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Volume
II, SET C (January through June, 2001)
STUDY GROUP READING #169
January 2001
1. Many Study Group members have
questions about the year 2000 Presidential election. One member writes:
"This election was one of the most trying contests in U.S. history.
It shook the consciousness of the country for more than a month. Due to
the electoral college system, and the sharply divided 5-4 U.S. Supreme
Court decision, Governor Bush became the legal winner, even though
Vice-President Gore received the majority of the popular votes. Many
people believe that Vice President Gore would have won the crucial Florida
electoral votes if all the Florida votes were allowed to be counted. Some
believe that the electoral system is unjust. What are the American people
suppose to learn from the drama of this situation? Is there a larger
spiritual purpose in all of this?"
2. Sometimes we as human beings
experience times when life feels hopeless. There seems to be no visible or
evident means by which we can exit a challenging and painful situation.
When we are in a despairing physical situation in the world, such as
poverty or illness, where there appears to be no way out, how can we bring
in some hope when there seems to be no solution to the negative situation
we are in?
3. The next question is generally
addressed in each reading, but I don’t think we have asked it directly.
The question is: "What is it to be spiritual?" Do we have to
like everyone that we encounter? Do we have to manifest love at all times?
From the souls’ point of view, what is "being spiritual?"
4. You frequently tell us about
spiritual or metaphysical truths at the soul level and the human
distortions of them. Yet, you also tell us that we can choose what to
believe, and that the power of our believing is more important than any
specific religious, or medical, or cultural system. So, what good is
knowing about truth when you also tell us that it is okay to believe
anything? If all truth expressed through humans either has some distortion
or is incomplete, are there varying degrees or levels of truth? Can
believing in human distortions of truth be harmful?
6. Would you please close by telling us
what will be important for us to focus on in the year 2001?
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STUDY GROUP READING #170
February 2001
1. In religious and metaphysical
traditions, we are told to seek God, to open to God, to try to feel and
know God. If God is so all powerful, why must we make this effort. Why is
it not just obvious that God is everywhere? Why must it be our effort as
personalities? Is God making an effort to be known?
2. Our second question you have kind of
answered. You said that we can be fulfilled and content on earth without
knowing God. Why are many of us trying to know God? Do the souls care if
we know God?
3. You have spoken about the importance
of gratitude in our lives. Would you speak about the dynamics of how
gratitude makes a difference in our experience? Sometimes it seems like a
pointless exercise to try to find gratitude when life appears dark and
tragedy has struck.
4. What is the phenomenon of romantic
infatuation? Why does it cause us to say "love is blind?" How
would you guide us to think and behave when this seeming disease hits us?
Is there a good purpose for this in our lives?
5. In a past reading, under a different
but related topic, you said that each of our souls has
"earmarked" a number of individuals with whom we have the
potential to develop very meaningful and purposeful relationships, (such
as a spouse), that will bring the most benefit to us in this lifetime.
Given that we are such a mobile society, with many people moving great
distances, geographically, We are curious to know if there is a connection
between a person’s physical birthplace (the city and state here in the
United States), and the birthplace of those other people with whom that
potential is the greatest. If not, did our soul know, or plant in us a
desire to move to a location where some, or most, of these people happen
to be? It seems like the odds of finding these individuals from the
billions on this planet are slim. Yet in readings, you often say that
people in our lives, such as a spouse, are one of the important people for
us to be with, and that we have been with them in past lifetimes. Is there
a connection between where one is born and the individuals that one would
attract in order to develop the most meaningful relationships?
6. In a prior reading you said that
human negativity, selfishness, and fear, at times in the past—and we
imagine this is continuing—actually affected the weather of the planet,
causing volcanic eruptions and the like. Would you please explain this
more fully, especially in light of the recent very serious earthquakes
that have been occurring around the world?
7. Please close with an attunement for
us to use this month.
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STUDY GROUP READING #171
March 2001
1. Science seems to be discovering the
mechanisms by which our physical bodies, even our personalities are
formed, for example, the genome studies that are discovering more about
DNA. Yet, we are still a long way from scientifically discovering what
precedes the creation of the physical—the source of life, the prime
mover, what we call God, or our souls. Will science ever be able to
uncover this source? Where would scientists begin to look?
2. The human genome is the
three-billion-letter code, a chemical sequence, that contains the basic
information for building and running a human body. How do our souls use
this complicated code for our benefit?
3. If you, the Guides, were to write a
handbook for living a human life, what would be in it?
4. How can we enhance our empathy toward
another person, especially if we don’t have experience with their
particular brand of confusion?
5. When we are irritated or judgmental
of someone, is it because of some form of the same irritation or judgment
that we haven't accepted in ourselves? Would you discuss the concept of
other people mirroring personality qualities that either we have, or have
had?
6. Many people say that we create our
lives by the words we use. Will you discuss this, and give us an
affirmation of truth that we can use daily for our maximum benefit?
7. At times, we experience dreams about
friends or loved ones who are in distress or having trouble. How exactly
does this mechanism work? Is there an "astral plane" that some
speak of that carries universal information that we are able to plug into?
8. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #172
April 2001
1. Sometimes an addicted person has come
to the point where they want to be healed of their addiction. Often, it is
very hard for them because the addiction has almost taken on a life of it’s
own. Can you give specific examples of things that a person who is
addicted to substances, and someone close to that person—a parent, a
spouse, a friend—could do to work together to help the addicted person
in their recovery?
2. Because of the skills and knowledge
of our present day scientists, and the effectiveness of their scientific
instruments, it is very hard for some people to believe in the kinds of
miracles that are described in the Bible to have occurred in the life of
Jesus. There are two reported instances that are particularly difficult to
understand. The first is the story of the virgin birth of Jesus. New
scholarly writings say that the word that has been translated as
"virgin" was actually synonymous with the word
"maiden." The second is the claim that Jesus was physically
resurrected after his death. It is much easier to believe that his
disciples shared a non-physical vision of Jesus. Would you help us clarify
these two areas?
3. Is it possible for humans to
experience the Divine realms if we have not healed the darkness and fear
of our human personality self?
4. In a recent workshop reading in
Maryland, you told us that that the representation of angels as having
wings is an "atavistic memory" of a physical form that souls
actually used in the early stages of life on earth. You also said that
there are other forms that "have fallen by the wayside and are no
longer kept alive in our imagination." Just for fun, and to broaden
our imaginations, would you please describe some of these forms and how
they looked and worked for us?
5. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #173
May 2001
1. Last month, you
talked about the miracles that surrounded Jesus’ life, specifically the
virgin birth and the resurrection. Why were such miracles necessary? What
did it teach or prove that Mary was not impregnated by a human? And why
did Jesus need to reappear in a physical body after his death?
2. Last month, you appeared to get
rather tough with present humans for being weak, self-indulgent and
cowardly when dealing with pain and suffering. Not arguing that point,
the problem is that the prospect of suffering being intolerable creates
the fear. Unfortunately, the instinctual, built-in response when
actually experiencing severe and/or protracted physical pain really can
be intolerable. We involuntarily focus on the intense unpleasant
sensation, along with feelings of oppression and desperation. Even if
the mind knows that all pain is temporary, and the true self is
indestructible, that doesn’t seem to help. If possible, would you
please give us some practical techniques for better dealing with
physical pain when actually experiencing it? This would greatly help us
with our fear.
3. By electronically stimulating
certain portions of the brain, scientists have been able to replicate
spiritual experiences such as the near-death experience, or the sensing
of a loving presence. If these experiences can be caused by scientific
equipment, what does this mean in terms of the validity of a spiritual
experience? Is the spiritual experience just a function of the brain, or
is there something else involved?
4. It seems like there could be
tremendous potential for consciousness growth if we put people in the
laboratory and stimulated their brain to awaken them to the spiritual
life. Is that not true?
5. Often, when we are dealing with
fears, you suggest that we bring up the negative feelings, experience
them, release them, and then remind ourselves that feelings are
temporary and cannot damage our being. Sometimes, especially when it is
the fear of a situation that hasn’t happened—for example, if we fear
the possible death of a child, or have a general fear that something bad
will happen—it seems more like a thought or idea than a feeling. When
it’s not a real situation, but only in our fears, and we can’t
conjure up a feeling about it, how do we feel the feeling? In other
words, how do we deal with nagging fear thoughts that don’t seem to
have intense feelings attached to them?
6. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #174
June 2001
1. What does it mean to be more
spiritually conscious? Is it necessary to raise one’s consciousness to
live a fulfilling life?
2. You once gave us a wonderful candle
meditation. Would you give us a new meditation to entice our human mind
and nurture our hearts?
3. Why are the souls bringing forth
new human personalities again and again into the physical world? There
seems to be no overall process of evolution, since a current personality
may well be less evolved, so to speak, than a previous one. Is evolution
even an issue, since the souls don't seem to need to evolve and have
nothing to evolve into as far as we know?
4. Regarding babies, how much
participation does the soul have in influencing the name of the new
personality to be born?
5. If our soul’s state of being is
so much fuller, more magnificent, wiser, and more loving than we are
normally aware of, why do we in human form need other souls as guides?
Why isn’t it sufficient to just attune to our own soul for guidance?
6. You've spoken about the value of
co-creatorship between ourselves, our guides, and God. Would you please
give us some stories or metaphors to help us understand more about the
possibilities and the processes of engaging in co-creation?
7. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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Volume
II, SET D (July through December, 2001)
STUDY GROUP READING #175
July 2001
1. A professor of Neurology recently
stated that it has been known for years that pathological expressions of
emotion like depression or hostility can lead to illness. Also, new
research recently released, stemming from a 15-year study of a group of
nuns, suggests that a positive emotional state at an early age may help
ward off disease and even prolong life. Would you give us a way to work
with our own thoughts so that we may benefit from this aspect of positive
thinking?
2. In old age, why do some people retain
their memory and some do not? What factors contribute to the loss of
memory? Do you have any advice for maintaining a healthy memory?
3. Most people treat Alzheimer’s disease
as something that is irreversible and progressive. Can loss of memory due
to Alzheimer’s be reversed?
4. Would you please describe for our
understanding the worlds that our guides are creating in the non-physical
realms, and our own worlds that we will eventually create after we finish
our earth existence?
5. Looking at this group’s present
"evolution" in our spiritual growth, would you please inspire us
with something that will stretch our imaginations and our understanding of
our place in the universe?
6. What is the difference between opening
the heart and attaining higher states of consciousness?
7. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #176
August 2001
1. There is discontent in the United States and
the world over the U.S. President, George Bush and his administration. What is
the potential here for war, violence and disruption? And what can be done to
turn the tide in a more peaceful direction?
2. Most common people of past historical times,
and of many primitive societies have lived short, brutal, subsistence level
lives with little or no spiritual understanding. If, as the Guides teach, the
highest purpose of life is to live both intense, vital, human lives and
spiritual lives at the same time, why would the souls allow such a long
succession of negative, unspiritual lives?
3. Although we work on healing our fears, there
are many times where we are haunted by the guilt and shame for the negative
actions we have inflicted upon others. Is there anything productive about the
guilt we feel? And how do we go about forgiving ourselves for these acts which
occurred in either this or prior lifetimes?
4. Please give us some guidance about how we
can balance our needs for community with person autonomy in the context of
genuine spiritual movements that tend to develop into rigid and judgmental
belief systems.
5. Most of us have had the experience where we
meet someone whom we feel we have known from another lifetime. Are there
specific ways such as physical sensations, spiritual intuition and dreams, to
become more certain of this knowing? How can we best expand upon these
experiences to gain insight and grow?
6. What is heaven? Is it a state of mind? Is it
ecstasy? Is it passion? Can we attain it here on earth and, if so, how?
7. Would you please close with an attunement
for us to use this month.
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STUDY GROUP READING #177
September 2001
1. How do we explain to a young child what
has happened when someone they care about dies? Different religions have
their ways, but what would you advise us what to tell a child so that it
makes sense to them?
2. Who were Adam and Eve? What was meant by
calling them the first man and woman? Were they real, in the sense of
being two people who lived on Earth? Where did they live? What made them
the first? What do they represent?
3. It is said that all souls are good, but
what does "good" mean by soul standards? For instance, are
Hitler’s and Mother Theresa’s souls both "good" by soul
standards?
4. How can we most appropriately blend the
traditional masculine traits and characteristics with traditional feminine
traits and characteristics in our own daily lives?
5. What is the place and purpose of poetry
in human life? Can poetry be a way for the Soul to communicate to humans?
Were the ecstatic poets such as Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir, in direct
communication with their Souls such that they were able to write such
beautiful poetry about the experience of God?
6. What is the relationship between
creativity and spirituality? Some people are creative but don't appear to
be spiritual. Some are spiritual but don't appear to be creative. How do
the two areas coincide and feed each other?
7. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month.
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STUDY GROUP READING #178
October 2001
1. Our civilization has been attacked. It
is human to want accountability. Is it moral to use all of the force at
our disposal to bring the perpetrators to accountability?
2. What role has our western mindset and
cultural beliefs, including our arrogant tendency to be motivated by our
own economic self-interests and moral dictates, contributed to the present
environment which fosters the development of terrorist organizations? How
can we as individuals affect healing within this environment?
3. What is the likelihood that the upcoming
war on terrorism conducted by the
U.S.
will lead to the use of nuclear weapons, or biological and chemical
warfare?
4. How do we heal individually and
collectively from these terrorist attacks, still find meaning in our
everyday lives, and move forward while not forgetting the lessons that
these events can provide for us?
5. In light of all the souls who agreed to
be involved in this incident, from the terrorists, to the victims, to the
survivors, to the observers, what is the collective lesson, and/or good
that the world will ultimately derive from this, since it appears that we
are repeatedly subjected to the same lessons?
6. Can you specifically give us ways to
bridge the gap between two cultures that have evolved into diametrically
opposed extremes?
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STUDY GROUP READING #179
November 2001
1. The day that the
Twin
Towers
were destroyed, tens of thousands of people were involved or watching in
person, and millions more were watching on television. At the time, we
experienced shock and terror, and since then we have continued to feel
grief, trauma, and fear. How did our guides and souls support us on that
day, and how are they continuing to support us during this stressful time?
2. What was the experience of the hundreds
of people who died instantly when each hijacked plane hit a building on
Sept. 11? Did they experience this transition as a group, aware of each
others’ presence? If so, what did they experience? If each person had an
individual, unique experience, was it any different from a normal
transition out of the body?
3. What can you tell us about the soul and
human expression of Osama Bin Laden? It is hard for us to understand a
person who would want to hurt so many innocent people.
4. One Study Group member writes: “I’m
in
Toronto
,
Canada
where there is a similar but also slightly different attitude to the
United States
reaction to Sept. 11. I also spoke with students at a University in
Ottawa
, where I just finished a stint as a visiting artist, and this subject
came up. Would you ask the Guides about the deeper meaning of these events
for the
United States
? What are the lessons to be learned in this, especially with respect to
looking at the deeper causes behind the bombings, instead of just reacting
more or less brutally to the symptoms? I would really like to have their
answer on this. We need some depth, and scope, and love in our perspective
on this.”
5. As it relates to our evolving into a
more loving version of humanity, is the way we are responding to being
attacked moving us toward this ideal, or are we moving backwards?
6. The Guides tell us that we build on each
successive life. The example they have used is a rose bush with many
blooms. The question is: What does the terrorist attack, and then our
response in violence build for the future?
7. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #180
December 2001
1. How can we create business environments
that promote more sensitivity, creativity, and prosperity to result in
win/win outcomes for all people?
2. Many of us have developed patterns of
procrastination due to fear of failure and other anxieties that have
created many obstacles in our lives. Would you give us a step by step
process for overcoming this?
3. How do we maximize joy in our romantic
relationships while simultaneously respecting and celebrating the
differences of each individual?
4. During the Retreat Readings [the
Seventeenth Spiritual Retreat with the Guides, and Ron and Susan
Scolastico], you spoke in terms of the blood acting as a transition
between the divine and the human. Would you please explain this process
and tell us how we might enhance the transition process on the human
level?
5. If left alone, would children naturally
be loving human beings or must that be taught? Which is stronger in other
words: nature or nurture?
6. How can we individually and collectively
bring more peace, joy, laughter and happiness into our own lives during
this holiday season and throughout the year?
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Volume
II, SET E (January through June, 2002)
STUDY GROUP READING #181
January 2002
1. The events of
September 11, 2001
have created very strong feelings of vulnerability for many people here in
the
United States
. It seems that it was one of those definitive moments in history that
will affect us forever. What is the most productive way to go into the
year 2002 with our hearts and minds? What can you tell us about the coming
year?
2. If it is true that we “create our own
reality,” including illness, by our thoughts and emotions, then how do
animals, insects, and even micro organisms create theirs?
3. If we draw people to us based on our
thinking, how and why did Jesus draw so much hatred to himself unless he
too was holding thoughts of hatred?
4. In many
Readings
, you have said that human life on earth was created so that the souls
could augment, or add to their experience as souls. You have described the
souls’ experience as “perfect,” having no negativity, yet, you have
said that the souls desired to add “intensity” by having human
experiences on earth. It is difficult for many of us to understand why the
souls would wish to add anything to a perfect existence. Is there some
specific, detailed way that you can speak about this so that we can
understand it in a clear way?
5. Can introspection ever be equivalent to
meditation, or serve the same purpose?
6. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #182
February 2002
1. In honor of Valentine’s Day month,
would you please talk to us about love? What is most important for us to
know about love?
2. Our recorded history of civilization
only goes back about 6,000 years. Would you comment on the types of
civilizations that existed before that time, and why they ceased to
exist?
3. There was a recent advertisement in
major newspapers for the creation of a one billion dollar endowment fund
for world peace. This fund would sponsor 40,000 pundits in India to
perform advanced meditation techniques to create peace and “coherence”
in the world. Is it possible for a technique such as this to create
world peace? If so, how? If not, why would people believe that something
like this is possible?
4. Many of us were young in the 60s and
70s when anything seemed possible. We had a lot of idealism, and a
belief that we could change the world to be a better place, a place of
peace and love. Now, many of us feel disappointed and discouraged. There
are so many wars that it seems that there will never be peace on planet
earth, certainly not in our lifetime. Was our idealism just a Pollyanna
approach to life, or was there truth in our vision? Perhaps this world
is just a school for humans, and peace and love everywhere is not even
the point. Would you help us understand this?
5. In a Reading in which you discussed
creativity and imagination, you said that physical perceptions limit our
imagination. You used the example of an orange, saying: “You are so
rooted in the physical perception of a physical orange that you could
not imagine another orange spread out in a large circle that is 100 ft.
in diameter, open and brilliant, and exuding colors and other forms as
though the orange creates new oranges in an infinite display of beauty.”
This seems like an image from a movie. In our movies, we are now going
far beyond physical perceptions. Are the new imaginative creations of
our movies touching into something that is perhaps real from the
spiritual realms? Is there a mystical aspect to our films?
6.Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #183
March 2002
1. Would you, the Guides, who speak
through Ron, tell us something about yourselves? Are you individual
souls, groups of souls, one soul? Have you had lifetimes on earth and,
if so, could you tell us about them? What else would be interesting for
us to know about you?
2. Can our relatives who have died act as
guides to us? Specifically, when humans cross over, do they gain wisdom
that they didn’t have on Earth so that they are now wise enough to guide
us?
3. How does one become a spiritual Guide
to a human on earth? What are the requirements necessary?
4. Are there any new souls being created
that did not exist before this time, and are there any human beings
coming into earth for the first time now who have never had a past
lifetime?
5. The world seems like such a confused
and violent place right now that some people feel there can only be
healing, and that we can only be saved by some kind of divine
intervention. What is your response to that idea?
6. Many of us have dreams about flying in
our bodies, without any artificial devices. Will this ever actually be
possible in the physical world, and what would the steps be to allow
this to happen?
7. In a past reading some time ago, you
had given an attunement containing four points: to receive God's love;
to send love out to others; to receive their love back; and to send love
back to God. In this time, when there are so many ones in our nation and
the world who need a sense of being loved, we would like to request that
you speak further about this attunement and give us instruction on how
specifically we can most successfully implement this attunement.
8. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #184
April 2002
1. When we as a soul are forming our
personality matrix for each lifetime, do we keep the same personality
type for each lifetime, or do we choose one that has some specific
bearing on what our soul is trying to accomplish in this lifetime,
either by giving us one that supports us or gently nudges us for the
healing that we want to accomplish?
2. Is the experiencing of human life on
earth the only thing that we are really doing in this dimension? Or, is
there something more than just experiencing human existence in a
physical body that we are attaining in earth life.
3. After death, are there higher levels
of existence for us to pass through? Is there a hierarchy in the
spiritual realms that we work our way through?
4. You have taught us that most of us
have incarnated thousands of times. How can that be? If we average two
lives a century—a hundred years in earth time—only 40 lives would take
us back to the time of Jesus and the first Rabbis of the Jewish
tradition. Going back 80 lives would take us back to the time of the
Exodus from Egypt, of Moses and of Abraham before him. How far back in
earth years do we go before we get to the time when the first souls were
projecting into earth life?
5. One Study Group member asks: “I
thought everything and every action had a soul purpose, that there are
no accidents. But, you have said in a previous reading that there is no
particular soul purpose designated in terrifying human experiences, that
they are the result of human choice. Would you please clarify this?”
6. Several Christian religions believe
that even if you live an evil life, if you confess your sins and repent
before you die, your sins are absolved and you go to heaven. Can a
mental/emotional act of repentance such as this actually relieve one of
the responsibility for negativity that one has created during their
lifetime?
7. You have said that all humans have the
desire to know the Divine, and you have also said that only certain ones
have this impulse placed into them by their soul. Please clear up this
confusion for us.
8. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #185
May 2002
1. You have said in a past reading that
many Ancient Romans who enjoyed violence during the gladiator era are
now being born into the world again with the purpose of helping to heal
their past life tendency toward violence. Since violence is now a major
problem in the world, and in the United States, please tell us how this
tendency towards violence is being healed by these past Romans. How does
the process of healing violence work for a large group of persons like
this?
2. You have said that if a person has
unusually strong negative energies in their personality at the time of
their death that the negative energies carry over for a while into the
afterlife experience and can cause them to have a temporarily painful
afterlife experience. Please tell us what the afterlife experiences are
like for the terrorist suicide bombers who have attacked our country,
and for those in the Middle East conflict who create violence, pain, and
suffering, but who strongly believe that they are working for a just
cause, and strongly believe that they will be rewarded by God for their
violent actions. What is their experience like after death?
3. What does it mean to die a “good
death?”
4. Recently, much child molestation has
been reported on by the media, most specifically by priests in the
Catholic church, but also in other segments of the population. Is this a
phenomenon that has always been with us, or is it more prominent in our
time for reasons such as lax social standards, over population, or other
reasons?
5. Is it possible that the widespread use
of e-mail is having a significant impact on our growth and development
as a species? What is the spiritual effect of this kind of mass
communication?
6. The currently accepted theory of the
origin of Native Americans is that they came across the Bering Straits
on a land bridge about 10 to 15 thousand years ago. Did some native
groups reach this continent by other routes? More specifically, some
native cultures in Central America and the Mississippi valley have much
in common with Egyptian culture. Did these people come from Egypt or did
both Egyptians and some Native Americans come from Atlantis?
7. Many creative writers feel that
writing is almost a spiritual practice for them. What is it about
writing that makes people feel this way, and how can writing be best
used for this purpose?
8. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #186
June 2002
1. As a way of dealing with fears, you
often tell us to feel the fear, enter it, wallow in it, and then release
it. You suggest that we imagine the worst possible consequence, live
through it, and release it. However, when we imagine the worst, it
doesn’t feel like the fear is really released because we can always fear
that the frightening thing will really occur. How do we completely let
the fear go so that we are not constantly experiencing it?
2. This question comes from a Study Group
member who is a physician. He asks the following: “The strict
interpretation of some religions forbids transplantation of body organs
from one human to another. What is the effect on the ‘personality
matrix’ and the ‘subtle bodies’ of the recipient? What is the effect on
the soul of the organ donor? Does organ donation have any confusing or
delaying effect on the after-death experience of the donor? Does
transplantation of certain organs, for instance the heart, have a
greater effect on the soul of the donor than transplantation of a
cornea? From the guides’ perspective, should organ donation be
encouraged or discouraged?”
3. The following question comes from a
Study Group member who is a research scientist. She asks: “Can we
personally tap into the ‘source of all knowledge’ for answers to
research questions? Is that part of how great scientific breakthroughs
are made? If so, how can we do that?”
4. To follow up on that question, if the
research scientist is looking for an answer to, for example AIDS, (she
does research to find a cure for AIDS), is there a way that she can tap
into a knowledge that would be larger? Or, if she hasn’t found it in her
own personality self, can she tap into a larger wisdom to get an answer
to a research question?
5. Two of our study group members are
attending a conference in Dubrovnik, Croatia, called “The Alchemy of
Peacebuilding.” There are many questions that will be discussed at that
conference. The one we would like you to address is the question of why
the cycles of greed, war, and dominance persist in human society? Is
peace ever actually possible in a world where money and the people who
manipulate money seem to dominate?
6. Most people love the delicious human
sensual pleasures such as, food, drink, sex—the earthly appetites. After
we die, do we have those experiences, and are those desires fulfilled in
some way? If not, what kind of experiences do we have that would be more
pleasurable than that?
7. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #187
July 2002
1. In a prior reading, you discussed that
we can have many soul mates, but that some are better suited to us than
others. What if a person marries one soul mate, then meets another? Is
it possible to have several romantic or deep soul relationships without
giving up one for the other?
2. One Study Group member writes: “I find
myself praying to Mother Theresa to watch over a young friend of mine,
but this may be foolish. Is Mother Theresa still helping children?”
3. Another Study Group member writes:
“After visiting St. Paul’s cathedral where the presence of a higher
energy was palpable merely upon entering the door, a friend of mine
described the place as an amplifier for God’s energy. Some spaces do
seem to carry a higher energy. Does God hear us better when we pray in a
sacred setting?” Does the accumulation of many people praying in a place
throughout the years add to the spiritual energy of that place?
4. Would you discuss the nature of
depression? What are the causes, and more importantly, what are the keys
to breaking free of its grip and reconnecting with the desire to live?
5. Let us say that a person comes to the
conclusion that the world is in crisis right now. We see the terrorism,
war, disease, and other terrible events and feel a growing dark cloud
over the world. Globally, the outlook is pretty dismal. Is this
perception of a crisis simply an illusion of limited understanding, a
human fantasy, so that in practical terms, the only thing necessary is
to stay in one’s personal peace? Is it enough to do everything we can,
in our own “back yard” so to speak, to make this world a better
place—taking care of those around us, making extra efforts to be
helpful, responsible, and kind? Or, is this now truly a time when
humanity is making choices with consequences that will affect
generations, and do we need to take larger actions in the world? Would
you please guide us through this ever growing feeling of doom, and help
us with what can feel like a conflict between spirituality and
citizenship?
6. One Study Group member writes: “I have
a tendency to get stuck in my own personal view of the world, caught up
in my own situation of the moment. This leads to short-sightedness and
insensitivity. Would you give us a meditation for rising above this
vision to be able to see a bigger picture and gain a larger
understanding of the impact of our actions in the world?
7. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #188
August 2002
1. Sometimes it is very difficult to see
many people living relatively easy lives, with minimum pain, suffering,
or hardship, while others of us struggle and suffer with all kinds
problems and circumstances. It is easy to be jealous and envious. It is
easy to feel like we are doing something wrong. Is the pain we have in
our lives always our own creation as a human? Are we suffering because
we are doing something wrong?
2. What is the best way to deal with
jealousy and envy? How can we keep from comparing ourselves to others
who appear happier, more successful? Can you give us a method for this?
3. How can we keep the past from
infringing on the present and causing regret and depression? How can we
better live in the present moment?
4. Another aspect of this question is: I
think the most painful thing is to feel that we have hurt somebody in
the past. That seems more painful to me than to feel that I was hurt,
but rather that I have hurt somebody. Do we deal with that the same way?
5. The nature-based spirituality known as
Druidry that was practiced 1000 to 4000 years ago in many parts of
Europe has seen a resurgence in recent times. What can you tell us about
the spiritual teachings and practices of the Druids? Did the advent of
the Christ Force render these teachings obsolete, or is there still
value to be found in the Druidic approach to life and spirituality?
6. Capitalism seems to have been a
structure that has supported a great deal of wealth creation in recent
human history, yet there continues to be a number of areas where people
are able to abuse this structure. Would you comment on some areas that
you see our economic structures need to evolve towards to provide
greater abundance and balance for humans?
7. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #189
September 2002
1. This year, sadly, the children of
several Study Group members have died. Our first two questions this
month address some of the painful issues that arise with this kind of
loss. The first question is quite personal, from a male Study Group
member. Would you answer this in a way that will bring insight and
understanding to all of us, especially those who have lost children to
an untimely death:
He writes: “My son was diagnosed with colon cancer in June, 2001.
He made his transition 9 months later at the age of 32. It was a huge
loss for me, and I have felt very sad and frustrated. I have seen the
‘silver lining’ in this cloud—more closeness with the rest of my family,
the immense support of my friends. Yet, I continue to feel depressed. I
am avoiding answering sympathy cards, dealing with his estate, and so
forth. ‘Feeling my feelings’ has been a lifelong difficulty for me, and
I would ask for guidance on how to more fully make peace with this
powerful and troubling event in my life.”
2. Our second question on this subject is
this: When a loved one dies and the one left behind is suffering so
deeply, why is it so difficult to sense the presence of the deceased
loved one and feel comfort from that when they need that connection so
much?
3. You have said in several readings that
some people try to “push” in life to create perfection. What exactly do
you mean? Do you mean trying to control life?
4. Edgar Cayce was a channeler in the
United States in the early 1900s. He stated that all knowledge is held
in something called the Akashic Records, and said that this was where he
got his knowledge for his readings. Is there such a “record?” If there
is, who can gain access to this knowledge?
5. This month will mark a year since the
September 11 terrorist incidents happened. This has changed our view of
the world and created a lot of fear and turmoil. It seems to be a major
turning point for human life on earth. What does this mean for the
future of humankind? Is there some redeeming spiritual quality in all of
this?
6. Would you please close with an
attunement for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #190
October 2002
1. Some Eastern philosophies stress the
importance of balance through the concept of Yin and Yang. Would you
please tell us more about the origin of this philosophy, and how it
relates to our lives today?
2. What is the best way for us to understand
“sin.” Are we to ask for forgiveness from God?
3. How do we love God with all our heart, with
all our mind, and with all our soul? For those of us with a self-concept of
unworthiness or self-deprecation, how do we go about loving ourselves?
4. How does a soul decide which country, social
situation, race, and so forth in which to incarnate? Why would a soul choose,
for example, the poorest sections of Africa, where there is almost constant
suffering?
5. If we incarnate with a group, how do the
souls communicate beforehand in order to decide how to incarnate together?
That seems to be a lot of organizational skills—choosing when babies will be
born that will interact with each other later on.
6. This question was sent in by a Study Group
member who is retired, but it is a question that many working people ask: “For
those who are retired, would remaining in our accustomed occupation better
serve humanity, or would a new occupational role be better? For example,
assisting customers in a retail operation with courtesy and respect, or,
voluntarily assisting persons with some disability in lifting and movements
they cannot do for themselves. Is it just really a basic good attitude and
personality that we express and extend to others that is the quality that is
more superior and helpful to ourselves and others?”
7. How can we heal, or atone for the mistakes
or abuse that we have caused to others in the past before we die, particularly
if the persons are no longer available to make amends to in the present?
8. Would you please close with an attunement
for us to use this month?
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STUDY GROUP READING #191 |
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