Oneness Ministry

We are One

Jul 30

Identity Crisis or Christening?

by Sequoia Elisabeth

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

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

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

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

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

Sequoia Elisabeth

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Aug 23

How Pain Works

by Sequoia Elisabeth

How do pain meds work on the metaphysical level, i.e. the level of perception? Remember that “Projection makes Perception”. The other proven principle is “What you focus on, grows” or what you place your attention on, grows. So, if you are focused on pain and other ‘wrongs’, they will only get worse. Meds allow us to forget about our pain so we can focus on our goals and desires. Doctors often use the distraction technique with children in order to get cooperation with treatment and diagnosis. When you have blood taken, try focusing on something else, anything else. It really does help, even if there is still some discomfort. Now, try focusing on what the tech or doc is doing and see how things intensify.

During a fight or flight response the body secretes its own pain killers so the person can focus on matters at hand… survival. Only afterward does the real pain settle in. And this pain has a message. Something is wrong and needs your attention. My leg is broken and needs repair or my hand hurts and needs a bandage, etc. On a mental level if we ignore these messages, they will persist till attended to.

Other times there really isn’t anything wrong, except maybe self imposed stress. We dive into our work as a distraction from the painful realities of our personal life. Some activities do help with alleviating pain. Exercise helps by stimulating the body into flight mode. Distraction works in a temporary way as we discussed above, however if there really is something physically wrong it will demand attention. Mental or emotional pain is a bit harder to avoid and pain meds only work to a point. I have found the meds need to be rotated or changed up every so often to assure effectiveness because we become accustom to the routine of taking the drug and it no longer provides the needed distraction. Our beliefs fuel our experiences on a subconscious level. Seeing is not believing, rather believing is seeing! And our conscious, aware self has no clue.

With practice and determination we can bring our beliefs to awareness and remove the meds from the situation altogether. This takes training of the mind. Choose your thoughts carefully! Make realtime assessments, am I really in pain? Is there anything I need do? Once we make up our minds, all is well. We just need to keep reminding ourselves after the physical aspects have been attended to. This is where keeping busy really does help. Taking time outs occasionally to reassess keeps things real.

When you get really serious about moving beyond chronic pain, when you are at your wits end, give up. Surrender to the highest good. Let Holy Mother or your higher power have the pain. Ask to have the source of the pain revealed to you and be willing to forgive. All that is asked for is given, so it is up to you to allow it to be received. Not as easy as you might think. If it was, then it would be.

This is not about pleasure or feeling good. Forget feelings… they lie! The idea of ‘we must suffer to be released’ is of the ego and only proves its existence. We are ready to move beyond the world of time and space. We are ready for “reality”. We are Love. We accept our place as not only partners with the holy, but of Oneness. Love is all there is.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Spirituality Transitions

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Apr 8

Musing on the Unreal

by Sequoia Elisabeth

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

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

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

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

Sequoia Elisabeth

Footnote: “projection makes perception”

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

Gender Related Spirituality Transitions

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Apr 10

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

Spirituality Transitions

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Dec 9

Space Travel Absurdity

by Sequoia Elisabeth

The nature of life stems from source to destination or experience of said life. In spiritual terms, Logos is this source. In our solar system the Sun is Logos, it is literally the source of all life here including all planets (sub-logos), humans (sub-sub-logos), plants and animals (sub-sub-sub-logos) etc. In the vernacular of the Law of One, it goes by density of life, but that is not important to this discussion, so I will recommend reading the Law of One if you are interested in more detail, links on my website. The point I make here is simply that all life in this solar system is dependent on the Sun or Our Logos. In science fiction there is the premise that life forms can exist anywhere in the Universe and still maintain that form, such as in Star Trek or Star Wars where the characters travel around to different galaxies and solar systems almost willy-nilly.

This would not be the case in reality. Humans can only exist here on Earth, we are a function of our Logos and Sub-logos. If we move to Mars for instance we become a function of Mars or its Sub-logos. In effect we would become Martians. The function of time would be logarithmic, though exactly what it would mean to humans living on Mars is yet to be determined.

The Expanse books and tv series contrary to conventional sci-fi demonstrate my point nicely. In the story humans who live in the outer rim or asteroid belt are physically different than those who live on earth and cannot, without assistance, return to earth. Even those living on Mars have to take some sort of pill to tolerate the gravitational and light differences. Over greater time they would at some arbitrary point cease to be human in my estimation. It is sort of like we have different races here on earth depending on location and environment. Same thing in space, just more pronounced.

There is but One, the mind of God, that mind is my mind, now! Each logos comes from the central or the One, thus the Law of One. God is all there is. Use this knowledge as a basis for all else. On the level of form, time/space and space/time rules all. So, this means Mars being further away from the Sun/Logos will create a different environment than Earth or any other planet and thus create different life forms. I call this the power of Place and anyone who has traveled to any extent knows of what I speak. If you have felt the difference traveling from temperate to tropical or arctic then just imagine the differences going to Mars or some other planet.

Thus the idea or premise of conventional sci-fi is false and humans could not exist in other galaxies. I am not even sure our form would survive for short periods of time. I am not saying that sci-fi doesn’t make fun stories, because I love them. Let’s just remember to discern the difference between fiction and the true level of form taking sci-fi metaphorically and not literally. The notion that we will eventually leave Earth and explore the galaxy is absurd to me. We will live our lives out here and perhaps in the next incarnation exist elsewhere in the Universe depending on our individual evolution and density, as described in the Law of One books. Projection makes perception.

Sequoia Elisabeth

Oneness Ministry

Spirituality Transitions

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Oct 30

Racism

by Sequoia Elisabeth

Racism is a structural issue and not an individual issue. How many people do you personally know who are racist? I mean those whom you hang out with often. Certainly none of my friends are. I remember my Grandfather was to a small degree, but I see him as a product of a culture. You see we are like those whom we spend the most time with. It is in our nature to be copy cats so to speak. So it is a gift when someone mirrors the opposite of who we are. This helps us define the person we wish to be.

So what do I mean by structural? I mean our race/cultural mind is racist. I mean it is built into the system on a foundational level. We live in a duality so for every yes, there is a no. For every white there is a black. Society of course softens and manipulates this to be less than obvious, though if you look for the duality it stares you in the face. What Spirituality does is ask you to see beyond the surface into the soul of the other. It asks you to be color blind. This is difficult because the ego mind or mankind is asking you to do just the opposite. Cognitive dissonance results from the conflict which arises. Thus all the unrest surrounding racism. To be perfectly clear though, most of the rioting we have observed of late is connected to economic inequality and not racism. Certain groups use the news and manipulate it for their purpose. Which has been going on since the beginning of civilization I might add. Racism is just the excuse. Everyone has an agenda so don’t knock them for expressing theirs. As the saying goes, we all get what is coming to us! As I like to say, what you give – you receive. At the foundation, folks are re-acting to their fears. We all have the choice to act or re-act. Acting comes from Love, compassion, and a concern for others. Re-acting is always fear and comes from outside the self. Thus the “re”acting. Get it? Action comes from your core as a choice and expresses who you chose to be. Reacting comes from the fear that surrounds us all. It is reflected back from other self. Fear, False – Evidence – Appearing – Real. The ego offers it up as reality… it is not. Fear is like a riptide that pulls you down and unless you let go, it will finish you. Go with the flow means to center into yourself and let F.E.A.R. dissolve into the nothingness which it is.

The dictionary version of racism states it is about differences perceived in others. From where I sit, we are all different, so discrimination(seeing differences) is natural. Of course people are attracted to those they perceive to be like them. It is a process of identity. It is a process of belonging to something greater than the self. It is a perception of loving. “Projection makes perception.” (ACIM) So Racism is a form of self love.

Our social structure of the haves and have nots is also once again, not racism but economic inequality founded in duality and the need for polarity. Mankind’s incipient need to label and mislabel leads to disharmony and anarchy! Society will never reflect equality, because it cannot by its very nature! The landscape may change, People of Color may someday be the majority and controlling “race” but the beast will be the same. So our take away here is to love and judge not. There will always be a gradient of social structure based on differences, at least here at this level of the journey. I think what folks sense is the next stage or density of existence, 4th density. (see LawofOne.info) For now we need to work on learning our lessons and accepting our roles in this density of self awareness (3rd density). We are One means simply there is no other. There is no out there, out there! There is no one to discriminate against but the self.

‘Hate/Resentment/Anger is like drinking poison and waiting for the other guy to die’

Sequoia Elisabeth

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Aug 28

Identity Trap

by Sequoia Elisabeth

So you think you know who you are! Question this reality! Just how do you identify? Who are YOU? I know who I am! I am “I”. You are “you”. It’s as simple as that… or is it? What if there is no you or me and just us? We are One. So this means we are murders and rapists; saints and priest? NO. The dream of separation we call this world is just that, a dream. We have no body and there is no thing out there. Our mind projects all that we experience. The ego aspect believes it is separate from Source (God) and thus all the horrors (manifested guilt) this world appears to offer. Projection makes perception. The choice which presents itself is simple; are we ego or are we Source (God)? ACIM teaches, Ideas leave not their source, so I am just as God created me. Ego believes its own illusions, and it must. Yes, the choice remains to identify with Ego or with God. What you see tells you what you have chosen. So if you see God everywhere, this is your choice. If you see Ego (fear, separation, pain, etc.) then you have chosen this. You can choose again! In fact you must, choose over and over…

Here is a blog I really enjoy and feel explains this Identity conundrum quite well. https://www.voiceforgod.net/blogs/acim-blog/you-have-a-problem-of-identity-you-think-the-ego-is-your-self

Identity is a trap, a tree is not a tree, a baby does not exist but in the mind, death is a symbol of ego. Life (Love, God, Source, Infinite Intelligence) is eternal, unchanging, and all there really is. To truly identify with reality, one must let go of all “false gods”. Perhaps you remember the commandment to “put no other Gods before me”. This life here on Earth is an other God! To die is to repeat this illusion. Death supports the ego illusion. We don’t die, our identity does! So identify with Reality… God is all there is.

“The Son of God is my Identity – ACIM Lesson 252

1. My Self is holy beyond all the thoughts of holiness of which I now conceive. Its shimmering and perfect purity is far more brilliant than is any light that I have ever looked upon. Its love is limitless, with an intensity that holds all things within it, in the calm of quiet certainty. Its strength comes not from burning impulses which move the world, but from the boundless Love of God Himself. How far beyond this world my Self must be, and yet how near to me and close to God!

2. Father, You know my true Identity. Reveal It now to me who am Your Son, that I may waken to the truth in You, and know that Heaven is restored to me.”

Blessings on our Journey of Love!

Sequoia Elisabeth

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