Gender Related | Oneness Ministry

Identity Crisis or Christening?

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Here’s a thought, task, experiment. Imagine yourself without any identity at all, no name, no likes, no preferences, and no attachments. A difficult if not impossible ask. Why? Because this world is based on identity. There is no world without it! Thus, Identity is the most important thing is the Universe.

The next question is how flexible is your identity? Can you change it if you so choose? Are we doing this all the time as we move through our lives? Most babies now days are given a social security number soon after birth, all babies are given a name. We are born into families and thus a story… more identity. As we grow preferences emerge and we are rewarded and tagged for them. Over time we have more and more attachments to people, places, and things.

A spiritual practice I was taught is to walk about looking at what surrounds you and say to yourself, “I am that”. As you identity with every thing around yourself it deepens your connection to the world. I would suggest trying it the other way around, “I am NOT that”. This can be most disorienting and discouraging, though it does make loosening attachments a bit easier.

So, what is the “Truth” or “Reality” of our situation? Who are you, really? God herself? Dust in the wind? The third child in a family of five, born into christian values, European by race, etc. etc. etc. ? The choice is yours, to a degree and not yours to another degree. We are taught, or at least, I was taught that we have choices. But do we really? What about fate? Maybe our choices were made before we were born and we simply live them out. Or perhaps we are literal archetypes filling a role within the larger schema. I have written about this many times, because these questions come to me often. I have my answers, though I will not impose them upon you. I share this because it really is up to you.

Speaking from experience there are very few things in this world which are fixed and cannot be changed, though try as we might. The core of who you are is fixed, though much of what you think you are is based on belief. Believing is seeing, not the other way around. Reality in this world exists in thought and is projected all around you. Projection makes perception. Without movement, the world disappears. The physics of this have been proven, though explaining them here is beyond this the scope of this blog, thought exercise, experiment. Beyond your core self though the world constantly changes. Like I mentioned earlier, this can all be unsettling and yet it is a path home. It is my path and I am sharing it with you. I am and am not, that! All and nothing. The alpha and the omega.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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Pride Weekend 2024

by Sequoia Elisabeth

A reprint with edits of a post in 2017:

It’s Pride weekend once again here in Denver CO. As per my annual tradition I ponder the meaning of the word Pride and what it means to me. How does this serve me? (my favorite and most useful question) As an existentialist the answer would be there is no “Me” only “Us”. We are One after all!

But alas, there are many perspectives and points of view, so here we go.

‘Transgender (substitute your chosen identity) PRIDE is not about being proud of the fact that we happen to be Trans. IT’S about NOT allowing others (There are no ‘others’), to make us feel shame because we are Trans, IT’S about NOT allowing others (yourself), to define (y)our worth based on sexuality, IT’S about NOT allowing others, to define the love we share as less pure, less real, less deserving of recognition. TRANSGENDER PRIDE is about owning who we are, whether we are butch dykes, fem queens, or the always coveted “Straight Acting” gay (again choose your identity). TRANSGENDER Pride is about valuing the diversity that is humanity in all its varied presentations.’[Tom Guest, Senior Chief Hospital Corpsman, USS BATAAN (LHD-5)] With edits by the author of this blog, aligning with her identity.

I share my perspective here as well as the quoted material as a way of sharing my vision, or at least what I have learned. So, here is a different perspective from the Cambridge Dictionary. “1 – Gay Pride: the idea that gay people should not keep the fact of their sexuality secret and that they should be proud of it instead, 2 – the social and political movement that is based on this idea: a gay pride parade.”

So, which is it? In the end, meaning is based on understanding and self-imposed values. It is up to each of us to decide. Identity is both chosen and imposed by others, and since other self is just a projection of Self, identity is a choice we made long ago. Pride to me is about celebrating my uniqueness while at the same time acknowledging our Oneness. Our specialness lays on the outside while our uniform Oneness is at our core. Knowing this frees us to be ourselves while respecting others and allowing them to be who they choose. I give you the right to hate me (or love me), while reserving this right myself. This is free will and is the only real law of the land. For clarity’s sake, I choose Love! For Love is all there is. How this Love expresses is not up to me. My responsibility is to allow it without judgment or complaint. I am who I am.

Blessings on your Journey of Love!

Sequoia Elisabeth

Gender Related Transitions

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Thoughts of Crossdressing

by Sequoia Elisabeth

A thought which has stayed with me over the years concerns crossdressing. I recently read a blog about it, and they suggested it is about the inner desire to be someone else, i.e. to be the thing we covet!

We often idolize others for traits we feel are not a part of us. In fact, from my research this is the very basis of most relationships. If you break down the word relationships, ‘relate-others-ship’, you get our attempts at relating to others. Crossdressing takes this further to the point of being the other. Of course, as in most things in this (ego) world it exists as a spectrum. Can you become someone else? I think not. We can pretend till the cows come home, yet at the end of the day. We are who we are. Every decision we make takes us closer to understanding just this.

Who are you? The process of discovery is like a terraced landscape. We come to a realization of ___ is who I am and we stay at this plateau for a while until another realization takes us to the next level and here we stay for a while and the process continues. Where it stops, I believe is at the Disappearance of the Universe. Much like what is described in Gary Renard’s book of that title.

Getting back to crossdressing, our actions don’t really matter except at the level of form. Yes, the emotional roller coaster and consequences attached to certain behaviors can be painful and difficult to endure, however on the Spiritual Level hold no truth. I am not male, female, boy or girl. I am not a body! I am free, for I am still as God created me. Simply meaning, “I” am, the form is arbitrary.

Nomenclature holds only the meaning we give it and has no power of its own. A woman is only that which we agree it is and nothing more or less. While words can help us to communicate, in the end all communication fails because this (ego) world is a failure. I am perhaps better today at conveying meaning to an other than I used to be only because I understand things better now. As Einstein said, ‘If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.’ So, this is my attempt to explain my understanding of who I am and thus assist you in understanding you.

Words such as transgender, gay, bi-sexual, asexual, transsexual, etc. are attempts to convey an identity. I claim none. Meaning, use whatever words make you comfortable and I will do the same, because in the end, how you describe others just describes yourself. This is holistic non-dualism at its pinnacle.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

How Important is Identity?

by Sequoia Elisabeth

As mobile as our society is today, how can one identify with where they are born? Is that really where they are from? Many people now are born in one place, and grow up in another. So are they from the place they grew up? How many years before a person can call it their own and attach identity to it? I’ve lived here in Denver longer than anywhere else except where I grew up. And if not identifying with place, do we rather identify with family or bloodline?

I ask these questions because we all have asked these questions at some point or another. Ancestry has become all the rage. With the military, corporate culture, and educational diversity, we have become modern day nomads of sorts. Many a child is born while the parents are on deployment over seas or far from the place the parents were born. This goes for corporate execs and graduate students as well. Myself and my younger brother were born while my father was in Medical School in a town we only stayed in for 5ish years. We grew up on the other side of the state once he found work. So we can hardly identify with that city.

This story repeats in infinite versions and that is all good. Who and where we identify depends on the individual. I also think we are taught to identify with family whether we feel close to them or not. The questions I pose here have no clear answer. Even cultural identities in our melting pot of a world don’t mean what they once did. Have you ever wondered why neighborhoods in the bigger cities tend to attract certain races? From my observation segregation is natural. Integration is not. I have lived in both types of neighborhoods and find no preference, though integrated communities seem healthier to me. Could that be hybrid vigor?

Identity is something we all think about, some more than others. It has been a challenge for me all my life and includes gender. Identity stratifies at many different levels. We tend to try on many and keep the ones that fit. I am still searching. Certain broad categories are easy to stick with like race, sex (not the same as gender), and family. Nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, body habitus, etc. are more fluid. It amazes me just how fluid some people can be, while others are far more rigid. It is best to be like a palm tree rather than an Oak in my estimation.

When you meet someone new and you are getting to know them, two of the first questions asked are What do you do? Where are you from? These are identity questions that tell you who this person is. They are also a way you have of identifying with them. Once a connection is made then off the conversation goes. My question is why do we assume this person “does” anything or is “from” somewhere? How about starting the conversation with, tell me about yourself? or How’s things?

The take away here is identity is important in everything we do and especially in how we relate to others. Reflect on your own identity. Are you satisfied with it? Does it define you? Can you change it if you so desire? Why would you want to? How does one’s identity serve them? Food for thought….

Sequoia Elisabeth

Gender Related Transitions

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Musing on the Unreal

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Duality, the nature of our Universe, consider this carefully. For every up there is a down. Every in has an out. Each male contains a female. This is the essence of our world. Consider this thoroughly, if you can be a man, you can also be a woman, and vice versa. This goes for everyone. We are like coins with two sides.

So, what else is inherent in our Universe? Expansion. Everything here is expanding. Consider systems like religion or science. At first you have the core teaching and over time they have expanded to many branches. And continue to do so. This applies to every organization and system. This applies to human identity also. At first, we had Adam and Eve, male/female, man/woman and now we have a rainbow of identity. There are as many identities as there are people on earth! Being a social animal, we like to group up so identity is like a tree with branches. We like to be with those we believe are like us in some way, especially when it comes to appearance. This includes identity, religion/beliefs (this includes science), sport, hobby, race, cast, and the list goes on. I am like you, so we can be friends. This is the essence of duality!

Oddly enough, family brings in a love/hate dynamic, which is the ultimate duality. “I am not you, because I hate myself.” (fear=false evidence appearing real) This explains why family feuds are so popular. What works for me is the premise, ‘just because I love you doesn’t mean I have to live with you.’ It is hard to live with those who are like you, namely family. We choose our partners with the subconscious reason of filling what we perceive as lacking. This is where the opposites attract idea comes from. I see in you what I wish to be. Over time Love takes hold and the couple become one, two halves of a whole. I have seen it multiple times. If this does not happen, divorce is the result.

The true insanity taking place today is the individuals desire to be unique and special. It has taken so many forms it boggles the mind. The idea of “shades of gray” or more accurately “rays of the rainbow” has infiltrated into people’s identity. We have radical notions of imitation like people mutilating their body to appear more as they see themselves, animal, opposite sex, mood, etc. I am sure you understand what I speak of, just look around. I am as guilty of this as anyone, being transgender myself. I know the truth, yet I cannot help but be as I perceive myself to be. Projection makes perception though so where does this leave us? We are back to the innate desire to be special. We all do this to some degree and in some way. It’s ego separation at its pinnacle. All this duality and perception of even more is the essence of the unreal, ego mind, or the false self. We hide here from the truth, from God or ultimate reality. Are we really succeeding? Don’t we all know the truth already? The irony is we are all unique and special in our own way by definition of individuality! It is the underlying truth and our desire to run from it that drive our behavior and perceptions. As the saying goes, “You can run, but you cannot hide.” Eventually we all return to reality, and I don’t mean this duality we see around us. I mean we are always at home with God, whether we realize it or not.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Footnote: “projection makes perception”

The Course’s (A Course In Miracles) theory of perception, which is a reversal of the common sense belief that our perception is caused from without. External objects seem to be sending information through our senses to our brains, seemingly causing our perception of them. Yet our perceptions are caused internally. Over time we build up beliefs about reality. These beliefs guide our attention, causing our eyes to search for those things that fit our pre-existing categories (M-8.4). Once we find these things, our beliefs guide our interpretation of them, and these interpretations are our perceptions (see T-11.VI.1-3). Our perceptions are thus projections of our beliefs, through the means of selective attention and subjective interpretation. As a result, what we see is simply a mirror, a reflection of our state of mind. See T-13.V.3:5, T-21.In.1:1. (“projection makes perception” • Circle of Atonement)

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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What do you value the most?

by Sequoia Elisabeth

What do you value the most? I doubt anyone will get the answer I wish to share today. We just don’t think this way about life. Perhaps you do know what I speak of, if you skipped persons, places, or things. Now, I ask you to really think about this. Since value is relative, think valuable to you. What is most valuable to you that you hardly ever even think about? The answer is Identity. Who you believe yourself to be. As adults, we have all latched onto an identity, created in adolescence and usually based in family. Even those who have “lost everything” retain their identity. Perhaps they identify with being homeless, poor, or powerless. Your I.D. does not count as an identity. What I speak of is self-concept. Who you are as a person and who you present to the world.

This is a complex topic and one I have been working on all my life. I suspect you too have ventured down the road of doubt as well. It is a favorite topic of philosophers. Who am I and why am I here? The answer is rather simple, yet nebulous. You are who you believe yourself to be and your purpose for being is also up to you. Frankly, you have made all these choices, more than once and most before you were born. Call it fate if you like. We are who we are, because we chose a role and are now playing that role. This does not mean things are fixed, far from it. We constantly have choice thrust upon us, day after day. Most decisions are made based on past experience or the past experience of others. This explains why things rarely ever change. You’ve probably heard the expression, “as much as things change, they stay the same.” There ya go. Even when we decide to change and they appear to have done so, at the core they are the same.

A case in point, I transitioned 15 years ago from man to woman (physical sex cannot be changed, despite what some would have you believe). I am happier as a woman, because my nature is more aligned now. This said, my core nature is the same. I am the same person; I just appear different. A tiger doesn’t change its stripes. Understand, I am not saying this is bad or good. I simply am pointing out it’s best to accept who you are and get on with life. Judgments just cloud the water. This is me speaking from experience. Gender transition is really for others and as a means to better “fit” into society. Few ever really achieve this goal. The very nature of ego is to be discontent! Don’t listen to these voices telling you that you are one way or the other. Make the choice plainly and proactively. I am a good (God) person. I choose to be loving (accepting) in every way. My purpose is to give as I receive. The question to ask is, what do I have to offer the world. For me, it is understanding and inspiration. My goal with this blog!

For those who say they value their child or other person more, I say they are your identity. You identify through them and thus why you value them so highly. All persons, places, and things are in effect, your identity. Your identity both relates to them and to your self-concepts. It’s a feedback loop. Have you ever said to yourself, “I am not that”? Or “I am that”? The world is a house of mirrors! To be honest, you are none of it and all of it. In reality, God is all there is. Identity belongs to the ego, so don’t allow this distraction to rule your life.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

What does it mean to be Gay

by Sequoia Elisabeth

I have been asking myself this question most of my life. I remember commenting on how the “Gay community” had ruined a good word way back in the 70’s. To me it means being upbeat, happy, and jovial. It doesn’t really have anything to do with sex as far as I am concerned. That word is homosexual. Call it like it is. No sense trying to sugar coat things. Not that being homosexual is a bad thing. Who you love makes no difference to anyone else. Love in any form is a good thing.

I think the word gay got attached to homosexuals because they are often flighty, lighthearted, and jolly. Which to me is quite positive. I enjoy being around joyful people who don’t take life too seriously. Though I am not big on pranks or juvenile behavior. Somehow over the years the word “Gay” turned derogatory. The ego mind has its own agenda and creating more egos is one of them. Homosexuals don’t reproduce, so in the early days this was a big part of it. The more the merrier! (NOT) The other part is “guilty by association”. Fear motivates prejudice and thus the negative label. “They” don’t want to be labeled as “gay” just for being friends, so “they” choose to be enemies. The fact is, human nature is loving, we are social animals and enjoy hugs. Light unassuming contact can be affirming or offensive depending on a person’s point of view. When coming from love, its affirming, and when coming from fear its offensive. We all have the choice, fear or love. To me the acronym F.E.A.R = False Evidence Appearing Real, fits perfectly. Assume the best of others until proven otherwise! Just because someone has a negative experience with a person, does not mean all experiences will be negative. In 99% of our encounters with each other there is no need to even mention or think about sex. The ego would have you believe otherwise.

Being gay means so much more these days and this is both a good and bad thing. I often feel “gay”, though I have been heterosexual all my life, bedsides one adventure to the other side. My friends fall to both sides of the isle, and some are in the middle. I have chosen to not even play the game. My focus these days centers on agape love and non-sexual love. In the Spirit world, Love is all there is, so human/ego designations don’t matter in the end. For the sake of identity, which the ego just loves, I identify as a gay non-sexual male woman. Perhaps this puts me in the middle, I don’t even know, and have not been able to figure it out in 60 years! I doubt I ever will. It doesn’t even matter to me anymore. If you’ve read my eBook, Sex and Sexuality, you’d know sex is a distraction for most of us. A rare few use it as it is intended, as an expression of God’s Love. We are this Love, expressing. A small aspect of it includes sex.

Sequoia Elisabeth

OnenessMinistry.info

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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Transphobia

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Transphobia is no different than any other phobia or fear. It is a fear of the unknown. And the best way to deal with it is to educate yourself. Get to know someone who identifies as trans* or non-binary. My teachings and website exist to provide this education. Oneness is my message. Every person you meet brings you closer to who you are, One – All that is. Not the only one in this separated dualistic reality, but one snow flake or grain of sand.

The old teaching of ‘there are two sides to every story’ and ‘to know a person walk a mile in their shoes’ applies perfectly here. Obviously this applies to anyone whom you see as different than yourself based on race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, culture, size, nationality, or simply being an “outsider”. Believe it or not, transphobia exists within the GLBTQ community. Which really comes down to the basis of all discrimination, self-loathing or self hatred (I can’t stand the person I am, so I am going to project my hatred on to others, usually those near by or whom I identify with). This projection also works in the opposite by projecting our self love onto another. Taken to extreme this becomes idol worship. As I said, there are two sides to every coin. Though, just by being aware of this human tendency a person can choose to act differently. In effect, becoming a more loving and tolerant person.

So do not fear, being fearful. We all have fear to some degree, because if we did not, we would not be ‘here’. The least fearful of us are deified, like Jesus, Buddha, and many other saints. Now, let’s focus on the opposite of fear, Love. What you focus on, Grows. No need to obsess about differences, how about focusing on similarities. We all bleed red! And even if you met someone who didn’t, there are surely similarities.

What you seek you surely will find. Look for commonalities and ways to relate to your brothers and sisters. How another person identifies and presents to the world is up to them, your choice is how you react and behave. What you give you receive, so give Love… unless you wish otherwise, which is directly related to your level of fear. It may take time to continually choose Love, before this Love is reflected back. The nature of the Universe is balance so why not ‘front end load’ your experience with Love?

Sequoia Elisabeth

OnenessMinistry.info

Gender Related Transitions

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Your Life is Not Your Own

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The life we live comes with a construct. Each and every lifestyle choice comes with all the trappings, quite literally. What do I mean by lifestyle? I mean roles, occupations, and leisure activities including hobbies. Let me provide a few examples to illustrate what I mean. Say you decide to be a cyclist, this would require all the gear to go with this activity and the more serious you get the deeper down the rabbit hole you go… cycle clubs, contests, professional status, sponsorships, etc. Choose a career… Broker for instance, this leads to college, professional dress clothes, employment, and a certain expectation of behavior including circle of friends and associates, not to mention an aptitude for math and social skills. Maybe you simply chose to be a housewife or homemaker. This too comes with its own lifestyle trappings. If not children, then at least pets. If not cooking, then at least cleaning house. Even being homeless comes with a lifestyle!

I trust that by now you know what I am speaking of. Our lives are scripted by the choices we make along the path. While I cannot prove it, my understanding is we make many if not all the major choices of our life before we are born. Some call this fate. I really don’t care what it is called, it has been my experience. I have been steered to where I am now. Need some examples? I certainly did not choose to be Trans* unless I did … before I was born. Maybe sexual orientation and gender identity choose you like a magnet chooses its polarization for the purpose of balancing your energy? I have always felt like there is something going on below the surface which I cannot see. Like I was being watched or something. I choose to believe it is my Angels (Holy Spirit) guiding my path and leading me home.

Another example is my childhood dream of being a doctor like my father. I tried 3 times to pass college chemistry and never did, so what I did was find a medical career that did not require it. For some reason, Radiology came very easy to me. I seemed to understand all the physics involved quite easily and fortunately for me the chemistry involved was taken care of by others (film processing was all automated and now it is all digital so they don’t even use processing chemicals anymore). I remember early in my career dreaming of the day X-ray caught up to MRI and CT (cat scan). Eventually my love of Metaphysics lead me to my current life as a Spiritual Peacemaker. Passion eventually leads to your most fulfilling experiences.

Writing has been an interest of mine for over a decade now and for some reason I cannot get the idea of reinventing Story out of my head. We each have a story (our lives), though we are not our story. We are much larger than any story or lifetime. What is next for me has yet to be revealed, even to me. This is something which will percolate for a while longer, though it evolves every day as my understanding of story expands.

Poverty or Wealth are also lifestyles and we choose them without even realizing it. Time and again poverty has been proven to be a mindset and a violent one at that. Wealth is often something one is born into, because if wealth came from hard work their would be millions of millionaires. This is not to say with the right mind set, some hard work, and smarts anyone can be a millionaire. Though I will argue that if the invisible and intangibles are figured in we are all millionaires. Economic cast is built into the system, though it need not be. Like I mentioned before, we choose our path if not before birth, certainly along the way. So there is nothing wrong with Poverty at the surface. I have always admired Monks for their devout lifestyle and I have chosen to live my own version of a devout life. It is my choice to put my faith in the Great Spirit to provide and if that means this life is cut short then so be it. Faith by choice means this life journey will be fulfilled.

Perhaps you’ve read or watched the story, Cloud Atlas? In any regard, it is an intertwined story of six lifetimes for four main characters. One of the premises of the story and what the lifetimes demonstrate is, “Our lives are not our own. We are bound to others, past and present, and by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.” (David Mitchell, Cloud Atlas). Meaning everything you think, do, or say is connected with the great whole, with others in this lifetime, and with all other lifetimes. So with this knowledge what comes next? Perhaps you are more cognoscente of your choices and their path (consequences). Maybe you can lean into your life now, knowing all will play out just as it is intended. The only inevitability is the ego will die and maybe this is a good thing.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Oneness Ministry

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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Vicarious Living

by Sequoia Elisabeth

To live vicariously means living life through someone else’s experiences rather than being a part of the events yourself. It requires immersing yourself in someone else’s world and emotionally or mentally making their achievements and setbacks your own. It allows you to experience rewards without having to risk your own failures. If you want to see a great way to do this check out my blog on SecondLife. I have done this throughout my life to good effect! Here I will attempt to explain how it can work for you and not against you.

First of all one needs to get out in the world and create experiences to feed your soul. Sitting at home behind a monitor or TV is fun for a start, but that is all it is. It’s a means of inspiration! You see someone paragliding and say, I can do that! Or you see a character in a show plotting revenge on their enemy and you think, how silly! Love they neighbor as yourself (at least this is what I think). We can learn from the mistakes of others even if they are fictitious. With the advent of the internet and instant video along with endless educational clips there is no excuse not to try it yourself, whatever IT is!

The power of the imagination is a tool for living safely. Rather than engaging in risky behavior, use your imagination instead, knowing and remembering all along it is just make-believe. I just watched a show where the lead character has a psychotic break and his fantasy world of heroes and villains becomes all too real. He kills the “bad” people who he had dreamed up in his graphic art. Actual people who had harmed him and his GF. Another example of how fantasy can be taken too far, my brother got up on the roof of our house to get a Frisbee and when getting down he jumped thinking the judo classes he had been taking taught him how to fall safely. Sadly, he broke his arm.

While there is some truth to the saying, no risk, no reward. I will caution you to take all relevant preparations before doing anything radical. Where this saying falls short I believe is in professional sports and extreme sports. I have seen some fantastic movie documentaries of people scaling frozen cliffs, free diving to extreme depths, and climbing through miles of caves with no harm and much thrill! Even me as a viewer shared in the exhilaration associated with their exploits. So in this case living vicariously works to your advantage!

An example where it works against you is when you watch your associates excel in their jobs and you do the minimum to get by. Continually you get passed over for promotion while you are living vicariously through them! This behavior most likely is rooted in a fear to put yourself in the line of fire so to speak. There is risk in self improvement, at least from the ego’s limited view. What if I am not good enough? And the fear becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.

So to bring this all together, question your motives for doing or not doing things. I totally get it, there is risk involved in life. Yes, you can (appear) to die, ie. loose your body. Which means this lesson begins anew, in a “new” life. This is why when you succeed the effects are profound, even if you don’t feel it. I have pictures of me standing on a finger ledge with a drop off of ~1000ft. Though on the way back a rock I stepped on gave way and I fell several feet till I caught myself. It was fun till it was terrifying! Hearing that rock bounce down the canyon wall was creepy and yet exhilarating. I safely got back and would probably do it again with a bit more caution. Doing it gives me a real sense of satisfaction I would not otherwise have. Some good advice I like to follow is prepare for the worst, expect the best.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Oneness Ministry

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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The Simple Truth

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Trans-gender is just that, changing gender identity from one to the other. The concept of a sex change has been promoted from the get go, way back in 1952, though what one really changes is gender, not sex. Our sex is determined by our DNA and as yet, is not changeable by man. The genitalia does not determine sex. Is a female who is post hysterectomy or mastectomy still female? Man or Woman are gender terms and thus determined through self identity with the assistance of social feedback. Eunuch is the term for a castrated male and as far as I can see applies perfectly to males post sexual reassignment surgery. Some have promoted the term Gender Reassignment Surgery and this is simply an attempt to justify their actions. I have met and known many people who identify as Trans* and it simply does not matter what their physical body says, their mind determines who they are. As feminine as I am, I am still male and I cannot run away from it.

Gender dysphoria has plague me since puberty, sometime being quite the burden and others where it did not matter at all. This is the pulse of Life itself. Purging is a natural function of the human mind. On again, off again seems so natural to me and I see it everywhere. Hobbies for instance often go through purging. We go all in with a hobby and 5-10yrs down the road we bore with it and change directions, only so many years later to come back to it. For me, gender identity is like this too. Hormone levels play a much bigger role in how feminine or masculine one feels, speaking purely from experience. Read my eBook if you wish to know more about hormones. I have been researching this topic now for over 40 years including personal experience.

You may believe otherwise from what I am presenting here and it really does not matter what you believe on the surface, it is your core beliefs (subconscious mind) which you experience. If you are Trans* (any identity other than conventional) then your inner self has emerged! Embrace it for what it is. Please do not judge it as either good or bad. It simply is what it is. Of course this depends on perception, so this is my attempt to live authentically, if that is even possible as a human being. I am awakening from the delusion that I can be anything other than what I was born to be.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Oneness Ministry

Gender Related Transitions

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Social Identity

by Sequoia Elisabeth

How far are we to go with allowing self (ego) identity? Who really decides who you are? In reality, it is other self (others) who decides who you are. We all have our own ideas of who we are and the spectrum of sharing this to the world goes full circle. Some shout it out and other totally deny it. My question is does any of this really matter? Do you care how I identify? Probably not, caring only how you identify. If this be true, I ask what part does other self play in identity?

The spiritual teachings I have read, and I have read a great deal over the past 30 years, say other self is critical in our own identity. The world around us is an unconscious projection of who we know ourselves to be. Please understand, 99% of us do this automatically and with no realization of the value we surround ourselves with. Saying “I am that” as you look around can be valuable and it can also be deceiving. We are so much More!

Now let us relate this to society. If I am born XY/male, then can I really change sex later in life? From my experience, No. There is no changing our biological gifts, with surgery or by any other means. Psychological perceptions on the other hand are totally changeable. We can change our appearance and even our experience of the world. I will caution, as my psychologist did me, that only 5% of those who transition, do so completely from one gender to the other. Think of a bell curve. Most will fall in the middle somewhere. No judgment here, there is no right gender. Though, we can conclude here that sex and gender are vastly different things. Most of us are born one sex or the other, given that some are born intersex, and we are stuck with it till death. Intersex presents vast complications so I am not going down that rabbit hole in this discussion. Gender is self identified to a great extent through our interactions with society. How one presents to the world determines their gender. We all have the freedom to choose our presentation, at least after we become an adult. Puberty is where my gender came into question, to me anyway. I presented as my birth sex for 30yrs as I struggled to work out my identity. My presentation slowly went from masculine to androgynous to feminine. Along with this transition, I changed my name and documentation to represent this new gender.

Recently I have been questioning the validity of these document changes. It is too bad society does not make clear the difference between sex and gender, though I certainly do. If the form asks for my gender I say Female and if it asks for sex I say male. (Actually both my DL and Passport say otherwise and I really wish they did not, yet they must to live in this crazy world) This is why all forms should offer a third option and many are doing this very thing now days. I value honesty very highly and it is my opinion official documents should list both sex and gender, leaving “trans*” options out of the equation. Actually, if it is not medical or census related then the question should be skipped all together. Those individuals who were born XX should be required to list their sex as female and XY as male, with intersex being for those who do not fit the other two classifications. Then we should have the option to list our gender as Man, Woman, or Other. I figured out my identity many years ago, before transition as Male Woman. The term Transgender or the many others folks have come up with just do not apply to me, though they are valid as gender identities. My call here is to make this as simple as possible, stating sex/gender identity. I suppose some people will be Intersex/male or other gender. Let’s be honest, I know myself to be male and as a result so does society no matter how I present. If you truly believe yourself to be the opposite sex from your birth sex and present this to the world you can be said to have transitioned, however I don’t think it is really possible to authentically transition from one sex to the other. Sex change is a myth! Gender Identity though is something we discover as we mature. It can be something we play around with, go back and forth with, though ultimately we will land on one that fits and we stick with. Society will play its part in our gender identity, so pay attention to the reception you get over time. Give your other self their due!

Sequoia Elisabeth

Oneness Minister

Gender Related Transitions

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Best Place to Start is at the Beginning

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Welcome to Transitions Blog! December 1, 2009

Filed under: Gender Related, Spirituality, Transitions @ 8:36 am

Tags: changes, first entry, Transitions

In this blog I talk about the transition that all of us are going through in some form or another. My personal transition is from male to female and I will be talking about that often, but more important is the shift the entire world is going through and how this relates to you. Comments are welcomed.

This is my first entry which is about transitions and what they mean to you. The word Transition means movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another. It is often a very long process involving years and involves physical, mental, and/or spiritual changes. In relation to gender it is the period when a person begins living in the desired gender in gradual stages. In some form or another we all go through transitions, some people may think of them as life stages or phases. Our teenage years are a stage that we go through in our development to be adults. The Mid-life stage which some call a crisis is also a transitional period that involves a lot of change, passage, or movement. At a higher level our entire life is a transition, which can be broken down into smaller transitions and finally to the present moment which is where you are now. This is why I so often refer to life as a journey, because it is a passage from one experience to the next! The happiest time of my childhood is when our family went on a two week vacation in a motorhome all across the west. We went from one exciting experience to the next non-stop for two weeks, I was in heaven! For many of us transitions are a way of life, although some people want to call them “dramas” instead. How we view life is basic to our experiences, so the choice is ours. We can see what we don’t have and be upset about it all the time, fighting with everyone because they have what we want or are preventing us from getting, or we can accept our experiences as gifts and be grateful for them. Focusing instead on what we do have and holding a vision of what we desire. When is the last time you counted your blessings? I am very grateful to be alive to share these thoughts with you and I am even more grateful for you to be reading these words that flow through me like water on a meandering stream. I invite you to “row, row, row your boat gently down the stream” of Transitions and join me on this daily blog. I want this blog to be meaningful and uplifting so if a daily entry seems like it is getting a bit too much I may cut back to weekly. Hopefully I will be getting some feedback and will not have to guess. Let me know how you enjoy the message and feel free to share this with your friends. Blessings to all who read this!

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Meanwhile, it’s been 11 years 7 months 3 weeks and 6 days since posting the very first Transitions Blog shared above. It will be fun to look back and see how much has changed, if anything. My first observation is I have become more cynical. Part of me remains positive and joyful though that part doesn’t show itself much these days. The cost of knowing how things work while also knowing no matter how much they change, they stay the same. I have been empowered, traveled the world, seen wondrous things, had many joyous experiences and yet here we are, right back where we started.

It all comes down to choice in the moment. Not future decisions or the past, but the here and now. I can choose! No matter how bad I feel, I have the choice to smile and be grateful. I have the choice to be with Holy Spirit or with ego. This does not change, I have always had that choice and always will and so do you.

My transition has come full circle. Physically I have changed from hard, strong, masculine to soft, weak, and feminine. I am still me though. I am the person I have always believed myself to be, so does this mean I cannot be hard, strong, or masculine? Of course not. I am both and neither. The big difference is I have stopped apologizing for it. I wear the clothes I like and behave like the woman I am. Inspiration comes to me just as it always has and I am free to act on it or not, taking into account other self. When it comes right down to it, putting others first should be everyone’s priority. When you love another, you love yourself.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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Top Ten Spiritual Blogs

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Here are my top ten spiritual blogs out of well over 500! I will admit that many of these blogs are repeated and reworded as my own spirituality advances. I invite you to come along for the ride! I highlight here the blogs I feel are most important for everyone to read. Not that one blog is more important than the next. Open yourself to Spiritual concepts well beyond the mainstream, while recognizing values you hold dear.

Learn to Love
Value vs Worth
The Highest Law of the Land
The Matrix of Oneness
Law of Agreement
The Seven Universal Laws
Intuition and the Six Senses of Mind
All Death Is Suicide (search the website for this title, I have reposted it in several forms)
Stupidest Question Ever Asked
Top Ten Spiritual Authors

Life is a Journey of Love and so we each get to experience this in our own way. We never truly have anything until we give it away… so I share this wisdom with you and claim it as my own. This is Oneness expressed.

With deep gratitude,

Sequoia Elisabeth OnenessMinistry.info

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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Two Sides of the Same Coin

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Life is a duality. The growing trend to accept that life is a rainbow or has ‘shades of gray’ are the mad ravings of the ego mind. Please don’t buy into it’s hysteria. I say this having already made this mistake and now know the consequences. No body wishes to be alone on this journey and while we all die alone, no body needs be alone along the path. Since this probably makes little sense to you, I will do my best to break down a few of the ideas presented here.

Let’s start with duality. Dual obviously means two and duality refers to the two sided nature of life here on earth. For every force there is an equal and opposite force. Basic physics! The idea of multiple forces simply clouds the fact there are only two and any others are an extension of these two. For every rule there are always exceptions. The only force which has no opposite is Love and this is the true nature of the Universe. Love is all there is. Many think Gravity has no opposite and they would be partially correct. Gravity is the physical manifestation of Love. It is the most powerful force in 3D (on earth). In reality there is no gravity, only Love.

Everyone gets excited when they see a rainbow. They are so beautiful and captivating. Artists often use shades of gray as well as colors, tones, and hues, yet all that extends from two states, light and no light. Degrees of reflection or as science calls them wavelengths of light make up all color and shades of gray. The reality is we have black and white, no light and light. I am not going into detail here because I don’t wish to get distracted. The ego often sends us on “fools errands” like trying to explain every little detail of life and to name them. Walking away from this habit after a lifetime of indoctrination can be difficult. I find the best way is to make up your mind to do so and keep moving forward. The concepts and truths I offer here will be resisted by the ego mind and when you feel this resistance, step back, take a deep breath and focus on Love, Light, or pure darkness. Nothing wrong with opposites and since darkness is simply the lack of light it belongs here too. The focus is on purity… complete darkness or total light. Even the Sun is not total light, nor is the darkest cave complete darkness. The light comes from within. I have been in a cave with no outside light and felt the light within me. It has a wonderful calming effect. While the Sun is not total light, it does emit total light, but then, so can you!

There is no way I could possibly explain ego mind in a short blog post and in fact I am still learning about it and have been studying it for decades. For a list of recommended reading see my website. Moving on to no body wishes to be alone I think this is self explanatory… or Not! While we are not our bodies nor our ego mind, we do experience life here through its lens. This is where loneliness comes from. It is the fear we are separate from others and from God. In fact, ACIM teaches this is the single and greatest issue in our lives. Fear arises from this false evidence of being separate from any and all things. Even though the body is made up of millions of bacteria, microbes, and other life and it is inside us, we think it is all separate. It takes time (also an illusion) to reconcile what Oneness is. We are One. Opps, I get ahead of myself. We are still on duality. Forgive me, I often revert to my true nature… that of pure non-duality. Ego mind is our interface with the world around us. It is not our friend! It is also not the enemy, though it can appear so. Tying this all back to loneliness and duality, there are only two sexes, male and female. No shades of gray, no colors, nothing else! I know I wrote an entire book on the topic of transgender and such, but at the end of the day this is the ramblings of an ego mind. Yes, it is true on the level of the ego mind, earth, or 3D, but not on the level of the Spiritual or absolute. Thus we arrive at the motivation for this blog post. When I came out as transgender my father asked me, so you are doing this to be with men? No, I said, I am doing this because I must. While this is totally true, I had to transition or die. I have never been attracted to men and only a few women. Well maybe a few men, but not most. Anyway, I have been working on reconciling this seeming contradiction ever since (over 40 yrs). I see now this is not a contradiction, but simply Ego. Perhaps on this level of form, my mind is fractured… schizo. I have no idea. I don’t care! I know that sex is of the ego mind and brings nothing but pain in the end. Oh it may feel good for a few moments or longer, but ultimately it’s a let down! Let me count the ways… NOT.

Being alone is a state of mind, a fearful mind. Focus on Love, count your blessings, and give thanks for all you have in your life at this moment. Do this every day. Make it a habit! This state of loneliness will vanish and a peace of mind will replace it without any other effort. Originally this blog came from the thought that as a transgender person I will never know close companionship again. I have been married twice and while I cherish those relationships and the love I found (and didn’t find) I now know my true relationship is with my Creator. I remain focused on Source, the love which creates me and all reality. Love is all there is.

Sequoia Elisabeth

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Second Life Possibilities

by Sequoia Elisabeth

This post comes from my eBook Sex and Sexuality. I edited it out of the 2020 version because most of my friends now simply do not indulge in virtual reality. I have updated and expanded on it and post it here for posterity.

Second Life Possibilities

If you could have a chance to start your life over, would you? What if you could live all your dreams to the fullest without limitation? There is a virtual chat reality that can allow you to experience much of what you are too afraid to experience in “real” life. It is called SecondLife.com(SL). When I found SL in 2008 I thought to myself, “I can’t handle one life, what would I do with two?” Curiosity got the better of me though, so I checked it out and I was hooked immediately. There are many reasons why I was so taken by SL though the thing which really got me is friends. On SL I had more friends than I did in first life (1L), which is either a sad note or a hopeful one depending on how you look at it. SL led to having more friends in 1L. Why? Because I learned not to fear my inner self, my transgender self. I surrounded myself with people who would accept me through non judgment. The internet has truly opened the door for so many possibilities and Linden Labs, the creator of SL, has taken those possibilities and run with them. For which I am very grateful.

Those possibilities include using SL for discovering your sexual side and expressing your identity by trying on different roles, avatars, and relationships. It also is good for finding your Spiritual self since in the spiritual realms we have no body. The way each person sees SL is different and I am sure it serves many purposes for many people, but I will share my point of view and you can make of it what you will.

Second Life is a 3D virtual world that the residents create. Sort of like first life (1L). Neither 1L nor SL is to be confused with “real” life. Some call SL a game and we have all heard of the game of Life (not the board game). As A Course in Miracles (ACIM) teaches us, ‘our life, what we see with our body’s eyes, is all illusion’. Both 1L and SL are of our creation with a little help from Holy Spirit.

Look deep enough and you will find the real value in this virtual world of SecondLife. Why I initially got into SL is the power of imagination to create reality. As I mentioned earlier we are constantly creating our reality (in our dreams, both consciously and unconsciously). In SL we can let go of many of first life’s limitations. SL allows you to see reality as you choose it, sort of like practice. You create the avatar of your choice, which includes choosing your clothing, skin color, race, size, shape, hair, gender, everything. It is possible to be objects, animals, or invisible. Ever wonder what it is like to be a dog? How about the Kool-Aid man? It is great fun and you can experience things beyond the 1L world. Create your life just the way you desire and share this with others; get to know yourself.

Basil holding Sequoia

The fun part for me is visiting other people’s creations to see their vision and dreams. Many people get caught up in the financial aspects of life and SL is no different. The great thing about SL is there are many “freebies” therefore you can live without money! Of course having money makes things easier as it does in 1L. SL allows you to be rich very easily, since the exchange rate is something like 270 Lindens to $1. Money is there for the making. The money is digital which is the same for SL as in 1L. Money is energy! Though for me life’s not about money but about relationships!

Brainstorm and Sequoia dancing

Some of the things that work best in SL are music, both live and recorded, dancing (any style you can imagine), relationships (both voice chat and typed), sexual encounters (as real as your imagination), education, lectures, meetings, and even movies. A comment on SL sex, you are meeting actual people and interacting with them in ways you probably would not do in first life, so just be careful and courteous. Most behavior in SL is mature, but like 1L, sometimes it gets out of hand. I remember being attacked by penises one time when I was in a sand box (used for programming and building). And another time a guy tried to rape me (more like a dog trying to hump your leg). It was scary and then I remembered we have teleportation, so I just got outta there. It happened on the landing deck while my friend and I were sky diving. Unlike 1L nothing can harm you there, just remember, it is like practice. And by practice I mean learning to forgive, our greatest skill in 1L. Use SL as a way of extending the possibilities in your life and experiencing things you have been curious about but could not do in 1L. For me I have experienced things I never thought possible. Life really is about getting to know yourself better and this is done through relationships as I have pointed out throughout this text.

In SL you can have relationships you never thought possible and experience feelings you did not know you even had! Another word of caution here, it may appear that your 1L and SL are separate but I can assure you that they are not. Everything is connected in some way which can be both good and bad. If you do something in SL to hurt another person emotionally then the ramifications are both in 1L and SL. It works the other way too, if you meet someone special and you get to know this person well, romance in SL will affect your 1L. Several of my single friends have found life partners on SL and are now very happily living together in 1L. The other side of the coin is marriages have been broken up when new relationships started in SL that extended into 1L. In SL we call it a partnership and in 1L we call it marriage, but it is the same thing really. You can be partnered in SL to one person and married to someone else in 1L, or it can be the same person or no one. I have several friends who can attest to this, and in fact I have personal experience. Let me share my experience here now, 12 yrs later. I got so into SL that I brought my 1L wife into SL. My avatar is female, pictured above with my boyfriend Basil. Our relationships were open and we had many of the same friends. I loved hanging out with this guy from Europe and unknown to me, so did my wife. The picture below to the left is her and him together. In 1L I traveled a lot and our 1L relationship was failing, so I cannot blame her for falling for this guy, because I really liked him too. Two years later I discovered she was serious about him and we ended up getting divorced and they married. By this time I had transitioned in 1L and attended their wedding as a bridesmaid! Fortunately, I am conscious enough to see that I created the situation that transpired and I have no regrets. In case you don’t know yet, I am transgender and began the SL experience as a man, transitioned in 1L and now live as a woman. My avatar in SL has almost always been female (hey it is fun to experiment with different avatars) and the experiences I had there greatly enhanced my transition. The intentions you go in with will determine your experience, so try to keep an open mind and have fun!

Brainstorm and Nita

For those who are interested in exploring sex in a safe environment, SL is perfect. Use SL like training wheels and while having fun, remember love is the way (I mean agape love, because all relationships are with God and sex is a way of expressing our love for God). I say safe because sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) are not possible and neither is pregnancy, unless you choose that.

It is possible to have babies in SL which is a path you choose and create as you go. I had a friend who had a dragon avatar who had a baby dragon with her 1L partner who also had a dragon avatar, because she was unable to have children in 1L. If you choose to take this path then please take it seriously, even though this is virtual world the energy is very real. (a side note, having babies is always a choice whether in SL or 1L, though in 1L it is often a choice made unconsciously, meaning this lifetime has a path laid out and we either embrace it or we resist and suffer)

The bonds you build in SL are strong and if you are not careful it is easy to have your feelings hurt. Be honest with everyone you meet, however if you elect not to share your life with others then do not be upset if they do not take you seriously. I will also ask that you stay as aware as possible to the feelings of others as well as your own. The experience in SL is rich and vibrant, however just like in 1L you get back what you put into it!

Blessed Island, My home in SL 2009

Aquahouse, my current home.

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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Specialness

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The biggest failure of my personal lifetime is gender transition and yet it is also the greatest success. Let me explain. Upon deep reflection and shadow work along with many years of Spiritual Study I have come to realize the motivation behind “transgenderism”. I will just say right now that sex has almost nothing to do with it! We all have the basic need to be loved and to love others. Family is where this starts, for most of us at least. I was born into a middle class family and had both my parents, along with a sibling before me and after. My “cry for love” (need for attention) was no different than any others. My parents did their very best and I can honestly say I had a wonderful childhood. Yet I developed a need to be noticed, an inner cry for love. So who was denying me this love? I was of course. At first my cries for attention where health based since Dad was a physician and this is what I came to know first.

Mom was a model in her younger days and she got quite the attention. She was also tall and perhaps she got more attention than she really wanted. Children model after whom raises them and such, Mom was my role model. I saw the attention she got and I know she was loved, I could see it everywhere. I wished to be like her. To get love, probably, but also to model love. The ego finds multitudes of ways to get attention, being trans* is just one of them. Any deviance is a cry for love. It is the ego crying look at me, I am special! I see this clearly now and have for several years, though it is clearer than ever today.

The ego’s desire for specialness reinforces the separation idea it is based on. Death does this also in just the opposite way, for everyone dies! These ideas of separation are at the root of every issue anyone and everyone in this world has ever had. We fear we are separate from God, that we have been expelled from the Garden of Eden. The wool so to speak has brilliantly been pulled over our eyes. Some would call this the veil of forgetting. I remember now and have for some time. We are One and this means there is no one else, no thing else, … God is all there is. By shining this light the darkness vanishes. Fear cannot exist in the Light. The more Light I shine, the less fear (false evidence appearing real) exists.

We are each familiar with the rules of the game so to speak, both of the dream world and the physical world. Neither of these is reality. This being said, it is what we know, for now. So it is best to face this world we have created with Love, why? Because Love is what and who we are. Remember, Love is reality. This is how you will know where your thoughts are taking you, if it dies or changes then it is not real. The answer is always love, every time you respond differently a barrier is created. The road home is paved in Love. Any obstacle is your own resistance to this Truth.

We are not here to change anything, so we must embrace who we are and even who we appear to be. As our awareness grows and answers flow in, this does not mean we must act, in fact, I would suggest no action. If you feel like someone else sometimes, I would suggest this comes from greater awareness. I feel and act more female than male in my opinion and thus my transition, nothing wrong with this. Though nothing is right either. What is Is. It’s about learning to love it. “It’s not about getting what you want, but wanting what you get!”

My goal now is to see with new eyes. To see Truth, Love, Reality! Everywhere! This requires faith to see beyond the surface, to see beyond emotion and feelings, to see beyond even Thought. I am on the road and life keeps getting better and better. Not because life is getting better, but because I am becoming more. Some call this awakening. In reality, there is no better, all is perfection. This perfection is what I realize now.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Footnote:

For those who would like to better understand the ego I recommend a few books, the best being ACIM, A Course in Miracles, the other is Eckhart Tolle’s book, A New Earth. Of course there are many other books on ACIM, I like Gary Renard’s books because he makes it interesting and understandable.

https://onenessministry.info/

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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Identity Addiction

by Sequoia Elisabeth

We are addicted to our identities, whatever they may be, and not just our identities, but the identity of all that surrounds us. How do you identify? Does this change when you are with certain people? I know mine certainly does. I remember my days working at the Gender Identity Center and meeting folks who identify as gender fluid. Perhaps this fits me. Perhaps it goes further to include not just identity, but the environment itself. Consider how you feel when you hike in nature alone. Do you feel a connection to the animals and plants? How about if you attend a large group event, say a ball game or concert? Why do we even hike in the woods or go to a big event? Could it be for the identity we borrow there? Don’t you ever tire of your identity? Isn’t it nice to try on someone else’s? Perhaps this is why hero’s are so adored! Or someone famous. Or the celebrated artist we wish we could be like.

Perhaps my initial phrase is exactly the opposite of true and we are actually afraid of our identity. We naturally fear our essence, our natural selves so we hide it by being what we are not. We project this unwanted identity on others. “Oh, that person was so mean” or “what a jerk that person was to me.” Choose an identity and vilify it! These identities fall into the list of individual rights as well. The right to not be discriminated against on the grounds the “other” is not like me. Everyone deserves respect, unless they violate my identity!!

The point here is as we grow Spiritually the phrase, “we are one” takes on new meaning. A literal meaning and it becomes difficult to identify with any one at all. I identify with everyone these days. An exercise I learned from the Conversations with God series by Neale Donald Walsch comes to mind. Go for a walk and randomly point at whatever you encounter and say, “I am that”. Do this regularly and observe how you relate to the world. If I am that trash on the sidewalk, perhaps it is not trash at all or perhaps it just reflects how I feel about myself. The bird has an entirely different view of the world than say a mouse or wildflower. With Oneness we realize how connected life is and how separated we can feel at times. This separation is false. It is Fear, false-evidence-appearing-real.

So in your everyday dealings with the world, ask yourself, who am I, really? If I have a job as a doctor or custodian is this who I really am? Are you the teacher or the student? The child or the parent? Couldn’t you be both? I am a Spiritual being having a human experience, but isn’t even that limiting? God is all there is and I am this, I am. No judgment required! Its all good, for its all God. No identity necessary!

Sequoia Elisabeth

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The New Age of Aquarius – Part III

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Androgyny and Bisexualism are characteristics of the Age of Aquarius (AOA) which are manifesting around the world. They are a function of emerging self awareness. Mankind is representative of 3^rd density, the discovery and expression of self awareness. As this awareness grows androgyny and bisexualism will as well, as an expression of self love. It is a process of Oneness to love an ‘other’ as the self. The AOA moves us into 4^th density and the age of love. “20.36 ▶ Questioner: You use the same nomenclature for fourth-density negative as for fourth-density positive. Both are called the dimension of love or understanding. Is this correct? Ra: I am Ra. This is correct. Love and understanding, whether it be of self or of self towards other-self, is one.” (Lawofone.info)

“16.50 ▶ Questioner: Thank you. Is it possible for you to give a small description of the conditions [in] fourth density? Ra: I am Ra. We ask you to consider as we speak that there are no words for positively describing fourth density. We can only explain what is not and approximate what is. Beyond fourth density our ability grows more limited still until we become without words. That which fourth density is not: it is not of words, unless chosen. It is not of heavy chemical vehicles for body complex activities. It is not of disharmony within self. It is not of disharmony within peoples. It is not within limits of possibility to cause disharmony in any way. Approximations of positive statements: it is a plane of a type of bipedal vehicle which is much denser and more full of life; it is a plane wherein one is aware of the thoughts of other-selves; it is a plane where one is aware of the vibrations of other-selves; it is a plane of compassion and understanding of the sorrows of third density; it is a plane striving towards wisdom or light; it is a plane wherein individual differences are pronounced although automatically harmonized by group consensus.” (Lawofone.info)

Love and understanding facilitates a broad array of human expression, though as we truly grasp the meaning of Oneness, Androgyny and Bisexualism take their place in the greater expression of AOA. Love takes many forms and in the aware 4^th density individual it is found everywhere and in every encounter. As we see the other, we see ourselves, thus androgyny takes our perceptions to the level of Love. Projection makes perception. Understand this and we are on our way to AOA and beyond.

Sequoia Elisabeth

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Evo-lution

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Transness.org is the evolution of my experience as being transgender. The journey consciously began sometime in the 70’s around the time I went through puberty, though I can vaguely remember questioning my gender around the age of 4 or 5 when I played show and tell with a neighborhood girl. Why didn’t I look like that?

In the book Sex and Sexuality I share my autobiography and discuss gender and sexuality. The topic has been confusing and intriguing over the years. Reviewing my progress through identity continues to be informative and entertaining. As I sit here now looking back 50+ years later I still have not arrived at a definitive answer. I created transness.org as a way to help others and thereby help myself. Recently I have been debating on what comes next. Where do we go from here? I am happy with things for the most part. Here is what I have learned so far.

Hormones are incredibly powerful and are not to be taken lightly. Many of us are taking hormones unknowingly in the foods we eat and the chemicals we expose ourselves to. Perhaps this is what starts the questioning process. I also know our environment comes through us and not at us. It is not separate. Like the set in a play it’s all connected. Or should I say projected. So you want to be the opposite gender, then just take this hormone and voila.

Sex is fixed in this life experience. The way you are born is the way it is. I know I have said differently at several occasions. I was spouting what I was told. I now know differently, not because it is a fact, but because I have tested the hypothesis and arrived at an answer. All the spiritual teachings say the same. Physical sex cannot be changed no matter what we do to our bodies. There are no exceptions only really good illusions.

It is important to understand the difference between sex and gender. Gender is a mental construct. A perceived set of rules we live by. Gender is man made. Sex on the other hand is nature made. (notice I did not say God made, because God has nothing to do with this world) Think of your life as a story. Once upon a time, a boy was born. The story sets the stage. Another story may be written but this story is fixed. I was born male and will always be till I die and another story is written. Now we can alter the course of the story, but the stage is set. In the early days, men played the female roles, so this is nothing new. Basic factors or laws are written that we all must follow. Study screen writing if you would like a good example of human lives in general. This tangent could fill a book and it has, however let’s get back to the topic of this blog.

Transitions Blog has 548 posts so far. That is a lot of words even if I do attempt to keep my blogs between 500-1000 words. Not to mention the 4 eBooks I have written. Has all this writing served its purpose? I will say Yes. Writing helps me process my thoughts and clarify my ideas. I recommend it to anyone attempting to understand their journey. The question that has been popping up a lot for me lately is should I remove Transness.org and just focus on OnenessMinistry.info? I had the two combined at one point, perhaps that is best? We are Spiritual Beings after all. Transgender is just one expression of being human. It is a way of relating to the world. I believe it is an evolved way of seeing life from both sides at the same time. Ultimately there is no male/female or man/woman, these are just dualistic view points. Transgender to me is between dualism and monism. It is the process of monism viewing dualism. Oneness observes dualism and knows sameness, contrary to appearances. Transgender is NOT about being on one side of the bus and moving to the other side. There are no sides. For this reason I have transitioned transness.org to the next step in evo-lution for me. Being transgender is a footnote in my life’s journey, life goes on, I am who I am. Labels make us small. They shrink us into a box and miss reality completely. How does one label “All there is”?

Sequoia Elisabeth <..>

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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