also. Is their no solution(s) to the “problems” of life?

Does the answer lie in a strong belief in God? Would it help for a person, us, to be involved in a religion sect, ism or denomination? Would this help us to have a strong belief in God? We learn as we go through life that God is a God of love and that we don’t have to be a member of any religion to know this. We believe that we are on a spiritual path and that path leads us back to the presences of God. Or by contrast, through circumstances, we believe that there’s no God and that we are on our own and that when we die, that’s it. Nothing exists beyond this life.

In thinking about what it means to be out on a branch, I have learned that even the flimsiest twig on the very end of a branch can hold a great deal of weight and not break – in fact it is extremely flexible. Have you ever seen a bird too large for the branch it’s sitting on? Does the bird worry about the rest of the branch or the tree that is holding it? They are secure and never fall to the ground below. We as humans, however, we are not as trusting and secure as that bird. We are always checking the branch that we are on. We want the security of a large and sturdy branch close to the trunk where it would be almost impossible for the branch to break. We want all the security the branch (life) and the tree can give us. Thus we don’t have to worry about anything – or do we?

Security may be the answer to what we are looking for out on our branches of life. Security that we are being taken care of by our parents, our government, our spouse, our grown children, the guy next door, the person across the street, even God. How about the person who lives down the street? Or the man who offers us a job mowing his lawn, even though we are only a skinny 10 years old kid.

We are people in a world that is in a constant state of flux that changes from moment to moment. Sitting on the end of our branch, we believe that we will live to be a hundred and be healthy with the mind of a 20 year old.

Our future, on the end of the branch, just keeps growing and moving us forward. Forward to our greatest joys in life of love, money, a home, good job, a song in our hearts, and happy in the knowledge that our kids do have all that they could ever want and need without us worrying about them. Out on a branch, but secure in the knowledge that we are who we are, and maybe, that will be enough.

Life

Aug. 2007

Closely related to life is death and the traumas that people experience. Yes, life and death are requirements for people who live here in this physical world. You have heard it said many time, “You never get out of this world alive.” You live, you die and in between times, you pay taxes. It seems as though that is what it’s all about, but on the other hand, life is a lot more than that – you do get out of this life alive. More about this later.

Many years ago I was thinking about my life and all of the ups and downs that I have experienced and, like most people, I wondered why. It seemed that no matter what I did, it was never right or enough. People seemed to want to make me into their own image and I don’t want that or even like that at all. Even today, forty, fifty or sixty plus years later it seems that people are still trying to make me into their image, and I still don’t like it.

You have no doubt experienced that same thing in your life. When did this all start, anyhow? Well, believe it or not, it started when you and I were born into this world. Our parents started to make us into their image and impressed upon us their beliefs and mannerisms that they had impressed upon them by their parents. Not that, maybe, astrology had something to do with it also.

I’m sorry to say, the influence of my parent, good or bad, is still with me today and it is going to take another hundred years or so for me to become the individual that I believe that I am. And even if I do live another hundred years, will it be enough? Maybe not!

One of the things that I have found in my life is that I want to be better than I am at the present time. I went to high school, to junior college and then university. I go to church. I sing songs. I have conversations with and intermingle with other people, and I even go to parks, ski resorts, the ocean, lakes, and just about anyplace I feel like going. But it never seems to satisfy my longings. Just who am I anyway?

I thought I once new who I am, but it seems that every day I’m reminded that I am really the person that my parents and society made me into. What a dilemma! So how do I overcome all of the life programming that I have?

Well I start by recognizing that I am really my parent’s son. Then I recognize that my personality has been greatly influenced by them and I need to determine whether or not I believe that it is good or no so good for me. Then after I determine that, I will have to decide if it is possible to make changes that I think will be for my highest good. Not an easy thing to do.

Question? Do you think that your way of life is better than mine? Do you think that you can help me? Maybe yes maybe no.

I used to be a complainer; yes I was a big complainer. I used to think that the whole world was on my shoulders and that I could do nothing to change it. I complained about my parents, my brothers and sister, even the guy next door, everything and everybody. I complained about the way the government was handling the affairs of the people of this great country. I used to complain about how the boss at work was pushing me to get the job done faster and make sure to that it was done right at the same time. I did my best, but it never seemed to be good enough. Sound familiar? I think that every person who works for a living goes through the same things even if they are one of the greatest engineers, businessman or parent around. Oh boy! What a life.

The question still remains, Will I ever be able to make the changes that I believe I need to make in order to be all that I can be? I will work on these things in this life – until I die, then I’ll continue working on them in the after life. Oh! You do get out of this life alive? Spiritualists have proven this for more than 160 years. Believe it or not, hundreds of psychologists have finally learned and continue to prove that there is life after physical death.

In Carol Bowman’s book “Children’s Past Lives” has detailed her own experiences with past life regression from being hypnotized herself and the hypnotizing of her two children who also under went past life regression by a trained hypnotherapist, Norman Inge. Mrs. Bowman quotes in her book, a number of stories told to her by numerous doctors of psychology who do regressions as part of their therapy sessions with their patients. She also read their books and consulted with them. Mrs. Bowman also talks about the past life regressions she did with various children as a trained and certified hypnotherapist.

In the Bible, Jesus talks about John the Baptist as being the incarnation of Elijah.

In Caroline D. Larsen’s book “My Travels in the Spirit World” she talks about how she started to do out of body traveling (OBT), the same type described by Raymond Moody in his books. She just started one day; kind of surprising event to her senses. As she started to have a number of OBTs she decided one day to see if she could go to the spirit world and see what it was like there. The book is a real eye opener for those who have never read any thing about the spirit world. Caroline’s stories are very much like those described by Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson, son of Edward White Benson former Archbishop of Canterbury. These two men lived during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Robert pasted to spirit in 1914, and was able to describe the spirit world through the mediumship of Anthony Borgia. Monsignor first book was titled “Beyond This Life;” the second book was titled “The World Unseen.” Monsignor starts by giving a general survey, an account of his passing and his subsequent travels through various parts of spirit lands.

The book of Caroline Larsen and Monsignor Benson are book that make it possible for the reader to know that life is indeed continuous. And that we have nothing to fear of leaving this physical world. Life does continue after the change called death and I will make all of the changes to me that are and will be necessary as I live here and in the great here after. I believe that you will also.

Website

Please check out my web site.

churchofspiritualillumination.com

Rev. Ronald L. Koch

Turn the Other Cheek

You have all heard it said in the Bible “But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” Matt 5:39, (NIV).

In our lives as humans, we are often presented with situations in which we believe we have to turn the other cheek. In far too many cases, we are up against our bosses at work, the law, society, our wives, husbands, and even our children. We often have to make on the spot decisions on things that we are presented with. Many of those decisions are based on our knowledge at the time and even if someone else has more up to date information, our decisions are ours. Sometimes we are confronted by others about those decisions and are required to defend them. We have to make immediate decisions that require an answer now. But far too often we will not speak up to defend ourselves, letting it go until later, but later never seems to come, and we take upon ourselves far more problems than we can imagine.

We have a great tendency to internalize problems, and this leads to more serious problems in the future. Some people develop stomach problems, heart problems, while other develops cancer, or some other debilitating disease that may lead to physical death. No one that I know of wants to be in that kind of situation, but it seems that it happens on a regular basis. Some people seem to have the means at their disposal to deal with such problems, while other never seems to be able to come to terms with them.

In my many years of physical life, I have had to deal with problems that are, in most part, problems that have no immediate solution, but required immediate answers that another would accept. And yet others seem to have their own preconceived ideas about the problem and have their own answers, and that is their absolute right, and anything that we may say is going to be totally wrong in their minds. The question that comes up is; “why are you confronting me with a problem if you already have your own answers?” Indeed, why? That is the real question.

I cannot take that kind of confrontation and maneuvering by others. I need others respect and understanding so that I can deal with things properly. How ever, it seems to me that we are required to be extremely diplomatic in this world. So diplomatic, that we are able to say the right things at the right time. Make the right decisions and yet present ourselves to our “opponent” as the really capable and intelligent person we are. However, I am one of those many people who, far too often, do not want any kind of confrontations in my life and I have a tendency to not defend myself and present my reasoning for the decisions I make. It seems that my answers only lead to more confrontation with people. I should have spoken up and saved myself from becoming miserable later because of my inaction. My antagonist always seems to get the upper hand and I’m left with a problem that is worse than the original one. What to do?

What to do? The $64000 question! For the most part, I just walk away and wish that the other person could have been totally honest with me. People need to be fair and honest with at all times and maybe save them and us from some of the hidden misery that resulted from our actions. This may just save us all from stomach problems, cancer or some other physical prob­lems that could develop in us later in life.

The thing of it is; nothing needs to be said to those of us who beat ourselves up daily over words that may or may not have affected another person. All of us need to take a closer look at ourselves and meditate on our lives and our actions, make better decisions and make appropriate corrections to our way of thinking and acting. Being more respectful of others and tolerant in our dealings would go along way.

Is There a Better Way?

I just finished reading an article written by Ray Jones about the problems in Spiritualism and world religions. I would like to extend his words to include all religions throughout the world. When I attended a Fundamentalist church, during the late 1950 and early 1960s, there were many ministers talking about the loss of church attendance. When I visited that church in 2006, the church’s name had been changed and the original congregation scattered. Where, I don’t know. Today all churches have the same problems. The author of the eBook, “Building Christian Communities” that was originally published by the Roman Catholic Church in 1992, talked about the growing problem of the church losing members and the children of “old time Christians” were either not attending any church, or were attending non-denominational churches. In the Province of Quebec, Canada, the Catholic Church used to have enough priests to handle all of their parishes. Today there is maybe one priest to han­dle all of the parishes in a hundred square mile area. What’s happening?

One thing that may explain it is that the original teachings of the church were going by the wayside as people became more and more involved in the “modern technological material age.” Parents don’t take their children to church. They say, “We are letting our children make up their own minds about going to church when they grow up.” As you know, when children grow up, they don’t go to church; they have made up their minds by saying “I didn’t go to church when I was a kid, so why should I go now”? In fact, the majority of grown-ups have never stepped foot inside a church to attend the funeral service of a parent or other loved one. They may have gone to the funeral at a funeral home, but that’s all.” In fact most people you ask if they go to church will tell you NO! When you ask why? They simply shrug their shoulders and change the subject.

All churches are having the same problem when it comes to building their congregations. In fact, it is like “pulling hen’s teeth” to get anyone to even allow you to talk to them about religion in any form.

One of the problems that churches have is a lot of petty jealousy that is running rampant in the church unabated; even the minister’s hands seem to be tied so that he/she can do nothing about it.

In Islam, they are engaged in “Jihads’,” because they are so afraid that Christianity will try to convert some of their members. For a number of years in the United States, church membership has been on a constant decline. Spiritualism, in the late 1800s had over three million members throughout the United States alone. Today, there are way less than a million. What is going on? I think that one answer is that people just can’t get beyond the old religious creeds and dogmas that say, “my church is better than your church”, or “my church and its teachings are the only way to heaven.” All Christian churches and denominations teach exactly the same Bible, God and Jesus Christ and that to get into heaven you must accept Christ as your personal savior, not the church per se.

All Spiritualist churches, temples, societies and associations teach exactly the same things. But, like the denomination, why do we continuously fight with one another over which one of us is teaching the only right way? If you are an ordained minister, certified medium, certified healer, lecturer, teacher or National Spiritualist Teacher and the pastor or minister of a church, then why do you have to continuously prove to other Spiritualists that you have been properly trained, and are in accord with spirit? If we are not, it will be proven faster than you can say “Jack Robertson.”

Ray, you said it like it is, but it still doesn’t mean a thing to most people. People will just not lay aside their egos and prejudice for you or me or any one else. If we call ourselves Christian, believers in Islam, Spiritualists or any one of the more than a thousand religions and denominations in this world, WE ARE ALL brothers and Sisters, or the second Principle of Spiritualism is totally wrong “We believe in the brotherhood of man”.

We as Spiritualist need to get together and practice what we preach, especially the principle of personal responsibility. We teach that we all have the God given (Infinite Intelligence) gift of freewill, freewill to make choices. Choices, that ALLOW all people in this world to believe what they want, do what they want, and go where they want. Even if it means that many will meet their maker along the way. One of our principles says “We believe that the highest morality is contained in The Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” Every world religion has a similar wording to “The Golden Rule” that means exactly the same thing. But it seems that we are all far too selective as to how and whom we will apply this principles to. It is my goal to practice the Golden Rule in my life and that personal responsibility is always at the forefront of my being.

In William Stainton Moses’ book, Spirit Teachings,” the spirit +IMPERATOR, talks about Spiritualism as being the religion of the future. It is the church that will teach the truth about God, (Infinite Spirit) and what Jesus really taught so long ago. We as Spiritualists today have the greatest opportunity to teach what is good and true in this world. It is our right. We need to do all we can to unite as one church united in purpose and teaching by recognizing each other gifts and abilities as they did in the mid to late 1800s into the early 1900s. Otherwise, we will never get away from the old denominational church’s dogmas and creeds, and we can all do more to bring into our churches those who are looking for the truth.

Natural Law

Spiritualists, through contact that is made with those that have passed to the other side of life, affirm the interrelatedness of all life. One clue that a person is becoming in tuned and more cosmic is when the egoistic, self-serving por­tion of the individual diminishes and the universal consciousness comes to the forefront. Prominent in this consciousness is the awareness of the Natural Laws, which are God’s Laws. Some people call them Universal Laws; they are the same laws.

God’s laws are changeless, the same as they have ever been. While they are immutable, they are beneficent, for they are good. When we live in confor­mity with them, they become the very foundation stones on which we build our health, our happiness, our peace and poise, our success and attainment. If we abide fully in God’s law, no evil can befall us. We do not need to be healed. We are every whit whole.

The religion of Spiritualism encourages all humankind to learn and practice living in accordance with God's Laws. What are these Universal Laws? How many of them are there and do they apply to everyone? Infinite Intelligence is Love, Light and Law. Though many use a certain number of laws as guide­lines, there is no set number of laws. Just as love and light are not limited so the Law is not limited, even as Infinite Intelligence is not limited. Neither does the Law limit those who strive to follow it. Rather, it sets them free and shows them the way to grow, live in peace and be happy.

The study of Natural Law is very beneficial to all. A few brief points to consider are that the laws are just, impartial, consistent, non-judgmental, au­tomatic, immutable, impersonal, affects the physical, mental and spiritual, are unchangeable and the underlying control of the universe, insuring progressive evolution. Natural Law is the connecting link, providing constant order to the universe. It governs the visible and invisible, the animate and inanimate in the mortal and immortal worlds.

Natural Law is like a kind teacher that understands we learn by doing. The law gently points out our mistakes that we may grow and use the insight to our benefit. The law uses the reflecting ethers as a mirror to show us the way It verifies personal responsibility and individualization.

All things in life interrelate and so it is with the laws. They are evident in mathematics, geometry, mechanics, plant life, seasons, etc. We can use the laws to choose love, light, peace, growth and joy. The universe is propelled by law and impelled by love.

Just a few laws to demonstrate the totality of the Laws:

The Law of Desire
The Law of Harmony
The Law of Mind
The Law of Cause and Effect
The Law of Vibration
The Law of Passivity
The Law of Thought
The Law of Supply and Demand
The Law of Love
The Law of Life/Light
The Law of Compensation/Retribution
The Law of Adhesion/Cohesion
The Law of Evolution
The Law of Continuity
The Golden Rule
The Law of Attraction/Affinity
The Law of Cooperation
The Law of Balance/Polarity
The Law of Cycles/Periodicity
The Law of Gravitation

As the seeker strives to understand Natural Law, they are presented with the truths of the universe. God's Law is immutable and we know of no instances that it has been set aside, therefore, there are no miracles for all is in accordance with the operation of the Spiritual Laws. Infinite Intelligence has given us these constructive, progressive patterns to guide our existence now and forever more. The God of the Universe impregnates the spirit of all, and then lets it alone to discover itself through light, love and law. As we learn more of these laws, we learn more of Infinite Intelligence. Emerson wrote, "The finite alone has wrought and suffered, the Infinite lies stretched in smiling repose." The Infinite Spirit within us shows us the way to shine. (From the NSAC website)

Formula for all life: a quote from Neal Donald Welsch’s book “Home With God “The formula for all life.”

“Hope is the doorway to belief,
belief is the doorway to creation,
creation is the doorway to experience.”
“Experience is the doorway to expression,
expression is the doorway to becoming,
becoming is the doorway to activity of all life
and the only function of God.”
What you hope for, you will eventually believe,
what you believe, you will eventually know,
what you know, you will eventually create,
what you create, you will eventually express,
what you express, you will eventually become.

Introduction to Spiritual Healing

Spiritual Healing and Spirituality go hand in hand for the healing of the complete person. The healing process emphasizes the importance of the interaction of the healer, Infinite Intelligence (God) and the recipient working together to effect a healing. The healer attunes to God as a channel so that healing energy can be transferred to the recipient. Without God, the source of all healing, healing could never take place. However, healing in order to be effective requires that the recipient to take part in his/her healing and do their part to prepare themselves for healing.

There are various healing methods that have been developed over the years. Some healing techniques find their origin thousands of years ago, while others are of recent developments. Some of the types of healing are for example: Reki, color therapy, Mega Force (developed by a man at the International Temple of Spiritual Revelations in Montreal), Auric healing, and the laying on of hands – contact healing. No mater the technique of healing used, all require the same interaction of Infinite Spirit, the healer and the recipient.

One of the most interesting types of healing is absent spiritual healing. Many people are engaged in this type of healing work and they get results. Absent healing is performed on a person not present with the healer(s). This type of healing can be performed by one or many healers tuning into the needy and sending them healing. Another form of healing is healing through prayer. This type of healing can be done as absentee healing or in the presence of the recipient. Even prayer requires the tuning of the healer to God and the recipient.

There are a number of stories told on radio and television about people being healed by prayer. My mother was watching Oral Robert’s son on television when he turned towards the camera and said, “There is a woman who has had migraine headaches all her life, receive your healing.” She was healed and never had another headache after that. Absent healing, works. I use it myself from time to time.

One of the major problems of healers is the fact that they receive their healing certificates and then stop working as a healer. This is a real problem at one of the Churches I attended in Montreal. The church is supposed to provide healing before each Sunday or mid-week service. They have not set up to do healings in months. I even inserted healing into a regular Sunday service that I was officiating at. A number of congregants came forward for healing. In Quebec, there is a law that says that the healer is not allowed to touch a person receiving healing only doctors can touch a person – with their permission. We can only pass or hold our hand over the head and/or move our hands over the body of the recipient. Healing takes place just the same.

In the mid 1960s, a television newsman in Los Angles heard about “Psychic Surgery” being performed in the South Pacific and went there to investigate the phenomena. After spending several weeks investigating the psychic surgeons he returned to Los Angles to give his story. It was said that the main reason that the newsman went to investigate the psychic Surgeons was because he had cancer. It is too bad that so many people go to healers and are not properly prepared to receiving healing. They really don’t believe that it can happen. They have been told that only men like Jesus are capable of healing people.

One of the methods of healing talked about by Harry Edwards is “Healing Intelligence.” This is an interesting concept that really makes sense to me. The human body heals itself of cuts, burses, surgery, from time to time cancer and other major medical problems. The body is a magnificent organism that takes the major rule in its healing. As Harry Edwards has said, “The receptivity creates a situation that enables spirit to motivate bodily intelligence and assist it with spiritual healing energies and forces.” This statement is further proof that healing is most effective when the healer, Infinite Intelligence and the recipient work together to effect a healing.

Life, Death and Trauma

Closely related to life, is death and the traumas that people experience. Yes, life and death are requirements for people who live here in this physical world. You have heard it said many time, “You never get out of this world alive.” “You live, you die and in between times, you pay taxes.” It seems as though that is what it’s all about, but on the other hand, life is a lot more than that – you do get out of this life alive.

Many years ago I was thinking about my life and all of the ups and downs that I have experienced and, like most people, I wondered why? It seemed that no matter what I did, it was never right or enough. People seemed to want to make me into their own image and I didn’t want that or even like that at all. Even today, forty, fifty, sixty or 70 plus years later it seems that people are still trying to make me into their image, and I still don’t like it.

You have no doubt experienced that same thing in your life and may have asked when did this all start, anyhow? Well, believe it or not, it started when you and I were born into this world. Our parents started to make us into their image and impressed upon us their beliefs and mannerisms that they had impressed upon them by their parents. Not that, maybe, astrology had something to do with it also.

I’m sorry to say, the influence of my parents, good or bad, is still with me today and it is going to take another hundred years or so for me to become the individual that I believe that I am. And even if I do live another hundred years, will it be enough? Maybe not!

One of the things that I have found in my life is that I want to be better than I am at the present time. I went to high school, to junior college and then university. I go to church. I sing songs. I have conversations with and intermingle with other people, and I even go to parks, ski resorts, the ocean, lakes, and just about anyplace I feel like going. But it never seems to satisfy my longings. Just who am I anyway?

I at one time thought I new who I was, but it seems that every day I’m reminded that I am really the person that my parents and society made me into. What a dilemma! So how do I overcome all of the life’s programming?

Well I start by recognizing that I am really my parent’s son. Then I recognize that my personality has been greatly influenced by them and I need to determine whether or not I believe that it is good or not so good for me. Then after I determine that, I will have to decide if it is possible to make changes that I think will be for my highest good. Not an easy thing to do.

Do you think that your way of life is better than mine? Do you think that you can help me? Maybe yes maybe no. Maybe I can help you. Infact we need to help each other.

I used to be a complainer; yes I was a big complainer. I used to think that the whole world was on my shoulders and that I could do nothing to change it. I complained about my parents, my brothers and sister, even the guy next door, everything and everybody. I complained about the way the government was handling the affairs of the people of this great country. I used to complain about how the boss at work was pushing me to get the job done faster and make sure that it was done right at the same time. I did my best, but it never seemed to be good enough. Sound familiar? I think that every person who works for a living goes through the same things even if they are one of the greatest engineers, businessman or parent around. Oh boy! What a life.

The question still remains; “will I ever be able to make the changes that I believe I need to make in order for me to be all that I can be?” I will work on these things in this life until I die, then I’ll continue working on them in the after life. Oh! You do get out of this life alive? Spiritualists have proven that you do get out of this life alive. This has been proven for more than 160 years. Even the Bible says the same thing in its own way. Believe it or not, hundreds of psychologists have finally learned through hypnoses that life continues after physical death.

In Carol Bowman’s book “Children’s Past Lives” she has detailed her own experiences with past life regression from being Hypnotized herself and the hypnotizing of her two children. Her children underwent past life regression by a trained hypnotist, Norman Inge. Mrs. Bowman quotes in her book, a number of stories told to her by numerous doctors of psychology who do regressions as part of their therapy sessions with their patients. She also read their books and consulted with them. Mrs. Bowman also talks about the past life regressions she did with various children as a trained and certified hypnotist.

In the Bible, Jesus talks about John the Baptist as being the incarnation of Elijah.

In Caroline D. Larsen’s book “My Travels in the Spirit World” she talks about how she started to do out of body traveling (OBT), the same type described by Raymond Moody in his books. She just started one day, a kind of surprising event to her senses. As she started to have a number of OBTs she decided one day to see if she could go to the spirit world and see what it was like there. The book is a real eye opener for those who have never read anything about the spirit world. Caroline’s stories are very much like those described by Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson, son of Edward White Benson former Archbishop of Canterbury. These two men lived during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Robert passed to spirit in 1914, and was able to describe the spirit world through the mediumship of Anthony Borgia. Monsignor first book was titled “Beyond This Life;” the second book was titled “The World Unseen.” Monsignor starts by giving a general survey, an account of his passing and his subsequent travels through various parts of spirit lands.

The books of Caroline Larsen and Monsignor Benson are books that make it possible for the reader to know that life is indeed continuous, and that we have nothing to fear when we leave this physical world. Life does continue after the change called death and we will make all of the changes that will be necessary as we live here and in the great hereafter. I believe that you will also.