Good afternoon, dear ones. Many of you know that I've been talking about power. We've talked about a wide range of areas in regard to power. We've talked about spiritual power. We've talked about getting in touch with the power that is within your body. We've talked about the power of managing things such as chakras, encodements, the energy field and even relationships with other people. We need to talk a little bit more about the body and what the body is.

Those of you here and those who read this information are familiar with the concept of higher self. You often hear someone say, "I talked to my higher self." I'd like to talk about that relationship. It is very important for you to realize that your higher self is not something other than you. Please understand that. It is not something other than you; your higher self is you. When you talk about communicating with your higher self, you are talking about expanding your sense of self or who you are-who it is that you really are. That which you call your higher self is the wholeness of you. You are actually an aspect of your higher self.

The higher self is in direct communication with Source. When you connect with your higher self, you are actually connecting with who you truly are. This may seem self-evident. Maybe I haven't said anything new yet. The newness is not in the words; it is in what I want you to truly understand and come to know-that you and your higher self are one.

Your higher self-who has all the wisdom, all the knowledge and is totally connected to Source-is not different from who you are. Your higher self is the one who is managing this play that you are in. People have a very difficult time understanding why it is that they came "down" here to a lower vibrational world. I'm going to talk about some things that may be contrary to what you may have heard.


THE DICHOTOMY OF DARKNESS AND LIGHT

You have heard about darkness and light. If there is no light, is there only darkness? If there were only darkness, would you know there was light? No, you would not-you would not know there was something else without the other. Think of darkness and light as symbols. Some of the light symbols are in high vibration, and the dark ones are in low vibration. People make a judgment about that-good and bad, with light being good and darkness being bad.

You have heard it said over and over again that everything comes from the one Source or God or the Highest Vibration or whatever word you wish to use. This is true. Some of you may have read that there are aspects of darkness that were not created by what is considered the "good" God, that there had to be another god who created this particular darkness. What I want you to realize is that there are different levels of creation. When I say "levels," I do not mean it to be hierarchical in any way. It's simply different responsibilities and different awarenesses.

Do you think that a flea on a cat or dog is aware of that cat or dog? No? Yet it is aware that it is on a moving thing and that it can jump onto something that doesn't move. And it's aware that it doesn't get any sustenance from that solid thing. Here in this creation, you know that you are on the Earth. You have learned that there is space around the Earth that you can travel in. However, just like the flea, which is not truly aware of what it is riding on, you are not either.

In your words, the various levels of creation are almost indescribable. It is an expanse of love energy-not the emotion of love but the vibration of love. That is the "stuff" of which creation is made. This stuff is also like a flea riding on something: It is not aware of any other layer (being stuck with the language, as it is). It is all-encompassing. Different things are occurring at different levels. So you have your home, your block, your neighborhood, your city, your state and your country. Can you see the different levels? Yes, you are aware of these different levels. I want you to realize that this is something that is always present.

You have heard it said that there is much that you have to do to raise the vibration of the planet so that the planet can live. There are many of you who feel heavy responsibility and even sadness when you, for instance, don't have a chance to recycle or when you see that someone has thrown out trash or when you read the latest information about a chemical plant polluting the Earth. You grieve for what is happening.


LIGHTEN UP: LEARN TO LIVE IN JOY

Know that everything around you is not real. It is an illusion. Not delusion but illusion. Magicians use sleight of hand, sometimes called "smoke and mirrors." It is not what the truth really is. Some people have placed upon themselves heavy responsibilities, believing that if they themselves (out of three billion people) do not do some action, then the entire planet can be lost. This is what I want to address. I am seeing that all of these wonderful people-those here in this room and those reading this who are doing their best to become who they truly are: love-are feeling more and more weighed down by this sense of responsibility of "saving" the planet and the universe. Let me ask those of you here, aren't some of you feeling that way? Do you feel that heaviness? Some of you are nodding yes. When you have this heaviness, it is virtually impossible to live life the way you want it to be-in joy! This means you are having a difficult time enjoying this wonderful creation that is here.

There is a mass of people on this planet-and then there is you, the individual. Is it not correct that you have been told that one person could make all the difference in the world? Those of you raised in the Christian tradition have the one known as Jeshua as the example of what one person could do. Those who are Buddhists have Buddha. Those who are Jewish have Abraham and Moses. You have these individual people. I want you to note that none of these people would have had the impact on this world that they did if they had not had those who listened to their words and then wrote about them. And some of that is absolute fiction, as they wrote it in the way they wanted to.

Dear ones, what I want you to know is that the world you live in is really very simple. What you "have" to do is very simple. Your power is not in coming in touch with what you need to do to change the world-your power is within you. Your power is in what you want to do with your life. You are not responsible for everyone else. There is only one person you are responsible for, and that is yourself.

Some may say that is selfishness and an absolute disregard of everyone else. Let's think about that. If you are responsible only for yourself and doing whatever it is that assists you in enjoying life, would you who are parents disregard the needs of your children-even teenagers? [Laughter.] Is it not one of your joys to watch those precious beings as they pass their milestones? How many times do you go in when they are asleep, so that you can see them in their angelic form? It is in those moments that the love you have for them pours out. When you are being responsible for yourself and taking care of number one, part of that process is the reaching out to other beings-in this case, your children. In this perspective, it doesn't seem selfish when I say that you are the first one to take care of.


YOUR ENERGY RADIATES OUT TO OTHERS

Let's talk about relationships. If you are the center of your universe, as I've said many times, and you want to be truly happy, one way to be truly happy is to be in a good relationship with someone. Most of you have discovered that good relationship means the ability to communicate-with words, with touch, with feelings. When you are being responsible only for yourself and wanting to be happy, you will do things to assist someone else to be happy so that you can be happy. Can you see that being responsible for yourself has waves that go out? It's like throwing a pebble into the water-it creates circles of waves.

Most of you are in the service professions, and that means just about every profession. Think of an artist whose work arouses an inner feeling and glow in someone else. Think of the joy the artist has in seeing or hearing that, and it came from doing something that artist wanted to do-work that brought him or her happiness. Those of you who work in the healing area, isn't it one of your greatest joys when you see someone accept the power of his or her own healing?

You can see how being responsible just for yourself is not self-centered, even if you are at the center, because it moves outward. If you are doing something that does not bring you joy, you are not doing something that is good for you. If you are in a job that you do not take pride in, that is not in sync with your gifts and talents, you are in the wrong place. Can you imagine what your place of business, your work, the people in your city, and the people you live with would be like if they all came home after a day of doing something they loved? What would happen to this city you are living in (Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States) if everyone here were able to do something they loved?

When you accept responsibility for yourself-that responsibility being to find what it is that brings you joy and happiness-you are being responsible for the planet and your world.

There are those who are totally unaware of what their actions do to other people. There are people like that. Unless it brings you joy to educate those people and bring them to awareness, it is not your job. You are not responsible for that. There are people who have great satisfaction when they take care of their recycling, or they find something they no longer want and give it or sell it to someone who does want it. They are being responsible for themselves and doing what brings them joy.


LIVING WITHOUT JOY CONTRIBUTES TO HEAVINESS AND TURMOIL

Think about everything being energy and vibration. Think of the heaviness on your planet from wars and other things happening. When you are living without joy, you are contributing to that turmoil. Wars do not begin between leaders, even though you may think they do. Wars begin internally. In your country, the United States, your military is filled with people who have chosen to be there. Some have even found that it brings them great joy and satisfaction to be there. Recent newspaper articles have talked about the satisfaction and honor (and, yes, joy) in serving their country for those who have died, and their families as well, even though they are now grieving. When a police officer is killed, you often hear the family talk about how much he or she loved being of service, and you know that that person was doing what brought him or her joy. They chose that profession and were responsible for themselves. Those police officers who do not enjoy what they are doing will often go into drug use or stealing or some other lower vibrational activity.

It may sound simplistic, but your "job" is to be happy. You, an infinite being, came to this finite world. You convinced yourself that you are not who you are-that you are limited and powerless. You did that so you could experience limitation and powerlessness and have fun doing it. Well, dear ones, have fun!

Part of having fun is realizing when a particular act is over. You have, for instance, the memory that you were abused. That act is now over. Shut the door and leave. Why keep going back and going back and going back? It is not the person who perpetrated the abuse who keeps calling you back-it is you who does that. All you have to do is shut the door and let it go. And go find out what it is that brings you joy.

You may say that your third-grade teacher accused you falsely, and you can never trust anyone again. It is not your third-grade teacher's fault-it is yours. Third grade has been over for some time-let it go. Find out what brings you joy.

Yes, you will have all kinds of people-in many shapes and forms-telling you in many ways that you are not who you are. It is your choice about what you believe. Why, my dear precious ones, my wonderful love incarnates, do you choose to believe those who lie to you?


THERE IS NO SIN IN PRIDE OF ACCOMPLISHMENT

There is no sin in pride. There is a lot of missing the mark-the original meaning of sin. Yes, there is a lot of that. Haven't you missed the mark with your golf, archery, darts, bowling or whatever? It isn't failure-it's practice!

You are only responsible for yourself. You are not even responsible for those children you are raising. They are responsible for themselves. Do the part that's fun. Do the guidance. And, yes, you may cry and scream and yell. You do all of that so you will see them walk across the stage and receive their diploma or see them glowing as they succeed in achieving a goal they wished to reach. Know that their happiness will come when they achieve the goals that they want-not the goals you want for them.

"Personal responsibility"-you hear that phrase many times from your political system, from your legal system, from social workers. Personal responsibility sounds onerous. But your personal responsibility is to be happy, to be joyful-to find what it is that makes you happy. No one is going to give it to you. You did not come here for anyone to give it to you. If you were born into a family who gave you millions of dollars, you still have the responsibility to find what it is that will make you happy. People with millions of dollars discover faster than most that money doesn't make one happy. Your power is in what makes you happy.

There are layers and layers and layers of life beyond what you know on this Earth. You are like the flea that is not aware of the dog or cat it is living on. There are layers that are supporting you-trust that. Many of you are sitting in a chair right now. None of you looks like you fear that chair will not support you. Trust that you are being supported. It may take a lot for some of you to do that because you will list all the people-from third grade, fourth grade, high school, home-who didn't help you to learn to trust. That is fine, because when you finally learn it yourself, you will feel much satisfaction, peace and joy in that. There is an energy-some call it God or spiritual connection or the universe-that is supporting everything.


YOUR JOY INCREASES THE PLANET'S VIBRATION

Will something happen to this planet if it is not cared for? Probably not-at least not in the near future. But something will happen to you. Is there such a thing as global warming? Yes, there is; it is a cycle of things that happen. And the pollution exacerbates it. Can you do anything? Do what makes you happy. I have a suspicion that living in or near chemical dumps does not make you happy. I have a suspicion that living in chaos does not make you happy, even though many of you-doctors and nurses, for instance-are good with crisis; you enjoy coming away from crisis.

Your responsibility is to find that which brings you joy. If your relationships aren't doing it, find out what it is about that relationship that is not bringing you joy. Is it because of you and how you respond? Or is it because of the other and how the other responds? Then work on fixing whatever you can.

Let's talk a little about meditation. Your life on this planet does not depend upon your meditating. It does not depend upon your praying. It does not depend upon your doing anything spiritual, or what is "called" spiritual. Why is that? Do you meditate for you, or do you meditate for me? I don't need your meditation. You meditate for yourself. If you are one of those who says you should meditate more often, ask yourself why. Do you think you should be doing it more often because of what you want or because someone has told you that you should?

If meditation brings you joy, do it. If meditating using "Om" brings you joy, do it. If meditating while walking in a field of flowers brings you joy, then do it. You can receive the same benefit as meditation if you simply live in your heart. That is the physical, energetic reality of being in your heart. You see things in a much different way. You open yourself up to possibilities. You come to know yourself and be aware of yourself as love incarnate.

You are love. You were created from love. You can be nothing else and nothing other than love.

That is the crux of my message today. It is very simple: Do only that which brings you joy. Know that at times you only see the joy after several steps along the way, as in raising children, working on projects, releasing grief and countless other things. The joy comes in the journey and the accomplishment of something, does it not?

Think deeply about what it means to be responsible only for yourself. A lot of people would be happy if you got out of their lives. And wouldn't you be happy if a lot of people got out of your life? Think about what it means to bring you joy and peace and happiness. If you don't know how to find out, I would suggest you start by walking around your house and ask if the things in it bring you joy-this rug, this chair, this sofa. Walk outside and see if the sky brings you joy. Find out what brings you joy. You will only find it in your heart. Try looking at everything in your house or in the world through your head and see what happens. Then try doing it from your heart and notice the difference. The most broken-down chair can be wonderful when seen from the heart.

Do what brings you joy. If meditating brings you joy, do it-but please, do not do it if it's an obligation. I do not need your meditation. I am Amma, the divine mother-why would I need your meditation? It is for you. Discover what way of living makes you happy and brings life to you. Are there any questions?


IF YOU SO DESIRE, THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO MEDITATE

I'm not sure I can put this into words, but I'll try. I'm taking a meditation class right now. At the beginning of your talk, you talked about expanding and realizing that our higher selves and our selves are the same. I've meditated for years with the misconception that the process was to stop the mind, and the space that was left when the mind was stilled would be where we would encounter our higher self. The meditation I'm doing now is different. It's almost as if you have two volume controls. We always have our linear mind, but we also have the higher mind, and they coexist. You never stop the one, but it's like you can turn the volume up or down on them at various times. It's like the mind never stops but you become less aware of the noise and more aware of the underlying peace. Can you speak to that part of the meditation process?

What you are attempting to do is to discover what you are without all those thoughts. Those thoughts are what seem to be running your life. People have been putting such focus on eliminating those thoughts that they are in a battle with them. It's like a Chinese puzzle where you put your fingers in and the harder you try to get them out, the more they are stuck. When you learn how to use a volume control, as they are teaching you in that class, you are learning how to sift through the parts that aren't necessary. You begin to realize that a certain thought isn't only unnecessary, but it's ridiculous and extraneous. The volume control helps you to learn how to sift or filter it out. You are enjoying this meditation process, are you not?

Yes, very much. When you said to meditate because it brings you joy, the prior meditation experience I had was not a joyful one, and this is such a joyful one for me. The difference is like night and day. The prior one involved resisting and trying to get the mind to stop, instead of taking the whole and going with it and sifting through it. Yes, this one is so different, and I'm enjoying it.

Doing different forms of meditation is interesting. Some have gone to the prior one that you did not enjoy and have found that it gave them great joy. One of the difficulties on this planet is that people assume that because something works for one, it works for all. In addition, you are always changing and growing. What might or might not work at one point, might or might not work at another time. That is what is called the journey of life. So do whatever you are doing as long as it gives you joy. You will find that when you come to know more of who you are, you will find something else that brings you joy.


LET THE EPIPHANIES FLOW

I like what you just said about finding something else, because at any point, the latest epiphany seems like the end-all and be-all. The danger is always that you might lock into the present epiphany as deeply as you did to the one before. Don't get stuck in it, so that the journey can continue. You stay fluid. I realized as soon as you said it that I was all ready to put this one into place with permanent screws! [Laughter.]

Remember that when you leave one box, you simply go into another. This body you are in keeps you in a box. Some of you may think you've gone beyond the box of Christianity or Judaism. It doesn't matter how big or little the box is, it is still a box. If you have a symbol and a gallon jug, and both are filled to the top, they both are filled 100 percent. As you change, your box will change. You may consider it expansion, but I challenge you to avoid the hierarchical nature of thinking that something is better than the other because you are now doing it lighter. Is there anything wrong with the knowledge the first-grader is learning, even though you have a doctorate? It is still knowledge. So just know that you are in that box, and when you feel the edges, you will push them down and go into another box. You are really tired of the "box" when you leave this body of yours.

Is there anything more we can do for anyone? [A participant with cancer is indicated.] You have gathered here to do some healing on someone. Let's talk a little bit about healing. We'll use your friend as an example. You gathered together, and you placed your hands upon her. You joined your minds and your hearts and your energies with her family and gave them support. Using the analogy of a box, what all of you gathered together to do was to help your friend move the fear to one side, so that the possibility, the hope and the gleam of healing could come in. You were gathered together holding her in the place of health. This is what the great healers do. They hold someone in that place of health. What you can do for your friend is to continually see her in that place of health.


SEE PEOPLE AS HEALTHY AND OUTCOMES AS SUCCESSFUL

Many people, when they send healing energy to someone or pray for them-whatever words they use-they see them as ill. That holds them in the place of illness. So you want to see your friend whole and hold her in that place of wholeness. That is the best thing you can do for her-that gives her the support so that she can heal herself, if that is what is supposed to be. She is able to make the decision she wants to make, sifting through all the possibilities open to her in this third-dimensional world and deciding what she wants to do next-if she wants to do anything.

Well, dear ones, I now leave you with the blessing of joy. I challenge you to ask yourself if you are enjoying what you are doing at each moment. Celebrate even the lives of those in the military who have died doing their duty, especially if you know they enjoyed doing that. There is a bittersweet joy that can occur in the depths of being human. You came here to experience this. You experience it to its depths, and those depths take you to many, many places with many, many emotions-you would not be human if you did not have joy and fear, if you did not have grief and elation. But part of all that is the joy! Joy is who you are. Uncover it. Find it. Joy can be amid any other emotion. That may seem paradoxical, but it is true. It is there. Enjoy life. Laugh at the difficulties. Your society has been excellent at making jokes of painful situations. Look at your situation comedies. Some of the funniest things are often the most tragic. Learn to see the laughter that can be amid everything, even what you think is the most painful.

Those of you who are parents, look at those charges of yours-that tremendous responsibility that you have. Always remember the joy you have when you see those children of yours and when you think of them. Do this even if you have to go back to the first time you held them in your arms. That is the crux of life.

Be responsible for yourself, and realize that you are the center of your universe. Find out how you are relating to these others who are the centers of their universes. Find out how you can relate to them in a way that definitely keeps you in joy. My blessings to each one of you.

Source: Sedona Journal

Also: snoedel.punt.nl