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Morality vs Ethics, and Maturity

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Topics which most of us rarely think about, yet this morning they became quite clear to me. I have of course looked them up before and been schooled on the subjects over my lifetime, both by book and by life. My sharing today will not be in depth, because how deep you go with this is up to you. The level of importance you place on it is again your choice. To me this topic adds value to life and makes it worth living. So, Here we go.

Stated as simply as I can, Morality is Social and Ethics is personal. Maturity is the level at which an individual embraces the two. Maturity demonstrates all around us constantly. Do you see it? Take trees for instance. They grow from seeds, change with the seasons, and eventually spread seeds of their own. The cycle repeats. Maturity is the point at which the plant sows seeds and yet there are levels to maturity. All plants sow seeds, so perhaps the point at which a tree stops sowing seeds and trusts in all it has sown that the tree becomes mature. For us, maturity then is the point at which we share our wisdom and make our mark, so to speak. Having made our mark, we then focus on helping others make theirs. To me, this is maturity. In human terms this would be at the grandparent stage or if like me you have no children, it is the point of retirement, more or less.

Morality comes into play every day, though not through learning, but by intuition. Everyone knows what is right and ethics is their demonstration of it, thus Morality. The Ten Commandments are morality and our individual expression of them is ethics. So one could say, Morality is intuitive while ethics is a personal choice. It doesn’t have to be the commandments one follows, it can be the 4 Noble Truths, or The Constitution, etc.. The point is morality comes naturally, some call it common sense, and it applies to us all. Ethics on the other hand is how one chooses to follow, or not, what we know is right.

Ethics comes into play constantly in life, yet how often do you consider it? I would say a lot more than you realize. Ethics is our level of compromise with Morality. “Though shall not commit adultery”, just as an example. At what point do you rationalize your actions as being “Okay” to satisfy your inner urges? There is no end to the power of rationalization! Humans are masters at it. Or should I say the Ego is a master at it, for that is what the ego does. The ego can be characterized as the devil on your shoulder whispering in your ear. Which voice are you listening to? Morality or compromise?

Caution should be exercised here because our tendency is to judge things as good or bad. Our ethical choices are not to be judged, rather forgiven, when appropriate. Life is open for interpretation, so my advice is to take time to be still every day and listen to the small, quiet voice within and ignore the loud, insistent urgings of the ego. The choice is yours.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Oneness Ministry

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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

https://onenessministry.info/

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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

https://onenessministry.info/

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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.

(http://acim.org/Lessons/lesson.html?lesson=331)

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What is Ego?

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Lesson 331

Section 12. What is the Ego?

The ego is idolatry; the sign of limited and separated self, born in a body, doomed to suffer and to end its life in death. It is the “will” that sees the Will of God as enemy, and takes a form in which it is denied. The ego is the “proof” that strength is weak and love is fearful, life is really death, and what opposes God alone is true.

The ego is insane. In fear it stands beyond the Everywhere, apart from All, in separation from the Infinite. In its insanity it thinks it has become a victor over God Himself. And in its terrible autonomy it “sees” the Will of God has been destroyed. It dreams of punishment, and trembles at the figures in its dreams; its enemies, who seek to murder it before it can ensure its safety by attacking them.

The Son of God is egoless. What can he know of madness and the death of God, when he abides in Him? What can he know of sorrow and of suffering, when he lives in eternal joy? What can he know of fear and punishment, of sin and guilt, of hatred and attack, when all there is surrounding him is everlasting peace, forever conflict-free and undisturbed, in deepest silence and tranquility?

To know reality is not to see the ego and its thoughts, its works, its acts, its laws and its beliefs, its dreams, its hopes, its plans for its salvation, and the cost belief in it entails. In suffering, the price for faith in it is so immense that crucifixion of the Son of God is offered daily at its darkened shrine, and blood must flow before the altar where its sickly followers prepare to die.

Yet will one lily of forgiveness change the darkness into light; the altar to illusions to the shrine of Life Itself. And peace will be restored forever to the holy minds which God created as His Son, His dwelling place, His joy, His love, completely His, completely one with Him.

————

Forgive me! Meaning do not judge or make right/wrong or good/bad any person, being, action, or perception. It’s Ok! Nothing has really happened, this world is but a dream of separation. In reality we are at home with God and we are forgiven because God knows nothing of this dream. God only knows what is real.

Nothing real can be threatened.
Nothing unreal exists.

Herein lies the peace of God.

Spirituality

I am as God created me!

by Sequoia Elisabeth

I am as God created me! So why are you feeling dysphoria? Why do you think there is something wrong with you? (too fat, too tall, wrong genitalia, wrong hair color or eye color, etc, etc.) The imperfections are not of God’s making. The imperfections and the feelings of incongruence (dysphoria) come from the Ego. Allow me to explain this world to you.

This physical world we live in here is the creation of the Ego Mind, the aspect of you which believes itself separate from God. In truth this world is a dream and often it is a dream within a dream! It does not matter how many ‘echos’ of the One which are created, the point is there is only One and this one is God, the all there is. If you love movies, theatre, or story-telling then you know dreams… this life you think you are living is no more real than the stories you experience on TV, Movies, Theatre, or a story-telling stage. What makes it seem so real? Ego mind!

Adam and Eve are the original Ego story, not that they are real either. This Ego is an aspect of God which wished to see what separate means and so created a separate world, this world where we sit today, or seem to sit today. In reality no one has gone anywhere! We are all still in the loving arms of God, yet asleep and dreaming of life.

As the Course in Miracles states, the dream was but a second or flash and all that is or was or will be happened and we returned to God. The “reality” we experience now is simply an echo of this dream, thus the dream within a dream…

The next question then is how do we awaken from this dream? First of all by understanding who “I” is. These pesky pronouns are very confusing! I, me, you, us, we, they are simply different aspect of the One. Please understand there is only ONE. The delusion is that you are separate from me and that they exist at all!

This probably seems farfetched and from the perspective of the Ego mind it is. Step back from this perspective and see through the eyes of Holy Spirit, feel through Holy Spirit. It may take a while so don’t be in a rush. I have been working in this for years. The Truth becomes clearer every day though, so I keep the Faith and move forward. This takes us to the next step, acceptance.

Accept things as they seem (even though we know otherwise). Imagine you are a character in a movie. Can that character get out of the movie? Not hardly; they must play their part to the end. So why not enjoy your part/role in this elaborate story of life! It is much better than choosing misery. Be the best you (whatever your role is at the time) and Shine!

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Gender Related Spirituality

ps. If you would like to read more on this, I highly recommend Butterflies Fly for Free by Stephen Davis, as well as A Course in Miracles (ACIM).

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Life of Pi

by Sequoia Elisabeth

“Life of Pi” the movie just came out and the reviews are very positive. I saw the movie recently and think the story is very applicable to the transition journey. In fact, the main character Piscine Molitor Patel or Pi for short experiences a profound transition in the story and the main gift to the audience is this same transition of discovering God.

Spoiler alert – From this point on the plot and “message” will be discussed so if you have not seen the movie, go see it first and then read this blog.

“Pi is raised a Hindu, but as a fourteen-year-old he is introduced to Christianity and Islam, and starts to follow all three religions as he “just wants to love God.” He tries to understand God through the lens of each religion and comes to recognize benefits in each one.

Eventually, his family decides to sell their animals and move to Canada due to political concerns in India. In the second part of the novel, Pi’s family embarks on a small Japanese boat to Canada carrying some of the animals from their zoo, but a few days out of port, the ship meets a storm and capsizes, resulting in his parents’ death. After the storm, Pi regains consciousness in a small lifeboat with a spotted hyena, an injured zebra, and an orangutan.

As Pi strives to survive among the animals, the hyena kills the zebra, then the orangutan, much to Pi’s distress. At this point, it is discovered that a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker had been hiding under the boat’s tarp; it kills and eats the hyena. Frightened, Pi constructs a small raft out of flotation devices, tethers it to the boat, and retreats to it. He delivers some of the fish and water he harvests to Richard Parker to keep him satisfied, conditioning Richard Parker not to threaten him by rocking the boat and causing seasickness while blowing a whistle. Eventually, Richard Parker learns to tolerate Pi’s presence and they both live in the boat.

Pi recounts various events while adrift, including discovering an island of carnivorous algae inhabited by meerkats. After 227 days, the lifeboat washes up onto the coast of Mexico and Richard Parker immediately escapes into the nearby jungle. The significance of 227 days is from the common approximation of π using the fraction 22/7.

In the third part of the novel, two officials from the Japanese Ministry of Transport speak to Pi to ascertain why the ship sank. When they do not believe his story, he tells an alternate story of human brutality, in which Pi was adrift on a lifeboat with his mother, a sailor with a broken leg, and the ship’s cook, who killed the sailor and Pi’s mother and cut them up to use as bait and food. Parallels to Pi’s first story lead the Japanese officials to believe that the orangutan represents his mother, the zebra represents the sailor, the hyena represents the cook, and Richard Parker is Pi himself.

After giving all the relevant information, Pi asks which of the two stories they prefer. Since the officials cannot prove which story is true and neither is relevant to the reasons behind the shipwreck, they choose the story with the animals. Pi thanks them and says, “and so it goes with God”.” (Wikipedia.org, Nov. 26, 2012)

The two significant messages offered the viewer are as follows, in the movie it is the reporter who makes the observation of the parallels in the two stories, the animals to the humans, so this is a slight plot change. The officials assume the first story about the animals is true because it just sounds better and they have no way to prove one or the other, “and so it goes with God”. We each have the choice of choosing our story and then living it! Your life is a story and how you live your life is your choice. It is your gift to God and vice versa. Since life is a gift why not make it your own!

The second profound message in this movie is the transition Pi makes on this long journey as he discovers God. Following the animal analogy he is the Tiger and the Tiger represents his ego. The other animals are simply characters representing different aspects of the ego world. The hyena represents the cruelty in the world, the zebra is the victim or common man, and the orangutan represents mother earth or the maternal spirit. The hyena is strong and only thinking of itself. It takes what it needs and attacks the weak common man/zebra killing it. It then turns on mother nature and like man it attacks. Even though mother nature/orangutan fights back it too dies, symbolizing what we are doing to mother earth. At this point the Tiger comes to the rescue and kills the hyena. Thus the ego is the hero! …At least so far.

This is where Pi’s journey of Spirit commences and at first he is afraid of his ego/tiger and then he reaches the point of survival and confronts the ego/tiger again loosing. He needs to feed the ego/tiger and God provides by supplying fish in a fantastic show of flying fish and tuna that “accidently” end up in the boat.

Reading the survival manual found in the boat he devises a way to train the ego/tiger using the waves and a whistle. So eventually he and the ego/tiger are able to live in peace and he actually develops a love for the ego/tiger.

When they reach the beach of Mexico though the ego/tiger demonstrates he has no love for Pi and walks into the forest without looking back, even though he does pause. The message here is profound in my view. Pi is left with the only thing he ever really has, God. God is his very nature and cannot be taken or lost. Pi goes on a new man and lives a very rewarding life always remembering who he is as he discovered in these most fantastic 227 days.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity FREE eBooks! Click Here

Gender Related Transitions

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Pride

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The phrase “Pride cometh before a fall” probably came from the 1611, King James Version of the Bible, Book of Proverbs, 16:18. Some versions say it this way, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Either way the point is fairly obvious. A person who is extremely proud of his or her abilities will often suffer a setback or failure, because he or she tends to be overconfident and to make errors of judgment.

Have you ever thought of how Pride fits into your life? If you are GLBTQ then you have probably attended a Pride festival of some type. There is an interesting irony to this event, so I would like to share a few thoughts on Pride since June is rapidly approaching and Pride festivals will be taking place all over the USA and elsewhere.

Let’s look at this word a little closer, Pride [prahyd] noun, verb, prid·ed, prid·ing.

Noun ~

1. A high or inordinate opinion of one’s owns dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.

2. The state or feeling of being proud.

3. A becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one’s position or character; self-respect; self-esteem.

4. Pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself: civic pride.

5. Something that causes a person or persons to be proud: His art collection was the pride of the family.

If we again look even closer one word seems to jump out in the definition, Ego. Look at the synonyms for Pride – conceit, self-esteem, egotism, vanity, vain glory, implies an unduly favorable idea of one’s own appearance, advantages, achievements, etc., and often applies to offensive characteristics. Pride is a lofty and often arrogant assumption of superiority in some respect: Pride must have a fall. Conceit implies an exaggerated estimate of one’s own abilities or attainments, together with pride: blinded by conceit. Self-esteem may imply an estimate of oneself that is higher than those held by others: a ridiculous self-esteem. Egotism implies an excessive pre-occupation with oneself or with one’s own concerns, usually but not always accompanied by pride or conceit: His egotism blinded him to others’ difficulties. Vanity implies self-admiration and an excessive desire to be admired by others: His vanity was easily flattered. Vain glory, somewhat literary, implies an inordinate and therefore empty or unjustified pride: puffed up by vain glory – boast.

The antonym is humility! Jesus taught us to have a humble approach to life and not get caught up in our own achievements. Life is about what you have to offer – what you give! Pride has its uses and serves to balance life, but it is a trap so many of us fall prey to. Celebrate your successes, feel good about yourself, know that you have great worth, and do it with humility, so you can avoid the fall!

😀 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Free eBooks click here

Divine Ego Revisited

by Sequoia Elisabeth

I am going on a road trip so it will be a week before I can post another blog, please enjoy this blog, read through the others and share with your friends and family. YOU are Loved ♥

Murder, war, disaster, scandal, political games, and gossip are indeed entertaining. They might even make for good movie material, but do you really want those things in your life? What you focus on grows…. One of the things that makes this 2012 era so amazing is the shift in consciousness and the opportunity to move beyond these ego based activities. Remember, nothing is good or bad lest you make it so.

Spirit works at a whole different level of energy than ego does. And one of your greatest challenges is knowing the difference! Making a clear choice is sometimes difficult because you do not understand the ego, separation mindedness, often feels very good. Think of five things you enjoy doing that bring you pleasure. For me it is TV, Movies (at a theatre), Good Food, Warm Comfortable Clothing, and Sex. Each of these can be a source of ego or Spirit depending on the energy I bring to the experience. (Divine Love)

Knowing the difference is not really that difficult. Keep it simple! Ego is all about separation, while Spirit (Divine Love) is about Unity. If the experience creates Unity, then it is sourced by Spirit and lifts you up. The feeling it brings is peaceful, serene, and joyful. Ego on the other hand creates separation. The feeling can be good, elating, and powerful or painful, boring, and lonely; however, the end result brings you and those around you – down. Sort of like, “what goes up must come down.” Can you think of an example?

Take TV or Movies for instance. The whole family can gather in the evening to share in entertainment, Unity! The family can each enjoy the experience on their own level and share the Love which makes up a family, or they can force their opinions and viewpoints about the experience on the rest of the family creating separation. Or take sex as an example, the experience can be all about the pleasure and your partner is simply a means to an end or it can be a joining of souls for the mutual experience of Divine connection!

“A Course in Miracles” and books written to explain it are a great source of wisdom concerning the concept I present here today. I highly recommend you take the course, it will tell you at the beginning that it is a required course. If you have difficulty with the course, then try some of the other books written about it, like Marianne Williamson’s “A return to Love” or Gary Renard’s “Disappearance of the Universe”. I know there are many more books as well, like “The Voice for Love” by David Paul and Candace Doyle which is one of the best I have read. “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle is very good at explaining ego, so you may give it a read as well.

Once these concepts are internalized and expressed, life will take on new meaning and value for you. Colors will be more vivid and relationships will be more fulfilling. Miracles are a daily experience and if you are not experiencing this then maybe it is time to wake up and re-align.

😀 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Discover Free eBooks click here

Divine Ego

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Spirit works at a whole different level of energy than ego does. And one of your greatest challenges is knowing the difference! Making a clear choice is sometimes difficult because you do not understand that the ego, separation mindedness, often feels very good. Think of five things you enjoy doing that bring you pleasure. For me it is TV, Movies (at a theatre), Good Food, Warm Comfortable Clothing, and Sex. Each of these can be a source of ego or Spirit depending on the energy I bring to the experience.

Knowing the difference is not really that difficult. Keep it simple! Ego is all about separation, while Spirit is about Unity. If the experience creates Unity, then it is sourced by Spirit and lifts you up. The feeling it brings is peaceful, serene, and joyful. Ego on the other hand creates separation. The feeling can be good, elating, and powerful; however, the end result brings you and those around you – down. Sort of like, “what goes up must come down.” Can you think of an example?

The “A Course in Miracles” and books written to explain it are a great source of wisdom concerning the concept I present here today. I highly recommend you take the course, it will tell you at the beginning that it is a required course. If you have difficulty with the course, then try some of the other books written about it, like Marianne Williamson’s “A return to Love” or Gary Renard’s “Disappearance of the Universe”. I know there are many more books as well. “A New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle is very good at explaining ego, so you may give it a read as well.

😀 Sequoia Elisabeth

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Only The Shadow Knows

by Sequoia Elisabeth

When was the last time you took a really close look at your shadow? Have you ever considered why we have shadows? There is the obvious physical reason of an object blocking the light so a dark outline of the object is projected in relation to the light source, but have you considered the metaphysical reasons or symbology that shadows represent?

The shadow represents the dark side of life, the mysterious and unknown. Humans are naturally frightened by this and for good reason. Everyone knows that creatures lurk in the dark waiting to consume you! Carnivorous animals hunt at night because pray is easy to take. …Of course this is a barbaric notion that served us many centuries ago, but in this age of enlightenment how do shadows figure in?

To understand shadows fully you need to understand your ego mind. This is the part of you that believes in separation and in order to prove its existence it is constantly showing you how bad things are, how people die and that death exists. The ego mind is your “small self” the part of you that is fearful and afraid.

While this does serve you in this dualistic world, it is not really you. The ego is a manifestation of this 3d low vibration material world. The world of illusion, fear, and separation! Halloween and Dia de la Muerta are holidays that exploit and celebrate the ego mind. It is a part of the Human ritual and a rite of passage if you will. Our journey here on Earth is to navigate the shadows and emerge the other side in the light. The shadows can lead the way if you know how to follow them.

On a more Metaphysical side of it shadow represents your negative traits; parts of your personality that you do not like and do not wish to deal with. They are aspects of you that are deeply suppressed. The shadow is still a part of you in this world just like the yin and yang; the dark and light that which makes up the whole. In order to know the light one must embrace the darkness!

To do this takes Courage, Patience, Wisdom, Certainty, Compassion, Joy, Clarity, Understanding, Depth, Generosity, Abundance and Agape. Each is a step into the darkness till pure light is achieved at Agape.

Think of a Labyrinth, where the turns are folding back on themselves and the path is dimly lit. It is the shadows that show the way, because as you follow the shadows the source light is behind the shadow. Each step takes you closer to the light. Till you reach the center to discover that you must return to the outer edge to fully be in the light. Each discovery, insight, and revelation brings more light to the path till it is unmistakable which direction to go. It then becomes an exercise in determination and persistence, putting one foot in front of the other experiencing each attribute on the path fully till the next one pops up and spurs you on.

Shadow work is so important in Spiritual development that many psychology programs are teaching it now and any self-help lesson is incomplete without it. Next time I will get more specific and practical with this two part discussion on Shadows.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Hearing your Inner Voice

by Sequoia Elisabeth

This voice has been called many things over the years – The voice of God, Voice of Love, Inner Voice, Inner Consciousness, Angels, Spirits, God, The voice within and many more. What it is not is ego, the devil, or evil. The trick is being able to discern between the two voices, since we all have both.

The first and most obvious is the loud, eager, sometimes obnoxious voice of ego. It is the one that is easiest to hear and it is the one that gets us into trouble. The voice of God or your Inner Voice is soft and deliberate; it often comes first, but is quickly quelled by the ego voice. I need to clarify here that neither is good or bad, however the Inner Voice has your best interest at heart, while the ego is often out for itself and cares not what happens.

The inner voice is consistent and caring. It never suggests something that is harmful, although risk is a part of life. You will often feel pain and this is a guide also. It helps you find your way. Learning when to press onward and when to take a break only comes from experience, so be aware and get out there!

The inner voice is also best heard in silence so if you are blaring loud music or always talking then hearing is difficult. Take time every day to be quiet, meditate, and be alone. It does not have to be a long time, even a few seconds can be enough. A ten second break during a heated discussion, argument or crisis is invaluable. Simply stop talking, relax, take a deep breath, notice how you feel and remind yourself that all is well.

Meditation is a daily exercise that may be more important to your health than physical exercise, although both are recommended. The body was meant to move so get out and be active, but if you are unable to, then find other ways to be active such as isometrics. Here again be inquisitive and listen carefully to your Inner Voice.

A quiet mind is one that has been disciplined and cultivated like a garden. With practice and intentional thought learned through meditation or other activity hearing the Inner Voice becomes automatic. Other activities that cultivate a disciplined mind are sports, martial arts, and creative arts.

Remember that doubt is a natural human condition and if you have no fears then you should pause and question reality. Learning to hear your Inner Voice is a matter of practice and trial and error. When you are conscious of your thoughts and the experiences they bring then discernment becomes easy. What is working for you? Even if it has worked in the past does not mean it will continue to work, constantly question reality, while listening to your Inner Voice.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

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Ego Love

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Continuing the series on Love, the following is an excerpt from Sex and Sexuality, “The ego is an aspect of our being that allows us to function in this world. All that you see in this world is a function of ego and I do not speak of the personality version that Sigmund Freud introduced. I speak as A Course in Miracles (ACIM) teaches that the ego is all that separates. Whenever you experience something separate from yourself you are experiencing ego. This explains how we can think of love as painful or something we can lose. The world is full of “love stories” that teach ego based separation with all the pain and pleasure that comes with it. In this ego based world hate is the opposite of love, however they both come from the same source. They are opposite poles of one whole, the ego. In order to experience ego separation we must have the opposite which serves the very important purpose of supplying contrast.

Humans revel in the experience of contrast, love, hate, pain, pleasure, happiness, sadness, hot, cold, and all the aspects of time and space. Turn on the television for 5 minutes and you will see the contrast I speak of. All of the sitcom and soap opera programs serve up ego separation as juicy slices of comedy, drama, and action. The ultimate act of separation is killing or death; the grand delusion of mankind! The ego mind is a master of weaving this delusion into every facet of your life. You are reminded of the “reality” of death a thousand times a day, especially if you are watching television.

The world is so barraged by death that it is a natural way of life here on earth. It is the cycle of life, life is born and it dies. We would not have it any other way! Or would we? What if in fact you discovered that you never do die? What if you removed the veil of death completely and realized the truth of all existence as the poem by Prajnaparamita so eloquently states?

We have established what ego love is all about, but to further define it consider the many experiences we associate with love such as happiness, sadness, emotional pain, deception, betrayal, loss, falling in love, love at first sight, and even making love. These are all ego based so this means they are illusion. I am not saying that the experience is not real because it is indeed real, just like the movies are real. We can experience all these things in the movies and we do! In fact the reason we are in this earth experience is to experience love and all the other experiences involved in this journey of discovery. So if all the love and hate we are experiencing here on earth is an illusion what is the other version of love that exists?” (Sex and Sexuality) The next blog will cover the answer.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

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What Is Love?

by Sequoia Elisabeth

This is a repost from Feb. 23 2010, in honor of Valentine’s Day.

I will offer you a few poems to illustrate LOVE and then I will discuss some important points.

“What is Love?

It is that which is without condition, without limitation, and without need.

Because it is without condition, it requires nothing in order to be expressed. It asks nothing in return. It withdraws nothing in retaliation.

Because it is without limitation, it places no limitation on another. It knows no ending, but goes on forever. It experiences no boundary or barrier.

Because it is without need, it seeks to take nothing not freely given. It seeks to hold nothing not wishing to be held. It seeks to give nothing not joyously welcomed.

And it is free. Love is that which is free, for freedom is the essence of what God is, and love is God, expressed.”

Neale Donald Walsch, Friendship With God, Page 156

“Love Is, a Poem

Love is not exclusive, but Inclusive

Love is not painful, but the Highest JOY

Love is never lost, but exists always

Love is not changing, but constant

Love is not different, but the same at all levels

Love is not wrong, but the answer

Love is Universal!

Love exists regardless of what is happening in your life, in fact

Love exists regardless of your life

Love is something you can share, but cannot prevent another from experiencing, only yourself

Love is the only thing you have more of when you give it away

Love is a feeling, an emotion, an experience, and so much more

Love is life itself

Love is a way of life

Love is an acceptance of all that comes your way

Love is an expression of WHO YOU ARE, who we all are

I AM THAT, I AM”

Sequoia Elisabeth, Livin’ Large, page 20

Now that we have some idea of what love is and is not, I offer some important points to remember. The first and most important thing for you to realize is that love is not painful, so if you are hurting then that is not love; that is ego. Now that you realize this you can let it go for it serves you not! Infatuation is often painful so no that is not love although so many of us think it is when we first get started. This is a painful lesson to learn, but that is ok, pain is simply a distraction from the Truth, which is you are Loved by All That Is. If you are asking for love from one person and only that person, then this is not love. Love chooses you, not the other way around and if you put limits on your love then it instantly becomes ego. You cannot love one person more than any other, so when I say “I love you” I mean that as if I was speaking to my Beloved, because I am! This is the way Jesus spoke of love and so we can carry on the tradition.

Hopefully you are getting a good feeling of what love is and is not, so now let’s take this one more level to where it all begins; in your heart. I have mentioned doing mirror work before and this is where self acceptance and self love begin. Look into the mirror and go deep within your soul, feel the love, say it out loud, “I Love You”. Practice this over and over every day, every time you see yourself in the mirror! Feel it deep within your soul, for this is who you are speaking with, and your soul is reflecting back to you! At first this may seem difficult or awkward, just stick with it, the payoff is Golden!

Some of you may be thinking this sounds very narcissistic or conceded. I assure you it is not, and why it is not is because “you” are greater than what you see in the mirror. Remember the soul we were speaking of before, this is who you are loving, not the body you see in the mirror or the ego. Ego love is narcissistic and conceded, so that is what we are letting go of and instead we are focused on the Love of God, Universal Love, Soul Love, or Oneness.

“Wisdom is knowing that I am nothing, Love is knowing that I am everything, in between my life moves.”

Sequoia Elisabeth

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Humility Part Two

by Sequoia Elisabeth

St. Francis teaches that humility is the path to God. Jesus teaches that humility honors your Father. I am passing this message on in my own words. First let us look at the life of St. Francis. He continually put himself in situations that would embarrass most people to tears and he thrived on it. Why?

He used this gift to put his life into perspective and keep his ego mind in check. Humility is a great tool to cope with the demands of ego mind. In this world of bigger, better, and more you are constantly pressured to conform to ego demands. It comes from all directions, every person you know, including yourself, or at least your ego self! If you don’t understand the difference between ego and Spirit, then I suggest you do some research. I have talked much about this myself. A Course in Miracles is the best explanation I have found and many ACIM teachers teach this difference in ego and Spirit. I am not speaking of ego in the Freudian sense of personality. I speak of ego as the man made part of you, and it includes all things in this material world. The Spiritual part of you cannot be seen and this is the part to which Humility directs you.

Examples of how St. Francis used humility are his frequent trips to town to beg for alms. He would stand in town center and sing or dance, sometimes giving speeches, but all the time drawing attention. Many people thought he was crazy, but most saw the innocence that made up his being and gave to him all that he needed. He made profound statements without uttering a word, like the time he denounced his claim to family inheritance. He came from one of the riches families of the day. His father was a textile merchant and well to do business man. He was embarrassed by all the fame and attention that this lifestyle afforded him, because he saw the poor and knew they needed it more than he. In front of the entire congregation at church he removed the wealth his father had bestowed upon him and gave it to his father walking completely naked from the church never to step foot in that world again, at least as one of them. This symbolizes his choice of Spirit over the ego, nothing more. This is what humility does! It is a declaration of Spirit instead of ego.

Jesus taught humility everywhere he went. He would always put himself in the physically lowest position in every situation. He stood below in order to lift up. He allowed himself to be put in the lowest of positions, that of being crucified. He carried his own cross, meaning he chose this path, and he allowed the crucifixion because he knew that to humble himself before God is a demonstration of choice. This was his way of choosing God over ego. He did not fight with ego, represented by the authorities of the day, because he knew what true power is. Ego has no power unless you give it by your actions. Each choice you make is a demonstration of either Spirit or ego. Humility is one path that all faiths teach at some level, so I am not saying it is the only path or the best. That is up to you to Choose!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

What You Say Is True

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Transition Blog will be sharing some of the eBook Livin’ Large in the next few installments. Please enjoy this Journey of Love and if you are interested in more info the book is available on Unity in Gender Diversity. This book is a synopsis of this author’s metaphysical outlook and philosophy.

Why would you say something that is not true? More importantly your beliefs make it true! In order to say something the thought must come to you, if it came to you it was attracted by your beliefs and actions, which make it TRUE to you. This is a personal experience, so mind your own business (another chapter of the eBook) and observe the Truth all around you. There is your truth that most of us live by every day and then there is Ultimate Truth or God’s Truth. Just understand that they are not the same and that you can choose either at any time. It takes a little observation to realize that what you think of as Truth is really “your” truth, ego truth or man’s truth. Remember that you are the creator of your life, and as you say, so it will be, but only if it is in the highest good for all concerned.

God’s Truth or Ultimate Truth or Universal Truth or Universal Law is a choice available to you in each and every moment. As you say “yes” to Truth, your mind is open to goodness, and Truth will be self-evident. God’s Truth is eternal, constant, loving, inspiring, and beyond explanation. My point here is that your words do have power and you should use them consciously to create what you desire.

It is far too easy to fling words around and create chaos in your life and in other’s lives. Be careful what you say, because if you say that you are fat and ugly, is this really what you desire? Or if you say your partner, or anyone else is fat and ugly is this what you would desire? How does this serve you? And beware of discounting your word also (this means, saying to yourself or out loud that you are this or that which is demeaning), because then you are taking the power away from your word which makes it harder to create that which you do desire. Use positive self-talk to build up yourself and others. Use sayings like, “It is all good” or “Just gotta love ‘em” or “I love you anyway”. If you find yourself saying something less than flattering about someone, yourself included, stop and change the subject. Oh, haven’t we had Lovely weather this week!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Projection Power

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The power of projection

If you read my blogs regularly then you know that I am a big proponent of doing mirror work. What you may or may not be aware of is the fact that the world is one big mirror. As you go about your day be aware that you created all that you are experiencing. More importantly that big jerk who gave you a hard time at the market this morning did you a favor.

He showed you where your thoughts are. He revealed your insecurities and gave you the opportunity to forgive him knowing full well that he is part of the grand design, while at the same time gaining wonderful insight into issues you need to work on. It is actually fairly easy to see this dynamic once you are aware of it.

What may be more difficult seeing is the dynamics of personal relationships. This is especially true for those we love and live with everyday. When your partner forgets to flush the toilet or they leave their clothes on the bathroom floor, what do you do? How do you handle this divine gift? Let’s say you blow up and yell at them complaining that they are a slob and you are tired of always cleaning up after them. You bluntly ask them “do you think I am the maid”? What just happened here?

Obviously there was no communication and deeper than that your feelings are a guide. Often how we feel about our partner is really how we feel about ourselves. Projection in the psychological sense is “the tendency to ascribe to another person, feelings, thoughts, or attitudes present in oneself.” (Dictionary.com 2010) This can be tricky, although once you become aware of this tendency, (we all do it to some extent), then your behavior will change and you will have better relationships as a result; not only with others but with your self as well. Shining the light of awareness on your issues takes the energy out of them. When you redirect this energy toward loving both yourself and others, the road smooths out.

On some level even the guy in the market was reflecting your thoughts and feelings. If someone becomes violent with you it is your own fear that is being reflected. You are your own worst enemy. We all deal with fear, however those who consider themselves different in some way, whether it is true or not, need to learn this lesson for surely as you are reading this your feelings boomerang.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

Self Talk

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Your greatest tool and worst bandit. In a way this Blog is self talk, lol. What are you saying to your self? The voice within our head is what I call your ego voice or man’s voice. This is the voice which is easy to hear and does not want to shut up!

Whether you listen to this voice is up to you. And by listen I mean act on the advice the ego doles out. When I act on this voice and sometimes I do, it is with as much awareness as I can muster. By shining the light of awareness on ego actions we can nullify the negative effects much the same as done when we forgive our transgressors. It is like shining a light into a dark room without placing judgment on what we see.

With conscious effort you can guide your self-talk to take you where you wish to be instead of being at ego’s whim. If the ego is telling you something you would prefer not to hear then choose something else. Many of us do this by listening to music or watching TV. The other ways are by creating something, making dinner, painting, playing games, and anything that occupies the mind.

Some people slip into the negative realm when they attempt to escape this ego voice by outside means such as alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and harder drugs. Any activity that is destructive is considered the negative realm and while it is not bad, (nothing is bad or good lest you say it so) it does lead down a long dead end street. There are many twists and turns down this road and it is easy to get lost.

Finding your way back can be done with help and on a rare occasion it can be done alone. From my earlier teachings, what you focus on grows. This means that the further you venture down that destructive road the longer the trip home is. Self talk is one of those things that will lead you down that road if you are not consciously aware.

What I am suggesting here is to use that same self talk as a tool to bring yourself home. By focusing on the positive and constructive our lives are transformed. Complement yourself constantly and speak favorably of your self as often as you can. Do this even with others, just be careful not to boast (boasting is negative and makes you feel bad afterward). Look in the mirror and tell that lovely person that you love them. I love You. Focus on what you enjoy. Find things to do that are fun! Sometimes we must do things that are not so much fun, and that is ok, still tell yourself that it is only temporary and that you can handle anything. Life is going to throw us curve balls and it is up to us whether we re-act from fear or act from love.

Make a list of all your best features and traits, make a list of what you enjoy doing, and remember to focus on the positive. If sometimes you slip then restate in the positive and go right on with your life. Forgive, forget and stay positive!

😉 Sequoia Elisabeth

We are Consciousness

by Sequoia Elisabeth

This is a continuation from yesterday. If you are consciousness and not your body, then can you extend your consciousness to experience more than your personal life? Oh, Yes! It is time for us to understand that there is so much more to life than what you see around you.

We can see through the eyes of a bird, or experience the joy of a dolphin swimming along with a boat. We can feel the pain of a person who we just watched crashing into a wall. We can share thoughts with anyone, plant, animal, human or other. Why haven’t we done this already? Some have, but most are not ready for the intense feelings and emotions that accompany experiences such as these. So if you having difficulty reaching this level, do not be concerned, it takes practice and clear intent. Our consciousness is about to break free from the constraints of this world and this is what 2012 is all about, the end of the Mayan calendar (which is a calendar of consciousness evolution along a timeline).

What lays beyond the end? We will soon see! The one thing I do know is we will have Infinite Possibilities to choose from. I hope you can feel the urgency that I do, because our experience here on Earth is about over!

Does this mean we are all going to die? Of course not, unless you want it too. This means that whatever you desire is possible. We each choose our experiences and I can feel that mine is about to transform totally. I will never end, because I am energy and energy can neither be created nor destroyed!

Our bodies are changing constantly; no more permanent than a good TV show! Being born, dying, reborn, dying again, and in fact we die every night when we go to sleep and are reborn in the morning, it is only the experience of it all that changes. If someone has “died” in your life it just means that you will see them later, after you are done with your journey here. We create these experiences to feel separation, or I should the ego mind creates these experiences, because then the ego is proving itself correct. The ego mind is the window with which we view this world and experience it. Through conscious choice we can see through the “eyes” of God and leave the ego world behind.

So yes, my friends this is the ultimate answer to the question yesterday, I am conscious energy or to put that in terms we are familiar with, I am God, Infinite Intellegence, Great Spirit, (choose your deity). The answer is the same for all of us. You are God, I am God, all is God expressing in a fashion that reflects our energy at the time. So what is the ego? It is the false belief that you (we) are separate from God. Blessings on your Journey.

😉 Sequoia Elisabeth