Michael Channeling Q & A

<DaveGregg> Your astrology is not based on principles that govern the entire Universe, but instead relies on quadrants directly applicable to your own corner of the solar system. Astrology as you know it would be radically different if applied to another planet with different coordinates and star systems.

Michael math, on the other hand, is applicable anywhere you travel in the Universe, whereas astrology is not. Therefore, altering the zodiac to conform to the law of seven would have no beneficial outcome other than to dismantle the astrological system into segments no longer recognizable.

In short, astrology is based on physical constructs, where Michael math permeates into everything.

CHANNELED BY: Dave Gregg

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ATHEISTS

Q: Why are some people atheists, denying any sort of higher reality?

M: Fear, and choice, as well as imprinting, all bring about this denial of what is. But do not be deceived into thinking that believing in, for instance, the Tao, or not believing in the Tao is better than the other. What is of importance, of course, is that Essence experiences all that there is to experience on the physical plane before moving on to other sorts of experiences. Denying the existence of the Tao is certainly one experience on the physical plane, one choice.

CHANNELED BY: Karen Murphy

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ATLANTIS

Q. Why have no physical remains of the Atlantean civilization been detected?

MICHAEL: Remains have, in fact, been found, in various ruins and excavations throughout the Atlantic. Atlantean influences can also be seen in their colonies in Egypt and the Americas.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

Q. Talk about the ancient civilization of Atlantis.

<DaveGregg> Atlantis is a highly debated topic in spiritual circles. Much of the information currently circulating, however, has either been heavily romanticized or distorted to serve the individual beliefs of the channel.

Atlantis never existed in the way that's often portrayed by psychics and pseudo scientists. Plato invented this allegory to teach about the dangers of complacency in a society that had come to believe in the mythology of its own greatness. In many ways the story of Atlantis parallels the arrogance that has dominated the political and corporate powers in the United States, and serves as a reminder that even the most impregnable societal structures can easily collapse overnight.

The collapse of the ancient Minoan civilization was, of course, the real-life basis for Plato's story, along with references to other ancient civilizations remembered from pre-history.

The Minoans were a highly sophisticated and peaceful society, with an appreciation for the arts, architecture, recreational sports, and technology that included indoor plumbing. Minoans worshiped female deities and their government was surprisingly democratic in it's views of social equality, allowing women prominent societal positions, despite a power structure ruled by a King and Priests. Their economy was based on trade and mercantilism and they mostly led lives of leisure.

Unfortunately, an active volcano was on the small island they used as their main outpost, and while the rest of the Minoan populace lived on a larger island some distance away, the distance was not enough. The volcanic blast was one of the largest natural explosions in history and when the ensuing tidal waves slammed into the smaller island, parts of the island did appear to sink, due to gaping holes left in the center that quickly filled with water.

The enormity of the blast was like an atomic explosion, and Minoans not killed by the initial shockwave or the searing gas, drowned when the tidal waves followed. The great walls of water, some towering a hundred feet, were both beautiful and terrifying to behold. Still, many Minoans who gathered away from the coast managed to survive.

Months afterwards, however, ash continued to cover everything, poisoning the agriculture and killing the livestock that subsisted on it. Many Minoans also died from the prolonged inhalation of the ash.

Needless to say, the economic collapse this caused dealt the final blow to the Minoan people, and although segments of the population carried on for a number of years, the government had lost it's sovereignty and neighboring hostile tribes began to invade, systematically destroying what was left of this once great civilization.

CHANNELED BY: David Gregg

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AUTISM

Q. Cause of autism?

MICHAEL: Autism has many possible causes. One is that highly sensitive souls who have avoided incarnation are feeling a need to address their issues in this time of transition. They seek to develop strength to balance sensitivity. There is finally enough awareness of such things that they can hope to be met with understanding rather than ridicule.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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DENSITY

Q: It has been said that the vibrational rate of a civilization will
eventually increase until it's no longer considered physical. How
will this work?

A: All civilizations span a grand cycle of evolution and this
involves experiencing slightly higher tiers of physicality that more
accurately reflect the overall state of sentience. There is also a
physical evolution that the body undergoes to support this gradual
increase in awareness. But the current timeline being projected by
many channels is off by a wide margin here. Your civilization is
still a long way from even manifesting its true personality on a
collective level, and actual evolutionary changes to the human body
are not likely to happen on a noticeable scale for quite some time.

The density shifts you speak of are not something that can occur on
a mass level until all fragments involved in the incarnational
process have sufficiently assimilated the physical plane lessons and
perspectives they chose to experience. After that time a
civilization can choose to evolve to a higher vibrational state.
This does not mean that a human body made of flesh and bones will
suddenly alter its molecular structure and transform into a light
being overnight. The choice to experience physicality at a higher
vibrational rate is a complex and mass decision that requires
cooperation on a grand scale. It should also be pointed out that
these various levels of density are still below the vibrational rate
of the astral plane. The evolutionary progression of a civilization
does not exclude it from assimilating the lessons and experiences
required in the incarnational game, which means progressing through
the planes of existence: Physical, Astral, Causal, and so on.

CHANNELED BY: Dave Gregg

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BEGINNINGS

Michael: We are here. We bring our energy to join with those of you here and together we make a glowing bridge across the planes.

This is a time of beginnings for many of you. One of the qualities of beginnings is the eagerness to look forward. But beginnings imply endings also. One of the qualities of endings is the chance to total up the measures of accomplishments. What if the ending does not seem to capture very much in the way of accomplishment? Does that mean it has been for nothing? Was its beginning a mistake?

You who are tuned to our teachings know that no action is without merit. But if it does not seem to have attracted the accolade 'Well done!' you think it must carry forward some shadowed impression into the future. Nothing could be farther from the truth we share. You may, in your personality, be unaware of anything to be content about, but we remind you that You, in your Higher Self, will know better.

Endings and beginnings are part of the space/time qualities of the physical plane. Beyond it they have no meaning. But within the physical plane they mark off openings and closings and offer a means for looking at one's life in parts. The whole is often a blur, but in parts you can assess where you have been. Then it is the forward, the beginning again, that draws you on.

If human beings did not have the opportunity to look ahead, it would be almost impossible to close off anything, and if you could not close, you would not be able to start again. That is the 'good work' of beginnings and endings. Think of the seasons: each comes and goes, begins and ends. Think of work planned, accomplished, begun and ended. The opportunity to start again always brings with it a lightening of the spirit.

We do not suggest that you forget the past, in this case the immediate past, but we do offer this thought: What has been attempted and has reached some kind of conclusion, is finished. Even that which carries over into the new beginning is concluded to a certain extent. And that is the light of the next step. Hold to the possibilities. Let the next beginning open your heart and mind to the work of your soul. Ends and starts are the stuff of the world. If you choose to make use of them, the path forward becomes less tiresome.

CHANNELED BY: Nancy Gordon

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BIBLICAL

<Meg> How does Michael view the Bible. Will it ever be able to replaced or added to fit more of the current times and growth.

<DaveGregg> We see the bible as a cultural relic from the past, and like all antiquities, recognize the influential role it played in history. The bible is like a time capsule, if you will, and once opened you find yourself instantly immersed in the dogma and beliefs of an ancient culture. While the inclusion of the Logos is perhaps the most redeeming quality in the document, many of these passages have been distorted to the point of mere anecdotal merit.

The word of God, of course, is not represented in the bible any more than what you would find in other religious texts. In fact, what you ultimately find in the bible is the word of...man.

CHANNELED BY: Dave Gregg

Q. My question concerns the relationship between the figure in Indian mytho-history, Krishna, and Jesus. In recent history their archetypal mythologies have a lot of parallels, and I am asking Michael what they would offer in terms of information about the relationship between Krishna and Christ?

Shepherd/Michael: This is a beautiful question and we would like to invite the whole group that is listening to notice how the question itself put you more in your higher centers. Take a moment to feel how this affected you. Incidentally, we are not implying that higher centers are better centers because obviously you need them all.

Of course, both were vessels for the Infinite Soul, and both, therefore, were subject to a lot of mythology. The reason this inevitably occurs is that people tend to become bogged down in the lower centers because, though-out history most people have been sufficiently worried about their own survival that there hasn’t seemed to be a lot of space left over for contemplating the higher centers. Suddenly, then, it seems that the Infinite Soul , the Transcendental Soul or indeed any relatively enlightened teacher comes along and brings part of the puzzle that the human psyche has made little room for. And so, people generally don’t know what to make of it, and so they impose explanations to try to make sense of what they are witnessing. And often people are a little lazy in just grabbing whatever explanation seems to be convenient. A similar sort of laziness has been evident in both sides of the presidential campaign in the United States -sort of a knee-jerk desire to explain the other in terms of a sound bite; so some of these legends are the ancient equivalent of sound-bites.

These souls who turn over their well-honed personalities to the Infinite Soul or the Transcendental Soul or other high teachers all know one another. Of course, we are speaking here of the astral connection. They all work together with many others. This is not a secret society. This is a loose, informal association of souls who dedicated themselves for quite a long time to the larger evolutionary issues of human souls. Your view of them as humans may be quite worshipful but their view of one another, and the general view of them on the astral, might be more comparable to how people view respected diplomats. Being a diplomat requires a certain set of skills. In their professional capacity they have to set aside much of their own personality, and instead, their personal desires become subsumed by the larger good that they are working for. We are not here speaking of diplomats who are more self-centered and concerned only about their own country and the advantages they can win for it but those who are widely acknowledged as wanting to help. If you were to sit in on a gathering of some of these souls on the astral – which you are able to do, in fact, - they are not closed gatherings – just as you can turn on your television and watch congress convening, although it may not be very interesting all the time, you would see souls who are similar in their dedication to helping provide an optimal environment for the growth of all humans. Another analogy for them would be faculty of a fine university and how they might come together for panels across their disciplines, be respected for their knowledge and teaching abilities. We don’t think that any of these great souls are all that impressed with themselves. It really is true that the more you know, the more that you know that you don’t know. They do not see themselves as objects of worship but simply as dedicated public servants.

There are not that many souls who are cut out for that sort of thing. Part of the reason that the host for the Infinite and the Transcendental Souls are late level old is that it is not until then that it is even appropriate to subsume the personality. It is a little bit like an elderly person who is able to say ‘I have lived my life, it has been full and good and I don’t need to focus so much on my own personal relationships now, so therefore I could go run for the school board’ - which is a different point of view than for someone who has his or her own school children in the school system. In the real world, of course, you can have both but for the purposes of the analogy here the point is that it is not appropriate for most souls to divert their attention to the non-personal prematurely. It is also a truism that teaching is one of the most educational experiences one can have. So those who devote themselves in this way benefit themselves. It is analogous to those who channel. There are not a lot of people for whom such a vocation is appropriate. It is similarly a subsumation of the personality, and yet the channel is privileged to be part of an educational process so it is not seen as a sacrifice.

The soul who was known as Krishna had a long history on the physical plane of helping people to get along with each other. Because human beings are a relatively aggressive species it is helpful when there are some persuasive diplomats around who are good at convincing people to pause before going to war, and this soul was superb at convincing people to put the brakes on in that regard. So, he was an expert in understanding how groups behave. There are some souls who are expert in the reverse of this –of exciting people to war – it is really a similar skill but turned inside out.

The soul who is Jesus has been more interested in individual transformations. Performing healings on people is really about showing them the power that they have within them. These are complementary skills, one more focused on the individual as it relates to the group, the other more on the group as it relates to the individual. Does this answer your question?

Beautifully so. Is it true that the Infinite Soul displaces always a 7^th level old King and what you call the Transcendental Soul replaces a 7^th level old Priest, or is that too absolute?. Were Krishna and the one they call Jesus both Kings?

Shepherd/Michael: Yes, both are kings. We do not think it would always have to be in this configuration but it does make a lot of sense to do it that way. Considering the demands of the Infinite Soul a personality conditioned by the presence of a powerful King would be the least likely to fall apart with the demands of the Infinite Soul.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

Q. I have a question about the gospel of Thomas found in the Nag Hammadi library that was discovered recently. I need to know if the Gospel of Thomas is a true reckoning of the life of Christ, and also what is the missing word where Jesus blesses Mary?

SHEPHERD/MICHAEL: We would say it is about 55% accurate and the rest embellished. One thing that would help in understanding this is that throughout most of history writers did not feel an obligation to be factual the way that it is taken for granted now. Today, if you were to do what Thomas did you would be expected to tell people up front that the account is partially fictionalized. Through out most of history, writers have felt that they were the ones writing it, and they got to say whatever they wanted to. There wasn’t the concept of ‘journalism’. Yet modern people look back and expect it to be in alignment with today’s sense of journalistic integrity.

Bear in mind that for most of history many people did not read and write and so there was not considered to be a mass audience. Certainly there was no best seller list and no hope of large financial gain for the most part. So, if you get around 55% accuracy, that is really pretty good for the time. Part of the inaccuracy is just the way that people remember things and when the stories are told and retold they tend to be more distorted. If you have some elders in your family they don’t always remember what actually happened; they may have ‘improved’ the story so many times that they only recall the improved version. And then someone else may hear them tell it who has not been hearing the enhanced story and say ‘no that is not what happened at all; this is what happened - I was there’ and that might be their own enhanced version.

There are very few ancient historical accounts that were recorded like a journal at the time. Not many really had the leisure to sit down and write what today would be called journals. That was something maybe for the rich, but because there wasn’t really the audience for the rich’s words back then that there is today, there was also not a lot of incentive to write about what you could later look back at and can say were historical events. At the time they may not have seemed so important.

To a lot of people, Jesus was roughly the equivalent of a Paris Hilton – a troublemaker - someone just stirring up the gossip, so forth. In your own life you may have noticed that you don’t always know what the important events were until you get beyond those.

You asked about a missing word and that we don’t have an answer to. We suspect that was part of the fictionalized account. Do you have further questions about this?

There is also a Gospel of Mary which is supposed to have recorded directly the sermons of Jesus. Was Mary doing that and was she his main disciple?

SHEPHERD/MICHAEL: We don’t think that Jesus would have made a hierarchy of his disciples. Old Kings are very good at recognizing the contribution that each person has to make and not necessarily in a hierarchical fashion but in a holistic fashion. However, Mary was extremely intelligent and it would not surprise us if he felt that she got what he had to teach better than most. She was quite insightful in her own right. She was not just a student but also a teacher. She had been respected, what you might call, a wise woman, from an early age. She was one of those children who amazed people with her understanding. We do think that she recorded some things, and then we think others embellished, as usual.

All this brings up the question you didn’t ask but is implied: “So what do you do with this stuff when you don’t know what is real and what is embellished or entirely made up”?

The way we would approach it is to view all spiritual teachings that have passed into literature as allegories. It doesn’t seem that important if they happened or not. What is important is do they speak to you in some important way.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

<Jack> How many of the so-called "12 Apostles" are there currently incarnate? In what country are they located?

<Nancy/MICHAEL> The 12 men who have been labeled Apostles of the old King Jesus have lived a number of lives over the millennia. At the present time four are living.

One is a lawyer in Nigeria, one is an embroiderer in a factory in the Ukraine, one is a child of five in Idaho, and one is a woman of 84 years, having worked as a char woman in India.

CHANNELED BY: Nancy Gordon

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BODYTYPES

Q: Would the Michaels comment on the "natural" type of food for different body types? By natural I mean that since each body type is governed/influenced by a specific gland, they tend to have their specific, "typical" problems or weaknesses. What I am asking is: are there certain guidelines concerning food the different body types should keep in mind in order to stay healthy and balanced, and avoid the usual health problems of their type?

MICHAEL: Some general guidelines:

LUNARS should eat a fairly light diet in terms of carbohydrates, with moderate protein and fat. They should avoid hormones, as they are especially sensitive to such additives in meat and dairy products.

SATURNIANS can eat a hearty diet, with heavier foods of all types.

JOVIALS do best when they eat with the seasons, heavier in cold weather and lighter in warm, eating foods when they are in season.

MERCURIALS need to be especially careful with stimulants and sugars. A fairly high carbohydrate intake is often warranted for them.

VENUSIANS do well with a lot of fruits and vegetables, and not a lot of other foods.

MARTIALS need to balance themselves with ample carbohydrates and fat, and a steady amount of small servings of protein. The 40/30/30 diet is appropriate for martials.

SOLARS types have a delicate digestion and do best with foods that are easily digested. Food combining can be especially helpful for them.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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BUSH, G.W. PRESIDENCY

Q. What are the likely results of eight years of the presidency of G.W. Bush, on our nation? I¹m most interested in our system of checks and balances and the constitution and what the long term implications on those institutions might be, as a result of the Bush presidency.

MICHAEL: We don't expect that there will be permanent damage in that regard, but it might take a generation for things to rebalance themselves.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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CALDERA VOLCANO ERUPTING IN YELLOWSTONE

Q. Can Michael comment on the possibility of the Caldera volcano in Yellowstone park erupting. If the volcano does erupt what will the
implications?

MICHAEL: We do see a probability of a minor eruption.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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CAUSING HARM

Q. I understand Michael's teaching regarding the necessity of both causing harm and being harmed in order to evolve. The question I struggle with is regarding the magnitude of suffering being caused through wars, genocide, terrorism; why are these very harsh actions happening and why have we not learned, through so many lifetimes, not to hurt one another?

MICHAEL: Learning does occur, but it is a slow process. Until recently, there were always newborn souls coming along who needed to learn the lessons as the old souls cycled off. This is, by nature, an aggressive planet. It is a pressure cooker. Growth comes relatively quickly compared to gentler planets, but with more violence.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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CETACEANS

<Barblu> Are the whales and dolphins going to be ok given the increasing pollution of the ocean?

<ShepherdHoodwin> M: They are suffering and are beginning to alter their movement in order to seek cleaner waters. However, we would think that before humans are able to make the oceans uninhabitable for cetaceans, they would have made their immediate environment uninhabitable. So we think that cetaceans would survive, but probably not without increased suffering.

<Barblu> So we should watch the "canaries"? Is their unusual aggression any part of this?

<ShepherdHoodwin> Yes. Pollutants are causing some mental illness among cetaceans, as they also are among humans. Humans are an aggressive species anyway, but increased pollution exacerbates that.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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CHARGING FOR REIKI

My question is does charging a fee for longer Reiki sessions by appt. in some way diminish the compassion and service aspect of being a divine conduit for spirit and the resonance of healthy chi or prana? Sensei Usui gave all Reiki freely until he witnessed beggars that continued begging even after being healed because they lacked commitment to work and community contribution. He stated that to charge a fee reminded people of the value of Reiki. I assume that Christ didn't charge for healing yet I am thinking that he did accept lodging, food, etc as he traveled. He also emphasized the role of the person's desire to be healed as imperative to the healing process. (I am employed in another profession and am also interested in providing Reiki treatments by appt. in addition).

MICHAEL: Just as any in good legend, there have sprung up some discrepancies in the Mikao Usui story between legend and reality. In reality, this man was poor and hoped to establish a money-making practice for himself using this method of hands-on healing (which by the way has been circulating the globe in many guises for centuries). His practice was unsuccessful, so he chose to instead make a name for himself by performing tricks of healing for people on the streets, many for little or no pay Word spread and a legend was born.

How can accepting money (energy) for a service performed (energy again) be anything but of divine service, if that is the intent? Would you not be performing some sort of exchange even if you collected no fee for the service? Which form of energy you choose to exchange is up to you, but it is still and always simply an exchange of energy.

CHANNELING BY: Karen Murphy

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CHOICE

Q: Talk about the integrity or lack of integrity in personal
choices, including any ramifications.

A: Personal choice is an instrument of learning that's used to test
the expression of yourself. From the stand point of growth,
individual choice can never be wrong since it powerfully reasserts
the pronouncement of your divinity and validates your existence in
the world. Choices are neither good nor bad, but when they
compromise the integrity of your higher purpose and negatively
impact the choices of others, they will have ramifications. And from
your perspective, the outcomes may not always be pleasant ones.

Any choice, either positive or negative, is reflected back to you in
all of its resplendent glory. Since the Universe reflects any image
you send to it, this can be a challenging lesson for some of you.
When your personal mirror becomes tarnished by enough unpleasant
experiences, you quickly learn to make different choices. Choices
that hurt other people are the Universal equivalent of the child who
learns not to touch a hot stove. Since the energy you expel is
always returned to you in the same way you expressed it, there is much to be learned from burning your fingers.

Q: How does our role affect choices?

A: The Server makes choices that benefit those around them (or at
least what they subjectively feel to be the most beneficial). In the
negative pole they may limit the choices of others in order to serve
them. This stems from the misguided belief that controlling people
is the only way to be their caretaker.

The Priest makes choices that, of course, inspire others to seek
greater aspirations and create a reflection from the Universe that's
radiant and pure. In the negative pole, however, the choices of
others may be dissuaded or circumvented until they match the
personal vision of the Priest.

Artisans makes choices that add subtle hues to the canvas of life.
Each choice is a soft brush stroke that adds layers of insight and
creativity to a work that will always be in progress. Artisans in
the negative pole will try to blur this canvas, as if they took a
finger and smeared the wet paint until the image was unrecognizable.
In this case the choices will only serve to obscure and delude.

Sages often make choices that are highly conspicuous in order to
draw attention to their personal truths, and they will find a way to
communicate something in just about everything they do. In the
negative pole, however, Sages might make choices based on how it
affects others, in both positive and negative ways. There is little
discrimination here; just a selfish desire to dramatize their
choices in front of a captive audience, pun fully intended.

Warriors make choices that break new ground and punch through
obstacles. They love anything that presents a challenge, and
personal choices will often be weighed on their ability to maximize
the benefit of a chosen ideal. In the negative pole, choices made by
the Warrior can be swift and brutal, with little regard for the
frail soul that crosses their path.

Kings make choices that can affect the greatest number of people.
For this reason there are fewer Kings in number than any other role.
Kings usually make choices that encompass the greater good of all.
In the negative pole, however, one errant choice by a King can
destroy entire nations and create wide-scale damage. Repercussions
from such an event will be felt for centuries to come.

Scholars makes choices that strengthen their ability to broaden their
understanding of the truth. These choices are often experiential,
however, leading to a slippery slope that does not always fare well
if too many risks are involved. Scholars are willing to take more
chances than most roles, and to borrow an old cliche from TV,
will "boldly go where no man has gone before." In the negative
pole, Scholars can make choices that distance others. There can be a
self-centered drive to obtain knowledge at all cost, even though
their quest may be more theoretical than factual.

CHANNELING BY: Dave Gregg

The physical plane is just a part of creation, nothing more or less. Your sojourn here is a part of your journey through a cycle of lives. We repeat ourselves, but there are experiences that you can only have in a body on the physical plane. Indeed, there are so many experiences in this category that some of you will have hundreds of lives just to sample many of them. Therefore, it makes no sense for a fragment to say that he/she cannot endure another life on the earth, or that he/she actually belongs to another universe. Each one of you is here, on this planet, at this time, by choice. Your parents were a choice, your culture is a choice, your body is also a choice. Taken all together, these are the underpinnings of the lifetime you are living.

How, then, can you alter what you may find less appealing about your choices? In many ways. You continue to choose with every breath you take. Each day, each hour, you choose the next word, act, thought. We remember how hard some days were, and we remember how joyful were other days. Memory is your comforter here. Nothing, not one word, thought, deed lasts forever on the physical plane. All is choice, yes, but all is part of change. You are the choosers of what you wish to change.

You often weigh your choices on a scale of what seems most attractive. And this is undoubtedly a Good Work. But remember, the physical plane has another purpose for you, and that is to be a place of learning. That means those choices that end up being less than perfect are still 'perfect' choices. All are valid. All are part of your lives.

CHANNELING BY: Nancy Gordon

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CHRISTMAS

The holiday season can be a time of stress for many, but it also is a time when people are more willing to open their hearts. Take advantage of this windfall. If the motivations are pure, an open heart can mend decades of old wounds in a matter of days . Reach out to those caught-up in the euphoria of the season and dismantle those barriers that have kept you apart.

You can also use this openness as a model to guide your own emotional well-being throughout the rest of the year. The benefits, of course, are limitless: an open heart is able to receive without judgment; an open heart does not feel the need to protect the ego or false personality; an open heart is a measure of your ability to receive the love of those close to you as well as those kept at a distance; an open heart is your deed to a life containing more joy and fulfillment, and we could easily continue here with even more examples.

A closed heart, on the other hand, leaves you at the mercy of false personality and the distorted fears that accompany that. Anger and frustration is the inevitable result, and after awhile it can feel like you're on a sinking ship without a life raft. Striving towards the more positive feeling is often enough to keep you on track.

For those of you still feeling challenged by a year of innumerable frustrations, we offer the following:

The symbols of Christmas are, of course, rich with traditions from many cultures, but the symbol we'd like to address today is a custom that, while it often leads to a surfeit of commercialism, has graced the lives of everyone who ever shared their love with another-- and that is the exchange of gifts.

When you wrap a gift for another you are not only concealing the surprise from them, but encoding the gift with a symbol of your affection. On this day when you are often giving to others, we ask that you share some of that affection with yourself.

Secure a quiet location and meditate for a moment. When you're free of distractions, review the progression of your life over the past year. Pay careful attention to any obstacles or problems that either challenged or upset you.

Now imagine that these challenges must be placed in a box and wrapped with the same level of affection you'd give if the present were intended for a loved one. When you're finished wrapping, place the gifts under an imaginary tree for yourself. Go forward in time a little and imagine waking up Christmas morning. As you unwrap each package, give thanks for the gift and appreciate what it has taught you about yourself. Do not take this step lightly. It is only after you have acknowledged the gift -- and the things it has illuminated in your life -- that you will be able to release its negative charge and let it go.

By the time you finish this exercise you should feel less embittered by the frustrations and setbacks of the past year, and more empowered by all that life brings. We are not saying that bad things won't happen in your life, but you can choose how to perceive them. While it's true that choice may seem limited at times, you still have the power to choose how you feel, and this is where choice can truly be empowering.

Christmas then teaches that in each day a new gift is waiting to be unwrapped. If you can learn to accept that gift with dignity and grace, you will better appreciate what life continues to teach you -- for life is indeed the most precious gift you will ever receive.

CHANNELING BY: Dave Gregg

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COMMUNITY

Q: Would Michael please comment on what students could be more aware of at this time, of this year?

MICHAEL: we see that a more intense intention toward creating and maintaining connection with others, community, is mostly what is needed for this time. In a time of incredible disparity among peoples, it is well to remember that you are all one after all. You are all spiritual beings on this path, and there is no one person or group of people that is better than another. Soul age, role, nothing is any "better" or "worse" than another. This time of year traditionally brings introspection to humans. There is little to be done in the outdoors, and therefore the light is rekindled within. Balancing this is the opposite hemisphere wherein just the opposite function is being performed. There, the outbreath that is mid-summer is coming to full fruition. Light and dark, hot and cold, inward and outward. In all, there is balance. Remain, then, aware of your connection, not only to those you have awareness of, but also those nameless faceless "others" elsewhere in the world, in places you know little about. You are all one, you are all ONE. Feel this inward time, then, as the other half of the outward also taking place here. Feel yourself being a part of a living, breathing, organism known to you as Earth.

CHANNELING BY: Karen Murphy

Q: Please talk about your views regarding creating a Michael community, as well as how the community can apply the teachings more effectively.

A: The teachings as a whole are not dependent upon the formation of a community. We are interested in reaching those we have agreements to reach, but there is no timetable and no urgency. We offer the teachings as a tool, not as a way of life. But being with others is always a chance to enrich the quality of your lives, and opportunities abound to test out the principles being learned in the teachings.

We sense the channel dislikes the cliques that often develop in communities, but we do not see the harm in any endeavor that fosters more personal growth and positive interaction. We will add, however, that cliques are often attempts to avoid growth and they largely arise when the differences of others are looked upon with fear. Rather than succumbing to this easy way out through avoidance, we encourage more of you to face those you have difficulties with head-on. The teachings are most effective when you are confronted by those that challenge you. If you find yourself in a constant state of flight, forever avoiding fragments who are not your vibrational match, you are missing many useful opportunities to apply the teachings.

In simpler terms, the teachings help you learn to connect with the unconnectable. When you can do that with both compassion and tolerance you are truly doing good work.

Q: Do students need a community for the purposes of understanding the teachings?

A: Community is, of course, a necessary and valuable part of your experience on the physical plane. Many practical reasons exist for living in a community -- too many to list here -- and the variety of relationships forged in these interactions are vital to your continued development. The formation of a Michael community, per se, is certainly not counter-productive to our intentions, and the mutual exchange of ideas and camaraderie that develops between students who share your interest can be quite meaningful. But as we have said before, the effectiveness of the teachings does not depend upon the formation of a student community. Greater learning experiences are actually achieved when you apply the teachings to fragments in your own local circle. Since you often share pre-incarnational agreements and karma with these fragments, they will likely challenge your grasp of the teachings in situations that test the limits of what you have learned.

With that said, we do not wish to discourage any students who actively nurture communities based on the teachings.

Q: What is community as defined by Michael and Michael students?

We define community as the cooperative coalescence between people of diverse persuasions who agree to co-exist in a mutually beneficial way.

Many types of communities exist -- more than can be named at this time -- but the real bonding agent that holds them together is the magnetic draw of tolerance and acceptance. Obviously there are practical factors in communities, such as the exchange of goods and services, religious worship, municipal governance, and so forth, but the lessons surrounding tolerance and acceptance provide the glue that creates a lasting bond. Now such lessons are often pursued unconsciously, but they are still an overriding influence in any community.

Too many variables exist to define a community by the individual desires of Michael students, but the nine needs: Security, Adventure, Freedom, Expansion, Power, Expression, Acceptance, Communion, and Exchange could certainly be used as a guideline in this endeavor.

If we were to draw up a blueprint of a future Michael community, we would make sure that the nine needs are properly emphasized.

Q: Tell us more about how students can apply the teachings in the community.

A: As previously mentioned, students will find the teachings more instrumental if they can learn to conquer avoidance. More specifically, the fearful avoidance of others, self, and life in all of its complexities. When you avoid anything out of fear or judgement, you are actually creating a void in yourself that lessens your opportunities for growth. Applying the teachings here will not only help you see the rest of humanity without a jaundiced eye, but a world once devoid of color will suddenly shimmer with a radiance never seen before. There is nothing more striking than the truth.

It is by no accident, by the way, that personalities have clashed in the Michael community. There is no better way to learn about the teachings than to experience them firsthand. This doesn't mean you need to be around other students in order to learn. Your friends, family, and coworkers are your greatest teachers in this sense. We have been amused by students who passionately wish to understand the teachings yet seem passionately unwilling to apply them to each other. Many of the conflicts we've sensed could easily be remedied if these difficulties were examined through the lens the teachings provides.

Greater levels of compassion and tolerance are within the grasp of all of you. When you learn to apply the teachings to those you perceive to be difficult, the answers will be there. It also might surprise you to know that fragments who upset you are often reflecting an image of yourself that you have yet to heal. This does not mean you should condone behavior that forcefully affects the choices of others, such as violence. But your knowledge of the teachings has given you a key to unlock the mysteries of the human psyche in profound and life changing ways. When you avoid or exclude others, however, either out of fear or judgement, you are really excluding a part of yourself. For this reason we encourage our students to open more doors than they close.

CHANNELING BY: Dave Gregg

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CONNECTING

Tonight we come to you, as we always do, with our energy and our understanding. These are qualities for us, not feelings. We do not have feelings, as we have said before. But we enclose what you call feelings within our understanding and offer it back to you as we connect with you all here.

We have a sense that connecting is at the top of the list for discussion tonight. Every creature is connected in some way to something. We do not say to everything, although that is not far from the truth. It is however, a concept that is difficult of expressing. Therefore let us consider being connected in a more simple, more personal way.

Each of you is here because you are connected with each other and with us. This connection forms the energy that we can see, although we know you cannot. If we were to describe it to you it would look like a small vibrating line of light that encircles all of you beginning with us and ending with us. Other times you connect, there is a similar line or cord of light between you and the person or thing you are connecting with. Can you imagine connecting with a thing in the same way that you do a person? Indeed, although the 'connection' is not of the same energy, it is an energy and has some of the same attributes that person to person energy contains.

Why should it matter whether you connect? Because this energy that flows between the sender and the receiver is nourished by both. We remind you that solitude is a choice, that social interaction is a choice, that even though you are sitting in front of a screen looking at words, that you are choosing to be a part of this energy. Many of you feel the alone-ness of solitude and welcome it. Others think they have had it forced on them and wish there could be an end to it.

Something like a scrying glass, you will experience what you expect. We recognize the differences among you and we are able to send and receive as needed for each of you individually. We suspect that you may wish you had this talent! And so you will, eventually. But for the time being, as part of the physical plane, you will each one experience alone-ness or one-ness as your need is expressed. That is a Good Work and will become a support for you, each one of you, as you need it.

CHANNELING BY: Nancy Gordon

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CONSCIOUS CREATION

Q. Do you have any thoughts on the seeming contradiction between Jesus having said "Ask and ye shall receive." (which I have trouble imagining the Church as later having added) and the metaphysical 'quip' that anything you ask God for you won't receive, because in asking you are affirming that you don't already possess it, and you will therefore perpetuate your current reality in asking? (This was also stated by God as I recall in the very beginning of Conversations with God Vol I.)

MICHAEL: The latter might be true if someone is charged about his perception that he doesn’t have the things he wants. However, if he asks in a neutral way, and is truly open to receive, he sets in motion the creation he desires. Asking here does not refer to a casual request, but to a focusing of one’s creative intent.

Conscious Creation and Seth

Q: In the many books by Jane Roberts, the spiritual entity Seth said there is only one rule of physical existence, and that is we create our individual realities through our thoughts, attitudes, and beliefs. Events in our lives are physical reflections of what we think and feel. In other words, we cause events to happen, both good and bad, based on what we expect to see in our world and our lives.

Michael, what are your thoughts on this concept? Do you feel there are notable exceptions to the rule, and could you explain why so few people seem to be acknowledged masters of conscious creation? In other words, is there a component to the system that many are missing?

MICHAEL: We all co-create reality. It is good work to recognize oneself as the primary creator of one's reality, but others are also creating reality, and obviously, there is overlap. The choices of others do affect one. The more mastery one has of physical plane life, which comes both with increasing soul age and with personality development within a lifetime, the more one can avoid becoming mixed up in the reality creations of others that one does not wish to take part in. But "no man is an island," and it is not possible or even desirable to create one¹s reality entirely independently of others.

Q. Here's a comparison between common metaphysical beliefs and those of Seth. Please share your views on the following:

Many metaphysical thinkers believe create our own reality sometimes, while Seth said "We create our reality, WITHOUT EXCEPTION."

MICHAEL: It might be best said that each person creates his or her experience of reality, regardless of the outer form of things.

Q. Many metaphysical thinkers believe that we incarnate into the physical plane to become more spiritual, while Seth said we are already spiritual beings incarnating for deeper reasons.

MICHAEL: It depends on your definition of "spiritual." It is, of course, true that the soul is a spiritual entity, so yes, we are all already spiritual beings. But one does incarnate for the purpose of spiritual growth and development, to expand the Tao's experience. The physical plane is a potent, challenging school and playground.

Q. Many metaphysical thinkers believe that the universe will teach us lessons (often through the school of hard knocks) while Seth contested that lessons experienced were manifested for our own personal reasons.

MICHAEL: First, let us say that learning through the school of hard knocks (growing through pain) is usually the result of blundering around without much conscious awareness. The more conscious a person is, the more s/he can grow through joy. In either case, there will be lessons if there are gaps in development. If one is already well developed in a certain area, s/he will sail through an experience that might be difficult for someone lacking in that development. The experience of living tests the soul for weak areas, and thereby gives it the opportunity to fill in the gaps.

It is true that the specific reasons for a lesson vary from person to person.

Q. Many metaphysical thinkers believe that we can be impacted (or physically harmed) by the thoughts or actions of others, while Seth maintains we are not impacted by others unless we allow it.

MICHAEL: If a person were so strong and fully developed as to be invulnerable to anything that someone else might do to him, he probably would not see much need to incarnate any longer. Great souls such as Jesus and Buddha before their Infinite Soul incarnations came close to this ideal, but they could still be taken by surprise and be harmed. At that level of development, though, there is the ability to rebound quickly and grow from the experience without much ado.

You "allow" yourself to be harmed by others because of your lack of development. It is not so easy to blithely decide to be unaffected by others and make it stick; there is the need to grow in the gaps to make that possible.

Q. It has been taught that time happens simultaneously. Thus, linear time is an illusionary perception of our physical realities, and does not exist as a universal construct. Since this would mean that in a reincarnational cycle all lives are lived simultaneously, wouldn't this indicate that concepts of
karma or the spiritual evolution of the soul are meaningless?

MICHAEL: Progressive experience can occur outside of the rigid strictures of time. Evolution, by definition, occurs in a progression. How that aligns with the particular space/time continuum of a particular planet is somewhat negotiable.

Within the framework of time, events are not simultaneous; only when you move outside that framework is that the case.

Time is no more an "illusion" than space; both are valid, but only within their own spheres. On the astral plane, for instance, physical plane space and time are much more fluid and malleable, and on the causal plane, they are almost nonexistent.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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CREATING A NEUTRAL SPACE (for challenging people)

Similar to the way the Earth's atmosphere protects all life on your planet from harmful radiation, when you create a neutral space, you are protecting yourself from the toxic energy of others. The idea is to develop the confidence that toxic energy directed your way will harmlessly bounce off your protective shield. This is not so much a force field that you are erecting, but a state of mind. It's a way to subvert the negative offerings of challenging personalities, and learn that, with the exception of karma, if you allow any individual to disempower the vitality of your spirit, it is a choice.

There is great power in learning how to control your reactions in negative situations. To create a neutral space, all that is required then, is a willingness to trust that you have the inner strength to do so. Although your centering can certainly add its own set of challenges to this objective, choosing to react to antagonism in a negative manner is still a choice.

Being in a neutral space is not dissimilar to sitting in a seat at a theater. On the stage there may be a cast of characters all vying for your attention, hoping to lure you into the dramatic arc of their story, and indeed, you may choose to become emotionally invested in the tenor of each scene. But you are also able to detach from the events on the stage at any time. Why? Because the events happening on the stage are an illusion; they are not real.

Your life, of course, is not make believe, but if you teach yourself to observe that the people around you are just actors on stage trying to play the roles they have been assigned in their script, it will become easier for you to detach from the inappropriate behavior of others, and possibly see your world from a perspective that's less annoyed by the melodrama in life.

We are not implying that you should go through life utterly devoid of feeling, but once again, like the choice you have to get involved in the drama of a theatrical performance, you can also choose the level of involvement you wish to give to the behavior of a challenging personality. Remember that these fragments are reading from a different script than your own. And since you are the director of your own life, you have the final say if you want to act in their play or choose to audition for another.

CHANNELED BY: David Gregg

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CROP CIRCLES

Q: In England we have the strange phenomenon known as crop circles, which are the most beautiful patterns which appear overnight in wheat and other growing crops. They happen in lots of parts of the world but particularly in SW England. The designs have become more complex and more subtle over the last ten years. Do you have any information about them, what causes them, or what their purpose is?

MICHAEL: The ones that are genuine - and we would say that over two-thirds are - are primarily designed to plant seeds in human consciousness that there are indeed other more advanced civilizations. The crop circles are designed to condition humanity to this understanding and to lessen the fear, preparing the way for contact directly. The crop circles come from benevolent sources. Most of them come from the same three races that are working together on this - we mean three different planets, societies - and each design is a communication; it is a thought form, it is like a mandala. It transmits understanding without relying upon words. You might say it contains a mathematical or geometric truth.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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CURSES

Q. Do such things as evil thoughts and/or curses really exist, and how do they play a role in the teachings and life?

MICHAEL: These exist. One can repel them by wishing all people well. Curses generally find their mark by resonating with like thoughts in the victim.

Skilled healers can identify and remove negative thought forms.

Curses are a fact of life on the physical plane. People continually curse
each other with greater or lesser intricacy and power. Ultimately, dealing
with them teaches love.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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DAY AFTER TOMORROW (Movie)

Q. What are the probabilities of a "Day After Tomorrow" and other scenarios?

MICHAEL: The probability of this scenario in your universe is currently less than 15%. The probability of some kind of environmental catastrophe is around 35%. The probability of an "enlightened" scenario in which sensible measures are taken is around 30%.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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DEATH

Q. Is death the ultimate goal?

MICHAEL: No, living is the ultimate goal. Death is a doorway into another form of living. The Tao seeks to expand its experience of living.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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DEPRESSION (Severe)

Q. Can you speak a little about severe depression, in which a person can only think about not wanting to be on this plane any more, and what kind of help that person should look for in that situation?

MICHAEL: There is usually a biochemical problem that can be corrected through diet, herbs, exercise, and perhaps pharmaceuticals.

When the going gets tough, most people will suffer from a certain amount of depression after a while, but when it is long-term and external
circumstances aren't, objectively speaking, all that stressful, it is likely
that the delicate balance of the endocrine system has been disrupted.

Sometimes severe depression accompanies repaying a heavy karmic debt. It can also result from taking on heavy energies from other people.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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EUROPEAN BIRTHRATES

Q: Europe is experiencing demographic decline with very low birthrates. Why are so many Europeans deciding not to have children?

MICHAEL: The trend you are seeing now is simply another part of the cycle which repeats itself over and over. While such trends are interesting to note, they are often misconstrued within the context of the larger trends, which tend to be those which have fewer disparities and large swings from one pole to another.

CHANNELED BY: Karen Murphy

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EVIL SPIRITS

<PQ> Could you discuss the existence of malicious discarnates - their activity among us, and their intentions, as well as their origins?

<DaveGregg> Malicious discarnates, as you call them, often exist in two forms. The first are fragments blinded by excessive Maya during an incarnation. Upon death these discarnates literally become shackled to the physical in a delusional prison of their own making. With the assistance of guides they eventually escape this self-inflicted miasma that clouds their thinking, but it can take some time depending on the severity of their delusion. Anger and a sense of desperation may add to the confusion and terror they feel, and many of your biblical depictions of Hell have originated from this condition.

These discarnates are not malicious in the true definition of the word, but in their rage they may occasionally lash out at those still living that appear indifferent to their struggles. In a similar sense, discarnates who have become earthbound due to physical plane addictions can also be the cause of considerable mischief.

Our second example consists of an improper use of astral matter. These emanations are not sentient beings -- or what we'd even consider a consciousness -- but negatively charged thought-forms that exist in ephemeral states, feeding off the fear of others like starving animals. Negative projections like this are created from the malleable matter in the lower astral plane, and may either reside there or intrude into the physical space of others. Physical intrusions, however, are usually generated by a living person or persons. Some group incantations of so-called demons have been created in this way.

CHANNELED BY: David Gregg

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EVOLUTION (Theory of)

Q. How accurate is the theory of evolution as man has defined it. Is it in keeping with the reality of species development on earth? How does the idea of 'intelligent design' fit in?

MICHAEL: Let us look at the last question first. All creation is intelligent. There is no grain of cosmic dust nor of the minutest cell that is not intelligent. Therefore the design is by its nature intelligent. Now, is there a divine being who has drawn up the blueprints for all of this creation? Not in the way that your scriptures tend to picture it. All of what you call creation comes from one source, the Tao. But the Tao does not create. The Tao allows energy to 'escape', to be cast from IT in its quest for the experience of parting with it. It is this energy that ultimately 'creates', that sets the intelligent patterns for matter to follow. If you wish to call this 'intelligent design', you may do so. Now as for the theory of evolution as understood and taught by your scientists, this is as near to the truth of things as most fragments' minds can encompass. The species that evolved on this planet to the point that it could be ensouled had to have certain physical qualifications: among them was the opposable thumb and a palate and larynx for speech. You may not think that the opposable thumb is primary to your humanity, but we suggest that you try to do the most ordinary gesture without being able to bring your four fingers together with your thumb. Upright gait was also part of the requirement for ensoulment. So in a manner of speaking, there is no argument between the Darwinists and our teachings. It is just that the theory of Darwin was not informed by the considerations that you and we understand. Ensoulment was accomplished some 60,000 years ago. The area that cannot be ascertained by science is the assistance that the evolving species had from the universe. When you have heard that your planet was 'seeded' by star peoples you imagine that humanity as it exists today was brought fully formed from a distant planet and introduced here among the animals that already inhabited it. But this is a misunderstanding of the 'seeding' process. It is much more usual that a promising form be identified and then 'helped along' in its evolution, a process that takes generations, by the way. The physical apparatus must exist in at least incipient form. You cannot make omelets without breaking eggs. If the species that became human had not had the potential for speech, for instance, a different vehicle would have had to be found.

CHANNELED BY: Nancy Gordon

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EXPECTATIONS & HOPE (The Difference)

Q: Michael has touched before on the difference between having expectations and having hope. Would they please comment further on these two elements, and how we can appropriately apply them to our lives?

MICHAEL: Expectations are demands. Demands are an attempt to limit choice. This not only diminishes the other person; it diminishes the one demanding, too. It creates a constricted field that says that "Only if life goes in the direction I think it should will there be okayness in the universe."

Hope, on the other hand, is an expression of intention. You desire an outcome. You are not requiring it but you are magnetizing it, opening yourself to it, watching for it. Hope is most useful when it is based on a certain amount of realism. To hope, for example, that a movie star you don't know will fall in love with you is a waste of energy. However, to hope that someone you know will fall in love with you may be quite useful when it is not yet clear what the other person's feelings are. The positive hope communicates to the other person, whereas being totally neutral does not--it might be read as indifference and doesn't magnetize the result you wish.

Once the other person makes a choice to either move toward you or away from you, hope is no longer useful in this context; then you are either pursuing a relationship or seeing that it is not going to happen, in which case you are best off letting go of the hope. Holding onto hope once the facts have been established causes heartache. On the other hand, there are instances in which hope may not seem justified but it is-- you can sense that the facts have not actually been established, even though the situation looks hopeless.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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FACE ON MARS

Q. Is the face on Mars an artificial artifact? And if so what does it mean and how does it relate to the human incarnation cycle?

MICHAEL: It is a natural form.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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FEAR

Q. What is fear composed of? What is it's essence? I have heard that fear is based in the perception of separateness.

MICHAEL: Fear creates a vacuum as one withdraws from what is feared. Anger consumes its object. Both are the result of a lack of equilibrium.

We wouldn't say that fear is composed of something so much as it is the
result of a lack of the presence of self.

Biological fear is part of the necessary survival instinct. Emotional fear
generally arises from a misinterpretation of that. Intellectual fear is more
complex--it is part of false personality's defenses. Spiritual fear is from
the knowledge that in facing self, one must change, and that thrusts one
into the unknown. That can trigger biological fear, which is designed to
avoid possible dangers lurking in the physical unknown.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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FOREFATHERS OF AMERICA

How evolved were the founders of the American constitution? Have any reincarnated to play other roles in modern politics?

MICHAEL: The founders of the American constitution were a mixed lot of Young and Mature souls, with a few Old souls thrown in for balance. Several have since then resumed a role in politics, but most of these have not enjoyed the notoriety they did at the time you speak of.

CHANNELED BY: Karen Murphy

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FORGIVENESS

Forgiveness is a relatively simple act, with little or no preparation required, yet it remains one of the most daunting lessons our students face. Indeed, if every fragment on your planet performed just one act of forgiveness a day, the entire world would benefit. But the evolutionary process of your civilization follows a natural course, and fragments will awaken when they are ready to do so.

Learning to forgive is vital to your spiritual health for several reasons:

Forgiveness releases you from the ball and chain that tethers to all the wrong you have suffered from. Violations to your being, either karmic or mere annoyance, continue to inflict pain and damage till you forgive the fragment in question and release the negative charge or imbalance initially created. As long as you nurture feelings of anger and resentment, you relive the injurious act and continue to fall victim to it.
Forgiveness does not mean you condone the act. You simply release your negative attachment to it and stop any further victimization by its memory. You also release the perpetrator of the energetic bond created at the time. We wouldn't necessarily call forgiveness a divorce, per se, but there are elements of the unhealthy marriage between two fragments in need of forgiveness.
Each act of forgiveness is another step to Agape. Forgiveness blooms like a flower in your soul and the sheer number of blossoms are directly proportional to the acts of forgiveness performed. Similar to the honeybee as it pollinates neighboring flowers, one act of forgiveness can literally pollinate hundreds of flowers.
Another interesting aspect of forgiveness is the healing element. When someone violates your trust, for instance, you feel like you have an emotional flu; forgiveness then serves as the antidote. In this case forgiveness works like a natural antibiotic against the contagion.
Finally, forgiveness teaches you how to love those around you who act unlovable. It breaks down barriers erected around insecurities, prejudices, and fears, and exposes you to the truth that love is the Universal constant. We have said before that adversaries are your greatest teachers, and much can be learned by forgiving them.

To use a business analogy, forgiveness is like a contract you write that releases you of any negative bonds you have with either yourself or another person. This contract is your intention to let go of fear and replace it with love.

Over a lifetime you will collect a substantial inventory of unresolved fears and you could say your soul becomes a warehouse for these goods. The shelves, so to speak, may indeed be stacked high with boxes and dust curls, but there is no expiration date on the fears you have boxed away. And reviving the potency of what lies in a box is as simple as opening the lid. Forgiveness, then, is your way of liquidating your inventory and redistributing it in a more positive manner.

As yet another instrument in your arsenal of spiritual tools, forgiveness simply helps you release negative energy. Anytime you harbor this kind of energy you limit the fullness of your potential. Forgiveness is your means for clearing the pent-up energies of resentment, frustration, anger, annoyance, betrayal, hate, and a host of other spiritual maladies that act like parasites and prevent you from finding more joy in your life.

Many tools are available to teach you about forgiveness, but we've tried to distill some of the concepts into a single exercise.

First, realize that forgiveness is not an effective tool if you don't sincerely believe in it. In your society, such glib attempts at forgiveness are no better than a band-aid if sincerity and determination are not part of the RX mix.

In this exercise, then, instead of focusing on a specific individual, look for something within yourself to forgive. It should come as little surprise to you that no greater test of sincerity exists than when you focus the healing lens on your own life.

Starting at the age of six (if you can remember that far), begin retrieving memories from your past, scanning carefully for events that still carry an emotional charge. Look in particular for any incident where you felt shame and regret. Allow yourself to re-experience those feelings if you can, and similar to our previous exercise where you faced your pain, once again let the emotions surge through your body.

Now ponder the ramifications of your action and acknowledge how it might have affected other people. Don't judge yourself here, just understand the role you played in the incident. When the intensity of your emotions have reached a climax -- not dissimilar to the potency of sexual release -- forgive yourself. Use whatever affirmation suits the situation, but vow with as much intensity as you can generate that you are releasing the fear from this memory and forgiving yourself for the harm you inflicted on others, including the mistakes that you made. Acknowledge the validity of the experience for what it taught you, but make a pact with yourself that once you have released this fear you are finished with it for good. Now allow the energy to dissipate and let go of the past.

Continue this exercise for the next couple of days (or however long it takes) and find more personal experiences in your life that might benefit from your forgiveness. Especially uncover any memories that still haunt you today and give them special attention. Like neglected, homeless children, these are areas from your past that still cry out for your love.

After you have developed a sufficient amount of proficiency with this exercise, you are then ready to choose someone other than yourself to forgive.

Forgiveness is the only way we know to reach true inner peace. Like everything else, though, it is ultimately a choice if you choose to release your fears from the past and replace them with love.

CHANNELED BY: David Gregg

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GOLDEN AGE IN EUROPE

Q. The archaeologist and anthropologist Marija Gimbutas ('The language of the goddess' etc.) writes convincingly about a Golden Age in Old Europe when the members of a liberal, matriarchal society apparently lived in peace and harmony with each other, in the total absence of warfare or competitive struggle and with great respect and love for Mother Earth. The Goddess culture these people created is supposed to have lasted from about 30,000 years ago to about 7,000 years ago, when it was destroyed by what she calls Kyrgan invaders (from Siberia), who rode horses and had metal weapons; after which a solar, patriarchal culture gradually absorbed the goddess myths into a baby soul-type society, established the first temples etc, and the rest, as they say, is history. Did this golden age really exist and, if so, how did that society manifest in terms of soul ages? That would seem to have been an old soul society, but if so it would seem to have been from a previous set of cycles from our current one - and even then how could it last for 20,000+ years?

MICHAEL: As is usually the case with history, this is oversimplified. There were pockets of Europe with peaceful, more matriarchal tribes, and also some more patriarchal tribes, some of which were also peaceful. The demise of this status quo came more from a significant increase in population than from a particular invasion. With growing population came growing frictions, which brought forth more aggression and tilted the tribes more toward patriarchy.

The years suggested are roughly correct.

One cannot generalize too much about the average soul age of this period; there was a mix, and societies cycled through all the ages. Even young soul societies can be relatively peaceful if the circumstances are right, such as a low population, in which case the young energies may be focused on building rather than competing.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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GLOBAL REAL ESTATE BOOM

Q. It appears that there is a global increase in real estate transfers with South Africa as the number one country and the US in 10th place. It's an almost frantic buying and selling spree for homes and vacant land to build on driving prices sky-high. What is causing this trend? Is it more than the obvious need to invest in something more secure than the stock market?

MICHAEL: Part of the reason is that financing has become more readily obtainable by those who would not have qualified earlier, coupled by low interest rates. Once such a boom begins, people tend to jump on the bandwagon for fear of missing out.

CHANNELED BY: Shepherd Hoodwin

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GROWTH

<Daniel> The Michaels said that they don't measure growth in a linear way. How do they measure growth?

<DaveGregg> Growth is measured by the weight of the lesson learned. For some fragments, a trivial experience can amount in phenomenal growth, while for others, a lifetime may be spent trying to move beyond a certain point, and still the lesson may not be learned.

It is not the length of the experience or even the intensity that matters, but the impact it has in getting the fragment to evolve. This can occur in a fraction of a second, or require several lifetimes of work before it is finally accomplished.

<DaveGregg> No greater bastion of fear exists than the conspiracy theory. It thrives in psychological realms ruled by the chief features and will continue to clutch at the throats of society for as long as fear is allowed to run rampant.

Conspiracy theories are like theatrical plays that enthrall their audiences with performances cleverly crafted to camouflage the truth. They are the modern-day equivalent of folklore. We are not saying there have never been any conspiracies in your history, but we wish to remind you that fear, not the truth, is the usual culprit here.

About the Illuminati, this was a 17th century mystical order that played a minor role in influencing the power elite of its day. Much has been made of this brotherhood, but we must say that the scope of the group's power has been greatly exaggerated, and in some cases, fictionalized.

We are not aware of a modern-day Illuminati unless you are referring to segments of the wealthy that do sway some power in the corporate and political arenas. None of these power players, however, are involved in conspiracies on any grand scale, and are mostly just ambitious young souls trying to accumulate massive wealth.

IMPACTING COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS

Those who govern or represent their people cannot go far beyond where those people are. Too often, they are behind them, but generally not very far. Of course, a group can contain people of a wide range of consciousness, but for every entity, be it a nation, a corporation, a school, or a planet, there is a collective consciousness that is formed by its members. That consciousness is not necessarily an average or mean, because each member does not invest the same energy into it. Generally, those who invest the most into the entity determine its consciousness.

Using the United States as an example, perhaps the majority are apathetic in relation to its consciousness; therefore, they do not determine its consciousness as long as there are substantial minorities who are passionately investing their energies into it. This is not to say that the majority don't care at all--they do. However, they don't invest a critical mass of energy into it to imprint it with their values.

Investing in the collective entity does not necessarily manifest in obvious
ways, although it might, and those who seem quite invested may not, in fact, be having much impact on it. Those investing much into the collective consciousness of the U.S. may be activists, or they may not be. They may be well-read, or they may not be. The main determining factor is how their caring is directed.

It is important to know what you don't want when forming a vision of what
you do want, but if it stops there, your caring becomes invested in what you don't want. If you focus it, instead, on your vision of what you do want--in this case, how you ideally see the U.S.--you are more likely to have an impact on its collective consciousness.

--Michael channeled by Shepherd Hoodwin 5/26/2005

<LisaB> Is the information on Crystal children (old souls who are psychically sensitive + telepathic, who also are on their first lifetime on earth) and Rainbow children (fully awakened crystals who are non-karmic this life) correct as is, and how does this fit in with the Michael teachings?

<DaveGregg> This terminology is foreign to our teaching. As we see it, these distinctions do serve to awaken society to the uniqueness of each soul, and from that standpoint positive benefit may be derived. The descriptions you offer, however, are misleading. A new soul fragment, for example, does not begin it's first lifetime in a cycle as an old soul.

We agree that more old souls are now incarnating, but the recent media coverage that labels certain children as crystal, rainbow, and indigos, does not represent fragments any more gifted or unique than the other souls currently incarnating. It is true that many of these fragments are indeed older souls, but this simply denotes a different perspective on life, not an entitlement.