Channeling: Loving Life

Q: Michael has said that by the time we reach 7th old we will be so happy and involved in being alive in the physical plane that we love being here - and then we cycle off. How did this notion develop? What is really meant by "loving it here?" Does that apply regardless of the life circumstances? I.E., can we distinguish between a certain love of the beauty of the physical plane and life itself, vs. the exigencies, difficulties, and generally abrasive experiences some late old fragments have.

A:You are referring to an oft generalized comment.

When you can love life without the burden of negative attachments or expectations, you have found the equilibrium and there is nothing left to do but flow with the current. In other words, loving life means you have finally accepted it in all of its multifarious guises and costumes -- the show is over, so to speak, and you are no longer the playwright arguing with the director about the changes he made to your script.

To further illustrate, we do not mean that fragments will become so enraptured with life that they'll love wasting away with a disease. Instead, a state of acceptance develops where the fragment no longer clings to attachments of misfortune and hardship, and finds a way to love the variegated scenery that life brings -- regardless of the view.

It should come as no surprise that hardships in life are a fundamental part of the physical plane, and while considerable effort may be put forth to alleviate occasional harshness, few fragments ever escape without some cuts and bruises.

Learning to love life in spite of these pitfalls is not about hiding from the struggles, but about facing the adversity without fear. It's a choice if you choose to scream about everything that's wrong with your life, as much as it's a choice if you choose to dwell on those areas that do bring you happiness. We know of fragments who appeared to achieve everything they ever wanted, yet continually allowed any feelings of joy to slip through their grasp. Conversely, we have seen fragments who led lives of terrible poverty find joy in the simplest of pleasures, such as feeding feral cats, or reveling in the warmth of the sun on their back as they picked through garbage. Joy is truly relative.

Loving life does not mean excluding what you perceive as bad, but fearlessly including what you encounter as part of the all-encompassing arc of your existence. In other words, loving life is about finding joy in the struggle. Have you not noticed how vibrant life can feel after a period of pain has passed? It's like a Spring shower that washes away the debris from Winter. There are similar cycles of cleansing in every incarnation: learn to accept them and embrace the feelings of renewal that follows.

Channeled by David Gregg
http://www.michaelteachings.com
Send Questions to: michaelquestions@gmail.com

Channeling: Other Than Love

Q: If we are vessels to hold love and spread love in our lifetime, then how is it that sometimes this vessel of mine will spread other than love? Wheredoes this "other than love" come from?

A: You refer to a goal sought by all fragments during the course of their incarnations. We know firsthand of the struggles involved in this journey, and want you to understand that the attainment of Agape is a worthwhile goal even if its fulfillment eludes your grasp at times.

On the other hand, if we condensed Agape into a bowl of soup, for example, and you only managed to get one spoonful per day, you would still be doing good work. Based on what we can see of your life, though, we think you are far ahead of most. We sense that you are too hard on yourself, however, and want to remind you that if you swallow hot soup all at once it will only scald your throat. There is nothing wrong in sipping life's lessons one spoonful at a time.

Regarding your vessel, only two energies can occupy its space: love and fear. Fear is a seduction that's greater than any sexual caress and when it charms and engulfs your vessel, as you call it, one recourse is to stop judging the feeling and momentarily accept what it has to offer. Seeing fear from this perspective allows you to quickly learn what the opposite polarity feels like. With this comparison there will be less fear of letting go and a greater ease in releasing negativity.

Fearing fear is just as self-perpetuating as loving love, and although we will not say it's easy, the energy you choose to perpetuate during your lifetime is ultimately your choice.

Channeled by David Gregg
http://www.michaelteachings.com/
Send Questions to: michaelquestions@gmail.com

Channeling: Creating a Michael Community

Q: Please talk about your views regarding creating a Michael community.

A: The teachings as a whole do not depend upon the formation of a community. We do try to reach those we have agreements with, however there is no timetable and no sense of urgency; we offer the teachings as a tool, not as a way of life. But people in a community certainly enrich the quality of your lives, and opportunities then abound to test the principles learned in the teachings.We sense the channel dislikes the cliques that often develop in communities, but we do not see the harm in any endeavor that fosters more personal growth and positive interaction. We will add, however, that cliques are often attempts to avoid growth and they largely arise when the differences of others are looked upon with fear. Rather than succumbing to this easy-way-out through avoidance, we encourage more of you to face those you have difficulties with (although we do not mean this in an adversarial sense). The lessons of the teachings are most effective when you learn the appropriate response to those that challenge you. If you find yourself in a constant state of flight from fragments who are not your vibrational match, you miss many useful opportunities to apply the teachings.In simpler terms, the teachings help you learn to connect with the unconnectable. When you can do that with both compassion and tolerance, you are truly doing good work.

Q: Is there a community mission that makes one group more special than another?

A: Since in the eyes of the Tao no individual or group is more worthy than another, the term "special" serves no useful purpose here other than to excite the chief features. Whether or not our students splinter into smaller groups or find a way to bridge the gap into a homogenous blend, is of little concern to us; the teachings are simply a tool to improve your understanding of yourself and others. If you feel that a sturdier toolbox will help protect you, then that is your personal choice. But it is a choice, not a necessity.

We do not hover over one particular group of fragments, nor do we currently support a specific community mission -- other than the guidance we provide to each of our students individually. We do beam with satisfaction, however, when our efforts to teach are particularly fruitful and the blossoms of greater understanding multiply in the minds of our students for years to come.

Q: Do students need a community for the purposes of understanding the teachings?

A: Community is, of course, a necessary and valuable part of your experience on the physical plane. Many practical reasons exist for living in a community -- too many to list here -- and the variety of relationships forged in these interactions are vital to your continued development. The formation of a Michael community, per se, is certainly not counter productive to our intentions, and the mutual exchange of ideas and camaraderie that develops between students who share your interest can be quite meaningful. But as we have said before, the effectiveness of the teachings does not depend upon the formation of a student community. Greater learning experiences are actually achieved when you apply the teachings to fragments in your own local circle. Since you often share pre-incarnational agreements and karma with these fragments, they will likely challenge your grasp of the teachings in situations that test the limits of what you have learned.

With that said, we do not wish to discourage any students who actively nurture communities based on the teachings. In fact, we applaud the efforts of those in this community who have worked so diligently to bring our students together.

Q: What is community as defined by Michael and Michael students?

We define community as the cooperative coalescence between people of diverse persuasions who agree to co-exist in a mutually beneficial way.

Many types of communities exist -- more than can be named at this time -- but the real bonding agent that holds them together is the magnetic draw of tolerance and acceptance. Obviously there are practical factors in communities, such as the exchange of goods and services, religious worship, municipal governance, and so forth, but the lessons surrounding tolerance and acceptance provide the glue that creates a lasting bond. Now such lessons are often pursued unconsciously, but they are still an overriding influence in any community.

Too many variables exist to define a community by the individual desires of Michael students, but the nine needs: Security, Adventure, Freedom, Expansion, Power, Expression, Acceptance, Communion, and Exchange could certainly be used as a guideline in this endeavor.
If we were to draw up a blueprint of a future Michael community, we would make sure that the nine needs are properly emphasized.

Q: Tell us more about how students can apply the teachings in the community.

A: As we mentioned earlier, students will find the teachings more instrumental if they can learn to conquer avoidance. More specifically, the fearful avoidance of others, self, and life in all of its complexities. When you avoid anything out of fear or judgement, you actually create a void in yourself that lessens your opportunities for growth. Applying the teachings here will not only help you see the rest of humanity without a jaundiced eye, but a world once devoid of color will suddenly shimmer with a radiance never seen before -- there is nothing more striking than the truth.

It is by no accident, by the way, that personalities have clashed in the Michael community, as there is no better way to learn about the teachings than to experience them firsthand. This doesn't mean you must be around other students in order to learn: your friends, family, and coworkers are your greatest teachers in this sense.

We are amused by students who passionately wish to understand the teachings yet seem so passionately unwilling to apply them to each other. Many of the conflicts we've sensed could easily be remedied if these difficulties were examined through the lens the teachings provides. Greater levels of compassion and tolerance are, of course, within the grasp of all of you, and when you learn to apply the teachings to those you perceive as difficult, the answers will be available.

It might surprise you to know that fragments who upset you are often reflecting an image of yourself that has yet to heal. This does not mean you should condone behavior that forcefully affects the choices of others, such as violence, but armed with your knowledge of the teachings, you have the key to unlocking the mysteries of the human psyche in profound and life changing ways. When you avoid or exclude others, however, either out of fear or judgement, you exclude a part of yourself. For this reason we encourage our students to open more doors than they close.

Channeled by David Gregg
http://www.michaelteachings.com

Channeling: What is a True teacher?

Q: What is a true teacher?

A: We do not wish to minimize the intent behind this question, but every person you meet is a true teacher. There isn't a soul on the planet who doesn't have something to teach you. The very nature of existence provides a multitude of experiences, and no matter how mundane or trivial, the opportunity to learn always exists. Nothing is ever wasted. You are literally learning every second you exist; it cannot be avoided. In this regard, LIFE is the truest teacher.

Concerning other people, every interaction you have with another fragment is a chance to learn about the intricacies of the human condition and what it's like to experience life on the physical plane. True teachers come in surprising guises: the Mother-in-law who made your life a living hell; the spouse that disrupted your marriage with a painful affair; the girl next door who gave you your first kiss; the panhandler that asked for money, these are all true teachers and they have taught you well. The real purpose behind their intent is immaterial. Essence doesn't judge the lessons it extracts from life, it simply learns from them.

There are, of course, people that specialize in teaching. There are vast curriculums at your disposal that explore the academics with carefully defined prerequisites for potential instructors, and criteria like this can either be helpful or a process of false personality. We are mainly concerned in this discussion with the larger perspective. From our vista we see every life form on earth as a true teacher -- from the smallest microbe to the tallest tree.

Visit my site at: http://www.michaelteachings.com

Channeling: If, Then Games

Q: Most people I've talked to played those "If, then" games in their heads as children. Example: if I get past that street light before that red car passes me, this or this will happen, or something I wish for comes true. Where does that come from since it seems to be so common and what is the significance of this, if there is any? Is it actually practice for something?

A: While there are innumerable explanations for this pastime, in general, these little distractions are relics, if you will, from astral games played between lifetimes. The astral can be a wonderful playground to test how thoughts and emotions shape reality, and while the results are often riotous and unexpected, there is much enjoyment derived from creating small Universes without fear that one misstep could lead to a cosmic catastrophe. Back on the physical, however, there is the illusion that more is at stake. This can instill an unwillingness in many fragments to take responsibility for what they secretly desire or wish to create. Thus, "If, then" games are a way to place the burden onto something other than themselves. If the light turns red before the intersection is reached, for example, it might be playfully said that a job promotion won't be obtained. But what fragments are really doing is giving away their power so they can't blame themselves if something goes wrong. We would not necessary say such games are a "cop-out" because most fragments eventually take enough responsibility for their actions to manifest the reality they've envisioned. We then see these diversions as a way of letting off steam or taking the pressure off something that will eventually get done in due time.

Greetings!

Greetings!

For those of you who don't know me, I'm the webmaster of a metaphysical website, http://www.michaelteachings.com . This blog will explore some of my personal views about the teachings, life in general, and anything else I feel like belaboring. I will occasionally post some of my own channeling, too. Here's a little bit about the Michael teachings:

The Michael entity is a collective of 1050 souls who have completed their incarnations on earth, and evolved to a higher plane of existence. As with many other spiritual teachers, Michael's knowledge is conveyed to the earth plane through the use of a human channel. These channeled teachings were first published in a book entitled, "Messages from Michael," and it paved the way for many publications to come.

A fundamental aspect of Michael's wisdom is that the meaning of existence is in a nutshell -- life. There is nothing else. The experiences we gather from living day after day, lifetime after lifetime, constitute the essential components necessary to grow spiritually. There are no secret rituals, special meditations, or any other esoteric practices required. Life itself is the only lesson plan needed in order to move forward. From this continual dance, we eventual learn the following tenet: we are here to learn how to choose, and to choose how to learn.

Unlike familiar information provided by Seth, or Lazaris, which largely focus on the principles of conscious creation, the Michael teachings bring a unique perspective to our physical plane explorations. Michael provides a revealing set of tools that help chart our spiritual progress as we journey from first incarnation to last. Diligent application of this system teaches us to validate our overall development in the reincarnational cycle, show where we are on the path, what lessons we will encounter, why we are here, and what is yet to come. It also helps us understand the unique qualities we bring to the world, and why people and societies are the way they are.