Oneness Ministry

One Raindrop Raises The Sea

by Sequoia Elisabeth

What is your story and how does it fit into the larger societal story. Think of yourself as a pebble which just got dropped into a still pond. There is your ripple, and as they move out they include the birth family ripple, your friends ripple, the community you live in ripple, … your state, country/nationality, etc. etc. The ripples never stop and extend far beyond this place we call earth. Each ripple is an identity with its own story. If you have ever played in the bathtub, a pond, or sat by an enclosed bay you know the ripples will bounce off each other creating a “chop” or chaotic wave pattern. This is how life is; we are each one ripple in the mighty waves of the much greater ocean.

So what if you wish to change your story or perhaps you have a certain view of your story and everyone else has theirs. For instance, you see yourself as an easy going, creative person with a deep insight into the workings of the world and your family and perhaps friends see you as a mentally ill, free loader with their head in the clouds all the time. We each have a story. Just how these stories mesh is not always neat and smooth. Any teenager can tell you that! The real question is does their version of your story matter to you? The answer I stick with is; “what you think of me is none of my business”, however, it does matter in the big scheme of things. Not so much to you but to them. How you think of another, you actually believe about yourself. So their story of you reflects back on them. All you can do is accept them for who they present and get on with living your life.

The dynamics of relationships can get complicated really fast, just as the ripples do in the bathtub. It’s not your task to calm the waves. Your task is to ride them out and forgive those who trespass against you. Your task is to support your own story and allow them to have theirs. Just don’t be fooled into thinking you can change your story without also affecting theirs!!

Coming out for any reason sends shock waves in all directions. It is like doing a cannonball right in the middle of the pool! The reason does not matter, it could be coming out as gay, transgender, having some disease, being mentally ill, or even harboring radial beliefs. If your inner circle does not also relate then your story change will exclude them. It is like the repulsion of a magnet. With time it is possible for alignment to occur, if and only if, they accept your story.

One could say it is just a story. Why do you want to mess up my story by changing yours? This is not fair to the rest of us. I call this an invitation to take a guilt trip, but to take this trip you must first buy a ticket. There is no need to give in to others. We can all have a story (and do) and still respect others and their story (this is up to you). So the plot changes from time to time. Plot twists make it all the more interesting!

It is never ‘just’ a story. Your story is vital to the workings of this world and without it we are all diminished. Think of yourself as one candle and everyone else each being a candle. Together we are as bright as the sun, removing one candle diminishes the whole or to put it another way, quoting Dinotopia, one of my favorite stories, “One raindrop raises the sea.”

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Identity Vs Role Play

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Identity vs. Role Play

When was the last time you considered your identity consciously? I mean were you really aware of your self-identity and how you relate to the world? Who are you? Where does the roles you play fit into your identity and where do they separate? These are questions I ask myself regularly so I will share some of my insights. Your experience here will likely be different than mine, but then this is what makes life worth living. Variety is the spice of life.

Breaking down the question “Who are you?” leads to who = person, are = state of being, and you = ??? “You” is a broad term and as we grow spiritually we realize that there is a lot more to “you” than realized. There is the individual you (the self-identity), the roles you play as you (Mother, Daughter, housewife, friend, etc.), the larger you connected through community (teacher, activist, citizen, steward, etc.) and the Universal One you, which is the only “real” you there is. I use “real” loosely here which is why I put it in parenthesis. Perhaps it is “real” which we ultimately seek, but for now we will stick with identity and roles. Using them as the barometer for which we measure these things.

We each play roles constantly and this includes the one you are playing right now as you read this. It is important to clarify the roles in each situation of your life so you may more fully experience who you really are. Wait, is this true? Are you the roles you play? Perhaps the answer lies in context and it is the very Matrix you exist in that determines who you are at that moment. Not to say because you swim in the ocean you are fish, but it does mean you are fish like and the connection to life in the sea is that much more relevant to you. The sea will also inform your actions and vice versa.

I believe life to be circular, meaning who you are informs life and life itself informs who you are; it is a give and take, an ebb and flow! This means that who you are is constantly changing depending on your thoughts and the feedback you get from “the Universe”. Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am”. Does this mean we are our thoughts? Or that it is thought that creates us? Who is this “I”? Most likely you have some idea to your answer to these questions and it is as valid as any I can offer, however since this is my blog I will offer up my answer.

Identity is like an onion with many layers each informing the whole as an aspect of the greater whole, the totality of existence. As one aspect of this totality, Universal Intelligence or “All that is”, I am as I identify, and in each moment this identity takes the form of a role I play. So I am not the role, but the role is who I am at the moment. The role will shift often instantly from one to another and so does my identity from the perspective of the Universe, but not from my own perspective. I see myself as unchanging (often we identify with our body) and so to really know who I am, I must interact with this Universe (other people, nature, etc.). We know ourselves through others; they reflect back the identity I project. This is done through thought, so what you think about yourself determines your identity in this world. To know what this is one must engage life. Looking in the mirror only shows you the exterior form, which is far from who you really are. This is one page in a very long book! In the end the only way to know what is, is to know what isn’t. This is the lesson we are each here to learn in our own way. For more on this scroll to the bottom of this page, http://sequoiablessed.info/page5 and experience the Journey of Love!

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Living In Authenticity

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Are you being the person you most desire to be? Not who you want to be, or even who you think you are, but the person at your core who drives your desires. This requires shedding skins, like a snake. As the snake grows it outgrows their present skin or identity if you will and it falls away, sometimes naturally and sometimes with assistance. This is precisely what we do as we grow too, often without thinking about it because it is less literal and mostly metaphysical.

As above, So below… means when we grow we do it on all levels at once. This is more obvious when you are young because life is mostly about growing, but this continues to happen throughout life. As multi-dimensional beings we have many bodies not just the physical body we each identify with here on earth. (Click here for more on Subtle Bodies)

The journey of discovery of self begins with intention and continues throughout life, the deeper you go the deeper it gets and this is indeed a good thing. No worries about getting lost because all roads eventually lead home. Have fun on this journey and at the same time do not get too attached. The skin you live in today is not the same as the one you had as a child and is not the same as you will have on your death bed. For some of us who are awake and aware this skin changes more rapidly than for others, it all depends on your intentions and desires. The journey can take a side path which is often very fun at first and then gets tiresome quickly. Eventually though the journey becomes about seeking your most inner desires in order to connect to your innermost being or soul. Does it really even matter what skin you wear? Only if you believe it does! Still it is important to honor the expression your path has drawn you to, meaning if you find yourself drawn to military things, honor that aspect of your being even if it seems to contradict other aspects of yourself such as gender expression. If you find yourself being drawn to natural processes and nature then honor this path and explore. Life has many blessings, gifts, and pleasant surprises.

So I ask once again, Are you being the person you most desire to be? Are you being honest with yourself? If not, then why? What is the fear motivating this dishonesty? As you face your fears they fall away and this is what it takes to live an authentic life.

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Birth Reality

by Sequoia Elisabeth

To start let’s get one thing clear, much of this physical world makes no sense. Let’s take Birth certificates for instance. The Government and other agencies often use this document to verify identity and as proof of sex. But just what is this document really?

Taken very simply it is a document created at your birth and records your perceived sex based on physical examination by a physician. Usually your relative health is documented, a foot print is taken, the date and time is recorded and for all posterity you exist!

Eighteen years later or more this document is used to verify your identity, but the foot print is no longer useful as you have grown too much. Surgery can change the physical sex, so this is no longer a valid verification of your present identity. You could have healed any wounds present at birth depending on how severe, so this is not necessarily a measure of identity.

So what we really have here is documentation of your identity/condition at birth and does nothing to prove who you are now so many years later. It really is a worthless document. So why is it required to get a passport for instance?

The other issue which confounds me is why the Transgender population is up in arms over the inability to change this worthless document in four US states? I just happen to be from one of these states and I could care less what this document says because it is no longer valid! I am not that person any longer. In fifty plus years I have changed tremendously, and in fact every cell in my body has been replaced multiple times! It has even been proven now that our DNA changes over time and with the effects of the environment, so I ask again, why do we give so much weight to a historical document?

The best course of action for those concerned is to “go with the flow”. Simply find a way around the absurd laws our society has created. If you are so moved, then go out and fight to change these laws, but certainly do not allow these absurdities to disrupt your path or create disharmony in your life.

To truly live in the now we must operate as best we can from this point and not some past idea or future goal. Yes, we remember the past and focus on future goals, but not as some concrete reality, but as an ideal. Life is an experience … a feeling. This is what we mean by the Now. Know in your heart who you are and express this at every opportunity, not to impress others but to fulfill your inner being. Life is too rich to be diluted with inconsistencies.

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Gender Related Transitions

The Purpose of Medicine

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The purpose of medicine is to help you shift your consciousness from unhealthy to healthy thoughts, to shift dis-ease to ease. Illness arises from an imbalance in the body’s energy. The creative process works in this order: thought, word, action/experience. So if you can choose your thoughts carefully and support them in word good health will be the result/experience. Of course this is a cycle, so the action/experience then leads to further thought and the cycle repeats. At least two in the cycle must be changed in order for shift to occur. “Wow, this medicine works great”, for instance (whether it actually works or not). And as long as thought is aligned with the words the result will be positive.

Medicine in our modern allopathic system treats the symptoms and not the dis-ease. This does work, esp. if you believe that it does. However the process involved in the medicine working is much like a filter on a movie projector lens. The source of the illness stays the same, but your view of it changes and thus as you believe you are well, the symptoms are gone, your thoughts then shift the source to align with healing. Just as the filter on the projector alters the image on the screen, medicine alters your perception of reality. Medicine need not be prescription to work, however the stronger the belief it does work the better the result and this goes for mass consciousness too. Meaning the more people believe a certain drug works, the more powerful the effect.

Your relationship with your doctor is vital to your recovery. Why? Because your thoughts about any situation determine the outcome. Positive loving thoughts aid the situation and negative or doubtful thoughts hinder the healing process. So if you like your doctor and think he/she is the greatest and/or the most capable, your healing experience will reflect this in the positive.

Now sometimes higher powers are at work and no matter what you do the outcome has been decided. This is often the case when a person is set to leave this world. Your method and time of death has already been chosen. So some things are not up to you! What is up to you always is how you handle it, so having a positive loving outlook produces less pain and more benefits for everyone involved. There is nothing more inspiring than to watch a loved one handle a dire situation with poise, courage, and dignity.

I trust you now know the importance of the saying “Attitude is everything” and why we take medicine, even if it is only a sugar pill (healing goes way beyond the placebo effect). By the way, surgery works in much the same way. Like rearranging the items in a room for a different Fung Shui, surgery shifts the effects or removes symptoms to allow the mind to balance the thoughts to healthy! So stay focused on being healthy even if the evidence seems contrary.

“I think, therefore I am” René Descartes.

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

ps. Questions are welcome, I do realize my explanation is brief.

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a Story Told

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The power of telling your story cannot be underestimated. Your life is your story and yet your story is only that, a story. It is not the essence of you or even the result of you. Part of this journey is understanding you are much more than your story and at the same time using this story for your own enlightenment. Celebrate your story by sharing it with others while you contemplate the nuances of the tale. What lessons have you demonstrated? And I say demonstrated because learning is a process of demonstration. It is like building a tree house, looking up at it and appreciating your accomplishment, then using it for your highest Joy. How would you do it differently next time; …can it even be improved on?

Share your story and then contemplate your desires and dreams. This is the story of your past and who you were all along the path combined with your present story of who you are, extending to the story of who you will become… the future self…your dreams and aspirations.

My story is found here on my website and while it is brief, meaning much was left out, it is the part I find most significant to who I am now and who I desire to be. Identity is a funny animal. I mean identity is so fleeting and yet a core remains which guides the daily discoveries of self. Certain identity is chosen before birth and is fixed for each lifetime. Things like race, heritage, sex, gender, and such are fixed at birth. As much as you may try to change these the reality is fixed. So what you do with the cards you are dealt so to speak is up to you and this defines your story!

I find this journey of discovery and self-realization to be invigorating and enlightening! While at the same time it is daunting and intimidating. Looking into the eyes of God often seems to be more than anyone is willing to do. However, this is our journey!

The next step for me is embracing my dream of a Love Based Society and while I left myself out of this book on the topic, this is the world I see myself living in. What my identity is does not matter, it is unimportant. What I crave most of all is the feeling of belonging without judgment… total acceptance… the support of society and the love of my neighbor, living in a world where everyone is supported and loved because we all realize our connection, our interdependence.

So Share your story! Live your dreams and on every step of the journey give gratitude for the opportunity! I certainly do, … deep gratitude to you for reading this tale and for sharing your own, together we make great harmony, a wave upon the ocean of life!

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Time and Space

by Sequoia Elisabeth

One reason we like TV/Movies so much is the experience is like a dream state. Scenes flash through just as in a dream. And time can be experienced as past, present, or future. Another name for this is time/space verses space/time which is our wakened experience. Space/time is linear and 4 dimensional. The fourth being Time itself and since there is only one dimension of time, it is experienced in a linear fashion (Now, now, now).

In our dreams just as in the movies time/space works the opposite of space/time. Our dreams (also TV/movies) move from one location to another with no regard to space because space is only one dimensional. You remain still during the whole experience. In Time/Space there are three dimensions of time and only one of space which is “here”(where ever you are having the experience). The point where Time/Space and Space/Time intersect is called “right here and now”!

From this we can see how time and space are relative… quite literally!

So let’s review, Space/Time has three dimensions of space – up/down/around, while Time/Space is three dimensions of time – past, present, future. When awake we can only experience time in a linear motion, while dreaming we can only experience one space – here (you do not move while sleeping). On TV/Movies there is the freedom to experience both, a good example of this would be in the movie the Matrix Reloaded there is a scene with the villains going through a door, closing it and when opened a different place is experienced, just as we do in our dreams. Although it is not always so abrupt in dreams, often the experience is a fading from one scene to another… each person will experience dreams slightly differently. If you are having nightmares or frightful dreams then TV/Movies will be less appealing too. Of course this is my personal experience and this realization came to me after reading The Law of One series, The Teachings of RA. So if you would like to know more, please read this series and do your own research, don’t just take my word for it. I am happy to answer questions if I can.

Try this experiment using your power of imagination. When riding in a car (better to not be driving) imagine the car is stationary and the world is moving. Staring straight forward and broadening your field of view, relax your mind into the experience… you have just shifted your experience into time/space!

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Transgender Is A Noun

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The word Transgender is a noun and is not to be used as an adjective. It is not a description per se, but a state of being. I doubt you would ever call yourself maned or womaned, or even manized or womanized. Gender is a state of being, it is not a condition. This is not temporary within this lifetime. This is the way we are born and the way in which we must live our entire lives!!

Identity is something unique to the human race or third density, because the very definition of third density is being self-aware and thus being aware of our identity. A cat does not know it’s a cat, it just is. The same goes for all animals because they are second density or not yet self-aware. These concepts are not new or unique and I got my grasp on them through the 5 books “Law of One – The RA Material”.

Evolution is a path we are all on and even in the 3^rd density some are just entering and others are in the process of shifting to 4^th density and beyond. Once a person evolves to 4^th density they remain aware of the lower densities, but cannot see beyond where they are on the path. This is the nature of evolution, so does this mean we move forward blindly groping in the dark? No. We have tools to navigate the unknown and the most useful I think is emotion/feeling. The tools of the mind have been discussed in length on this blog so I will not go into each one and instead invite you to read “the Six Senses of the Mind” first published 6/30/2010.

What does identity consist of? What are the degrees of identity if this is possible? My answer is we start with Humanity, we are human. This in itself is a major distinction even in this world. We each have gender, man, woman, or transgender. (others may exist, it is your identity after all). We each have race or ancestry and we each have socio-economic status. We are born into these and to a great extent will have these the rest of our lives. I know the last one is debatable, but when you really think about it 99% of the human race never change their socio-economic status. How do you identify? Traits can be a very long list, but do blue eyes really make you who you are? Does gender?

The purpose here in this blog is to trigger a questioning and deeper exploration of identity. To invite you to clarify who you are and in the process perhaps broaden your definitions and connections. I mean the ultimate identity is the One – God, Source Intelligence, Creator of all there is. We are each an individuation of this One Source and part of being self-aware is to expand and deepen our understanding of who we are. To fully grasp our connection to source while maintaining our individuation!

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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From One Closet To Another

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Is it helpful to go from one closet to another? MTF or FTM? Isn’t the point of coming out to stay out? To define yourself as an individual and be proud of whom you are! This is an eternal question each person on the gender journey must resolve. Perhaps the answer is not clear cut. Perhaps this is the nature of being in question to begin with!

Gender when graphed looks like two mountains, one peak is male the other female.

Draw a vertical line through each peak and the area in between is the realm of transgender. We fall in the middle and thus don’t really belong in either closet. Also notice how quickly the lines fall off at the edges. There are not many in the extremes of maleness or femaleness. Easily sixty percent fall in the middle zone leaving the those who would consider themselves the majority surprisingly in error.

Of course there are other interpretations of this graph and it is not my place to define it for you, but only for myself. So take this as an opinion and not fact. There are no real facts, only perspectives and points of view. So who are you? How does that closet serve you?

closet hiding in Perhaps those who thought they were in a closet are in fact outside the closet and in reality it is the “mainstream” individual who lives in the closet, a strict definition of hetero/male or hetero/female which defines the closet. The closet provides structure and perceived safety, but is in reality a trap of normalcy.

So, I ask you again… who are you? How does that serve you?

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Gender Related Transitions

Each Day is a Lifetime

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Each day is a Lifetime. In the morning you are born anew and each night as you sleep you die. Perhaps this is why children are so reluctant to sleep. Of course sleeping is nothing to be afraid of as we return home each night within our dreams. It does however; end the life expressions of that day.

To more fully understand what I speak of a few things must be understood. The first and most important is this world you experience is not “real” as most understand real. It is not an independent reality separate and self-sustaining. It is instead a dream world much like what is described in the movie, “The Matrix”. It is real in your mind, but not in reality. You are the architect! When you sleep and dream the next day is created! Yes, you do dream, whether you remember it or not! The translation from dream world to waking world is not literal either, unless it is. Most of the time our dreams are in code, and to confirm you are on the right track we sometimes experience “déjà vu”. Or sometimes it is merely a feeling of synchronicity. Pay attention to the details! Those little intuitions, gut feelings, and/or warm sensations are guidance within the waking dream.

Getting back to our focus here, life is relative… everything is relative to time and space. What I offer here is perspective! It can wake you to new possibilities and new enriching experiences. Go to this calculator to find the numbers of days since you were born. This is the number of lifetimes you have experienced in this cycle (incarnation). Remember, life is eternal, no one ever dies, they just change form… exit stage left… move on to their next incarnation.

How you proceed from here is up to you. This info could simply be a fun fact to forget or it could be a tool to expand your experience of this world we experience as “terrains/ humans/ earthlings”. Consider the gift life is and remain curious by exploring the world around you, but do not get too attached… it will soon be over and the next adventure will be upon you!

The question of cycles may have arisen in your mind. Yes, life does move in cycles and each day/lifetime creates a polarity which attracts the next day… an object in motion tends to stay in motion! Changing course requires great effort and intention. The time it takes depends on your understanding of the process. The bigger the relative change the more time required, but I digress.

Perhaps you have further questions which were stirred up here in this blog, I am happy to answer as best I can, or you can simply ask Holy Spirit directly. The answers to all your questions are just a whisper away!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

ACIM and Gary Renard

by Sequoia Elisabeth

“Beware of the temptation to perceive yourself unfairly treated. In this view, you seek to find an innocence that is not Theirs but yours alone, and at the cost of someone else’s guilt. Can innocence be purchased by the giving of your guilt to someone else?” (Jesus)

There’s a capital T in Theirs because what they really are is innocent Spirit, beyond the veil. But if you perceive yourself as unfairly treated, then you’re making everything real, which makes the entire ego thought system of guilt real in your mind. The only way to find your innocence is to get that it’s not real and forgive others for what they have not done in reality. And since it never happened, you can then think of them as being innocent. That’s the way to have it for yourself. Never forget that. It’s the only way out. (Gary Renard, 2013 p.108)

If you perceive yourself as unfairly treated,

then you’re making everything real.

Just one of many insightful quotes from Gary Renard’s new book Love Has Forgotten No One. Of the many ACIM teachers out there Gary is by far the easiest to understand and thus the most effective. He makes the course enjoyable as well as comprehensible. Of course to fully understand this book, reading the other two are required, but then no one said being an ACIM student was easy. It takes at least a year to do the daily lessons and in reality is will take the rest of your life to fully grasp and apply the teachings. This is only if you are dedicated also. This does not give you an excuse to skip it altogether though. As is stated in the beginning of the textbook, “”This is a course in miracles. It is a required course. Only the time you take it is voluntary. Free will does not mean that you can establish the curriculum. It means only that you can elect what you want to take at a given time. The course does not aim at teaching the meaning of love, for that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love’s presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.” (A Course In Miracles, 1996, p.2)

If you are not already a student I recommend reading Gary’s three books first and then doing the course or perhaps if you are dedicated you could do Gary’s books while you do the workbook daily lessons. Just be warned, your life will never be the same again! This is a good thing.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

A Multi-Dimensional Being

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The way you make love is the way God will be with you ~ Rumi

Have you considered how you connect with the rest of the world? And I am not just speaking physically but multi-level… think chakras and the energy each manifests. This is what is meant by a multi-dimensional being. This is who you are and perhaps a source of dysphoria or simply a feeling of not belonging. Why do you feel this way, you know the feeling of being separate from everything. Others don’t understand you and at times you don’t understand them either. Is this feeling necessary to live in the world of physical matter? Perhaps, however we are looking at the big picture today and your task is to relate this information to your own life and perspectives.

For more on the chakras and what I speak of there being different levels of being please read this article which is quite good at explaining each level of chakra, and remember each level has different dimensions(bodies) such as physical, emotional, mental, astral, etc. for more on this I found this article on human nature.

I realize this topic can be a bit overwhelming it has taken me many years to grasp only a fraction of this knowledge. Take one step at a time and with only a little effort the puzzle pieces fall into place. I can’t tell you how beautiful the finished product is because you must see that for yourself, and this could quite possibly be the reason you are here reading this now.

Moving on to another message which I find intriguing and again quite possibly the reason I am here writing this blog. I wish to more fully understand and embrace my inner being. This quote sums it up…

“When we touch the place in our lives where sexuality and spirituality come together, we touch our wholeness and the fullness of our power and at the same time our connection with a power larger than ourselves.”
― Judith Plaskow, Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective

Focusing more directly on just one aspect of the greater system, the second chakra in orchestra with the others seems to be extremely important to living a whole life.

“If sexuality is one dimension of our ability to live passionately in the world then in cutting off our sexual feelings we diminish our overall power to feel, know, and value deeply.”
― Judith Plaskow, Standing Again at Sinai: Judaism from a Feminist Perspective

How does this fit into the gender journey? And, how does our relationship to other-self determine the quality of life we live?

The answer lies within each person uniquely. Speaking from the transgender perspective I know I am a multi-dimensional being as I sense this acutely. Even the label human feels odd to me and as I work down the path, male, caucasian, american, heterosexual, woman, each identity is ephemeral in reality. Must I embrace my sexuality to define my being? Can I be without orientation? Is this desirable? The quote above would suggest embracing ones sexuality is the key to a full expression of self. From experience I have to agree.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

ps. Discussion or comments are invited…

The First Thanksgiving

by Sequoia Elisabeth

This is the best story of Thanksgiving I have seen so far. So I post it once again as I did last year. I believe it to be true as best we can know. Gratitude is the moral of the story, not to be giving anything away we all know the moral, the question is do we practice it daily and not just once a year!

When the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 1620, they landed on the rocky shores of a territory that was inhabited by the Wampanoag (Wam pa NO ag) Indians. The Wampanoags were part of the Algonkian-speaking peoples, a large group that was part of the Woodland Culture area. These Indians lived in villages along the coast of what is now Massachusetts and Rhode Island. They lived in round- roofed houses called wigwams. These were made of poles covered with flat sheets of elm or birch bark. Wigwams differ in construction from tipis that were used by Indians of the Great Plains.

The Wampanoags moved several times during each year in order to get food. In the spring they would fish in the rivers for salmon and herring. In the planting season they moved to the forest to hunt deer and other animals. After the end of the hunting season people moved inland where there was greater protection from the weather. From December to April they lived on food that they stored during the earlier months.

The basic dress for men was the breech clout, a length of deerskin looped over a belt in back and in front. Women wore deerskin wrap-around skirts. Deerskin leggings and fur capes made from deer, beaver, otter, and bear skins gave protection during the colder seasons, and deerskin moccasins were worn on the feet. Both men and women usually braided their hair and a single feather was often worn in the back of the hair by men. They did not have the large feathered headdresses worn by people in the Plains Culture area.

There were two language groups of Indians in New England at this time. The Iroquois were neighbors to the Algonkian-speaking people. Leaders of the Algonquin and Iroquois people were called “sachems” (SAY chems). Each village had its own sachem and tribal council. Political power flowed upward from the people. Any individual, man or woman, could participate, but among the Algonquins more political power was held by men. Among the Iroquois, however, women held the deciding vote in the final selection of who would represent the group. Both men and women enforced the laws of the village and helped solve problems. The details of their democratic system were so impressive that about 150 years later Benjamin Franklin invited the Iroquois to Albany, New York, to explain their system to a delegation who then developed the “Albany Plan of Union.” This document later served as a model for the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution of the United States.

These Indians of the Eastern Woodlands called the turtle, the deer and the fish their brothers. They respected the forest and everything in it as equals. Whenever a hunter made a kill, he was careful to leave behind some bones or meat as a spiritual offering, to help other animals survive. Not to do so would be considered greedy. The Wampanoags also treated each other with respect. Any visitor to a Wampanoag home was provided with a share of whatever food the family had, even if the supply was low. This same courtesy was extended to the Pilgrims when they met.

We can only guess what the Wampanoags must have thought when they first saw the strange ships of the Pilgrims arriving on their shores. But their custom was to help visitors, and they treated the newcomers with courtesy. It was mainly because of their kindness that the Pilgrims survived at all. The wheat the Pilgrims had brought with them to plant would not grow in the rocky soil. They needed to learn new ways for a new world, and the man who came to help them was called “Tisquantum” (Tis SKWAN tum) or “Squanto” (SKWAN toe).

Squanto was originally from the village of Patuxet (Pa TUK et) and a member of the Pokanokit Wampanoag nation. Patuxet once stood on the exact site where the Pilgrims built Plymouth. In 1605, fifteen years before the Pilgrims came, Squanto went to England with a friendly English explorer named John Weymouth. He had many adventures and learned to speak English. Squanto came back to New England with Captain Weymouth. Later Squanto was captured by a British slaver who raided the village and sold Squanto to the Spanish in the Caribbean Islands. A Spanish Franciscan priest befriended Squanto and helped him to get to Spain and later on a ship to England. Squanto then found Captain Weymouth, who paid his way back to his homeland. In England Squanto met Samoset of the Wabanake (Wab NAH key) Tribe, who had also left his native home with an English explorer. They both returned together to Patuxet in 1620. When they arrived, the village was deserted and there were skeletons everywhere. Everyone in the village had died from an illness the English slavers had left behind. Squanto and Samoset went to stay with a neighboring village of Wampanoags.

One year later, in the spring, Squanto and Samoset were hunting along the beach near Patuxet. They were startled to see people from England in their deserted village. For several days, they stayed nearby observing the newcomers. Finally they decided to approach them. Samoset walked into the village and said “welcome,” Squanto soon joined him. The Pilgrims were very surprised to meet two Indians who spoke English.

The Pilgrims were not in good condition. They were living in dirt-covered shelters, there was a shortage of food, and nearly half of them had died during the winter. They obviously needed help and the two men were a welcome sight. Squanto, who probably knew more English than any other Indian in North America at that time, decided to stay with the Pilgrims for the next few months and teach them how to survive in this new place. He brought them deer meat and beaver skins. He taught them how to cultivate corn and other new vegetables and how to build Indian-style houses. He pointed out poisonous plants and showed how other plants could be used as medicine. He explained how to dig and cook clams, how to get sap from the maple trees, use fish for fertilizer, and dozens of other skills needed for their survival.

By the time fall arrived things were going much better for the Pilgrims, thanks to the help they had received. The corn they planted had grown well. There was enough food to last the winter. They were living comfortably in their Indian-style wigwams and had also managed to build one European-style building out of squared logs. This was their church. They were now in better health, and they knew more about surviving in this new land. The Pilgrims decided to have a thanksgiving feast to celebrate their good fortune. They had observed thanksgiving feasts in November as religious obligations in England for many years before coming to the New World.

The Algonkian tribes held six thanksgiving festivals during the year. The beginning of the Algonkian year was marked by the Maple Dance which gave thanks to the Creator for the maple tree and its syrup. This ceremony occurred when the weather was warm enough for the sap to run in the maple trees, sometimes as early as February. Second was the planting feast, where the seeds were blessed. The strawberry festival was next, celebrating the first fruits of the season. Summer brought the green corn festival to give thanks for the ripening corn. In late fall, the harvest festival gave thanks for the food they had grown. Mid-winter was the last ceremony of the old year. When the Indians sat down to the “first Thanksgiving” with the Pilgrims, it was really the fifth thanksgiving of the year for them!

Captain Miles Standish, the leader of the Pilgrims, invited Squanto, Samoset, Massasoit (the leader of the Wampanoags), and their immediate families to join them for a celebration, but they had no idea how big Indian families could be. As the Thanksgiving feast began, the Pilgrims were overwhelmed at the large turnout of ninety relatives that Squanto and Samoset brought with them. The Pilgrims were not prepared to feed a gathering of people that large for three days. Seeing this, Massasoit gave orders to his men within the first hour of his arrival to go home and get more food. Thus it happened that the Indians supplied the majority of the food: Five deer, many wild turkeys, fish, beans, squash, corn soup, corn bread, and berries. Captain Standish sat at one end of a long table and the Clan Chief Massasoit sat at the other end. For the first time the Wampanoag people were sitting at a table to eat instead of on mats or furs spread on the ground. The Indian women sat together with the Indian men to eat. The Pilgrim women, however, stood quietly behind the table and waited until after their men had eaten, since that was their custom.

For three days the Wampanoags feasted with the Pilgrims. It was a special time of friendship between two very different groups of people. A peace and friendship agreement was made between Massasoit and Miles Standish giving the Pilgrims the clearing in the forest where the old Patuxet village once stood to build their new town of Plymouth.

It would be very good to say that this friendship lasted a long time; but, unfortunately, that was not to be. More English people came to America, and they were not in need of help from the Indians as were the original Pilgrims. Many of the newcomers forgot the help the Indians had given them. Mistrust started to grow and the friendship weakened. The Pilgrims started telling their Indian neighbors that their Indian religion and Indian customs were wrong. The Pilgrims displayed an intolerance toward the Indian religion similar to the intolerance displayed toward the less popular religions in Europe. The relationship deteriorated and within a few years the children of the people who ate together at the first Thanksgiving were killing one another in what came to be called King Phillip’s War.

It is sad to think that this happened, but it is important to understand all of the story and not just the happy part. Today the town of Plymouth Rock has a Thanksgiving ceremony each year in remembrance of the first Thanksgiving. There are still Wampanoag people living in Massachusetts. In 1970, they asked one of them to speak at the ceremony to mark the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrim’s arrival. Here is part of what was said:

“Today is a time of celebrating for you — a time of looking back to the first days of white people in America. But it is not a time of celebrating for me. It is with a heavy heart that I look back upon what happened to my People. When the Pilgrims arrived, we, the Wampanoags, welcomed them with open arms, little knowing that it was the beginning of the end. That before 50 years were to pass, the Wampanoag would no longer be a tribe. That we and other Indians living near the settlers would be killed by their guns or dead from diseases that we caught from them. Let us always remember, the Indian is and was just as human as the white people.

Although our way of life is almost gone, we, the Wampanoags, still walk the lands of Massachusetts. What has happened cannot be changed. But today we work toward a better America, a more Indian America where people and nature once again are important.” (http://www.manataka.org)

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Thanksgiving Is My Favorite Holiday

by Sequoia Elisabeth

“Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal. It’s a way to live.” Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I feel gratitude is so important and because I feel that I am pretty good at it. The Native Americans teach several important things about this holiday, so let us look at a few.

The food you eat is a gift from Great Spirit (even if you paid for it). Life is being converted to a Higher form by us consuming it with grace given to the animal or plant. We always thank the animal or plant for giving its life so that we may live. It is a thought and a feeling that becomes a habit every time you consume something, yes, so this goes for all consumables, gas, paper, products, etc.

The Earth (Gaia) is alive! We need to treat her as such! Take only what you need and leave each place you visit (including your own home) better than you found it. This means depositing trash in the proper receptacle, being careful/mindful of the space you occupy and treat it as if it were your own while remembering others who may be using this space, if not now at some time in the future. The Native Americans call this Seven Generational thinking, meaning your actions should consider the next seven generations who live on that land.

Abundance is everywhere! Gaia provides for our every need and those who realize this and act with respect and gratitude draw this to them. This is called Prosperity mindedness. It comes from deep within you and springs out like a fountain, thus the cornucopia symbol used this time of year. Have faith you always have what you need. It may not be what you would prefer or you may desire more, but needs are always met. The more one practices Prosperity Mindedness, the more one attracts to themselves. This is done by giving till it hurts as the saying goes. What you give another, you give yourself! This is the very meaning of Oneness and if you have been paying attention you completely understand we are all One – One with Gaia, and all her family of animals, plants, and minerals. Separation is the Grand Illusion… some would call it the Human Game, but that is a whole other story.

I wish to take this opportunity to THANK YOU for reading this blog and supporting Unity in Gender Diversity. The feeling of gratitude includes grace, joy, wholeness, pleasing, praise, honor, and purity. Take a minute now and feel it…. Practice/Remember this feeling often! Know you are Love and we are Home.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2013

by Sequoia Elisabeth

TDOR is not a day about those who have died it is about those who are living! The dead person has moved on and those who are left behind are the ones dealing with the pain and grief. Separation is always painful but it does not have to be this way.

Today I would like to shine a light on why it is important to remember events of the past and to honor those who have gone before. The obvious answer and the one I have heard many times is, “learn from your past or you are doomed to repeat it”, but this falls short. Perhaps it is these individuals are important as human beings and kindred family and while this is absolutely true the real gift here is injustice is brought to light.

Awareness is raised in the minds of all people and they see the destruction and injustice violence brings. Transgender Day of Remembrance brings our community to the main stream consciousness in a cry for equal rights. It is a statement of we are people too and deserve to be treated as well as any other person. The fact which often gets lost is we are all human beings and a valuable part of the whole of life; however it is not us against them! Let me emphasis this point. It is never about US vs. THEM in any situation. When this perspective is taken it becomes a losing proposition for both parties. The Equal Rights movement is about equal rights for Everyone. No one person is better than any other or more deserving or less deserving of common basic human needs such as personal security, love, self esteem, personal fulfillment, cultural security, and participation, plus a right to life, liberty, freedom of thought, expression and identity, and equal treatment before the law. Let us focus on the things we all desire because this is about the living!

The Universal Law of Attraction states, “What you focus on grows”. Or to say it another way, the energy of attention funnels this power where ever it is pointed. If you are focusing on the things that are wrong or broken or painful then you get more of them. (such as crime, discrimination, etc. which explains why this fight continues) However if you are focusing on what is working, how systems are supporting you and what you like about a certain person, place, or thing then you get more of that! What if you remembered one thing you like about every person you meet? Even if overall you do not agree with this person’s cosmology. Let me give you an example. I like the fact that Rush Limbaugh is speaking his mind and doing the best he can with what he has to work with. He is walking his talk and he deserves this right. I forgive the many issues we do not agree on and am thankful for our common ground.

Please take advantage of this Day of Remembrance to focus on what you love about these people who have lost or taken their life. Let go the hatred which got them killed. Let’s not make this about blame or fault but instead focus on the laws which protect us and give thanks to those who love and work to expand protections for all people. Share your dream of the world you wish to live in! (A world where restrooms are not segregated into male/female and every person is respected and allowed the right to pee in peace) It is important to be heard, so listen to others and treat them with the respect we all deserve.

There are no victims only volunteers, thus I honor all the beautiful people who have volunteered to be symbols of change and to shine the light on a community’s needs. Blessings to all who have passed before me and may God have mercy on those who took what was not theirs to take.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

The All is Mind

by Sequoia Elisabeth

First of Seven Universal Laws – The Law of Mentalism: “The All is Mind – The Universe is Mental”. The first of the Universal Laws tells us that “All is Mind”. That everything we see and experience in our physical world has its origin in the invisible, mental realm. It tells us that there is a single Universal Consciousness – the Universal Mind – from which all things manifest. All energy and matter at all levels is created by and is subordinate to the Omnipresent Universal Mind. Your mind is part of the Universal Mind – the same in kind with the only difference being one of degree. Your reality is a manifestation of your mind. The following blog post from Dr. Mitchell Earl Gibson (Psychiatrist) demonstrates this eloquently.

“Evelyn Ashmole was born in Brewster, Nebraska; population 29. Brewster was a small town by any standard, and Evelyn’s primary hope throughout her entire childhood was to grow up, leave Brewster, go to college, and live in the big city. She wanted to get a job with a large company, just like the ones that she saw on television. In Brewster, everyone farmed, and those who did not work, did not eat. Evelyn loved her little town, her four brothers, two sisters, and her mother and father. She loved the white-tile Baptist church that they went to each Sunday, and the loving elderly pastor who had taught there for more than 40 years. As she saw it, her childhood was as close to perfect as she could imagine.

Evelyn grew up and performed well enough in high school to earn a scholarship to the University of Nebraska. She earned a degree in library science and, after college, took a job in Phoenix as a clerk at the Arizona State University library. She had continued to attend church every Sunday, talked to her parents faithfully every week, and managed to make some happy and constructive friendships which helped to quell some of the loneliness that she felt when she thought about home. Evelyn’s life was not quite perfect, however.

Over the past three years, Evelyn had attracted a string of relationships with men that had nearly killed her. Bill, one of her boyfriends, a junior architect at a local firm, had tried to throw her out of his car when she refused to have sex with him. The car was moving at 50 miles per hour at the time. Prior to that, he had threatened to hit her on several occasions, and was frequently verbally abusive.

David, her first boyfriend, had stalked her after she decided that she no longer wanted to see him. Several times, she found him lurking behind the bushes at her home late at night as she prepared for bed. She reported him to the police, but he always managed to escape before they came to investigate. With no witnesses and no proof, they had nothing to go on. Eventually, he moved to Los Angeles and sent her a scathing letter stating that she had ruined his life, and that he never wanted to see her again.

The incident that drove her to see me, however, was quite a bit more serious than the scenes outlined above. One night, as she walked to her car, Evelyn noticed that someone was following her. She worked the late shift at the library, and she often asked one of the security guards to escort her to the parking deck. On this night, however, she was in a hurry to get home to talk to her oldest sister Ann about her upcoming wedding. Ann was the first of the three girls to get married in the family. In her haste, she had forgotten to call for an escort.

Evelyn looked over her shoulder and saw a tall, thin young man quickly approaching her. She did not recognize him and instinctively clutched her purse tightly and slipped her hand into the outer compartment. Just before the young man could overtake her, she grabbed the container of mace that she had secreted away in her palm, sprayed him in the face, and ran to her car. The young man covered his face and grimaced in pain. Her quick thinking slowed him down just enough so that she could get to her car, lock the door, and speed away without further incident. She began having nightmares, panic attacks, and problems sleeping. A couple of weeks later, she called my office for an appointment.

Evelyn was almost certain that something was wrong with her. She wanted to know why she had such bad luck with men. She was afraid that she was going crazy. We talked for a couple of sessions and, except for recent events, Evelyn Ashmole was as healthy and well-adjusted as any young woman I had ever met. One day at the beginning of our session, Evelyn noticed a textbook of forensic psychiatry on my shelf.

“I didn’t know you were into this stuff, Doctor Gibson.”

“Oh you mean forensics. Why yes, I trained in forensic psychiatry during my residency, and I consult for the police, banks, and the court system from time to time on forensic cases. Why do you ask?”

“I just love reading about true crime, novels mostly.”

“How many books of that type would you say that you have read, Evelyn?”

“Oh hundreds and hundreds. I started reading them when I was in college, just a little bit now and then. But as luck would have it, the section that I work in at ASU is full of them. When things are slow, I get to read as many as I like.”

Evelyn went on to describe her hobby in more detail. She not only read true crime novels, she had developed an insatiable appetite for them. Her favorites were based on serial killers, gangsters, sex crimes, and rape. Her favorite movies were of the same genre, and each night before she went to sleep, she rewarded herself with a movie from her vast collection of horror, true crime, and mystery.

“So, Evelyn, what effect do you think these books and movies have on your life?”

“They are just that — books and movies. They don’t affect me. I am a good person and I don’t think of myself that way. Why do you ask?”

“I find it very curious that the troubling events in your otherwise very placid life are quite similar to the energy that you pour into your mind through your books and movies.”

“But how can there be any connection between the two? I mean, it’s not like I advertise to the creeps out there what I read and look at on TV. How would they know anything about the choices that I make in my mental diet?”

At that moment, Evelyn’s rather insightful comment struck me like a ton of bricks. She was right. Her passion for true crime and horror was her little secret. She didn’t share it with her family, close friends, or coworkers. As a matter of fact, Evelyn had decided to keep her indulgence in crime all to herself, but she was not sure why. Her mental and emotional diet was, for the most part, quite healthy, except for the plate of unhealthy relationships that she had served herself.

Evelyn’s comment about her mental diet had triggered a chain of thoughts in my consciousness that led to the second insight in this book. (Excerpt from Nine Insights For A Happy and Successful Life)

Insight Two – The energy of your life will be consumed by the forces of chaos and order. The choices that you make will determine which force dominates.

Our understanding of reality has changed drastically over the last 40 years. At the start of the twentieth century, Newtonian physics and the atomic model of reality dominated our schools and textbooks. The revolution of relativity, quantum physics, and Albert Einstein changed all that forever. We now know that reality as we perceive it is a creation of the mind, and that everything that we see exists only while we are looking directly at it. That means that the book you are now holding exists only while you are looking at it. Your home, your car, your body, and everything that you see and perceive in the world around you exist only because your consciousness creates the perception of seeing it. Experiments in quantum physics have shown that the fundamental particles that make up our reality are profoundly influenced by how we perceive them. These experiments have shown that even at the subatomic level of reality, particles of matter can be influenced by our perceptions and consciousness.

In our younger days, we were taught that a rock is a rock, a tree is a tree, and a cloud is a cloud, no matter who looks at them. The reality is no two people perceive reality in exactly the same way. As a matter of fact, each of us shapes reality around us according to our emotions, perceptions, and choices. This brings us to Evelyn.

Evelyn’s choices in life were, for the most part, very healthy and constructive. However, she had planted within the sphere of her consciousness, a menu of unhealthy energies, which ultimately led to the growth of a series of negative changes in the world around her. In the books and movies that she loved to read, women tended to be victimized by men in often violent and deadly ways. Evelyn had grown up in a healthy and loving family, and her appetite for true crime novels was far different than the energy that had shaped her youth.

As she explored her independence in life, Evelyn naturally desired to engage in relationships with men and find her true love. However, she had not dated in high school, and she had had only one relationship in college. She was still somewhat naive in matters relating to men and, much to her surprise, a great deal of her “experience” with the energy of relationships had been found in her books. Without realizing it, Evelyn had programmed her subconscious mind to resonate with violent and unhealthy themes relating to men. As a result, she had shaped her growing relationship consciousness with energies that tended to resonate with the forces of chaos and crime when she interacted with men.

“So by reading about crime, you think I attract it to myself?”

“It is a theory. I would like to test it, Evelyn.”

“How can we test it?”

“I believe that the mind is very powerful; much more powerful than we can imagine. I would like you to stop reading about true crime, murder, and mystery novels. I want you to transfer from the department you currently work in, and try something different. Tell them you are bored or something like that.”

“But what will I read? What will I do with myself? How will I get to sleep?”

“By programming your consciousness with negative energy, you are attracting to yourself the kinds of people and events that you may not want. Why not try reading more uplifting and positive books? A good romance perhaps…one with happy healthy heroines and heroes who get the girl and don’t kill her.”

“This sounds a little crazy. You really think my mind is doing all that?”

“Let’s look at it this way. We all get a certain amount of energy in life that we can spend in any way that we choose. If you choose to spend it on chaos and suffering, we will get more chaos at the end of the day. If we choose to spend it on order and happiness, we will create events that lead to happiness and order. The choice is yours.”

Evelyn took my advice and cleaned out her collection. She transferred to the children’s section at the library, and gradually fell into a happy and uneventful routine. She began to sleep better, and her nightmares vanished entirely. Over the next few months, she noticed that her mood improved, her anxiety problems disappeared, and she felt better about herself. She felt that a cloud was beginning to lift from her thinking.

From time to time, she would slip back and read a crime novel or two, but she noticed that her sleep would inevitably become disturbed, and the nightmares would return. She made the connection that the energy that she placed within her mental diet would indeed manifest in her life.

Evelyn soon met a healthy young man, a professor in sociology at ASU, and she is very happy. There has been no report of violence or chaos in her relationship, and as far as she is concerned, reading true crime, mystery novels, and looking at horror movies is strictly off limits.

Evelyn Ashmole learned the basics of a very important key to leading a happy and fulfilling life. The energy of consciousness that we build into our lives draws upon a discrete well of potential. This force can and will manifest in our lives according to our choices. If we seek out happy, constructive, and harmonious choices, those energies will grow into events in our lives which will lead to happiness, harmony, and contentment. If we seek out chaotic, unhealthy, and negative choices on a regular basis, those energies will grow into events in our lives which will lead to disharmony, unhappiness, and misfortune.”

Excerpt from Nine Insights For A Happy and Successful Life

Posted 31st December 2012 by Mitchell Earl Gibson MD

For more on the Seven Universal Laws see my previous blog posts and check out the source article by Tania Kotsos.

Till next time… Love n Light

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Being the Observer

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The best advice I ever heard was to become the observer, to actually listen to what I say and observe my actions, then ask why. Is this the person I desire to be? This may be who I am now, but do I really wish to be this person? Discovering who you are is a constant evolution, because you are constantly changing. As you expand there is a give and take or an ebb and flow to the process. The more you learn and discover about life in general and about how this relates to you the more you expand, the more you become more!

Think about this carefully. Who am I? Who are you in relation to who I am? You do know this is all relative? Don’t you? You do realize everything is connected in some way? Once you realize there is no separation; only the illusion of separation, your world changes for the better. If this is still not apparent right now this is OK. Keep asking questions and it will come to you.

On to some more practical applications and exercises you can use right now to facilitate your growth and expansion. First of all open up. Open your mind, open your heart, open your eyes and see, feel, and think with no limits (or at least let the limits go as you can, it is a process after all). Listen to the words you use and notice how they make you feel, also notice how they make others feel, so if both of you are not feeling good then perhaps you could choose different words to express yourself. In expressing yourself how does this affect the world around you? Is it positive or negative, constructive or destructive? Not to say this is good or bad, don’t fall for this trap. Things are how they are, and you are the way you are, no good or bad to it, however you do have a choice in the matter. Question everything, especially your motive for being the way you are. Avoid judgment here. Remember, we all desire Love, this is who we are and sometimes the loving thing to do is destructive or negative depending on the situation. In order for the old to be replaced it must be destroyed first. To build a new building the old one is removed to clear the way for the new one. As humans we can only see a small fraction of the picture or situation so each choice we make is the best we can do given the information we have at the time.

Moving on, consider having a friend video you during an activity or perhaps you could set up a camera in your home to video the daily goings on, later reviewing the tape is incredibly insightful. Be compassionate with yourself and seek only to understand who you are and decide if this is who you desire to be. Recording your voice and word choice is also very insightful. The language you use is very powerful or destructive depending on your word choice. Curse words for instance are weak and destructive to the person using them, not necessarily to the one hearing them. The person hearing these words can decide in advance to forgive the user and thus discharge any negative energy the words carry. It is like Hate is a poison for the person hating, not the target of the hate. Negative emotions are necessary at times, but must be used carefully to balance energy or to diffuse a situation, never for attacking. Lashing out is a re-action not a deliberate action taken for a specific purpose. Think before you act, wait a day and then respond. Negative emotion can be transformed to the positive when you have this intention.

Another practice which is ingrained in the mass psyche is the use of the word “try or trying”. To try is to fail. The word implies doubt and this in itself is disempowering. State your intentions and then proceed with them. “Trying” is a word we use to protect our self from being “wrong or failing” and in the process it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Perhaps you can say I attempted XYZ but it did not work out that way. I will make another attempt. Or I will succeed eventually. There is nothing wrong with failing; it always leads to success as long as you keep at it. The error lies in the need to be right!

Remember to always question reality and your place in it, while being forgiving and loving to both yourself and others. If you wish to learn more about word usage, I suggest doing your own research and testing your findings. Learning is doing! The website below as well as the free eBooks are another great source of musings. Blessings on your Journey of Love ♥

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Transition is a Quest

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Transition is a quest, a hero’s journey! Since we all face a transition of some type be it gender identity, death, relationship, addiction, or some other, this means we each are on our own personal hero’s journey. Joseph Campbell describes this journey in great detail and Anthony Ubelhor summarizes it nicely in the following.

The Hero’s Journey Defined

A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man. —Joseph Campbell, The Hero With a Thousand Faces

Joseph Campbell described the hero’s journey as occurring in a cycle consisting of three phases: Departure, where the hero leaves his comfortable and familiar world and ventures into the darkness of the unknown; Initiation, where the hero is subjected to a series of tests in which he must prove his character; and Return, in which the hero brings the boon of his quest back for the benefit of his people.

The hero’s journey is about growth and passage. The journey requires a separation from the comfortable, known world, and an initiation into a new level of awareness, skill, and responsibility, and then a return home. Each stage of the journey must be passed successfully if the initiate is to become a hero. To turn back at any stage is to reject the need to grow and mature.

Characteristics of the Hero

According to Campbell, the hero is someone who has given his life over to someone or something bigger than himself. Even in novels and films, the hero is someone who has found or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and experience. The following characteristics are typically found in the heroes of mythology:

• The hero is usually male. According to Campbell, women typically represent creation and ultimate wisdom and therefore do not need to make a journey. If a woman does go on a quest, traditionally it is to find her prince or mate.

• The hero often times is of lowly birth, but may secretly have special powers or a high birthright he is unaware of.

• The hero’s parents are often dead, absent, or uncaring. A hero usually can’t begin a journey to become a man if his father figure is still present.

• A hero is judged by the things he does and the way he reacts and relates to people. His deeds must be marked by a nobility of purpose, and he must be willing to risk his life for his ideals.

The Call to Adventure

The potential hero may receive his Call in a variety similar ways:

• The town leaders may select the initiate and order him to face danger so that his village can be saved from an evil fate like disease or famine.

• Often the initiate is told to go on a quest by a god or “force” — this usually happens in a dream or a vision.”

• The initiate may go willingly or may be forced by circumstance to go on the quest. The

Call is a realization of an imbalance or injustice. The Call often comes when something has been taken away from the potential hero’s or family or society. Similarly, the initiate might begin a journey because of a mistake — something is lost and he must find it.

• The Call may be a sensation on the part of the hero that something is lacking in his or her life and that he or she must search for what is missing.

• Another type of Call comes when the hero realizes that society is being denied something, and he or she goes on a quest to win rights for the people. Sometimes it is nothing more than the need to save honor.”

Joseph Campbell, key excerpts from his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton UP, 1949)

How does your life mirror the Hero’s Journey? Are you being brave and moving forward? Be gentle with yourself, and know there is no time limit to this journey. Eventually everyone succeeds! The other thing to keep in mind is each success is one step on the stairway to heaven.

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Gender Related Transitions

Pain is your Friend

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Pain is your friend

Pain guides you and informs you of danger

All Pain is temporary

The system has a built in safety and if too much pain is received it will reboot so to speak. The body/mind passes out and the system starts again. No one ever died from pain.

Chronic pain is a malfunction of the system, so look for its source within and change your mind about this pain. The mental or emotional body is most often the source. Look here first. Forgive the thought and replace it with one of health and vitality.

Working through chronic pain takes patience and courage. Fear fuels pain so fear not, all pain is temporary. Suffering is not necessary. Stay positive and move forward by focusing on the Truth, you are healthy and perfect just as you were created. Nothing is wrong with you. See the perfection which has become hidden behind this pain. It is just like turning a light on in a room, the darkness (pain) must leave.

Sacrifice is a dangerous tool, so only use it when you understand how it works. Used improperly the pain will get out of control and become chronic.

Change can be painful, but does not have to be. This pain is temporary as things change from one plateau/level/state to another. No pain, no gain is a MYTH. The Truth is gain is inevitable and the pain comes from forcing the change. Resistance is futile.

As you grow your relationship with pain will deepen and you will know when to stop what you are doing and when to push through it. Pain is a result of resistance so if you feel pain, ask yourself what you are resisting. What change do you fear? Many people fear being strong and powerful because they have seen the effect this can have on others. Forgive the past and trust change to take you where you desire to be. Be the Change!

Mastering the tools for living is just one reason we are born into a body, however it is an important one. Pain is one of these tools. Remember that tools are neutral and cannot harm you. It is how you use the tool that can be dangerous and just like a hammer it can be used to create wonders or to tear them down.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth