You Must Be Born Again

Last week during a meditation, I heard the words, “You must be born again.” This phrase reverberated in my mind and in my heart.

I was surprised that I encountered little or no resistance when I heard this message. At one point in my life, I know that I would have had a very different reaction. I am certain that I would have immediately pushed against it strongly. However, this time the phrase landed gently in my heart and opened me to a new understanding.

The phrase comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 3, which tells the story of when Jesus visited Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a leader in the Jewish tradition. Unlike other Pharisees, Nicodemus recognized Jesus as a great teacher of truth and wanted to know more. Jesus told him that unless one is “born again” he cannot enter the “kingdom of heaven.”

The chapter continues with the most repeated Scripture in the Baptist church:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

I did not even have to look that one up!

I was taught to believe that being “born again” meant to accept the literal interpretation of John 3:16 and accept Jesus as the one and only son of God sent to “save” us from our sins.

However, when I heard the phrase last week, I knew it had nothing to do with Jesus of Nazareth as savior but as a teacher of ancient wisdom.

Instead of a call to accept Jesus as my personal savior, it was a call to dedicate myself more fully to releasing all that I have allowed to blind me to seeing clearly and living in alignment with the truth of the Christ. It was a call from the Divine Mother urging me to remember who and what I am as an expression of Light, created as the image/likeness of the One Light – the Source of all that is.

I share this with you because, while the message was what I needed to hear in the moment, I believe it to be a message for all of us. If we are to “enter the kingdom of heaven” which is not a place somewhere in the ethers that those who are deserving go after death, but a state of consciousness that we can achieve now, we must be “born again.” We must return to the conscious awareness of the Light that we already are and begin to live it. When we do, we will “enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Not only we will “enter the kingdom” but we will know that we are "eternal life.”  Then, and only then, we will truly begin to manifest a world that reflects the Oneness realized in the “kingdom of heaven” consciousness.

Because it is now so prevalent in the minds and hearts of humanity and because I want to do my part in helping to keep it at the forefront, I will use racism as an example.

I grew up in the deep South, mostly in a small town and mostly surrounded by white people. I was taught, both explicitly and implicitly, that black people were inferior to white people. I was also taught that they were not as smart. They were lazy. They were alcoholics. They were dirty. They were to be pitied and helped, but not to be welcomed into “polite society.” I was conditioned by racism.

Even though there was something within me that knew those things were not true, all those thoughts, concepts, and beliefs became part of my consciousness - whether I wanted them to or not. I dare say that, even if you did not grow up in the South, you too were conditioned with many of those same ideas. They became part of our consciousness, whether we are conscious of them or not.

As I do not want to speak for anyone else, I will revert to using ‘I’ statements. As with all subconscious beliefs, these beliefs about race effect how I have seen black people, related to black people, and treated black people. While I am not proud of it, I am grateful to now be awakening more fully to the reality of it. And, I know that I still have a lot to uncover and to learn.

Gratefully, I can be “born again.” However, it is not as simple or as instantaneous as deciding to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is a process. Yes, it requires me to make a conscious decision to make those unconscious biases conscious and to do the work to heal them. I cannot fully “enter the kingdom” and live that consciousness so long as I continue to hold an unquestioned belief that anyone or anything is something other than the pure Light and Life of the Divine. I know that I have done some of that work for which I am grateful. I am happy to say that I am going deeper with that work now.

While I have used racism as an example of the beliefs or unconscious biases by which many of us have unwittingly been conditioned, the same concept applies to any and all false beliefs that we may hold about any person, group, culture, or religion.

I watched a documentary last night on Netflix entitled Disclosure. It is a series of interviews with transgender individuals talking about the ways in which transgender people have traditionally been portrayed in the media. It was revealing for me. In a way similar to how black people have been portrayed, the media has provided us with images of transgender people as disgusting, unnatural, dangerous, and dishonest. These images have conditioned many to revile transgender individuals which has contributed to the prevalence of hate crimes against them.

Again, if we are to “enter the kingdom of heaven,” we must be “born again” in our hearts and minds by uncovering our unconscious beliefs and biases so that we not only know ourselves as the eternal life and light of the Divine, but also know all others as that as well.

For God - the Life and Light that imbues all creation – sent the only begotten emanation of itself – the Christ – into the world so that whoever makes the conscious decision to know themselves as the Christ and behold all as the Christ in expression will realize the truth of the eternal life that imbues all creation and will realize heaven consciousness, claim it and bring it into manifestation.

I invite you to join me in using the mantra, “This moment, I am born again” to affirm our commitment to remembering who we are as the Light of the Divine and to embody that truth more fully in every moment. I encourage us to especially invoke the energy of the mantra anytime an unconscious bias begins to make itself known in our thoughts, words, or actions.

Use the mantra to bring it to light, make it conscious and allow the Light to begin to transform it. One moment at time, one thought at time, one word at a time, one step at a time, we are “born again” as we remember who we are, and we come that much closer to “entering the kingdom of heaven” and making it a reality on Earth.

Redemption

In my talk this past Sunday at Unity Spiritual Center Denver, I shared some thoughts about the “sin” of racism and how we, especially those of us who are white, can begin to experience redemption individually and assist in the redemption of our society. I offered a six-step process –

Be convicted of our “sin,”
Get right with God.
Confess our sin.
Repent of our sin.
Accept Christ.
Atone for our sin.

In case I may not have expressed it as clearly and succinctly as I would have liked, I have chosen to reiterate and expound on some of those ideas here.

Redeem – If we are to participate in uplifting the consciousness of humanity (redeem) and bringing about the kingdom of God upon the Earth, it is imperative for each of us to do the work.

Conviction – Look honestly at our own thoughts, feelings and beliefs about people who are not white and admit when and where we have judged or attempted to segregate others in our minds.

Get Right with God – Align with the unadulterated Light and unconditioned Love that we know as God.

Confess – Make our unconscious biases conscious. Acknowledge how our words and actions have been influenced by our unconscious biases.

Repent – Make choices that will demonstrate a shift in consciousness and behaviors.

Accept Christ – Invite Love and Light to open our hearts and minds to the truth of our being, that which we in Unity call the Christ.

Atone – Bear witness to the pain and suffering to which we may have unknowingly contributed. And take action to help mend the tear that has been rent in the fabric of humanity because of racism.

You may watch the service on Facebook or YouTube.

I received a response to my lesson from someone who commented that they did not see how they are responsible for atoning for someone else’s “sin.” Further, they said that racism is a disease and that they do not inherit disease. 

I realize that the thought that we might be racist, or that someone else might consider us racist can stimulate defensiveness. I have experienced that myself. I do not consider myself a racist, but I do know that I have thought, spoken and acted in ways that exhibit my unconscious racial biases. To say otherwise would be dishonest and inauthentic. I recognize that I have a great deal more to learn about myself and my racial biases. I am working on it.

My assumption is that many of us, if not all,  have thought, said or done things that persons of color would find offensive, certainly not out of an intention to harm, but because we did not know better. As Maya Angelou said, “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” Our opportunity is to make our unconscious racism conscious so we can do better.

I also recognize that, most likely, no one who was listening to the service on Sunday morning has intentionally contributed to genocide, slavery, or the systemic oppression of people of color. However, if we, as white people, are willing to honestly investigate the ways in which we have enjoyed advantages which have not been afforded to people of color, I believe we will come to the understanding that while we have not explicitly participated in overt racism, we have implicitly contributed to its perpetuation. In being silent we have been complicit in the “sin” of racism. It is not another’s “sin” for which we are atoning. It is our own. I know. It is a hard truth to come to terms with.

Additionally, my assumption is that the comment about racism being a disease and that we do not inherit disease is a nod to Unity cofounder Myrtle Fillmore. From early in her life, Mrs. Fillmore was told that she had inherited an illness. She spent many years suffering from what was then called consumption, now known as tuberculosis. After attending a lecture by E.B. Weeks and hearing the phrase, “I am a child of God; therefore, I do not inherit sickness,” Mrs. Fillmore took that affirmation to heart and used it in her healing process. After several years of continual prayer treatments, other spiritual practices, and changes in lifestyle, she transformed her consciousness and experienced her healing.

We have inherited a belief system called racism. Much like Mrs. Fillmore inherited the belief that she was sick and would die at a young age, we have been conditioned to believe that a person of color is less deserving of respect, belonging or equitable treatment than is a white person.

In the same way that Mrs. Fillmore experienced the effects of her belief system as symptoms in her physical body, humanity continues to experience the symptoms of racism in our collective body.

The belief that being white is superior to any other race has caused a sickness in our society. This sickness has symptomatized in countless atrocities inflicted on people of color, including genocide, slavery, lynching, as well social and economic oppression.

Yes, over the years we have taken action to relieve some of the symptoms, but as we have been reminded so vividly in recent weeks, the symptoms persist. We continue to experience the effects of this mostly unconscious belief system.

Mrs. Fillmore’s healing did not happen instantaneously. When she heard the phrase, “I am a child of God; therefore, I do not inherit sickness,” she was awakened to her conditioned belief that she did inherit sickness. She became conscious of what had been an unconscious belief. She then focused on shifting her consciousness to embrace a life-transforming Truth. Her body gradually changed as a manifestation of her transformed consciousness and her constant and continual actions.

To heal the body of humanity from racism and its symptoms, we start by making our unconscious beliefs conscious, so we can work to release them and embrace a greater Truth – I am an expression of unadulterated Light and unconditioned Love, and so is everyone else.

Like Mrs. Fillmore, we must be vigilant in our commitment to conform our thoughts, beliefs, words, and behaviors to be in complete alignment to the Truth we know.

To my knowledge, because of Mrs. Fillmore’s dedication, the belief in inherited sickness was not passed on to any of her children. Let us take a lesson from Mrs. Fillmore and commit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to end the cycle of inherited racism and its symptoms. Yes, it will take time just as it did for her. We must not let that dissuade us. We begin where we are.

Together, we will transform human consciousness one person at a time, and we will experience a world where racism is a distant memory. We will co-create a world in which every person is revered as an expression of God and valued for who and what they are without respect to the color of their skin or any other identifier assigned to them. True redemption for all.

Be The Light

In my lesson this past Sunday at Unity Spiritual Center Denver, I shared a message that came to me as I intentionally asked questions of my Council of Light. You may watch the service here. As I reflected on the message and the lesson, I was guided to share the written version here. What follows is not a verbatim transcription of my Sunday lesson, but is transcribed from the handwritten version I wrote as I received the download. I made a few edits, mostly to correct grammar and spelling, and to help ensure clarity. 

I am curious to know how many of us included in our 2020 vision what we have experienced since the beginning of the year.

I dare say that none of us could have or would have imagined a pandemic, nor would we have included in our vision the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery,  Breonna Taylor, and so many others who have been victims of violence against black people. I am sure we could not have imagined the pain, anger, grief and outrage that has been stimulated or the expressions of that outrage that have resulted. Thousands of people have taken to the streets in protest demanding change, others are expressing their despair by rioting and looting.

My guess is that none of us would have expected this, nor would we have intentionally called it forth. I know that I would not have.

In my own despair, sadness, pain, anger and frustration, I sat down on my meditation cushion and asked my Council of Light (that is what I call my guides, teachers, angels and ascended masters) –

What the heck is going on?

I want to share with you the message I received.

I also want to preface it with the understanding that this is in no way intended to lessen the magnitude and importance of what is happening in our country today. I take it seriously. I believe that what I want to share with you is that this calls us all to act, but from a higher understanding of what is happening.

This is an infusion of Light – Pure Light, Undiluted Light, and Unconditioned Light  - of Creative Life Energy that is always urging us to the next level of our evolution.

This Light has been infused into the collective consciousness of humanity so that the darkness can be dispelled and that which abides in the darkness revealed. So that it may be healed, which means to be restored to its pure state of Light.

In addition, while you may not have envisioned how it is demonstrating in the earthly realm, you and all the children of Light who have been asking, seeking and knocking have received, found and the door has been opened.

You have called forth the Light in sufficient numbers so that you have reached a critical mass of Light Bearers upon the Earth.

What you are seeing and experiencing from the human perspective may not be the ‘how’ you would have imagined, but it is the reflection of the ‘what’ that so many of you have been calling forth – transformation.

Further, those who are playing the roles on the center stage of this unfolding are advanced souls who have come forth to be the catalysts for this awakening.

George Floyd, who from the human perspective was the victim of murder, gave himself so that the darkness could more readily be revealed and brought to Light.

Derek Chauvin, too, is an advanced soul who freely gave himself so that you could awaken more fully and shine the light on your own darkness.

President Trump, who many judge and blame is playing his part in revealing the darkness of the power structure that has held racism in place for centuries. He is not alone. He is simply the one on center stage.

Consider Jesus, Judas and the Power Structure of the Roman Empire working in tandem with the Power Structure of the Jewish leaders.

Jesus freely gave himself to the Higher Will, surrendering his human body so that a higher purpose could be demonstrated.

Judas, who was known as a traitor, the one who betrayed Jesus, took on that mantle so that the Will of Light and Love might be revealed through his actions.

The Jewish leaders in tandem with the Roman Empire were intent on maintaining their control, privilege and power at all cost, including crucifying anyone who threatened it.

This is what is happening

• Light is being infused into the minds and hearts of humanity, even though it may not appear as such
• You have called it forth by your conscious or unconscious asking, seeking, knocking
• Those who are on the center stage are playing out their part in this unfolding

 My next question was –

So, what is mine to do?

The response – Do not ask, “What is mine to ‘do?’” Rather, ask, “What is mine to ‘Be?’”

Your role, your duty, your responsibility is to BE The Light of the World in the world.

What does that mean? How do I do that?

First and foremost, KNOW, claim, proclaim, declare – call forth in your own mind the remembrance of who you are.

You are a Light Being. You are a Light Bearer. You are the Light of the World.

You have been entranced by the human condition. You have come to believe that you are a human being, or worse a human doing.

You have gotten consumed in the darker, heavier energy of the manifest realm. You have fallen asleep to your True Nature.

Awake, oh sleeper Awake! – Ephesians 5:14

Call forth the Light into your own consciousness – thoughts, beliefs, feelings – into your conscious and subconscious minds.

Allow/welcome the Light to reveal any darkness, illusion, fear that might still be hanging out in your own energy field.

Allow the light to be the source of the revealing and the healing.

Continue to call it forth. It is not a one-time thing. It takes as long as it takes.

Remember Jesus going into the wilderness where he faced ‘Satan’ the personification of his own darkness. He was there for 40 days, which may not be literal but represents a time of completion.

Embody the Light. See the Light/Pure Light/ Unconditioned Light filling up every aspect of your Being – your energy field.

Envision it. See it happening.

Know yourself as a radiant being of Light – Sacred Light – Holy Fire – Divine Light

Reveal who you are.

Let your thoughts be infused with Light. When you notice yourself thinking thoughts of fear, judgment, criticism, blame, etc. call forth the Light

Say simply – Let There Be Light

I Am the Light of the World.

Let your words be infused with Light. Stop yourself before you utter words of condemnation, blame or guilt.

Let you words be words of blessing, love and compassion.

Does all of this mean that we do not take action?

Does it mean we do not march?

Does it mean we do not vote?

NOOOOO!

You may take all of those actions, but take NO action before you align with Light.

It means that whatever you do, you do as an expression of Light.

If you march, march as the Light. Call upon the Light to guide you.

Walk down the street knowing, proclaiming and declaring that you are the Light. Let your Light infuse the march. See the Light touching everyone who is a part of the march.

Educate yourself with the words of those who have awakened.

Vote for those who exhibit a connection with the Light.

Know and trust that you are supported by your own Council of Light. Call upon them.

Things in the outer may not look as we would have them look. It may feel awful.

I beg you. I implore you. Stay in the Light. Do not allow the appearances of darkness to dissuade you.

You are a Light Bearer.

You are here at this time and in this place to assist in bringing forth a New Earth.

Be the Light wherever you are.

I hope that this has provided a different perspective from which to view what is happening in our world today. I know that it was helpful for me. I am thankful to my Council of Light for this message.

Dark Night of the Soul

We are facing a dark night of the soul in which the old ways of being, the ways we have known ourselves are being dismantled. The collective ego-dominated mind and its associated structures are collapsing around us. We are feeling the pain, confusion, and distress of it all. It is not pretty. It is not comfortable. It is, however, a necessary phase of the evolutionary process that each of us individually and that we, as the collective human race, must pass through. We are in a time of great change. As with all periods of great change, we are experiencing upheaval, unrest, and resistance.

The isolation, loneliness, uncertainty, as well as the mental, emotional and financial strain that many around the world have suffered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic has set the perfect staging ground for us to be ripe for an event that would propel us into the next stage of our humanity.

The murder of George Floyd provided that catalyst. That tragic event was the tipping point that finally awakened us to the unjust, inequitable and power-over culture that we have allowed to manifest and that we have perpetuated as a result of our ego-dominated minds and hearts.

Yes, we have all participated. Nothing happens in the manifest realm that does not first begin in consciousness. We are all part of the collective consciousness of humanity, as well as the collective consciousness of America that has allowed systemic racism to continue for centuries.

We are now ready for that to change. The power structures are doing everything possible to hang on to the old. They are struggling mightily to protect their power, wealth, and position. We see that so clearly displayed in our elected officials. The domination culture is well represented and are displaying their power by calling out the National Guard and threatening to call out the military to squelch the protests, which are a natural expression of this dark night of the soul.

However, we should not be so quick to point fingers. The elected officials and those with obvious power are simply representations of what is occurring within all of us. They just happen to be on center stage. Think about what goes on within you and me when we are faced with a dramatic change in our outer circumstances. We resist. We want to cling to our comfort zones, to what we have known, and to our assumed identities. This is especially true if the change threatens our autonomy or challenges what we have falsely believed is control over our lives.

Additionally, we should not rush to pass judgment on the rioter and looters. Consider what happens in your mind and in mine when we are facing such dramatic shifts in our lives. We riot in our thoughts. We may even lash out at those close to us. We scream and curse God or the one we believe has victimized us in some way.

We grasp for things in the physical world to make us feel better. We raid the refrigerator, consume more television, social media, and/or mind-altering substances, and engage in unhealthy behaviors to numb the pain. We reach for anything that will make us feel better or help us to have some momentary relief from the suffering. We attempt to free ourselves from attachment to the life we have known by burning bridges and separating ourselves from our past. We run to the next thing that we believe will fill the void. Is any one of us, when facing the dark night of soul, really any different from those who are publicly expressing their pain?

We are in a dark night of the soul in the human family. It is a natural and normal part of the human journey. We must be present in it. We cannot attempt the “spiritual bypass” so that we do not feel the pain, anger, fear and outrage. Feel it. Scream it out loud, preferably not at anyone, but get the energy out. Take a walk or go for a run. Move the energy through your body. Dance it out. Allow the feelings to be your teachers. What is being called for right now? What do I need?  Be kind to yourself. Give yourself empathy and compassion.

Self-connection, self-awareness, self-empathy and self-compassion strengthen our willingness and ability to practice connection, empathy and compassion for others.

Seek out opportunities to share empathy and compassion with others. Do not look to others to place blame. Instead, feel with them. Be curious about what they are feeling and thinking. Be curious about what they need. What motivates them? What stimulates their pain? What do they value? What do they want for their lives? What inspires them?

We are all in this together. We will move through this dark night of the soul together provided we set a clear intention to be in it, rather than escape from it. We will survive, but only if we chose to be in it as one family.

Once we are through it, we will co-create a world that is not dominated by the power structures of the ego-dominated few, but one that embodies the egalitarian spirit of those of us who make the conscious choice to evolve and to be the change we wish to be in the world.

Behold! “I saw a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away” (Revelation 21:1)