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Five Natural Emotions

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The following article was written by Neale Donald Walsch and gracefully describes & explains the five natural emotions, Grief, Anger, Envy, Fear, and Love. Use these tools daily to attain Mastery. I suspect that you are a Master already and may not realize it, so please take these five to heart and live your life on purpose.

Grief is a natural emotion

I was taught by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross that there are Five Natural Emotions, and that these emotions are our tools — important and vital tools — to be used in the creation of our lives and the experiencing of who we really are at the highest level.

Grief is that part of you which allows you to say goodbye when you don’t want to say goodbye; to express—push out, propel—the sadness within you at the experience of any kind of loss. It could be the loss of a loved one, or the loss of a contact lens.

When you are allowed to express your grief, you get rid of it. Children who are allowed to be sad when they are feeling sad (it would surprise you to know that many children are not given this permission) feel very healthy around sadness when they are adults, and therefore usually move through their adult sadness very quickly.

Children who are told, “There, there, don’t cry,” ( or, worse yet, are asked, “What are you crying about?”, or told, “Don’t be a ‘cry baby’!”) may quite understandably have a hard time crying as adults. After all, they’ve been told all their life not to do that. So they repress their grief. And this is not a good thing to do.

Grief that is continually repressed can become chronic depression, a very unnatural emotion. This is not the same thing has grief. This is grief that has not been expressed, that is being held in. The thing about grief is that we all want to let it go. Yet the irony is that the best way to let go of grief is to express it. That is, to fully have it. And so, you let go of it by having it — which may seem counter-intuitive. Yet it is the best way to bring grief to an end.

If someone close to you is experiencing grief right now, the best gift you can give them is to let them have it. Do not try to “comfort” it away. Allow it to flow. Encourage it. Talk people into it, don’t try to talk them out of it. Speak into their grief (“This must feel awful to you right now.” “I can imagine that you must be devastated by this,” etc.), don’t try to talk all around it (“There, there…it’s going to be all right,” “He wouldn’t want you to feel this sad,” etc.)

I never did understand people who say, “Your husband, if he were here, wouldn’t want you to cry so.” Nonsense. If I die before my wife, I want her to cry. If I’m not worth a couple of good cries, what have we had here? I mean, really…

So don’t try to talk others, or yourself, out of your grief over anything. Have it. Express it fully. And that’s the way to get past it. The only way around is through, as Elisabeth used to say.

Grief, used as a tool, produces growth. We grow through grief. By watching carefully what we most deeply grieve, we come to know ourselves and what our deepest values are, as well as what we want them to be. Grief teaches us to be human, to be compassionate, to be deeply caring. It is a wonderful tool of release as well, allowing us to release negative emotions.

Feel your grief fully when you have it. Don’t try to hide it and don’t seek to sublimate it. And whatever you do, don’t try to shorten its time with you. People who tell you that “you’ve grieved long enough” are trying to make themselves more comfortable, not you. You’ve grieved “long enough” when you stop grieving. And you’ll stop grieving faster the more fully you grieve.

Okay? Got it?

How can Anger build a better life?

Anger is a natural emotion. It is simply a release of energy. It is a “letting go” of a negative charge. It is our way of saying “No, thank you.” It is very okay to be angry, and anyone who tells you that it isn’t does not understand that nature of the human condition—and how healing anger can be.

Anger is also our way of saying, “I don’t agree with that-and I am passionate about my disagreement!” It’s also our way of saying, “Stop it! Cut it out!” It’s also our way of saying, simply, “No!”

Many of us were taught as children that it is not okay to express anger. If we did we were sent to our rooms. That is a pity, because we were then caused to imagine that anger is somehow “bad,” and that we need to avoid it.

Anger is not bad. Anger is good. It is what we do with our anger that may not bring us benefit. And so, the trick is to use our anger as a tool, as a device, with which to get things done.

It is extremely helpful to acquire the skills of anger expression and anger resolution. This is not the same as controlling one’s anger, or so-called “anger management.” The idea is not the “manage” one’s anger, but to express it fully. And to do so in a way that is beneficial to oneself and others.

One way of expressing anger in a way that is beneficial to oneself and others is to tell the truth. Truth telling is powerful, and releases enormous energy if it is about something over which one is feeling anger. Yet this injunction, please: Speak your truth, but soothe your words with peace.

Shouting it out is another way to release anger-but preferably not with or at another person. Shouting in a car is one way to verbally release anger-but only at a stop sign or when the car is not moving. (If you bring up too much anger which you are actually driving, you could lose control of the vehicle.) Get a baseball bat and bang an old tire hanging from a tree (please do not bang the tree). That’s another powerful way to release negative energy.

Whatever you do, don’t hold it in. Anger that is repressed can turn to rage. Rage is not a good thing. It is not beneficial to experience rage. Rage is the eruption of anger, often in an uncontrolled way. The expression of anger in a healthy, non-threatening, non-damaging way cuts us off on the path to rage, because anger is a release of energy before it gets pent up. It takes a great deal of energy to ignite and sustain rage. What you want to do is release your negative energy before it gets to that point.

So anger is a natural emotion . Don’t become angry with yourself for experiencing and expressing anger. Rather, welcome the anger as a tool with which to let go of negative energy, and use it as such.

Envy is a Natural Emotion

Envy is a natural emotion. It is the emotion that makes a five-year-old wish he could reach the doorknob or ride that bike the way his sister can.

Envy is the natural emotion that makes you want to do it again; to try harder; to continue striving until you succeed. It is very healthy to be envious, very natural. It is the part within us that tells us there is more within us, that we can do as good as the next guy, in our own way, with our own best expression, using our own unique talents and abilities.

When children are allowed to express their envy, they bring a very healthy attitude about it to their adult years, and therefore usually move through their envy very quickly, doing something about it (such as learning how to do what they are envious of another for being able to do—or, developing another skill or ability that is more natural to them, and in which they can take pride) and therefore using envy as a springboard to accomplishment.

Virtually everybody who has been a major success in life can tell you of someone they envied when they were younger, who was doing the same or nearly the same thing. These were their role models. These were people they looked up to. That feeling of looking up to someone who is doing or being something that we would like to do or be is called envy.

Parents often misunderstand that natural feeling of envy when they see it in their children. Instead of teaching their children to play off of that energy, making use of it to produce achievement in their own lives, some parents actually tell their children to stop feeling that way; that it “isn’t nice,” that they have plenty to be grateful for and they should be satisfied with that, etc., etc.

Children who are made to feel that envy is not okay, that it is wrong to express it, they shouldn’t even experience it, will have a difficult time appropriately dealing with envy as adults–their own envy of another, or, interestingly, even another’s envy of them.

Envy that is continually repressed becomes jealousy, a very unnatural emotion. People have killed because of jealousy. Wars have started, nations have fallen.

Never, therefore, deny envy…or tell someone else to. Especially a child. Envy is quite natural, quite normal, and enormously useful when understood and managed, when used profitably and expressed as achievement.

Fear is a natural emotion

Fear is a natural emotion. It is built into us at the cellular level. All babies are born with only two fears: the fear of falling, and the fear of loud noises. These two fears are given to us as protections. They are tools, or devices, designed to keep us safe. The purpose of natural fear is to build in a bit of caution. Caution is a tool that helps keep the body alive.

Most fears are learned responses, brought to the child by its environment, taught to the child by its parents. The job of the growing human being is to learn how to translate fear into caution. Children who are made to feel that fear is not okay that it is wrong to express it, and, in fact, that they shouldn’t even experience it will have a difficult time making this translation. Likewise, children who are taught to fear everything, that they should experience it at every turn, will also have a challenging time effectively dealing with their fear as adults.

Fear that is continually repressed becomes panic, a very unnatural emotion. Fear that is over-impressed on a child will transform itself into the very same thing. Thus, as an adult that person may fly into panic mode at the slightest sign of anything unexpected.

Fear is the second most powerful of all the emotions, ranked only behind love. In truth, fear and love are the same thing. All fear is an expression of love – love of life, love of the self and love of others. If we didn’t love life, the self, or others (in other words, if we didn’t care about anyone or anything), we would be afraid of nothing. We would not even be concerned with our own survival.

Likewise, a person can be induced to love something greater than life or others. People can be taught to not fear death, or be concerned with their own survival, by simply teaching them that something greater than anything that physical life has to offer awaits them after death.

This happens, in fact, to seem true to many people much of the time. To them it seems that life in the physical can offer very little that comes close to what life after death offers. Yet this is not because life in the physical is inherently inferior, but rather, because our understanding of life in the physical is often insufficient to allow it to provide us with the joys and rewards of life in the non-physical, or spiritual, realm.

Persons who deeply understand the nature, the purpose, and the process of life in the physical can and do experience every bit as much joy, bliss, and reward when they are in their bodies as they do when they depart their bodies. Therefore, do not depart your body simply in order to experience what you believe will be more joy without it. Conversations with God teaches us that you will simply return to physicality in any event, to re-experience what you came here, joyfully, to experience. The opportunity that your life now offers is to experience it in a different way, complete with deeper understanding and all the rewards and joys of the Hereafter. Or, if you please, on Earth as it is in Heaven.

And one of the things you will more deeply understand, should you step fully into this opportunity, is fear. You will be clear that the late U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt had it exactly right when he famously said, We have nothing to fear but fear itself. You will see that the now well-known acronym for fear False Evidence Appearing Real is also true. And then, you will adopt a second acronym, knowing at last that fear is simply a word for: Feeling Excited And Ready.

Teach children, therefore, not to fear their fear, and not to be afraid of being afraid. Rather, teach them that fear is their friend, inviting them to take just a moment to see what caution advises. And then, to step into the fear and, if caution allows, to explore what lies on the other side of their fear. In other words, what would happen if they did it anyway? Or, as I like to put it in my spiritual renewal workshops, What would happen if what you fear happens? What would happen then?

Ultimately, all fear is the fear of death. And once you are no longer afraid of dying, you are no longer afraid of living. You lose your fear of death not because you don t love anyone or anything, but for exactly the opposite reason. This is the complex nature of life…and death….

For now, know that fear is a natural emotion. Translated with emotional maturity and intelligence, it becomes the caution that tells us to look both ways before crossing the street. Yet fear that does not translate into simple caution can cause us to be paralyzed on the corner, even when no cars are coming. A car, after all, might come. Something, after all, could happen. And so, we will be afraid of our own shadow, scared to venture out into life.

Teach your children, therefore, to invite fear in and then to investigate what is on the other side of it. Teach yourself the same thing. You will both discover that 95% of what you fear never happens and that 95% of the time when it does happen, nothing bad comes of it.

In fact, the master is one who knows that, actually, 100% of the time nothing bad comes of what happens. Life is always conspiring in our favor, and if we wait long enough for the result, we will see the ultimate benefit of everything.

Love is Natural

Love is a Natural Emotion. When it is allowed to be expressed, and received, by a child, normally and naturally, without limitation or condition, inhibition or embarrassment, it does not require anything more. For the joy of love expressed and received in this way is sufficient unto itself. Yet love which has been conditioned, limited, warped by rules and regulations, rituals and restrictions, controlled, manipulated, and withheld, becomes unnatural.

Children who are made to feel that their natural love is not okay–that it is wrong to express it, and that, in fact, they shouldn’t even experience it–will have a difficult time appropriately dealing with love as adults.

Love that is continually repressed becomes possessiveness, a very unnatural emotion. People have killed because of possessiveness. Wars have started, nations have fallen.

People love to be in love. Yet “love” is a big word. It is the biggest word in the language. Any language.

What is love, really? Conversations with God has a lot to say on this subject. Among other things, it says that love is a decision, not a reaction. That may be one of the most important things anyone could ever say on the subject. True love is never the result of how another person looks, behaves, or interacts with us. It is a choice to be loving no matter how that other looks, behaves or interacts with us.

This does not mean that true love requires us to stay in a relationship that is abusive. Do not confuse the words “love” and “relationship.” We are not proving that we love someone by staying in a relationship. Indeed, there are instances when we may be proving we love them by leaving. So it is not true that love demands that we accept abuse from the one that we love.

If a person is abusive to us, it is abusive to that person to allow their abuse to continue. For if we allow their abuse to continue, what do we teach them? Yet if we make it clear that the abuse in unacceptable, what then have they learned?

Of course, it is true that no one can ever really “get out” of a relationship. We are always in relationship with each other, and the only thing that changes is the form the relationship takes. You cannot end a relationship, you can only change it. So do not think in terms of ending your relationship, think in terms of changing it. You may wish to change its form, or you may wish to hold onto the form, but change its characteristics within that form.

Choosing to love someone — truly love them — is a very high act. It is the mark of a Master. Loving someone as a “reaction” is a somewhat less elevated experience. It is the mark of a student. The danger of loving someone as a reaction is that the one we love may change. In fact, it is a certainty that they will. They may gain weight, or lose it. They may alter their personality. They may change their ideas about something important to us. And if we are in love with what others bring to us in relationship, we could be headed for enormous disappointment.

So we come to the second big truth about all this: love is not about what the other brings to you, it is about what you bring to the other. Indeed, the purpose of all love relationships is to provide us with an opportunity to decide and to declare, to be and to express, to become and to fulfill, Who We Really Are.

This is perhaps another way of restating the first truth, because Who We Really Are is a choice, not a response. It is a decision, not a reaction – although it is true that most people think it is the other way around.

When I talk to young people about love, I tell them that there are two questions having to do with life and relationship that everyone would benefit from asking.

1. Where am I going?

2. Who is going with me?

It is important to ask these in the right order. Many people switch them around — and suffer for it the rest of their lives. First they ask, who is going with me in my life? Then they ask, where am I going? Often, the choice of destination is conditioned and compromised by the choice of companion. This can make for a very rough journey.

I remember how at one of our spiritual renewal retreats one young woman in her twenties asked sadly, “What does it feel like to be in love?” I told her I could not answer for anyone else, but I know what it feels like to me. It feels like there is only one of us in the room.

When I am with my beloved other, Em, it feels as if there is no place where “I” end and “she” begins. When I look into Em’s eyes, it is like looking into my own. When I sense that Em is sad, it is as if the sadness pierces my own heart. When she smiles, the heart of me smiles with her — as her. I wish I could feel this way about everyone. That is what I am working toward. I am feeling it with more and more people very day.

A Course in Miracles says, “No special relationships.” In other words, no one person should be more special to us than another. That is how God experiences love. There is no condition, and no one is more special than another.

It is difficult for most people to understand that. How can God love us all equally, the “good” and the “bad” alike? It is because God does not see any of us as “good” or “bad.” We are all perfect in God’s eyes, no matter how we are behaving. Human beings have a long way to go before they can claim that. Most of us place condition after condition on our love, and we are very fast to withdraw it when those conditions are not met.

So the third great truth about love is that it knows no conditions. There is no such thing as “I love you IF…” in God’s world.

The fourth great truth about love is that it knows no limitations. Love is freedom, experienced; total and absolute freedom, and so one who loves another never seeks to restrict or limit that other in any way. This is a tough one for many people. For many, love translates, roughly, into “ownership.” Not that this is ever expressed, of course. It is simply felt. It is a felt sense of “you’re mine.” Of course, in true love nothing could be further from the truth. And in true love, such ideas or thoughts are never part of the paradigm. No one owns anyone, and no one acts as if they do.

This has major implications, as one might imagine. So now I am going to list the fifth, and perhaps the most “controversial,” truth about love that I know.

Love never says no. Not to persons of equal maturity and intelligence. (We are not talking about children here. Let’s limit this discussion to adults.)

No matter what the request of the beloved, love says yes. This does not mean that personal opinions are not expressed, nor personal preferences announced. But, in the end, a request from the beloved is never denied.

Again, that is difficult for many people to grapple with. Yet this is the way that God loves. I am fond of saying in my lectures and retreats that God has only one word in Her vocabulary. God always says yes. No matter what you want, no matter what you choose, He never says no.

This idea can be reduced to two-words: God allows.

Since Conversations with God teaches that the words “God” and “love” are interchangeable, you could then say, “love allows.”

In the end, that is what love does. Love allows. It never restricts, it never limits, it never stops, it only allows. In true love relationships, you get to have what you want.

The sixth truth about love is that it always renews itself. It never runs out.

As a regular ritual in our marriage, Em and I exchange our wedding vows every year on our anniversary. We have a whole wedding ceremony, with a minister, invited guests, the dinner and cake…the whole nine yards. Now some of our married friends have told us that they love this idea and that they are now doing it on their anniversary! ;o)

It’s so rewarding when we see something like that happen! It’s as if Love Itself has multiplied Itself, with us as the instrument. And you, too, can be, equally, an instrument of Love’s Multiplication. With every thought you think, with every word you speak, with every action you take.

Love is a natural emotion. When we are allowed to express it fully in every day in every way, we come alive, through the direct experience of Who We Really Are.

Article by Neale Donald Walsch

Sequoia Elisabeth (article originally posted December 2015)

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Forgiveness

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Here is what Forgiveness means to me now that I have been studying metaphysics, New Thought, and A Course in Miracles. The concept has always perplexed me as has Love, but that is a topic for another day, or perhaps my eBook ‘Livin’ Large’.

No one needs to be forgiven, because they have not done anything. This whole idea of doing is simply a distraction given us by the ego mind. The loud not so small voice in our minds. Now don’t get me wrong, the ego serves a purpose as does all things. The ego is the matrix thru which we experience this world. Think of it as a 4D virtual reality helmet we cannot take off. The only way out is through, as the saying goes. The way out is to choose Holy Spirit, Jesus (the I am), or Source. Yes, there is a higher power, however the ego mind has co-oped the idea and thus many are led astray. No worries however, because all roads lead home and by home I mean the One source. God is another misunderstood word, so I will refrain using it when possible.

Getting back to why no one needs be forgiven is simply because there is only One, one source, one God, and one Mind (the ego mind is illusory). See, the thing is we get sucked into believing the ego world around us is reality. It’s not. Dreams are within the larger ego dream and we are on a path to {being}, Out of our Minds. This road requires only one choice, Ego or Holy Spirit. This is where Forgiveness comes in as the ego mind loves giving us the feeling of guilt. Think of guilt as a side trip in which one must buy a ticket to get there. Don’t buy the ticket! Guilt serves its purpose, the ego’s purpose (Distraction), so let’s move on.

The trick to forgiveness is Non-Judgment and knowing the Truth. The reason the bible says to ‘judge not, lest ye be judged’, seems self evident to me. As you see the other, you see yourself. Remember we are all One. To judge another is to judge yourself. To forgive another is to forgive yourself, not because you have done wrong, but because you haven’t! Are you getting this?

Do you enjoy watching murder mysteries? The Ego loves them! As to die is to prove the existence of something which does not exist. No one ever dies! Not really, death exists only in the ego mind. When you see death or even experience it, you know your in the Ego zone. Forgive.

For perhaps a better explanation of this read Eckhart Tolle’s book “A New Earth” which is inspired by A course in Miracles. Better yet dive into A Course in Miracles and don’t look back.

Sequoia Elisabeth

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Reality

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Our lives are not our own. The forces which guide our path are beyond our knowledge and yet still knowable. One of the purposes of this life is to see deeper and to “know thyself”. This takes intention along with persistent observation and study. The difficult part, at least for me, is seeing beyond the surface clutter. The daily routines and beliefs we all share are what blind us. Belief is not seeing. What we see simply shows us what our beliefs are and it is up to us to see beyond. Skepticism and denial are tools for detaching from the clutter of ‘reality’ which allow Reality to be known.

“All that we see or seem, is but a dream within a dream.” E.A. Poe

Whom are we to love? Why everyone and all of it, of course, for this is what we are. It does no one a favor to act small or shrink away from Reality by using ‘reality’ as cover. Be you… and I will be me. Oneness eludes us most of the time, yet on occasion when we least expect it we are enveloped in it. The wonderful experience to be it. Of Knowing it. Of being it. There is no ‘better’ experience in the world. How can we revert to living our small insignificant lives after this? For me the answer is simply, we cannot. We can however choose to share. To be the example for other self (others). What you show the world matters not on the surface, yet our choices not only guide our path but the all. Or is it the other way around? See, I often get confused as to whether I am coming or going. Forgive me.

Getting back to love, please do not be deluded into thinking you are a body who “loves” other bodies. Sex is part of the dream, it is the candy wrapper with only residual sweetness. In my book, Sex and Sexuality I get into the purpose of sex. I will sum it up for you here, sex is just one of the many distractions the dream world offers up. Both pain and pleasure are of the dream within a dream. Tools of averting our attention to what really matters, Reality, that which is Eternal. It’s simple to see the difference, I describe it in my book Livin’ Large in the last chapter, Love is – a Poem.

So, this blog has not gone where I thought it would, though it has taken us where we need to be. It reminds us to focus on what is important. Love. Not the love of our small selves, but of Reality. Most of the time we see it unexpectedly. It happens when we are ready for it and when we are not! Life unfolds as it should, so be happy… no, be Joyful! Happiness comes with sadness, as they are different sides of a coin. Joy exists always in every situation. Joy is Reality. The choice is whether we see it or not. Allow the Reality of Joy, Peace, and Love (Agape) to show you the way home.

Sequoia Elisabeth

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What does it mean to be Gay

by Sequoia Elisabeth

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

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

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

Sequoia Elisabeth

OnenessMinistry.info

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Sequoia’s Philosophy for Living

by Sequoia Elisabeth

This is the basis I used to write my eBook, Livin’ Large. It was written way back in 2007, before my transition, the year I was ordained. The free eBook is available on this website.

What you focus on grows

Or in science language – an object in motion tends to stay in motion. The more you move in a certain direction the harder it is to change that direction or the more energy it takes to change. Remember thoughts are things!

Mind your own business

Your business is your life and affairs, stay positive about this and all will improve. When you help another, you help yourself, because we are all one. One Life, One Mind, One Love

Like attracts Like

Life is a mirror of your thoughts about who you believe you are. It is a reflection of your beliefs, so you will attract like you think. Positive feelings attract positive experiences.

Everything happens for a reason

The reason is you held this thought for whatever purpose. Often, we are not even aware of our thoughts. Awareness is the door to growth and enlightenment. Know that we are protected in ways we cannot even imagine and a foundational belief in Goodness is apparent wherever we look.

I am Ready

Yes is the attitude that brings your desires. Often when presented with an opportunity we reflex respond with no – thinking this will protect us, but from what? Be patient, know that you are ready for anything that my come your way. YOU CREATED IT.

What you say is True

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 makes it TRUE to you. This is a personal experience, so mind your own business and observe the Truth all around you. Hold your dreams close and focus on that which you desire not that which you don’t. If a thought comes to you and you disagree, kick it out! And be mindful of your actions.

Everything you say is a prayer

Going along with the above, when you say it, you are expressing your thoughts and putting focus on it, moving it closer to reality or fixing it there. Express your truest desires not your fears. Share your dreams, so that they may be true.

Heaven is a state of mind

Our thoughts create our world, so why not think of your life as heaven. What would heaven be like? How would the experience feel? How would it appear? Once you realize that you have a choice to see heaven or hell, it is easy to make that choice.

Peace is always present, though not always apparent

We live in a world that seems discordant and fearful sometimes, however everything exists all the time, it is just where we focus our attention. Have you ever been watching a movie and had a blissful time only to emerge from the theatre to realize something awful happened right next door? You know what I mean. I hear stories of how awful something is all the time and then I go, and it is wonderful. How can this be? What do you believe? What are you focused on?

Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it simply changes form.

Energy makes up the universe and everything within it. What this means is nothing is ever lost, and everything is. The experience of a waterfall is just that, an experience. Each of us experiences it differently and it is there until it is not, when it changes form to be whatever it becomes. The butterfly is often used for this analogy. This is also what is meant when it is said that we never do die. We simply change form. The body is energy and the deeper or smaller we go we realize that everything is energy! We give this energy a name – Love, God, Ether…. I am that I am.

Love is the Answer

See love everywhere you go, in everything you do, and in everything you say. If perhaps this doesn’t happen every time, forgive yourself and others and move on. What you focus on will grow!

Sequoia Elisabeth

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Motivations and Identity

by Sequoia Elisabeth

What motivates you? And Why? Today, I would like to look into motives for our actions and the root cause behind our choices. If you are a student of ACIM (A Course in Miracles) you will know what I am going to refer to because our fear of God or more accurately fear of being separate from God motivates all our actions. The key motivator I wish to look at more closely is the opposite of fear.

Love and our desire for it sits behind all our actions. Who we choose as friends, who we are nice to, who we suck up to, etc. is all based in our desire for love. Let’s face it, we all wish to be loved! And to have the opportunity to share love. The path here gets foggy, because ego love is very different from Agape Love or God’s Love which we really desire. So what is it we really desire? We desire ourselves! We feel separated… from everything and we seek connection to the essence of self. I am the love I seek!

Moving on to identity, how does this relate to our desire for love? As I have said many times and as many religions teach, God is all there is. So as I understand God, God is Love, Peace, and Joy. Meaning that what we really seek is Love, Peace, or Joy. I think of these 3 words as being the same with slightly different definitions. Hebrew teaches 4 words for love and Greek has 6. So, defining love depends on the context and intent. For me these days, I focus on the Only Love that matters Agape, God’s Unconditional Love or simply, Unconditional Love. The other types help with defining relationships in human contact, but that is all. When a person says, “I love you”, what do they really mean? Who is it they love? If we are all One, then they are saying they love themselves. To love you is to love myself! However, only loving myself is narcissistic. So, in order to truly love, we must have others (other self). This is the very reason for relationships!

If you look deep into your motivations I think you will find love at the source. Yes, fear may be on the surface and even covering the core, hiding the reality of love, but love is there if you look for it. When we look out into the world whatever it is we see we attempt to relate to it, if we can relate we “like” it and if we can’t then we “don’t like” it. It is a case of I am that or I am Not that. We vacillate through phases of identifying with things and not depending on the feedback, almost like a single cell organism reacts to pain or pleasure. I believe our long term relationships last because it is easy for us to identify with the person we have chosen as our partner. Same goes for family relationships, though we are more forgiving with family because of perception of blood ties. Or not, LOL. Because we feel close to family we will be harder on the relationship, expecting more from them. Still our motivation is Love. I find it easy to love my family and at the same time difficult to look deeply at them for it is looking deeply within myself.

In conclusion, be aware of your actions without any judgment. Projection makes perception, so know the world you see is of your own making and forgive! This forgiveness is not because it is real, only for the believing it is. We are forgiving ourselves for our part in the game. Knowing the person sitting across from you is your reflection can be sobering and inspiring. Loving them through thought is all that is required. Nothing need be said and in fact it is better not to say anything. The less said the better, as the saying goes. This process is allowing that which is holy to flow through you and be reflected. If your perception is otherwise, just know you can choose again. Stop, look, and listen. Love!

Sequoia Elisabeth

OnenessMinistry.info

Gender Related Transitions

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Transphobia

by Sequoia Elisabeth

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

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

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

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

Sequoia Elisabeth

OnenessMinistry.info

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The Art of Appreciation revisited

by Sequoia Elisabeth

This blog is a reprint from 2011 and is part of the Love Based Economy series and really gets to the core of how it all works. The best way to explore the expansive Transitions Blog (over 495 posts) is to use the category section lower right of the home page. It is also possible to search using keywords. It could be said that Appreciation is the most important aspect of the Love Based Economy. Love it and it will Love you back. It really is that simple.

They way this works is to replace the word it with anything and everything in your life/economy. Like this – Love your enemy and your enemy will Love you back. Or Love a dog and it will love you back. Love broccoli and it will Love you back. Love your wife and she will Love you back. Love your home and it will Love you back. This works with anything that you insert, and the point is to insert it all!

The logical question is how does it work? I love my wife but she does not love me back. The answer is again very simple, but not necessarily easy. If you are Loving something or someone and you are not experiencing the Love in return it means that you are not coming from Spiritual Love, but maybe ego love. Spiritual Love is that which makes up your soul, it is your core, it is unlimited, unconditional, and un-attachable. You cannot lose it – only give it way, you cannot limit it – only yourself, you cannot run out of it, ever! The ego version of love is the opposite of this. The remedy is to Love “it, them” some more!

So now you know what Love is, the goal is to share it or give it away, for when you do this you will have more! Like a basket of yarn that never ends, the more you pull from your soul the more you have! Since you have more than you need, you might as well give some away.

Going back to the key phrase, Love it and it will Love you back, the way to make it all work is to apply it consciously. The method of Love is to simply focus your attention on it. Invest yourself in it. For example, Love your dog and your dog will Love you back. Put your attention on your dog, give of your time, effort, and things that add value. Since appreciation is the act of adding value. The very word means increasing value! So to Love something or someone, appreciate them, make them valuable!

There are million+ ways to Love and objects to Love. In fact the options are endless. You have no doubt spent most of your life learning what is not Love. This is what this (ego) world is all about. The ego world is self centered, artificially created, and important to no one except you. Without Love, this world is meaningless! Without you, it is meaningless. Because you are the very Love you give! You are what is important, not in a self centered way, but as a vehicle of Spiritual Love! We each share this potential and the more we realize it the greater its value.

😉 Sequoia Elisabeth

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Discrimination and American Values

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The United States of America has traditionally been mostly Christian or some variant. Though the beauty of our country is we respect all beliefs and our constitution protects our right to believe what we Will (as in power, not action). These rights go both ways though. While we have the right to our beliefs we do not have the right to force them on others. Discrimination is a sticky pickle for a very simple reason. A very basic spiritual principle that every religion teaches says “Do onto others as you would have them do on to you”. Another way to say this is “What you do to another, you do to yourself” or “What you give you receive”.

Let’s apply this to discrimination. If a person tells another don’t judge me, then they have to practice this as well if they expect the other person to comply. If someone refuses to socialize with what they perceive to be the “other” or “those who are not like them” then they are giving this “other” the right to do so also. In effect this person is creating separation, not only from the “other” but from themselves as well! By being afraid to socialize with this “other” they perpetuate the very thing they are afraid of.

In a Course in Miracles Jesus teaches us to see beyond appearances, to find the divine in everyone and in everything, not because it is really there, not because there is a separate objective reality, but because there is NOT. Everything we experience is a projection from our own mind and is intended to awaken us from our dreams of dying, from being separate. This is Unity, Oneness, Truth. So when confronted with hateful, discriminating, mean other self, know that it is your own self reflected back and forgive. Just knowing how all this works makes it so much easier to be kind, thoughtful, and loving. Everything/everyone you encounter is either a statement of Love or a cry for Love. You get to choose where you look and what you see. It’s easy if you allow it to be. Resistance is Futile, LOL. Persistence pays.

Jesus teaches that a Miracle is simply choosing Love over fear. Every day we experience miracles without even knowing it. Now you know what a Miracle life is. This is what our founding fathers intended to protect. If we take an other’s right to discriminate away then we are trapping ourselves. (Not to mention violating free will!) Let them hate you, this gives you the opportunity to forgive them and in doing so forgive yourself. It may seem counter intuitive, but it works. I have tested it. Another thing Jesus teaches us is to turn the other cheek. If someone strikes you, offer the other cheek also. I tested this and was amazed by the result. Fear disappeared and Love is all that remained.

Sequoia Elisabeth

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Faith Leads The Way

by Sequoia Elisabeth

I started to write a blog about Faith and discovered I already had, LOL. The point here is we all have more faith than we realize. Perhaps my goals is to be devoted to Faith. Not just any faith, but one that sustains us, a faith that uplifts and delivers us upon the gates of Truth. May Infinite Intelligence fill your beingness to overflowing. We are the Love we seek.

What is it to live without faith? Could you be living a faithful life without even knowing it? I believe most people are living in faith whether they consciously choose to or not. Over 90% of people believe in a higher power according to a recent Gallup poll so this easily translates to faithful living.

So just what is Faith? According to Dictionary.com it means:

1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another’s ability.

2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.

4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.

Number 3 means over 90% of the people have Faith! Number 4 is really general and would apply to ~99% of people as we all believe in something! (Atheism and Science are beliefs) So the proof is mounting, but then number 2 indicates we need no proof to have faith. Whatever you believe is true! For those who have been around a while having confidence or trust in another person is bound to have occurred at some point in your life and if you are a Spiritual person it is most likely a daily practice. The religious belief category is the only one which may not apply to the majority of people, although most have been there at one point or another in their lives. So you can see Faith is a part of everyone’s of life.

Making it a conscious part of your life simply takes the commitment to be aware of your practices. Practicing faith consciously is something we can all do easily. First of all look within to find your beliefs, principles, and morals. As you define them just be observant of your life – your words, behavior, and thoughts. How are they aligned with these beliefs? The more conscious you become the easier it is to align with the Faith you already have. Practice makes perfect is applicable here, however as your journey continues this becomes perfection is always present, now and forever. Faith is instinctual to one who has chosen it. Perfection resides in all things, places, and people the journey makes this perfectly clear!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

“As you start to walk out on the way, the way appears.” Rumi

Gender Related Spirituality

Pride Meaning 2017

by Sequoia Elisabeth

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings on your Journey of Love!

Sequoia Elisabeth

https://transness.org/ https://onenessministry.info/

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Meaning of Marriage

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Marriage is between a man and woman, specifically, the social institution under which a man and woman establish their decision to live as husband and wife by legal commitments, religious ceremonies, etc. (Dictionary.com) Here is another definition of marriage I found in a blog, “”True Meaning of Marriage” The true meaning of marriage is love. By love, I mean not just what we feel but what we do. Love just as a feeling is very flimsy, an up and down roller coaster. Love is an action! In order for it to become the ultimate force and for us to rediscover the true meaning of marriage, love has to be unconditional. You are not looking for acceptance or validation. You are giving of yourself to another not because of them, but because of your values. A death to ones self so that another may live and benefit from your sacrifice. This is not an easy road to walk. But it is the most rewarding road however. An old Buddhist saying goes like this, ‘I want peace.’ If you take your ego (I) and your desires (want) out of the equation, i.e., the self, you will have only peace left. The true meaning of marriage is expressing love unconditionally to another. It is an unstoppable force that can endure anything. How do you find it? Within yourself. You have to draw strength from you. Neither seeking validation nor acceptance, just seeking the opportunity to show love.” (TalkAboutMarriage.com)

Here is another quote which exposes the issue of marriage nicely, “The meaning of marriage can be looked at from a legal perspective. Legally, marriage is a binding contract between the two parties that joins together their possessions, income, and lives. Marriage is recognized by the state, and the dissolving of the contract can only happen through the legal process of divorce.

But, for most people, marriage has meaning beyond the legal sense. Marriage is also an agreement between the man and woman. Husband and wife take certain vows, to love one another, to cherish one another, and to stay together through sickness and health, for better and for worse. In most cases, this agreement includes sexual faithfulness, and a promise that each person will do what they can to make the other one happy. For some people, this agreement between man and woman takes the form of a covenant between not only the couple, but God as well. Thus, many marriages are performed within the rites of various churches and religious institutions.

The meaning of marriage should be looked at from a sociological perspective as well. A marriage is the conduit by which children are born; a marriage provides both a mother and a father for the children. The family unit, the relationship between parents and child, are all based on the marriage relationship.” (laboroflove.com)

Now let’s break this down and apply it to the current debate over same-sex marriage. The first thing to notice is marriage is between a man and woman, not necessarily a male and female, although there are arguments about having children. It is also monogamous, supporting, and legal. Marriage is a social construct created by man for mankind. Religious institutions use it to control their congregation and impose their ideology. The Government further supports this manipulation by imposing financial benefits and legal constrictions on the nuptials.

There is a saying which applies to marriage nicely, ‘two heads are better than one’. Partnership just makes sense in surviving and thriving, so the question becomes how important is Love to the equation? Having been married twice and divorced twice I would say it is imperative! I will further posit that same sex marriages have one partner in the man role and one in the woman role by nature. It is possible the roles flip from time to time and that even happens in hetero marriages. Also, the financial aspects of marriage are of great importance being the leading cause of divorce. Marriage these days is often simply about security and insurance against loneliness. For the same-sex community it is about being accepted by society and feeling loved by their peers. It is just another way to fit in and this goes for all marriages, gay or not!

Ideally, I would say the “true meaning of marriage” is Love, a selfless unconditional love. Let us pray this remains the primary reason to marry and to stay together. We can also acknowledge the facts that marriage is about financial, physical, and emotional support between two individuals of consenting age (now 18). Equality is about everyone, having the right to equal benefits, and opportunities. The whole Same-Sex marriage movement could be reduced to the right to file taxes as married, share insurance, and make legal decisions with/for your spouse. Take money out of society and this entire issue dissolves and marriage will return to its original purpose of sharing love, but this is another story, the many benefits of a moneyless gifting economy.

Love needs no legal document or government/religious approval. Love is boundless until we put up walls. We put them there so we can also take them down. There is no greater and important principle to preserve in our world than Free Will. It is our inalienable right to make our own decisions, to love whom we choose, and to experience the gifts this produces. Do we really even need marriage at all? Why put limits on who you Love, who you live with and who has your children (who’s children you have), especially if you are not going to honor your vows over your entire life? Certain Truths hold themselves to be self-evident. The only true relationship you have is with Divine Source (God). This larger relationship expresses through the smaller ones with the people in your life, your relationship to mother earth, and to yourself.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

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Have Faith

by Sequoia Elisabeth

FAITH is one of those clear cut things which is either turned on or not. The more you use it the stronger it becomes. It is sort of like a muscle in this respect. You may have heard the cliché about Love and the heart being a muscle, the more you use it the stronger and better you become at Love. Well Faith falls in the same category.

Like Love you cannot lose Faith, you simply fail to use it. It comes with the package! Whether you use it or not is up to you. Take breathing for instance. You breathe whether you think about it or not and even if you try to hold your breath eventually you will breath. Faith is like this too. When you least expect it, it shows up in your life!

So just what is Faith? Dictionary.com describes it as “confidence or trust in a person or thing, belief that is not based on proof.” Faith is metaphysical and exists like a piece of fabric interwoven throughout all existence. The best way to prove it to yourself is through getting in touch with your feelings. Have you ever just known something would happen and it did? That feeling of knowing is Faith. Have Faith in your knowing!

Faith can be as simple as knowing the sun will rise in the morning or as complex as knowing your sister will be there for you when you need her. When others are mixed into the equation things get complicated, but this does not mean they are less clear. Let’s just say there is more room for doubt. So how does one practice Faith?

It is as simple as breathing. Make the choice consciously to have Faith. Ask the Great Spirit to help you in this quest and stay alert to the miracles which occur every day. Faith is built by awareness. You may have more Faith than you realize!

First and foremost have Faith that all is well. Write down a list of things you have Faith in and focus on the Truth of it all. The sun rose this morning, I am still breathing, I have clothes on my back and clean water to drink…build from there. Faith is a gift you can give away!

Have Faith in your fellow man; trust them to keep their word, to be honest in their actions, and to be there for you when you need them. Practicing this yourself will guarantee results because what you give, you receive.

Any Spiritual practice takes time and effort, and with some conscious work Faith will be as automatic as breathing!

Sequoia Elisabeth 🙂

Giving Is Receiving

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Living is a dynamic process and it is easy to get caught up in daily dramas and just staying busy. Transitions Blog is here to offer coping techniques in turbulent times. Attitude and personal cosmology largely attribute to your experiences in life.

A “Polly Anna” does not necessarily have fewer problems than everyone else they just enjoy them more! Since life is about Joy and not struggle this seems like a good approach. Often though it is our family that teaches an approach which we adopt without even thinking about it. Once we realize that life is a choice we can begin choosing differently, or not.

Another aspect to life is that it has no meaning. Many people search their whole life trying to find something that does not exist! I tell you this not to depress you but to offer an alternative. By the way, it is the ego mind’s purpose to control your life by sending you on wild goose chases, so now that you know better, choose again!

Meaning is assigned by you! It is your duty to decide what has meaning in your life and act appropriately. Many Spiritual leaders have gone before us and offered their answer to this dilemma which I am sharing here today. Mother Teresa is famous for her work with the poor and infirm, Gandhi for his contributions of Peace to his people, and Martin Luther King for his demands for Equal Rights. Each of these leaders chose what was important to them and shared this with others. The binding theme here is caring for someone besides yourself. It does not have to be a whole country or even a whole community. It can be a family or even one person.

The greatest gift of being in a loving relationship is the opportunity to care for someone other than yourself. When you have children this purpose grows. Life is no longer about you, it becomes about them and you have a reason to live!

Having a family or even a partner is not required. Loving another human being is a gift that anyone can give. (This does not mean the other person must accept your love, by the way, so give to everyone.) It does not require money, health, or good looks. All that is required is making the choice and following through. There is no limit on how many people you can love as Gandhi, et al showed us. Do what feels right to you!

You will discover that depression, anxiety, and many other ailments disappear when you have a purpose greater than you to focus on. Of course you know that in order to be most effective you must face your personal issues along the way. Take care of you and then take care of others. This is not an excuse but it is an important consideration. Give what you need! If you are having health issues, help others in the process of healing yourself. If you have money problems then help others with their issues by volunteering with a charity. What you give, you receive!!

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

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The Human Gift

by Sequoia Elisabeth

We all have certain ‘gifts’ which we are born with. They have been developed over many lifetimes. Each time you learn a lesson or develop a skill it becomes a part of you. (You are what you eat) It is sort of like picking a fruit from the Garden of Eden and this fruit is not forbidden. In fact it is waiting on the vine just for you! Some would call this destiny, others opportunity. Whatever you call it, a gift is a gift!

Imagine yourself in a big dark forest. You look around and see a path so you start walking. Along the way you see other paths. You get confused, and wonder which one is the right one? But then you remember, God is infinite intelligence and you trust the path before you was placed there for a reason. The most illuminated path is the one to enlightenment! So off you go on your Journey of Love…

Life is so simple. The easy part is up to you. Most important is believing in yourself and having faith in Divine Guidance. It is a human gift to have this direct connection to Divine Source! We are conscious of it and thus make the aware decision to follow the path to enlightenment. Along the way we realize enlightenment is our divine birthright of which we were born. Yes, you are enlightened and as you become aware of this gift, the light gets brighter and brighter; the path clearer and more rewarding.

Humanity is a gift unto itself! Society has many tools for exploring this gift. The one most of us enjoy is story telling. The movies and TV make this process very compelling, because you can experience another’s journey indirectly and learn about yourself in the process. The moral shared most often in these stories is the most profound lesson of them all. “Love is the most powerful force in the Universe.” We have heard this so many times that many forget its importance. Love is who we are, not what we seek! Did you get that? Once again, You are Love, expressing!! What greater gift to humanity could there possibly be?

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

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Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Looking for Love in all the wrong places! While that makes a good song, it does not have to be your mantra. Yet, I find many who are doing precisely that. They look for love in other counties, other states, or other places than right where they are. They might as well stop looking. Love does not work this way.

Love is found within your very own heart! It is not outside you and certainly not across the ocean, although you may have to cross an ocean of emotion to find Love. The journey of love begins by looking in the mirror; see the person looking back at you. Introduce yourself, and look into their eyes. Feel the feeling, whatever it may be. Sit with it for a while. Vow to take care of this person staring back at you. Tell them you Love them. Search deep down for this Joyful, light, and wondrous feeling of Love. It probably will not show itself right away. So this exercise becomes a daily event!

The next step is to go about your business of living life. Stop Looking for Love! Instead, let Love find you. As you are living and doing the things you enjoy, life will lead you to the Love you seek. It will be a sustainable Love, one you can live with because that is precisely what you are doing!

The practice of looking into the mirror may be uncomfortable or even scary at first, but after a while you will come to Love this person and this very act will be giving others permission to do the same.

There will be mis-steps and let downs along the way. This is life! Just keep moving forward and focus on living a Joyous life. Be generous with your Joy, share it with everyone! As you do this people are drawn to you. Now listen to your heart and it will let you know when the right person comes along.

Knowing what you desire in a partner is vital to the process. Look deep within your heart and ask “Who am I?” “What am I looking for in a relationship?” “How can I best express my Love?” The answers will bring your desires to life.

Love has only the limits you place upon it. Love is like a fill in the blank quiz, and you hold all the answers ♥

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

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How to Handle Rejection from Family Members

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Today’s blog is a sharing from another blog I recently read. This subject touches me deeply and from chats with readers I feel this message will touch you as well. The topic is “How to Handle Rejection from Family Members”. We are all family – Love is the answer!

“The Voice for Love: “Precious One, please know firstly that consciously choosing to extend love to anyone or anything is always helpful, even if you cannot see the effects. There is more to your experience than meets the eye. So we thank you and encourage you to continue in your quest to extend love to others, even those who do not seem to want or accept your love.

“We would like to challenge you further, for in your quest to extend love you are now seeking a deeper level of understanding and a deeper experience. You have extended love to the persons about whom you are asking; now extend love to the very behaviors they are expressing. Those behaviors are expressions of fear, doubt, guilt, and pain. Although tempting to take their rejection personally you need not take them as personal attacks, though they are presented that way. You may also see these behaviors and expressions as separate from the person expressing them. See the person as innocent but fearful, and all these painful expressions as mere defenses, put up to avoid further pain.

“Extending love to negative behaviors may seem counter-intuitive or counterproductive, as though to do so means you approve of these things. Yet Love is not approval, but Love is acceptance of What Is. Love is knowing that you are both safe and free at all times. Love does not fear anything nor react to perceived attacks. Love is not defensive or resistant or afraid. Love allows others to be as they are, where they are, and loving them even when pushed away. Love allows the pushing away. Love is at peace and loves anyway.

“It is possible to extend love from afar, to hold these dear ones in your heart despite their rejection of you. They are asking for their freedom – give it them. To be embroiled in conflict, to push or force or argue, this is not what Love would do. Love says, ‘Yes, you may be that way.’ Loves gives to all their freedom and loves anyway. Step back, dear one, from the pain of this situation. You need not fix it, solve it, or sort it out. Extend love to the situation exactly as it is – that is, extend patience; extend freedom; extend allowance; extend compassion. These are all facets of the great diamond of love that you hold. Love can be extended in infinite ways, so do not underestimate its power.

“Remember that what is resisted grows stronger; it must, to prove itself. Therefore, do not resist the painful behaviors of your loved ones. Accept, allow, extend love to all that is happening without resistance or fear. Love is a healing balm and is not limited by time or space. You do not have to convince these dear ones in your life to accept love. Only you can accept love, know love, choose love, and extend love for yourself. Each one must make this choice when they are ready. Love would never force itself on another who is not ready to receive it. Trust that all will come to the glory of Love in their own perfect time; that is what the journey of life is for.

“Rest, dear one, from your efforts. Extend love to yourself as well as others. Be at peace and trust that God knows the way into each and every heart.”” (http://www.thevoiceforlove.com/community/handle-rejection-from-family/, 2012)

Please know that I Love You! Even and especially my birth family who has had difficulty accepting my transgender journey, know that we are separate, yet ONE!

😀 Sequoia Elisabeth

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Sequoia’s Wisdom

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The future does indeed look bright! On this Spring Equinox the skies are blue and the temps warming. The world is awakening to the situation we have created and perpetuate daily without a conscious thought. As the veils are removed it becomes clearer and clearer the predicament the earth faces – duality. My life has transformed an amazing amount over the years and I would like to share a few things I have learned.

Good always wins, not because it is better than evil, but because evil does not exist! Evil is simply good turned upside down or inside out. Reverse the word and you get, Live – what more need be said?

Love is the only force in the Universe and it is expanding. Ever since the big bang the Universe has been expanding and it will continue doing so, maybe forever. As far as we all are concerned it is forever. The illusion that we are not loved or even hated is the greatest challenge we face. It matters not what you “do” but what you think/believe for this is your “reality”. My favorite quote on this topic says it all, “A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror.” Ken Keyes

Each person has a purpose or destiny to fulfill. Life can be thought of as a school, but I prefer to think of it as a playground. You can play till your heart’s content but in the end you will fulfill your destiny or do it all over again. It is best to face the issues that arise head on and not mess around. I took 30 years to face my issues and they are screaming louder than ever! In the end there is no winning or losing, just awareness or learning your lessons. This also goes for right or wrong, they do not exist except in your mind and the more you hold on to them the more difficult your life becomes.

The most important lesson we all must learn is how to love. It is as simple as being yourself and as elusive as the Holy Grail! It is a personal journey and thus my phrase, “Journey of Love”. All roads lead back to God, so you cannot go “wrong” (remember that does not exist), however you can take the scenic route! Hopefully you are enjoying the trip. If not then I would recommend choosing a different route. I write extensively on love because this has been my personal journey. I just recently really embraced the fact that love begins at home and until I learn to love myself – my body, my thoughts, my soul, love cannot exist in any other form. It is like peeling the layers off an onion, the deeper you go the less you have to worry about and the more “reality” you discover. If I ever reach the center, I have a feeling you will know.

It is time for me to dive a little deeper and address gender identity and sexual orientation, so thanks for reading this far. The rest will be posted tomorrow.

🙂 Sequoia Elisabeth

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Extra-Terrestrial Love

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Aliens are not strange creatures from a foreign land, but the feeling of disconnection and separation from life itself. They are an Illusion! The mind is a powerful image projector or reality creator and I have no doubt that eventually the human race will conger up Extra-Terrestrial visitors. If you search the internet and watch TV the examples are bountiful.

In the movie “Matrix”, Morpheus asks the question, “What is Real?” and then goes on to explain that it is purely a matter of perception by the mind, processed by the brain. Certain energy frequencies steer the mind in certain directions. Fear or the vibrational frequency = to fear will produce scary and destructive experiences. This is what is called separation mentality.

Love on the other hand or the vibrational frequency = to Love produces pleasant, creative, and constructive experiences. This is referred to as Unity mentality. It is important to understand that fear serves a purpose and is not all bad. The beauty of life is the Holy Spirit takes what it gets and makes the most of it. Fear can be transformed to the constructive. If you would like to know more about Love and Fear please read the free eBooks available on Unity in Gender Diversity website.

Getting back to the point, we all desire Love! In this illusion of separation from Love the mind often goes running about flinging open doors in a desperate search that leads nowhere. This is the ego mind at work. The ego leads you on a wild goose chase but will never let you attain your goal, because it is the aspect of you that really is separate from God. Ego is the illusion of separation. The Truth is God is all there is and any sense of separation from God is the devils work (ego mind). Since God makes up your very being, separation is not possible!

We are attracted to the image of extra-terrestrials because we desire to belong somewhere!! We want to be Loved, so we create something to Love. Almost all of your life is created for the purpose of Loving, being Loved, observing Love, or sharing Love. All else separates you from Love, and the ego mind is working constantly to de-rail your experience of Love. It creates false love in many forms; ETs are simply one of them.

Remember the beauty of Love is Holy Spirit corrects these misperceptions and keeps us on track as long as we stay open to the guidance. This guidance comes in a myriad of forms, movies, TV, books, advertisements, advice from a friend, etc., the important thing to keep in mind is that Love is unconditional, uplifting, and supportive. So, if this is not your experience you are off track. Try thinking of ETs as your future self. Since there really is only One, what other possibility is there?

😀 Sequoia Elisabeth

Unity in Gender Diversity Free eBooks click here