Be aware of light rather than shadow in another.
August 4, 2022
God, to whom you pray, is indeed always present. Your guides to whom you turn are always present. The truth is there is no real separation between your guides and God. As we continually urge you to understand All Is One, that means also there is no separation between you, who we serve with love, and us or God. You, your guides, and God are a single entity of energy that is love. The core of that energy of course is God, but you, all of you, and we are part of what gives that energy life.
The love of God is not an abstract matter of speculation or hope. It is as real and concrete as anything that you as human beings can identify. What is not so clear to human beings is the full nature of that love and what that love means, what impact this unifying energy of love has between each of its constituents: human life, animals, nonhuman, guides—all levels of guides. That sense of unity is essential to recognize.
We speak of the power of a simple smile, an almost effortless gesture that may at times feel nearly automatic yet be filled with love. Too often human beings define the nature of love in very limited finite terms. You are quick to say this is loving but that is not. When you observe human behavior, it is easy to make such seemingly clear judgments. But we say to each of you that such judgments as are commonly given are only superficial. Even when they are not offered superficially, they are in fact merely blemishes on the surface of a part of God’s reality.
You are only too aware of examples of heinous behavior, of unforgiveable acts perpetrated between humans. As tragic as those actions may be, the real challenge is to nevertheless acknowledge the truth that no one is any lesser or greater than another in the seeing part of God. The person who does something that seems appalling is not a bad person. The behavior may be unacceptable, but the individual is nevertheless sacred. This is a difficult realization to put into practice for any human beings. The consequence is you often are consumed with punishing the person and not merely addressing the behavior.
Becoming more loving does not mean becoming more selective but rather finding yourself being continually more inclusive as you recognize the reality of God being a part of every human being. We speak of what is sacred for each person, and you know that we refer to spirit, not body, spirit. Human life has its faults, has its wrong turns, has its difficulties, its pain, its suffering as well as its lofty achievements, but those attributes, those experiences are not belonging to the center that is for each of you.
You are always asked to find what is good in another. When you are overcome by your desire to emphasize the negative, step back and give yourself an opportunity to find something about the other that you see in yourself. It is your way of feeling that you belong to others and that they belong to you.
Much of your discussion together at this time was about your recently departed friend’s connection to so many. His seeing that connection is certainly reflective of his understanding of God that indeed All Is One. There are many others who have the same gift of embracing others as a natural behavior. What is important for each of you is to be aware of the gift that is available for all to give, whether or not others participate at that level.
If you wish to see God in your life, look for those whose actions reflect your understanding of the nature of the Spirit Center, of God. When you recognize such a reflection, you are seeing the God in someone else. But for those who do not engage with others in the same way, they are equally filled with God’s light within. What differentiates people is not the core that is inside but rather the shape of the path that they walk. That path will be different for everyone.
At some point in some paths, there is much reflection of light, and for other portions of that journey, there is shadow. But the presence of that shadow does not mean the absence of light, for without light, there are no shadows. Shadows are the reminder that somewhere there is more light and that light exists. In the darkest night, the largest tree casts no shadow. It is only through the presence of light that shadow is observed. When you see shadow in the actions of others, turn your awareness to the light that is actually there.
You ask about the condition of your departed friend’s spirit, what he is experiencing, what he is offering, how close he is, what he is aware of. We can say, as is true with all who are transformed into new life, that there is a period of adjustment. For some, the adjustment is prolonged and filled with challenges. For others, it is smoother and less wrought with difficulty. Your friend’s transformation to spirit life was smooth, and he is growing in his considerable awareness of the presence of God. He is with us now, and he knows of your prayers. That is true of all who join us and who leave behind others who seek their presence. In this time of adjustment and growth in spirit form, there is no loss of vision, no loss of an awareness of those who are loved and who remain in human form.
What we emphasize here is not that your friend’s presence with you is unique. It is for all to experience. Prayers for those who have joined us are always felt. Love that is offered is always seen. He is with you, not presently as a guide, but present in the loving light that is shed upon your pathways. Some who join us eventually become guides. Others find their own growth through other means, that growth, nevertheless, being devoted to the development of all souls.
All of us, whether currently serving as guides or not, are focused entirely upon growth. This growth can be defined as an increase in the intensity of light from God that is being transmitted through the lenses of all spirits. When guides are determined, it is by desire, but it is also determined by the needs of the soul. All souls have the need for continued growth, but the pathways that realize that growth differ as much as your own human pathways may differ.
When we consider the human perception of time, we can say that some souls become guides in months or years that are few in number. Other souls may become guides in centuries. The time as measured in human terms is meaningless, for there is no sense of time. We don’t say or express in one way or another a certain soul took a long time or a short time to reach a particular stage on its pathway. That has no impact. All we are truly aware of is that growth occurs, the light is intensified, the paths are traversed.
We grow and we are part of the growth of all other souls. We exist with a full understanding of the unity of spirit. Human beings learn a bit about that unity, but they do not see it in its fullest reality. When you are fully aware of this unity of all, there is no sense of time and no sense of space. There is only a sense of light, and that light is a reflection in love. That reflection is clear to us. It is clear to both of your friends who have recently joined us. It is clear to all who have joined us.
Your experience in human form can be described as a gradual opening of the heart’s vision. It is through that heart’s vision, the vision through love, that you begin to perceive the illumination that accompanies each of you at all times. You are one another’s keeper. You are one another’s confidant, physician, teacher. You are all things to one another to a greater or lesser degree. Some souls reflect great love, that awareness of God. Some souls contain a capacity to be loving which is still in the shadow but nevertheless exists.
Each of you experiences emotions that may be characterized as “in the light” and “in the shadows,” but whatever you experience, do all you can to grow in your recognition that even in the presence of shadows, the light is always shining. The light that is love is always present. There are times when you recognize that love, and there are times when there seems to be no evidence of its presence, but that does not change the reality. We see that reality, that light, that love. That is the difference in our experiences and yours, but those differences are superficial, as we have said. Underneath those varied surfaces, there is only unity. There is only love. There is only light.
Reach from the shadows to find those points of light, and let those points affirm to each of you the reality of the brightest spiritual light that is always present beyond the shadows. Live to move toward light. Live to move toward a loving embrace, a loving acknowledgment of the value of all, and rest in the warmth of that great vision.
Amen.