Two Voices

Every day since November 6th, listening to the news as it details each and every occurrence, each and every appointment, each and every guess by so-called pundits about what “it” means, I am reminded of the following story attributed to Zen.

On his sixteenth birthday, a boy gets a horse as a present. All of the people in the village say, “Oh, how wonderful!”

The Zen master says, “We’ll see.”

One day, the boy is riding and gets thrown off the horse and hurts his leg. He’s no longer able to walk, so all of the villagers say, “How terrible!”

The Zen master says, “We’ll see.”

Some time passes and the village goes to war. All of the other young men get sent off to fight, but the boy can’t fight because his leg is messed up. All of the villagers say, “How wonderful!”

The Zen master says, “We’ll see.”

As we go into what appears to be darkness, even though we know that the sun will be on its annual return beginning with the Winter Solstice on December 21st, it might be provident to remember and practice some of the following from my book, A Bear Gun:

1. Move from judgment to discernment (The Case for Detachment, page 32).
2. Ground, center, fill and stand behind your heart (The Conundrum of the Open Heart, page 75).
3. Remember, as Quan Yin teaches, “There is nothing outside of you which is not a reflection of something inside of you.” (Mirror, Mirror, page 84)

Above all: Hold Firm the Light. Remember, you ARE and always have been the Light you yearn for, and that Light disperses dark.

Going through the many things Mom, Reverend G. Ernestine Paine, wrote, I found the following article which seems to be perfect for this time in our evolution into Fifth Dimension Consciousness.

MINISTRY

In this time of new life and re-birth I share with you my joy and gratitude. My thanks for being who and how you are.
I have spent much time, over the past five or six years, mourning what I have seen as the loss of the Church. I agonized over the closing of the Church and my failure as a minister and teacher. I will be moving from this area by the end of the year, and it seemed as though all that the Church stood for was gone and finished. I woke one morning and looked up at the “Founding Father” picture of Wally which hangs on the wall at the foot of my bed. It is one of those pictures where the eyes follow you as you move about, and it seems to me that the expressions on her face change. She sometimes smiles – even grins-; her eyes approve – and sometimes scold – but always she is alive and responsive to my moods.
On this particular morning, when I looked up Wally was dead, and the grief almost overwhelmed me, for though she has been gone for 10 years, she has never been dead. I felt her death rested on MY shoulders, and that all she represented, in my life and yours, was gone with the death of the church.
But1, and in the midst of my despair, was born a new insight – a new understanding – a new joy and a new beginning.
Charlotte’s teachers have said, on many occasions, that our structures must and are changing. Political, social and religious structures must all change. Our hanging on to the familiar not only prevents the unfolding of our changing world, it makes the changing destructive. Suddenly I could see “Church” and “religions”, not only mine but all religions, in a new light.
And light it is!
Church is not a place to worship, not a teaching to be given by ministers, not a political structure for dispensing God’s Grace through rituals, dispensations and governmental approval, etc., etc.
Church – religion – worship, by whatever name, is a center of light wherein the living and eternal God, by whatever name, is present; and that presence, that light is carried by each and every individual soul to whatever degree the soul honors that light. Having a place where people can gather to renew, refresh and practice the light is nice – but not necessary. Whatever light each soul carries, like a moth to a flame, enhances and is enhanced by its presence. Your light/my light, warms all who experience it, to the degree one lets it shine, to the degree one allows themselves to be warmed by it. To the degree we share in love and compassion, recognize other and self as one, the Eternal One is present. There is a song that says “light the corner where you are!”
Suddenly I could see that our Church is alive and well, living in the heart of each one of you, spreading the love which each of you/us brought to and took from our sharings. I recognized that none of us will ever again be alone and in darkness, for each of us carries the light we have found. Each life was changed and opened to love.
The most devoted minister or holy person,
The most dedicated politician,
The most idealistic judge
Acts out of personal convictions and thus is more dangerous than the wishy-washy opportunist who, at least, is flexible in the winds of change. Thank God for the diversities in color, creed and kind. My most idealistic dream is only right for me! All I can give to you is my love and my acceptance of you as you are, or dream of being.
There is a “plan” so universal and so detailed that the passing thought of you and I has a lodging place.

Trust that the sun will rise, the moon will glow
That every surging water drop will ebb and flow
Upon the shore; and every soul was meant to be
Eternally.

GeoE 12/96

Edited by Monique Hunergardt of MoReadsYou.com

GRATITUDE

As we cross the threshold between Halloween, October 31^st,
“Lay to rest the ghosts of your past. Feed them with the sweet candies of forgiveness, gratitude and love.” (Quan Yin)

And All Saints Day, November 1^st,
Arise from the ashes of third dimension fear, hate, greed, retaliation, desperation, exclusion, and division, into a new dimension whose foundation is integration, connection, inclusive, present-ness and love. (c tinker)

Into longer deeper nights;

As we gather the last of our harvest, preserving and evaluating the product of the seeds planted in spring in terms of how well they do or do not serve us;

As we move into gratitude for the bounty of our lives,

It is time to take our courage in hand, stand firmly grounded behind our hearts and make a commitment to establishing gratitude as the foundation from which we engage and perceive daily life.

It is time to consciously acknowledge that same indwelling Light/Love in every event and in every person, and bless yourself and them with, “Thank you for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever.”

It is time to ride out the apparent slide into darkness and be grateful for it, until we once again celebrate the apparent return of Light/Love at the birth of a new season.

Establish your foundation of gratitude and thanksgiving with the following daily two-fold practice.

• Each day find something personally to state your gratitude for; “Thank you for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever.”
• Find something or at least some time, in the world and in humankind to state your gratitude for; “Thank you for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever.”

Blessings,
          Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

We Won’t Go Back

I found myself cheering and crying at the statement oft-used during the Democratic National Convention, “We won’t go back.” It reinforced a vow I made to myself so many years ago.

In 1972, at age thirty, when I finally thought I might be able to “fix” what was so wrong in me, I made a vow to myself.

“I will never return to that dark; if I die in the process of healing into the Light, that is okay. I will never again go back to that darkness.”

I made a vow. Not a promise, Not an intention. Not a life plan, or a ten-year plan. I made a VOW! Somehow, a vow imprints itself not only in our mind and heart. It imprints itself in every chakra of our body. It imprints itself on our soul and Soul-Self. And it forever after informs every perception, every decision, every action, every response, every judgment or discernment.

A vow changes the trajectory of how one lives one’s life.

I hope the phrase “We won’t go back” is, indeed, a vow made by enough Americans, enough politicians to provide the foundation for healing and the ingredients needed to once more reach for the vision of America we all long for, one of tolerance, inclusion, self-determination and the freedom to be who you are.

                                                                                         Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

The Aura of Your Choice

The stark contrast between the energy generated during the Republican National Convention and during the Democratic National Convention in August was palpable and reminded me of Rosalyn Bruyere’s serious quip “Vote for the aura of your choice,” a recommendation I followed at that time and have at every voting opportunity since. It seems to me that this year especially, the difference between the aura of the candidates and their parties is visible and tangible.

As I write, I can hear the questions!

What is an aura anyway?

How can one see or perceive an aura, if there is such a thing, especially on TV?

Cambridge Dictionary online defines aura as:
1. A feeling or character that a person or place seems to have.
2. A type of colored light that some people say they can see around people and animals, that they believe shows something about their character, mood, health, etc.
3. Light or color that can be seen surrounding something.

How, then, can one see or perceive an aura, especially when watching people on TV?

The simplest way is to turn on the TV, turn off the sound, relax and let yourself drop into a meditative state, soften your vision (like seeing without glasses), and let yourself notice the halo around the person. You don’t need to see a color. Your body will respond to what it perceives from the picture of the person or persons. Our secondary aura automatically recognizes and assesses the secondary aura of anyone we see or think of.

My body either relaxes and opens up, or tightens and closes down, depending on the auric field that is being generated. I vote for the field my body relaxes and opens to.

I did my best to spend real time watching parts of the RNC. I was simply unable to listen to and watch for very long. I found myself responding physically to the energy being generated. In the name of fairness, I went to YouTube to watch and listen to some of the major presenters. I found my responses were no easier to live with. When I went into mindfulness and contemplation, I was able to recognize that the energy field––the auric field of the conference in general and the speakers individually––was simply inimical to my own aura. I came away feeling dread, grief, despair, and an odd sense of anger.

I was able to comfortably watch most of the DNC, though I found I was tired at the end of the day. I also went to YouTube to watch major presentations and get a sense of each individual’s auric field. Watching and listening, I found myself smiling, my heart center open and a sense of joy in life that seemed to be missing entirely from the RNC.

So, I’m joyfully taking Rosalyn’s advice and will be voting for the aura of my choice. And I hope you’ll do the same. Because, when you do, indeed, vote for the aura of your choice, you are in your own integrity. And that’s all anyone can wish for everyone!

                                             Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

The Government You Deserve

As the circus that passes for our democratic process of electing government representatives becomes more violent, I find I’m only willing to watch the news reports for ten or fifteen minutes a day.

In the midst of watching the hyperbolic rhetoric, the vicious fear mongering, and the blaming, one of Quan Yin’s blunt and unequivocal pronouncements rings bright and clear in my mind:

“You have the government you deserve.”

This answer to a question regarding elections a number of years ago acted like a slap in the face, leaving everyone in the session breathless. After all, what can one say to such a statement?

Quan Yin never elucidates or expands on this kind of pronouncement. She leaves it to each individual to consider what she said and come to their own understanding of how it may apply to their personal and communal life.

After a considerable length of contemplation and meditation, I came to relate this statement with another of her teachings: What is outside of us is a mirror or reflection of what is inside of us. She’s referring to more than just accepting the responsibility to vote or who is voted for. As usual, Quan Yin sees everything from a much broader view than I.

Oxford Languages on Google defines “deserve” as “earned because of something done or qualities shown: merited.” While this is a traditional definition, I think of “deserve” less as a punishment or reward. I see it more as a result of what you/I/we have created or manifested by our actions, thoughts, prayers, etc.

Our government, if it is to be even a decent representative acting for the people, needs each of us to accept our responsibility (and culpability) in its formation and ability to serve the people it is commissioned to serve.

If we accept the premise, or at least the possibility, of Quan Yin’s statement, “You have the government you deserve,” and we don’t like the government we have, what can we do in addition to voting?

Take a few moments and discover what one thing about your government (federal, state, county, city, or even school board, PTA, etc.) that elicits the strongest reaction. Then ask yourself:

How am I like that? Or how do I do that to myself and/or others?

Don’t wait until you have a concrete answer to these questions. Instead, once you’ve asked them, take a breath and do a few rounds of Ho’oponopono (Self-forgiveness practice) and follow that with a few rounds of Gratitude Practice (Thank you for everything, I have no complaints whatsoever) and end the session with “And so it is.” Then go on with your day.

As each of us begins or continues the hard work of helping create the government we think we deserve, I’d like to believe that we will be successful, and that “the government you deserve” will truly a blessing to us all.

                                                 Blessings,
                                                                 Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

Pro-Choice Rant

I am Pro Choice. Meaning, I am a proponent of free choice. Not only in the realm of women’s health care and legal rights, but in all aspects of everyone’s life. I do not equate “choice” with “abortion”, and as far as I can tell, only those with a political agenda and desire to control others’ behavior consider “choice” to be a synonym for “abortion”.

I believe that every woman, from the onset of physical and social maturity, has not only the right, but the obligation to actively choose what she wants and how she wishes to be in her life. She has an obligation to consciously choose marriage or not marriage, home or career, children or no children, religion or spiritual practice or non-belief, or any combination or blending in any way that supports her and her personal circle of those she loves, cares for, nurtures, and influences.

When the government, at any level, makes laws governing a woman’s choice about her health, her life, or her value to herself or her culture, the separation between Church and State has been foully breached.

If a religious tradition (church) is morally opposed to birth control and/or abortion, and it expects its followers to live by the moral code, there is no need for civil or federal law to force that moral imperative on the rest of the population who do not belong to that church. For me, this holds true with regard to ALL religious moral imperatives, including, but not limited to, what you wear, who you choose to partner with, who, if anyone, is the authority in your life, what you are allowed or encouraged to do with your life, etc. It also seems to me that if a church is strong in its beliefs and confident in its devotees, it has no need to make civil laws to enforce those beliefs or require the general public to abide by them. If an organization is forcing its specific moral dogma on non-believers through civil law, it is not a church, it is a political organization and should be treated as such.

I believe the woman holds the center energy of the family and of the culture. There is ample evidence that when women are given economic equity and opportunity (including loans), education, training, and support, family conditions are improved, and then community conditions are improved.

It is my choice to believe what I will, practice the religious or spiritual traditions that support me, and live by the code of ethics that I feel are best for me and for those I have chosen to support and be responsible for. The Constitution of these United States guarantees me that right and responsibility, and laws that seek to abridge, control or force someone else’s restrictions on me are unconstitutional.

Those who are afraid of human beings making their own choices will continue to make laws that force others to abide by their own limited beliefs.

Those who recognize that powerful, self-empowered women are an essential force for creating a culture that supports each individual as a valuable and necessary asset to a growing, evolving, and self-sustaining community. . . they are Pro Choice.

Blessings, Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

EAT LIKE AN OWL

I encountered a medicine woman whose name translates loosely as Owl Woman while I was studying healing at the Healing Light Center Church. For the year that I was her channel, I addressed her as “Grandmother”. When asked, she told me she was one of the Ancient Ones, and had been taken, at around the age of three or four, to be trained as a medicine woman. She lived on a plateau above a long, winding canyon with a river running through it. There were many clan-families living scattered along the length of the river. It was her duty to keep them safe spiritually and physically. Each sunrise and sunset, she stood on a promontory overlooking the canyon, raised her arms as she chanted, shape-shifted into a large white owl, flew out across the length and breadth of the canyon, then returned to the promontory and reassumed her human body.

Grandmother always came to me when we did community ceremony (which was often) and I also worked with her privately. She seemed to accept me as an apprentice for a time, naming me Morning Star Appearing. (I asked her, if I had to be a “star” couldn’t I be an evening star? She simply growled at me and said no.) So, I began to search for the meaning of Morning Star Appearing. It seems that the morning star heralds the coming of the day, or the light.
As part of my apprenticeship, Grandmother told me to learn about owls. So I trekked to the library and read several books about owls. I learned more than I ever wanted to know about the varieties, genus, and species of owls, even some mythology, and nothing that seemed to be usable for me.

Finally, at the end of my patience, I found a children’s book on owls. Did you know that owls swallow their prey whole? Their body then separates what can be used as nourishment from the bones, fur, claws, etc. How that happens I have no idea. Then the owl’s body packages up all the unwanted, unusable parts of the prey, wraps them into a neat package, and vomits it out. The owl then digests the nourishment.

What a kool thing to know how to do, and a great skill for those of us who are empaths, intuitives, psychics, or have limited boundaries. I learned how to “eat like an owl,” an important skill that continues to serve me today. How, you may ask, do I eat like an owl? Simple. I figured out that instead of trying to shut out all of the feelings, events and energies that I was drowning in every day, I could swallow it whole, and let my Higher Self, my Soul-Self, my intuition sort out what would nourish me, and then “vomit” out the rest.

The world and its people are going through a difficult cycle of transformation, and the ability to not fight what comes at me is invaluable. It takes so much energy to attempt to keep the world at bay, I have little left to do what I am called to: Holding Firm the Light. And, in the process of trying to keep out the negative stuff that is happening, I miss what actually feeds me: the love of those who work with others to make life better, or at least livable, in times that are not.

My wish for each of you is to learn to ‘eat like an owl’. Your ability to be sensitive to the pain, fear, rage, and death happening all around you can become the gift it was meant to be. Take it all in, then sit in quiet contemplation while your Soul-Self sorts through what nourishes you, and what does not, and let the neatly packaged dross go with your blessings!
                                                                                                  Blessings, Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

Capturing the Carrot

Like the carrot dangling from a stick used to keep the donkey moving, we tend to fixate on the dream, the wish, the prayer of Peace, of Joy, of Love, of Security. With fulfilment always just over the horizon we continue to trudge along, thinking that we’re taking a positive action that will, someday, result in attaining our heart’s desire.

When we finally recognize that we’ve spent our lives chasing a chimera, we often drop into depression, despair, or rage, and determine to change it – all too often with violence. We go to war on what appears to be in the way of capturing the carrot. We pour our energy, our actions, our thoughts, our creativity into destroying what we see as being in the way. And, what we’re determined to eliminate only grows stronger.

Stop making war focusing on what you don’t want! Instead, take a positive action toward what you do want.

If you wish for Peace (Love, Joy, Security) take time to define for yourself what your experience of Peace feels like. What does Peace feel like physically in your body? What does Peace feel like emotionally, in your belly? What does Peace feel like mentally, in your mind? What does Peace feel like spiritually, in your heart? Now that you have a definition of the experience of Peace for yourself, take ten minutes three times a day to quiet everything and experience your understanding of Peace.

What triggers the experience of Peace for you? Perhaps sitting and watching the ocean or sitting or walking in a forest of trees. Perhaps having your pet beside you, sharing time and warmth, or rocking a new baby in your arms. Perhaps listening to your favorite music. Perhaps meditative breathing or a mindfulness practice. What triggers an experience of inner Peace for you is not important. It is important that you know, recognize and use the trigger that works for you.

As you seat yourself in your personal experience of inner peace, the world slows down, your mind quiets, stress at all levels and from all sources falls away. Mental, emotional and spiritual clarity and resilience come to the fore, and you’re better able to decide what you want and what actions you choose to take, no longer chasing the carrot of Peace, Love, Joy, or Security. You are present in the moment, your dreams/wishes unfolding before you!

Ah, the sweet taste of life lived now!

Blessings,
                                       Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

Inner Revolution

From Quan Yin –
“We do not encourage you to commit revolution – at least not in the ways you are usually defining revolution.

We encourage you to inner revolution perhaps.
To quiet, daily revolution, if you will.
We encourage you to choose each day
Who you will obey
Who has the right to tell you who you are
How you live
What is of real importance to you
What your life is to be about.
It is in these daily choices that the face of your world will change.”

Quan Yin Speaks: Wisdom for a New Century, p 53                                        

“Become an “activist” in quiet, small, personal ways, turning your attention to the spiritual, social, political, educational, religious and business areas of your life.
This kind of “activism” is more powerful when it is simply done in small ways with your personal attention.”

Quan Yin Speaks: Embracing Fifth Dimension Consciousness, p 36 

                   
My personal inner revolution:

Nothing is wasted. Every experience is a piece of the mosaic that makes up the personal soul.

Each soul is a facet of Universal Spirit, and each a fragment of Universal Spirit combines to become That From Which Is, and from which all comes and returns.

Bless every experience, every event, every thought, every feeling. Allow Soul to meet its agenda of wholeness which is, in essence, Holiness.

Do the best you are able to step out of judgment and into compassion. Love and forgive yourself when you miss the mark, so you are better able to love and forgive others who also miss the mark.

Make the choices and take the actions that make each day a day of joy and expansion in the very depth of your soul and the very height of your manifested world.

My love and blessings to you all,

Charlotte                                                                                   

Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com

March Comes in Like a Lion

This line from an old madrigal has been going through my mind for the past two weeks and finally prompted me to look at the March calendar. My goodness! March is a month full of energy, the potential for change, action and the confusion that often accompanies changes on a Universal Consciousness level.

Look at the calendar for March.
March 5 – Super Tuesday – primary elections in 16 states.
March 10 – Ramadan begins
Daylight Savings – “spring forward”. Face the sunrise and sunset for 2-3 days to help reset your circadian rhythm.
March 17 – Saint Patrick’s Day
March 19 – Spring Equinox – Celebrate the beginning of spring and the end of winter.
March 23 – March 24 – Purim – A joyous Jewish festival commemorating the survival of the Jews who were marked for death by the Persian rulers in the 5th century BRE.
March 24 – Palm Sunday
March 28 – Maundy Thursday – ends Lent which began on February 14th.
March 29 – Good Friday
March 31 – Easter Sunday.

March is a month when people gather to fast or feast, celebrate or mourn. Many will be tossed about emotionally and spiritually, like leaves in a strong wind, or small boats on a fractious sea. We will all be navigating a diversity of strong emotions, long-held beliefs, and physical, psychic and spiritual energies, all of which have their roots in a far-distant past, which each of these events bring to the forefront of our lives.

Is it any wonder many people find themselves confused, upset, fragmented in their thinking, or clinging for dear life to their pre-conceived, old and familiar ideas, afraid of change, and of divergent ideas or practices.

I find it interesting that in all three of these very different religious observances, one of the practices is to share what you have with those who have less.

My suggestion for maintaining your self-ness in this month filled with spiritual and physical potential for change? Enjoy the spiritual and social celebrations and events with which you are comfortable, and comforted. Be present to them, enjoy the traditions, and let them serve you as part of the shift from 3rd to 5th Dimension Consciousness.

Be kind to others and accepting of their beliefs and practices. Remember that, while there may be a diversity of spiritual and political practices, there is truly only Love (or Light, by whatever it may be called or experienced). Remember that diversity of Life is what keeps us all alive in our lives! It is the spice and the richness from which we all benefit.

So let the winds of change blow, the passions of belief roar and, like the lady in the tarot card VIII – Strength, harness them with the chains of Love and Kindness, so you, too, may bring the harmony and the power of feminine potential into manifestation.

 Blessings, Charlotte

Edited by Monique Huernergardt of MoReadsYou.com