Not only are we the 99%; we are truly the 100% – with every gorgeous soul included and loved by our Creator. Our healing rests upon the truth of our ONENESS.

A Course in Miracles says, “The present is forgiveness.” So as we stand for justice, let’s open to the miracle of the Holy Instant, the one blessed and alive moment that is NOW. It’s from here that change will come, and healing will pour over and into us.

In order to directly experience the Heaven we crave, we need to realize how connected we are. ALL of us…including those who’ve passed on and those who’ve yet to be born… including those you think you love and those you never want to see again…ALL of us make up the body of the Christ. None can be left out. This is the love of the present moment. It is the mercy given each one of us on the forgiveness path.

So let’s open wide the doors of our Heart and let ourselves FEEL how much we need each other. Know you are never isolated and alone, but always linked with your sisters and brothers everywhere. Strong, vital, united and free. With this salve and salvation, we’ll build our new world.

Happy day,
Ana

Walking through an opening into the barricaded park, I was struck by how small the space is. Not a trace of the People’s Library, the 200 tents or the trash survived. Yet something was still alive here, if bruised and brooding. I stopped to listen to two young women in their 20s being filmed for an interview. “The Occupy Movement was incredible while it was here in Liberty Square,” said one. “But now it’s moved to other locations. OWS lives on in cities throughout this country, and the world. We’re hurting here; in fact, someone just got arrested 15 minutes ago for lying down in the park. The police won’t let anything happen. We need to regroup and reorganize. But we’re not dead!”

Leaving the park, we walked a couple of blocks to Wall St., where the New York Stock Exchange, J.P. Morgan’s imposing stone mansion and a statue of George Washington stand together in a triangular vortex of political and financial power. Breathing deeply, I took some time to release my judgments while I stood at this crossroad of American hegemony, symbolizing the Empire of the 1%. “Those greedy people,” whispered my judgments, “I bet they just care about making billions for themselves. They aren’t concerned about the environment or justice or sustainability! etc. etc.” There were many emotions, too, rising up for my attention. Anger, superiority, guilt, blame. None of it was pretty.

I released it all with my breath and turned to prayer. Standing beside the statue of George Washington, gazing at the Stock Exchange, I prayed, “Beloved One, may this spot on Earth be uplifted. May greed and domination of one over another be healed. May everyone here come to peace and equality. May the truth of our union be returned to this land. May the joy of our oneness heal the errors of our ways.” Knowing the power of prayer is real, I blessed the Occupy Movement AND Wall Street. Together. Equally.

On the subway, I contemplated the 99%. People are coming together around the world to make a stand for justice, truth and balance. Everywhere I hear stories of “ordinary” people becoming heroes as they step out with courage, facing police brutality, racism and fear. Some of our neighbors are taking pepper spray in the face — and worse. It’s going to take massive discipline to create lasting change. With satyagraha, the peaceful commitment of Gandhi, I know we can do it.

And while I’m inspired by the 99%, my heart also goes to the 1%. Without including everyone, we cannot forgive and start anew. As Starhawk informs the violent dictators in her story, The Fifth Sacred Thing, “Even now, there is room for you at our table.” That line always moves me, because it tells me that even at the very last moment, there is a place for everyone. It’s an extraordinary welcome, giving the chance of grace to each person, as long as they come to the table of thanksgiving, where each person is sacred and respected.

Admittedly, it seems we’re a long way from such a resolution, however delightful it may appear. Many people, rich and poor, have no intention of renouncing violence. They may never choose to take their seat at the meal of plenty. Still, we who love peace carry on.

There’s much work to do, and we have the opportunity to do it with conscious awareness and gratitude. We need an entirely new framework, though, because all too often, leaders of the 99% devolve into the 1% once they ascend to power (see Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, Pol Pot of Cambodia, and the history of France and the United States). Eventually, a new cycle of revolution begins and the process repeats itself endlessly — unless we change it.

One essential way to shift the global situation from a battle between the 99% and the 1%, or “us” vs. the “others,” is to deepen our spiritual abilities. For success, we must listen to the still, small voice within. When everyone begins acting upon this inner wisdom, each person will intuitively know what to do, when to do it, and who to do it with. And in case you’re wondering which of the many voices in your head to listen to, remember that action from this state of consciousness is always truthful, loving and compassionate.

Bringing meditation practices to the forefront of our personal lives complements our action in the streets. The compassionate nature of Reality offers wisdom when we examine the option of switching our bank accounts from corporate giants to credit unions. This is no longer a time for an either-or mentality when it comes to living on Earth. We aren’t spiritual OR political. It’s time to be both. Your inner listening will guide you to right action.

One obstacle you may encounter is the idea that peaceniks are weak. Many protesters wonder how they’ll have any impact without their anger. So a big part of our transformation demands grabbing a-hold of the immense power of Creation. Rather than the temporal muscle of Wall St., we choose, instead, the supremacy of the force-which-gives-us-life.

Walking off the battlefield altogether, we’ll find that we still show up at meetings and protests in the street, but now with a sense of serenity and determination. Listening to and acting on our inner guidance, we gain the kind of power that served Gandhi and Martin. In addition to being gentle at heart, we’re fiercely committed to liberty and justice for all. We agitate for what we DO want, rather than ranting against what we DON’T want, receiving increasing clarity from our inner vision. Taking time to be still, we’re energized to spread the message of peace and respect for the Earth who sustains us.

If you need some inspiration, let me tell you about our brother Pancho, who lives at Casa de Paz in Oakland, CA. Pancho fasted for 9 days to dispute nuclear weapons research in the UC system. Sitting peacefully with locked arms at a student protest, he invited his arresting officer to a Mexican meal, saying, “I tell you what, when I get done with this and you get done with this, I’d like to break my fast with you. What do you say?” At another arrest during Occupy Oakland, he wrote on a piece of paper: “On Mondays, I practice silence.  But I’d like you to hear that I love you.”  The officer smiled.[1]

What are your changes? Seems like everyone is going through at least a few. Mine have been momentous: selling my dream temple-home, packing up, giving stuff away, cleaning cleaning cleaning, moving out, putting most everything in storage and…moving into a tent! Oh, and parenting and running a business, too. Recently, I’ve moved out of the tent (which was deliciously fantastic) into a small home that’s cozy, simple and close to everything so I can walk and bike everywhere.

It’s been really intense and also exciting.  I hope you are creating your own version of life that includes everything you love and enjoy.

While I’ve been a’changing, the need for forgiveness and its bounty has not gone away. I’m continuing to teach, write and counsel folks about the healing power of letting it ALL go – the pain, fear and sorrow of the past – so that new doors of divine communion can open.

Whatever the form or name, release is the only way, dear friend. We have to make room for the goodness of Life, and we need to choose it actively. No more waiting around until “something happens”.  Consciously choosing to release the past with humility and honesty brings healing. Why wait?

The only thing you’ll lose when you let go is your suffering. What you’ll gain defies description, because it is the blessing of your true nature, pure love. Experiences of peace come from here, once you’re at home inside the grace of the Divine. Think about it – you didn’t create yourself. Your Creator created you out of pure love, and that is what you are. But if you’re not feeling it, you need to release whatever’s in the way. This is the path of forgiveness, both for others, yourself, and the way of the world.

The Earth needs our sane, willing, open, honest participation, so we can work together to clean her up and live in the abundant garden she offers. We can’t do this until we’re clean enough within, listening to inner guidance and resolute upon our path. The path of forgiveness clears the way. I hope you will learn more about it, and rest deeply inside the way of joy and service that are yours for the asking.

TIPS for living on the path of peace and freedom:

1. Breathe! Breathe deeply and consciously. Your breath shows you your willingness to truly live.

2. Release immediately. Offer everything to the One Source. Give big and little pains and fears, and also give all great fortune, lessons learned and the simple happiness of your days and nights. Give it all. Surrender and be at peace.

3. Dedicate your day. Each morning, make time to enter consciously into the day, giving thanks and committing your awareness to whatever blessings you want to experience and share.

Always share the blessings!

Dr. Laura isn’t warm and fuzzy, but she will give you a piece of her mind without apology. This point is ironic, given her take on forgiveness. In her youtube post, Dr. Laura says she’s “come up with ‘The Four R’s of Forgiveness,’” which are necessary before a person should forgive:

• Responsibility – the perpetrator acknowledges what he or she has done
• Remorse – only God knows for sure, but you can tell if they’re really honest and care about apologizing for their “trespass”
• Repair – although some things can’t be fixed, they can try to make it better
• Repetition – they take steps to make sure they never repeat the transgression. And they need to have patience to let you recover trust in them.

These are well known, documented steps of apology, not forgiveness. Dr. Laura is suggesting that we all wait until we get a good apology before we forgive. That’s a time honored strategy, but usually, it’s doomed to fail.

Even though she’s a therapist, Dr. Laura hasn’t done her homework in this important department. I’ll tell you why:

If you wait for an apology, you could wait forever. Maybe you’ll never get one, maybe the other person is dead or unreachable, or maybe he or she is waiting for an apology from you! Maybe you’ve gotten an apology, but you didn’t like it, and you want a better one (hmmm… probably not going to happen.) Waiting for an apology is a classic case of egos at a stand-off. The battle’s on; forces are marshaled. One side will win when the other side caves (and apologizes). And that apology better be good!

With true forgiveness, we decide to walk off the battlefield altogether. We make a soul-centered choice to release all sadness, fear and pain around the issue – not for another person, but for our own peace of mind, serenity of heart and reconnection with unconditional love. Once we get into it, we realize the problem isn’t even about the other person at all, but about our openness to healing. Forgiveness sets us free; it doesn’t wait around to see if someone else is perfect enough to receive our ego’s blessing. Forgiveness is the bridge to the healing salve of the Holy Spirit. It asks nothing in return, except our willingness to be happy and openhearted once again.

Dr. Laura, with your 4 R’s you’ve said nothing new – you just missed the boat, that’s all. Apologies are great, when they’re heartfelt and specific. But forgiveness is an entirely different journey. It feels different, looks different and has a different energy vibration. Everyone’s welcome; that’s the miracle. Want to come aboard?

One of Nanci’s readers wrote to her: “I’m aware that this world is an illusion…however, the fact that you can’t literally kill people doesn’t change the fact that you can inflict enormous suffering. Dying might be an illusion but the suffering is not.”

Nanci’s response is: “Accepting that the manifested world is illusory means you have achieved a spiritual perspective on life. The next step is to understand how that truth affects how we experience this world.

The entire human existence is manifested and “illusory,” not just the physical appearances of it. I learned in the afterlife that the suffering isn’t “real” either. The emotional experience IS real at the human level, but it is vicarious at our spiritual level. Let me explain. When you watch a particularly important football game, do you get angry with bad calls by the refs, excited by touchdowns, and annoyed by commercial breaks? Are you really angry, excited or annoyed with respect to your own life? No. You are reacting to the game and the emotions fade when the game is over. Similarly, when a woman cries through the ending of a “chick flick,” is she actually suffering in her own life? No. She empathized with the fictional characters and forgets all about the crying after the movie ends. In much the same way, we parts of Source inside humans empathize with the lives of our human hosts. We suffer what they suffer-but only while we are in their bodies (and during the short time of the life review). My own experience in the afterlife was that all the pain and suffering I endured in Nanci’s body was gone. In fact, Nanci’s entire lifetime was revealed to be a vicarious experience, such as we might analogize to having a dream or being in a virtual reality game.

As for suffering with death-that is optional. We Light Being souls can choose to endure it or to get out of the body while it dies. Many near-death experience reports come from people who got out of their bodies to avoid the pain of dying or resuscitation.

The most important point here is that much human suffering could end tomorrow–if we would choose to do it. We Light Being souls have the power to stop our host bodies’ hurtful behaviors. Why don’t we? Because most people are not aware they even have this option. Most people truly believe they are human and cannot escape human emotions and motivations. That is why it is so important that we awaken each other to our true nature as parts of Source. Once you know that you are a powerful spiritual being, and not a human animal, you can believe you have the power to control your host body’s behavior. Expressing more of our spiritual nature through our behavior would increase the amount of unconditional love in our human lives and decrease the violence and abuse.” — Nanci Danison, Afterlife Experiencer and Author of BACKWARDS: Returning to Our Source for Answers, BACKWARDS Guidebook, and the Light Answers to Tough Questions series of CDs and DVDs. www.BackwardsBooks.com.

As Nanci writes so eloquently, the suffering here on Earth looks and feels real, even though in the biggest picture, it’s illusory. That’s why it is so important to be compassionate with ourselves and others when we feel lost, hurt, fearful or confused. All of us are awakening together. How fast we do it, however, is up to us individually.

Once I heard a voice in my head. It said, “Ana, you are not obliged to suffer.” That truth stopped my mind and I got a journey directly to Heaven. Release your suffering to the Holy Spirit, to the One Source that gives you breath. You’ll find joy waiting for you every time.

“Heaven is the decision I must make.” — ACIM

This is one of my favorite quotes. There’s no room for dithering or hesitation. Moment by moment, we decide.

Heaven is here in this moment. Not outside. Inside. Here – in your heart of hearts.

Namaste.

The River of Love is the healing experience of Divine contact. It’s sometimes called the Holy Spirit, the Divine Mother, Father God, or the “peace that passeth all understanding.” It was the only thing that kept me sane and whole enough to raise my children well, despite my mother’s illness and its effect on me. It helped me learn that I am a lot stronger than anything that shows up in my life, even the shock and pain of my mother’s suicide.

It took years to receive all of the lessons this experience gave to me. I needed to learn that the Grace of God offers a more powerful love than what my human mother could give me. It’s a love that never leaves, never gives up, and always heals when we allow it into our hearts.

Through this life journey, I feel humbled and in awe of the great mystery. I wonder where my mother is now, and how she is doing with the lessons that she learned. I don’t know the answers to these questions, but I feel the movement of my soul in holding them. I am open-hearted and open-minded, calling for more wisdom.

Life gave me this experience to show me that NO MATTER WHAT, the River of Love will float me home to a deep inner sense of security and serenity. This river taught me to release my sadness, and find gratitude for the lessons I’d learned. It gave me the joy and freedom of knowing I am never isolated or without a friend. The River of Love showed me that the edges to all things are friendly…if I relax into the safety I share with the Divine.

In the past, I rarely spoke or wrote about what happened with my mother. Even now, I feel reticent to discuss it. But I also feel that we need to share our life experiences – not to wallow in the pain of them, but to transform difficulties that seemed impossible to overcome.When really tough things happen, using our minds to figure out what to do doesn’t help very much.  We need more space, more breath, deep intuition and a lot of prayer and true forgiveness to feel whole again.

I give swimming lessons in the River of Love. It’s OK to get your feet wet – or plunge right in with a full, naked leap! See you on the river…..

The deeper I go into forgiveness…in the ecstatic, radical sense of the word…the more I see that its invitation is surrender. Forgiveness is the golden door, the way past all fear and grief, and an entry into life beyond dictatorship of the ego.

What is radical about radical forgiveness? What is ecstatic about it? Using a spiritual philosophy grounded in the teachings of A Course in Miracles and other holy books, we go beyond the traditional usage of the word “forgiveness”.  Rather than “letting bygones be bygones” (somehow), we agree to let our spiritual intelligence teach us. We humbly learn about the gifts that were hidden or obscured – in even the most terrible events in our lives. We surrender to the wisdom that lives beyond what our intellects can decipher. Allowing the healing blessings in, we also let pain and sorrow out of our hearts.

When we choose to let go of blame and grievances, and the corresponding thoughts and emotions buried deep within, we can refill ourselves on a cellular level with healing grace. We then find out that there is no spiritual need for forgiveness, after all, because we are not helpless, solitary victims of our circumstances. The world is not out to get us — in fact, God wants our perfect happiness.

Divine Love beckons us, welcoming us to release the pain of this material world, while supporting us to remain present in the world in order to guide others to the door. Divine Grace, sometimes known as the Holy Spirit, is the healer, and our part is to surrender to the healing…constantly flowing…the River of Love.

Recently, I found two plays on words that gave me a chuckle.  I share them here for your enjoyment and inspiration.

One of the hardest parts about being human is the tendency toward feeling abandoned. Abandoned by loved ones, by the death of loved ones, by the “betrayal” of others, and by God as well.  Especially by God. Hence all of the feelings of helplessness and hopelessness that muck up our innate happiness.  Well, I found that there is a great use for abandonment.  Turning around, there is the possibility to abandon ourselves to God. That’s the juicy sort of abandonment that brings sublime joy, health, and happiness. This is the abandonment that Sufi poets describe so well. So next time you are feeling sadness or pain over thinking you’ve been abandoned by someone, abandon yourself to God instead. Freedom will be yours, every time.

Meditating upon “turning around”, I remembered the analogy that Colin Tipping likes to use in his explanation of Radical Forgiveness.  He describes our lives as being tapestries. They are beautiful, but usually we look at the backside of them. (“Ass backward,” as we used to say in New Jersey.) From that viewpoint, there are knots and hanging strings, and the image is messy and blurred. Turn it over, he suggests, and we see the divine perfection of our life plan, including everything that has ever happened for us. Not to us, but for us. It’s a turn-over!  Delectable!  I can remember that….apple turn-over, yum…let’s go get one right now.

When life seems unmanageable, try abandoning yourself to God. This surrender will put you on the path of forgiveness. And when circumstances are distasteful, turn it around…give yourself a tasty turn-over. Witnessing the perfection of each moment will make your life delicious again.

Forgiveness, in a radical sense, is for all of us. For more peace in our hearts and in the world. For a new beginning.  That’s what this time is all about – new beginnings and fresh starts.  How can we be fresh and new when we’re carrying boatloads of past pain, anger and resentment?  We can’t.  We need to clean house.  Make space. Allow the grace of the Holy Spirit to wash us in the River of Love. Our world, and our sanity, depends on it.

We are often taught that sympathy is the same thing as love. “Oh, you poor thing!” = “I really care about you!” My mother taught me that from the time I was about 4 years old. Agreeing that sympathy is love became the normal way that we interacted with each other.

But when we’re having sympathy for someone, it’s not respectful of who and what he or she is. We might be giving caring action or words, yet we think that people in general are victims of their circumstances and that, to receive sympathy, there must be something terribly wrong with them. These thoughts create a distortion and an imbalance. Sympathy actually lowers the energetic vibration of our interaction together, because it is based on falsehood instead of truth. There isn’t much room for real love to enter.

In sympathy, there is no respect for our inner divinity, which everyone shares. Instead, there is a belief that our outer circumstance is, in fact, reality. That’s a mistake. A Course in Miracles says, “I am not a victim of the world I see.” (WB 48)

When this error is corrected, then we realize that we are in fact all equal beings, no matter what the circumstances. We can reach out with compassion to simply join with our friend, to support with love while accepting whatever the situation is in the moment. This is empathy. It doesn’t need the drama, excuses or pity that comes with sympathy. Instead, we simply open to the possibility that there is a perfection beyond what we can perceive, and we are all sharing it all the time – in sickness or health, pleasure or pain.

How can we be more generous with ourselves and others, by giving empathy instead of sympathy? Our forgiveness path requires that we make the switch – consciously – so that we can respect our inner light and reach to it, past our circumstances in life.  Instead of saying to each other, “Oh, poor baby!” we say, “I know you can wake up out of this, no matter what it is.” Sounds like real friendship to me.