Transcribed from audio by Kathryn Schwenger
Audio edited by Dave Gregg

Note: Shepherd edited parts of this text for readability and for use on his blog. The edited version is given first, followed by the unedited transcript.


<Sherpherd/Michael> There has been a lot of stress in recent times. Stress is a form of energy. It is possible to use accumulated stress to advantage: for example, to focus it back on the blocks that are creating it in order to help release those very blocks. You are probably familiar with the idea in some martial arts that the proficient practitioner can redirect the attacking energy of an
opponent to defeat the opponent. Another analogy is how a skilled sailor can
make use of unfavorable winds that might be more problematic for a
less-skilled sailor. In the political world, there are many lies spoken, but
these too can be used to advantage--to shine a light on what is actually
true. Those trained to be actors are instructed to use every experience they
have had in order to make their characters more real. There is a saying that
a rock can either be a stumbling block or a stepping stone. No experience is
ultimately wasted.

Part of the spiritual path is becoming more adept at choosing the
experiences you actually want to have, presumably more pleasing experiences.
However, as the poet said, "no man is an island," and you will not be able
to choose all of your experiences no matter how adept you become. There is a
simultaneous set of truths: on the one hand, do your best to chose the most
positive possible experiences; on the other hand, it makes sense to take
advantage of whatever you end up with. You need not let stress simply act on
you; instead you can let it, you might say, defeat itself.

Whenever one is dealing with powerful energies, it is helpful to step out of
the way, just as the skilled martial artist lets the energy of opposition
pass her by and then gently redirects it: become more translucent, more in
your higher centers and less in the mundane personality, more open to
universal forces.

It is like successfully performing in front of a large audience: there is a
need to be fully present, but not so much in personality. If you are to
perform well, whether you are the star or in the background, you release
your more mundane concerns in the service of the music you are performing,
the play you are acting, or the speech you are making, in a desire to be a
vessel of benefit for all who are participating, both your fellow performers
and the audience. Even some who are not particularly religious have
suggested that performing can be a holy experience--in other words, one of
essence (soul) contact.

To have this experience does not mean obliterating your personality. In
fact, it takes someone with a secure personality to be able, at times, to
put it aside a bit for the greater good. It is those who are more insecure,
who have a weaker experience of self, who are most afraid to set it aside
for a larger experience. The ultimate experience of being an awakened human
is to live continually balancing the apparent opposites of a strong, secure
self-awareness with a devotion to a larger good. These are not contradictory
elements, because collective good is also the individual good; they are not
at odds. If one is self-sacrificing, this sweet spot of balance has not been
yet found.

Opening yourself to the larger universal forces is not in any way a denial
of self, but, in fact, an exaltation of self. However, it does necessitate
putting aside chief features and negative poles, because if one insists on
bringing them into the larger energy, there will be discomfort. A rule of
thumb is that the higher the consciousness, the less work it is.

Q. What is the relationship between Krishna and Jesus?

A. Of course, both were vessels for the Infinite Soul, and were, therefore,
subject to a lot of mythology. The reason this inevitably occurs is that
people tend to become bogged down in the lower centers; throughout 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 higher
realities. 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. People generally don't know what to make of it, so they impose
explanations to try to make sense of what they are witnessing. Often, people
are a little lazy in just grabbing whatever explanation seems to be
convenient. Some of these legends are the ancient equivalent of sound bites.

The souls who turn over their well-honed personalities to the Infinite Soul,
the Transcendental Soul, or other high teachers all know one another. Of
course, we are speaking here of astral (nonphysical) connection. They all
work together with many others. This is not a secret society, but a loose,
informal association of souls who have dedicated themselves for quite a long
time to the larger evolutionary issues of human souls. Your view of them as
humans may be worshipful, but their view of one another, and the general
view of them on the astral plane, 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--their personal desires become subsumed by the larger good for
which they are working. 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
plane (which you are able to do--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 the faculty of a fine
university and how they might come together for panels across their
disciplines, and 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 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 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; therefore, I
could run for the school board." That is a different point of view than of
someone who has his own children in the school system. In the real world, of
course, you can have both on school boards, but for the purposes of this
analogy, 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. Therefore,
those who devote themselves in this way benefit themselves. It is like 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, yet the
channel is privileged to be part of an educational process, so when it is
appropriate, it is not a sacrifice.

The soul who was known as Krishna had a long history on the physical plane
of helping people 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. He was an expert in understanding how groups behave. There are
some souls who are expert in the reverse of this­of exciting people to war;
it is a similar skill, but turned inside out.

The soul who was 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.

Q. Is it true that the Infinite Soul always displaces a 7th-level old king,
and the Transcendental Soul displaces a 7th-level old priest, or is that too
absolute? Were Krishna and Jesus both kings?

A. Yes, both were 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.

--Michael channeled by Shepherd Hoodwin, November 2, 2008
 

[ Unedited Version of Transcript ]

Shepherd/Michael: Greetings.

This is the most powerful gathering that we have spoken with to date. Take a moment to feel what you are helping to create.

There has been a lot of stress in recent times. Stress is a form of energy. It is possible to use accumulated stress to advantage, for example, to focus it back on the blocks that are creating it to help to release those very blocks. Many of you are probably familiar with the idea in some martial arts that the proficient practitioner can redirect the attacking energy of the opponent to defeat the opponent. Another analogy is how a skilled sailor can make use of unfavorable winds that might be more problematic for a less skilled sailor. In the political world there are many lies spoken, but these too can be used to advantage to shine a light on what is actually true. There is a saying that a rock could either be a stumbling block or a stepping stone. Those trained to be actors are instructed to use every experience they have had in order to make their characters more real. We have often stated that ultimately no experience is wasted.

The group energy tonight thus far is so remarkable that we think it would be worthwhile to hear from you what your perceptions of it are. Perhaps those who are participating in the written chat at Michaelteachings.com could type in comments that Dave, you could read aloud, or if you wish to have some phone ins - we’ll leave that to you. While this is happening, focus on the deeper perception of what is occurring. Go ahead, Dave.

Dave: I have two calls so far. Should I open those up to see if they have any perceptions about the energy or leave that for the chat room? What sounds best?

Michael: We could do both. We will let you handle that.

(typed in from chatroom)

Carlos: Michael, the energy feels like that of a service energy. What more can we do? It feels overwhelming at times.

Michael: Carlos, would you say a bit about in what way it seems overwhelming to you?

Kathryn41: The energy is very focused and uncomplicated by extraneous streams of other energy tonight, if that makes sense

Heather: The energy feels very strong with a lot of movement.

Carlos: Personalities of others hitting that brick wall.

Shepherd/Michael: Whenever one is dealing with powerful energies it is helpful to, in a sense, step out of the way just as the skilled martial artist lets the energy of opposition pass him or her by and then gently re-directs it. See if you can become more translucent. Another way of saying this is to be more in your higher centers, less in the mundane personality. See if you can allow yourself to open further to the universal forces. It is like successfully performing in front of a large audience. There is a need to be fully present, but not so much in personality.

Carlos said that the collective energy feels like that of service. If you are to perform well, whether you are the star or in the background, you release your more mundane concerns in the service of the music you are performing or the play you are acting or the speech you are making, and also a desire to be a vessel of benefit for all who are participating – your fellow performers and the audience. Even some who are not particularly religious have suggested that sometimes performing can be a holy experience, you might say, one of ‘essence contact’.

We will now take questions on this topic.
 

Heather: Could Michael maybe share some ways we can channel energies for healing? I’ve got a dog who’s not doing to well and I am hoping to use energy to make her feel more comfortable. I am not expecting miracles but just something to help alleviate some of her pain. Are there any suggestions Michael may have?. My name is Heather A___; my dog’s name is Simone, if that helps.

Shepherd/Michael: Heather, that is an appropriate question considering the topic. There is a gentle way of working with energy that we as a group tonight could work with. Heather, your job here is to simply be present with Simone without too focused an intention, and then we would suggest that all who are listening also be present with this collective energy and offering it through Heather to Simone. What is this like for you Heather?

Heather: It feeling a bit hot, I’m feeling heat – very concentrated although I am trying not to over-focus. I feel very, very warm and so does Simone – she is panting quite a bit - but not in an erratic way, I think she just feels it to be honest. And the cats are coming around quite a bit – they really want the action too!

Shepherd/Michael: There is a place for focusing attention and such but tonight there is available a higher kind of work where all who are participating can simply be present in the higher centers with the energy that is already present and particularly including heather and Simone and the other animals in that. What’s nice about this way of working is that it is not diverting the collective energy from anyplace else. It is simply including more participants in it. A rule of thumb is that the higher the consciousness the less work it is. There is such a good clear space this evening that really all any of us need to is show up. How are things on your end now, Heather?

Heather: just fine actually. Very playful and its fine, very playful, light – thank you very much.

Shepherd/Michael: You are welcome. Dave, we could take another question now.
 

Dave: In the chatroom, Susan adds that her cat Guy would also appreciate some healing energy.

Michael: Is Guy with you physically right now, Susan?

Susan: Yes.

Shepherd/Michael: Regardless, the group could certainly include Guy and all the animal friends who are present with anyone who is participating. All we need to do is hold an awareness that the group includes them; the group is not just sentient humans but includes the participation of many other lovely beings. So, anyone who wishes to include their animal friends simply be aware that they are participating, feel that they are a part of us. What does that feel like on your end Susan?

Susan: Warm and tingly.

Shepherd/Michael: Would you like to take any other questions, Dave?
 

Patty: Hi my name is Patty A___and I have a question about a former business relationship I was in, and I would like to know, if first off, what was any background or chart information that would help me understand the relationship and I’d like to know also if karma was burned or if more Karma was created by my getting out of the relationship?

Michael: What was your partner’s name?

Patty: Marjorie Dawn P___

Shepherd/Michael: And Patty did email photographs so we have those . . . and this is not a karmic relationship. Our perception is that there really wasn’t that much bringing you together, not a lot of soul level glue you might say. There were some common interests but it seems that you simply didn’t have the drive from a deeper level to continue to do this. Does that make sense to you?

Patty: Yes and no. It felt like it was the right thing to do to get out of that relationship. I was being taken advantage of, but it was a painful thing to do.

Shepherd/Michael: But can you reflect back on what it felt like when you formed the relationship, what you felt about each other at that point?

Patty: It was almost a student teacher role, me being the student. With the common projects we were working on . . . seemed to be good projects, and intellectually I was interested . . .

Shepherd/Michael: Right, that is what we are seeing, it was an intellectually led endeavor, rather than heart led or soul led endeavor and there wasn’t enough soul level glue to keep it going.

Patty: I think it was hard for her. There wasn’t enough me in it to keep it going.

Shepherd/Michael: It was not so much soul driven

Patty: Although a really worthy project. I’ve almost put it to rest. Right, there is just this last piece wondering if there wasn’t something deeper going on that I wasn’t aware of?

Shepherd/Michael: No, that was the problem - that there wasn’t something deeper. It was a good idea and that was fine. There is nothing wrong on asking on good ideas but there wasn’t enough juice behind it.

Patty: Thank you very much.

Shepherd/Michael: You’re welcome.
 

Karen: What is it that I most need to learn or understand about the nature of the karma - if any - between my sister Lisa and me? There are pictures

Shepherd/Michael: We do have the pictures now. Karen, we are going to take a look at some of the – many of the past lives you two have shared. Our first impression here is that you are similar in some key ways that has often caused you to project yourselves onto one another, and more than anything else this has led to conflicts. But we do not see a karmic history. When we use the word karma here we are speaking of major infringements on the other, such as murder, abandonment or such. What it has amounted to is that you like being together on the physical plane because interacting with one another makes you each more alert and more on your game, you might say. You are not essence twins but it is reminiscent of the essence twin relationship because you reflect one another in certain ways and not in others, of course. As with the essence twin relationship, sometimes the similarities are overt and sometimes they are more opposite ends of the same stick. One of the polarities that you seem to be playing with now is your being more intellectual and her being more emotional, and often reacting very similarly if you take those orientations into account. Your best approach in this relationship is to remind yourself that you’re often seeing some kind of reflection of self, and so is she, and this would help you to interpret each other’s choices in an overly personal way. Would you like to follow up on our comments?

Karen: That seems very astute to me

Shepherd/Michael: It seems to us that you are actually quite good friends on a soul level. Karen asks if her sister is younger, we assume in soul age. Without looking everything up we would say you are pretty close. What you might be interpreting as younger is her more subjective reactions. Thank you for your question. Dave you may continue.
 

Marjorie: My question for Michael and Shepherd is what level of the 4^th internal monad am I in, if in fact I am in the 4^th internal monad?

Shepherd/Michael: You are at the 7^th level of it. You are rapidly tying up its loose ends. We would expect you would feel that you are coming to the home stretch and there would be a sense of relief around this. Does that fit for you?

Marjorie: Well, maybe I should be doing better than I am if that’s true. I don’t know.

Shepherd/Michael: What stands out to us is that you have successfully owned yourself which is the focus of this monad for you. In other words, we don’t think it would be possible any longer for you to let someone else take you away from yourself. That doesn’t mean that the externals of your life all become easy, but you are now solidly anchored in yourself, and now you just need to figure out what you want to do about certain challenges that you face, which is really a different issue. How does that seem to you?

Marjorie: Very true. Thank you.

Michael: You’re welcome.
 

Nancy: My name is Nancy R___,I sent pictures of myself and Judy J____ and I would like to ask what is the nature of our relationship? Have we lived lives together before? Are we working on Agreements?

Shepherd/Michael: And what is your form of relationship? Are you friends?

Nancy: yes, we met at work. She introduced me to Messages from Michael. We are friends and coworkers:

Shepherd/Michael: You’ve got a very interesting series of prior associations. You have been drawn together in what might be classified as ‘fringe elements’. Twice, you were both members of the same secret societies. You have participated in one politically revolutionary group, and three times in what would have been heretical religious groups. So, when you met it would not have been surprising if you felt the urge to give each other a secret handshake or some such thing. It is a strongly intellectual relationship. When you are together, you stimulate new kinds of thought. You open new possibilities to each other and you do, in fact, have agreements to continue to do that in this lifetime. It is almost as if you each function for the other as a sort of homeopathic solution that on schedule reminds you of the larger universe and greater possibilities, and you help one another, particularly, to escape the boredom of people who are not very interesting. Would either or both of you like to comment or follow up on that?

Nancy: it is validation of what we somehow knew.

Shepherd/Michael: We would like to add something here. We don’t think you have explored this yet but the same dynamic could be used to collaborate on a creative endeavour- like writing is something could be something you could do.
 

Area code 212: Yes, hi thanks. 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.

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?

Area code 212: 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.

We are coming to the end of the time that we have here. We would like to invite everyone to once again notice the collective energy. It is quite beautiful. If anyone would like to describe your sense of it, you could type that in or phone if that is appropriate.

(from the chatroom)

Karen: lovely

Kathryn41: It is very comfortable - supportive and strong yet gentle. I really like tonight’s energy

Nancy: It is calming.

Lise: rainbow colors

Susan: gentle and soft

Shepherd/Michael: Some might have expected on the eve of this edgy election in the United States to have a more intellectual exploration of the issues, yet what has been called for - what each of you, in fact, wished to create together - was similar to what we did with supporting your animal companions: simply be present in the higher energy and provide a space for everything contained within it. You did not have to do anything except be aware, and it was helpful to the animals. And the same principle holds true of the whole world that is so stressed at this time. So, while being in this fine, high energy, bring this election into your heart without any intent other than that it be included, and be aware of all the financial institutions and the feverishness that people are feeling around them with no effort to fix them, but knowing that including them is the solution, ultimately, including them in this refined consciousness. And anything else in your life that you would like to bring good things to, just include them while you stay in this clear state.

We say goodnight to each of you with much love and many blessings.

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