Yesterday I posted a short film of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, narrated by Leonard Cohen. It explained the process by which Tibetan Lamas help the soul cross over into the larger realm of Consciousness and provide a pathway for reincarnation into a new form.
I’ve noticed many visitors to this site read the epilogue to Book One of Letters from 500, “Why Souls Come To Earth.” The internal urging to learn about the voyage from the inner worlds to the physical earth seems obvious and it gives a little more knowledge into the essence of the soul and its movement through conscious evolution. It seems appropriate now to visit the epilogue of Book Two of Letters “Why Soul Leave The Earth.” Though death is inevitable for all of us, it is the hope of this writer that we all live long and prosper. In appreciation for all we have and the state of Grace that is blessed upon us.
“O, I’ve been thinking about this series of letters we’ve just finished.”
“And you have a question?” your response is quick.
“How did you guess?”
“Go ahead. I’ve been expecting you.”
“It seems all our talk about portals could be looked upon as a form of escapism, like getting away from the old Earth. Why do we want so bad to leave this place? After all, we’ve chosen to be here, haven’t we?”
“Yes, of course,” you reply. “But it is only natural to feel like it’s all too much. Tell me what you think humans want to escape from.”
I muse, “Well, we have a frantic, dangerous, toxic world right now. It seems to be rapidly overheating and unraveling. But the bigger issue behind it all is obviously ‘the ego’. We want to escape it! And yet, now that I think about it, the ego itself probably wants to escape too. It could see escaping as another means to create separation and stress. There’s a lot of stress around this planet these days.”
“And?”
“I guess I’d have to say it’s egos creating the stress that egos want to escape from.”
“Good one.”
“A world full of egos is a horrendous place,” I continue. “It’s crazy. You know that. I feel it even more acutely now that I’ve had the glimpse of awakening you gave me.”
“Tell me what you remember of that.”
My mind goes quiet at your suggestion. I feel energy streaming in. “You know, I’d have to say awakening is really not all that far beyond us. You said it from the start, of course.”
“Yes?”
“It’s basically appreciation, isn’t it. What was so wonderful about being vigilan-for-a-day, was the continuous state of appreciation I felt. We humans are capable of something like that even now—just not the ‘continuous’ part. What serenity and oneness and…!” Suddenly words fail me; I’m back in the vigilan awareness. Warmth and peace flood through my mind in a vigorous stillness.
You ask, “What is it?”
“It’s the feeling of Oneness, of being at one with the moment. That’s what I learned. What appreciation really gives you is the presence of Now. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Having that sense of Now gives you appreciation.”
“Just so. I’d say you’ve got it,” I feel you grinning. You say, “Vigilans do not rely on time to feel appreciation. Through your eyes, I’m seeing more clearly what vigilans do. Appreciation is a timeless quality that we stream into time. Indeed, you have made a breakthrough in understanding the Now. If you would be in the moment, simply appreciate what is. If you want to appreciate, then be in the moment. They are one and the same.”
“OK. That sounds good.” My brow wrinkles. “But ‘what is’ includes everything that is, right? Good and bad both? How can you appreciate unpleasant—or worse—harmful or evil things? Can you actually value that?”
“Yes, we can. For appreciation to work the way it does, it must link us with Source, with the origin of every manifested form. In the ego world, there are many forms that are unhealthy and unconscious—and yes, evil. We can appreciate these forms as necessary elements in the parade of evolving consciousness. We do not have to condone or engage them to appreciate their place in creation.”
I wince inside, “But we can’t just allow horrible things to go on happening in the name of evolution.”
“Nevertheless, these horrible things do happen in your world. Awareness of them moves all consciousness forward. Appreciation means looking deeply into the essence. It allows evolution to adjust itself to more benign expressions. That is basic duality. Resistance produces freedom, when it is brought into awareness.”
“Whoa. O, you’ve always said don’t resist.”
“There is natural resistance, built into the evolutionary process. It is opposition to what is untrue and inauthentic. There is also the resistance within any duality system—a creative tension that propels growth. This comes from the interplay of any two polarities, masquerading as opposites. Polarities are, in reality, just two sides of one coin, two ends of the same axis. Finally, there is recursive resistance that is generated by ego and mind, attempting to enhance their sense of separateness from creation. This blocks evolution. It is poisonous to your system.
“When I recommend not resisting, I’m talking about this third form. I urge you not to apply resistance within yourself. Do not identify with it or put it out into your environment. Your environment is you. Each individual is a conduit for universal creative force. Each person takes on a share of this energy and becomes a co-creator of all that is around them. If you pour your share of energy into resistance, you are increasing separation within your own being, your environmental self.”
“But how does resistance produce freedom then?” I puzzle, fully back in my human self and not understanding. “Can we use resistance without identifying with it?”
“To say ‘no’ to something that doesn’t resonate with your authenticity, is not adding resistance. It is adding clarity. It is appreciating the natural resistance to what is false. This promotes Oneness, not separation. For humans there is a fine line, however. It is very easy for you to slip over that line from conscious assertiveness into unconscious identification with opposition. It is easy for you to confuse your opinions with truth, and easy for you to condemn what is not aligned with those opinions.
“If you become identified with your opposition to anything, even very noble ideals, you have moved away from appreciation. Your true identity is not opposition; it is wholeness. For this reason, the teachings on non-resistance are among the most critical of your age.” You smile. “Sorry about that pun. “True understanding of this element of awakening is rare—and difficult for me to communicate, I must admit. I will continue to remind you of its place in your practice, in hopes of finding the right words.”
I chuckle, “And I will do my best not to resist those reminders.”
“We have all moved our beings through those dark states into brighter realms over the course of our individual evolution. That movement is what true awakening is. All events and forms in creation are necessary to produce the inevitable Conscious Evolution.
“Appreciation ultimately means to notice what is, without internal resistance, and to do so in the presence of your authentic being. This will have transformational powers. It brings both the light and the dark into Oneness. Even what seems to your mind as negative or evil, will eventually reveal itself as part of wholeness, once you no longer identify with your resistance.”
“I yield to your wisdom,” I sigh. “But I still have misgivings about appreciating evil.”
“I accept that in you. Allow me now to return to our initial subject, why souls leave the Earth. We all come and go, whether human, vigilan or angelan. This is the principle of cycling. It is a basic function of duality in motion, within Oneness. That which enters duality must leave; that which leaves must return; what is born must die. To the mind, leaving at the end of a lifetime may appear to be a separation, something to be resisted. But that is illusion. Especially, do not resist leaving when the time is upon you. It is not separation, but cycling.
“Leaving the Earth is one of the most profound ways of heightening your appreciation. As we cross the threshold back into soul consciousness at the end of incarnations, we experience for a time, divine fusion. This applies to all creatures—vigilans, humans, ants and atoms. It is a blessed, blissful perspective, granted to all those who return. It is a state of pure grace; it is part of cycling. We see the authentic depths of our being; and we are reacquainted with its view of the world. The more awakened a soul’s vehicle is, the longer and deeper this post-lifetime exposure lasts.
“The transition period after leaving Earth has been called the ‘life review’ by some. Religions have viewed it, mistakenly, as Judgment Day. The so-called review is not limited to just one lifetime. And the judgment that transpires is simply the clarity of spirit descending into presence. During this period, we see the greater patterns of all our lives, and the lives of all those we associate with during our incarnations. Surrounding us during this review are our guides, angels and elders who offer us expanded insight and suggestions for improvement. It is conducted in a powerfully compassionate manner.
“The post-incarnation sessions are the most focused and energized guidance we have as souls. All relevant informative resources are brought to bear here in one place and time. Whether you realize it or not, your soul is looking forward to this encounter with great joy. That is a prime reason to leave the Earth plane, to receive this intensely focused love and appreciation, and to see how to turn your course in more creative directions.
“Once the soul has completed its sojourn of lives on Earth, or a similar planetary situation, there is a final leaving. This takes place at the end of our last angelan incarnation. It is always an ecstatic, sacred celebration among vast numbers of peers and elders. This is truly a major cosmic initiation. It merits and receives far-flung attention, from far beyond the little Earth. This tiny planet produces great wonders in the Cosmos.”
I feel a surge of appreciation, just hearing you say this.
Your voice in my presence continues, “Graduate souls from the Earth Series are operating in influential positions throughout all the universes and dimensions. They are masters of wisdom and creation. This is what we all are evolving toward, through our lives here. And there is no end to this evolving after we graduate. We are part of a never-ending, timeless spiral of unfolding consciousness. If you pause and feel—as in right now—you can stream, into your heart, the connection to that spiral. It is you, your eternal birthright. Thus we play our part in the great game.”
“I want to say, ‘Unbelievable!’ And yet, inside me I know you’re right. It’s true. I’ve always known it—as a soul. I can ‘stream’ that knowing and appreciation into my mind. But, damn it. I’m also quite aware, as a human, that I can easily fall back into doubt and disbelief.”
You assure me, “So be it. That is the way of being human. If you did not cycle back into that, you would no longer be human. Let me remind you. Accept yourself just as you are. Accept what is just as it is. Only from this acceptance can you appreciate and see through the illusion. Only then may you take authentic action to evolve and to promote your own conscious evolution. Take it as a stepwise process, from the moment into the Moment, from the present into Now.”
Other questions are now bubbling up. I begin, “This whole book has been about building portals. Or maybe it’s about just one grand portal—the passage through the Great Storm. You put a lot of ideas in my head about what portals are and where to find them. But I’m a little unclear about what’s next. I can imagine readers wanting more guidance about just what they’re supposed to do. Would you please summarize the instructions for us?”
“Yes, of course. First, I will say that building the portal is an imaginal journey. The true portal does not exist in the physical realm, and needs no construction here. Our project is an invitation to use trans-physical means to move beyond your current dilemma. It is not a problem-solving exercise for the mind, however. As with all aspects of being, it is not something you can do. You must allow it to be within you.”
“Fair enough,” I react. “But I’m concerned that this imaginal journey is too weird and personal for many potential readers. How are people going to relate to this?”
“These most recent letters are put to you as stories, to stimulate the imagination of the reader—and your imagination as well, I must say. In many cases, you are remembering events that have not yet happened. In these stories you have resonant forces at play that can be absorbed directly from the morphic field. They are a ‘silver lining’ to the Great Storm. The gestalt of the sum total is what will trigger a response within others, at the most fundamental levels. This is where the most important actions are taking place—the ones that will transform your DNA. Awakening comes from within, and remains forever within.”
I sigh, “All right then. I guess what you’re saying is that we must ‘grok’ this process. But isn’t there something else you could say to summarize what you want us to know?”
“Yes. Once you are in tune with yourself, both as a persona and as a soul, you will be able to hear what I say. But not before then. Those who do not resonate with these messages are not resonating with their own being. Look first to that work within yourself. Then the way of appreciation will open to you. Find a method to realize who you really are. There are many teachers in your world today who are providing this guidance. Hear them.
“When you are resonating with your own essence, or even just glimpsing it occasionally, you’re ready. Now go within, to the deepest levels of your physicality, to the tiniest subatomic structure in your cells and biochemical makeup. Sense your way there. That is where my voice is entering your world. That is also one primary portal for communion with Source.
“You are using your imagination to listen within the Threshold. There you may continue and find the aperture, the vesica. Imagine it. Look through it. Pass through it, from both directions—cycling. Set your intention to activate the vesica portal. Let go of any fixed ideas you may have about what this is, or how it works. Let go of any desire to control it. Allow it to empower you. Accept its empowerment. Set the intention to evolve. Invite Conscious Evolution to move within you, according to its will.
I interrupt again, “OK. That’s all good. I follow you. It’s all about imaging the things we’ve written about to actually be happening inside us, inside the reader. But what will this do to alleviate suffering in the world? What is going to change in our lives? How will we know if it’s working? And what are the practical techniques, the practices, that we can use to keep this awakening moving forward?”
“The only practices I recommend are the ones you’ve heard many times now. They are 1) notice what is, 2) do not put your identity into resistance, and 3) be and act from your own authenticity. These each and all lead to appreciation. Notice when you are appreciating; do not put resistance in the way of appreciation; realize who and what your true nature is in the moment of appreciation.”
“Well, now that you mention it, just last week and again yesterday, I found myself feeling very appreciative—with no apparent cause. There wasn’t really any specific thing that was making it happen. I did acknowledge it in my mind. I even realized how it made me aware of just being in the moment. It was so simple. On another occasion, I might have just let it slip by without actively paying any attention.”
You reply with vigor, “On many other occasions you have let it slip past. This new development of yours is a sign that awakening is happening—moving gradually forward. All that you really need to do for your ‘practice’ is to acknowledge appreciation when it comes to you. The more you feel it, the more it will feel you, the more it will enter you and live there creatively.
“Other than this, I do not promote any complex of practices for awakening. They are too often mere crutches for the mental-emotional nature. Methodologies here stand in the way more than they facilitate. They imply that you must ‘accomplish’ something before you can ‘achieve’ awareness. I remind you, there is nothing to achieve. Rather receive, and be aware.
“Any effort, no matter how well-conceived in the mind, will only take away from receiving what is already there for you by grace. Effort has nothing to do with enlightenment. If you feel you must have a spiritual practice and are drawn to it through inner resonance, I would advise you to treat it like an accompaniment to awakening, not a ‘gateway’. Practice is appropriate for worldly experience—for the mind, emotions and body on Earth. It enables you to live a proper life and perform the functions of incarnation. It is how you learn to navigate the physical planes. But it does not apply to the realization of grace.
“You see, there is always the risk of losing one’s identity in form—especially for ‘spiritual seekers’, who usually stand on uncertain ground. The seeker is looking for a shift, a deliverance, a new identity—a form in the end. Identity with form creates and perpetuates the ego. Attachment to any spiritual practice is an ego function. Egos will always want to delay awakening. You will find its so-called ‘gateways’ are only labyrinths of delusion.”
I ponder this for a moment. “These are rather harsh words, I think. Many people feel that spiritual practices, and seeking, are an essential part of the path to enlightenment. Religions and devotional approaches are filled with practices and techniques. Many see them as essential.”
“I understand. But there is no ‘path to enlightenment’ from my perspective. Awakening is the natural course of evolution—when you are ready. To be ready means releasing attachment to form, including attachment to practices. This is all I’m saying. You may have your practices if you must. They may be quite enjoyable and helpful to your physical-emotional-mental well-being. Just don’t look at them as the path to enlightenment.”
“Thank you for that. I know, however, some people will not agree with what you’ve just said.”
“So be it.”
I return to a previous concern, “Back to the topic of portals one last time. I’m still wondering about the ones we’re building. What do we do about them? How urgent is it that we get the message out?”
“With the publication of these books, the message is out! That’s all it takes. Hear the message. See the message. Feel the message. It is streaming into the world all around you. Do not think you have do anything. Do not think you have to push the message out into the world, or into anyone’s mind. I’ve told you before that the Letters have a life of their own. It really is true. Their life is Life itself, welling up from the eternal spring of being in every creature. Allow that Life to determine how and when and where the message will be received by others. Conscious Evolution will not be delayed or enhanced by any activity of your marketing strategy.”
“All right. I surrender.” I sigh. “I’ll stop asking for further instruction on that matter. I will trust the inner guidance of myself and of others to live this into existence.”
“Excellent. One last comment. The portals are all around you, in myriad forms. The key point of this second book is not actually to get everyone busy building portals, though it may appear so. The real core message here is to be aware of portals at all, however they emerge. Be aware that ultimately there is only one portal that binds them all. This portal is the vehicle of Oneness. Through that opening will come your precious awakening.”
I smile. “Now that really does help me. Just be aware of portals! Thank you. I’m having one of those moments of appreciation right now. Cool.”
I feel a subtle shift in your position now. You say, “I know that you have other questions. Why don’t you go ahead and ask them?”
“Well, you probably know I’ve just finished reading through the whole book again. Doing that has brought up several new questions. For one, I’m feeling a little strange about the name you have for yourselves—vigilan. It feels almost like I made it up somehow.”
“You are sensing that we have ‘made it up’ together. We did this for purposes of communication. We actually use no name for ourselves in my time. However, there was a period earlier in our development when we did employ names, both for our species and our individualities. There was never just one though. Some of the names were imagined by humans for a species evolved out of themselves, such as homo noeticus, homo spiritus, homo divines, homo illuminatus, etc. ‘Evigilatus’ was one such attempt to describe us.”
“Very interesting. That rings true. Thanks. Now, another question that comes from people who have read the first book and our web blog. It has to do with when we can expect the transition to happen. People keep asking about dates. I know what you have said before, and this is truly not so much my concern. But I feel I must ask it again. When is year ‘zero’?”
“There is no year zero. Zero symbolizes the Void that came between your time and mine. If you wish to conceive of the Void as ‘zero’, then it is a fair approximation. But it wasn’t a year; it wasn’t timeat all. As to when it will happen in your time, it already has. The shift has happened. It is happening right now, and will always be happening. The only thing that keeps people asking that question is that they have not yet awakened to its presence. If this were not so, there would be no conversation about it at all. If your readers are asking that question, they are sensing the shift within themselves. It only remains for them to accept what they already know.”
I respond, “OK. But I think they are also wondering about the world. When will we see the shift in the world and in the population at large?”
“I can only go on repeating myself. The shift happens for the world, just when it happens for the individual—when she or he realizes it’s already happening. I will give you a date if you insist. 1776. There it is. You want another date? 2001. Still not happy? 2012. How about 2020? Don’t you see? It’s not about numbers and quantities in your mind. It’s about spaces and qualities in your heart.”
“Whew. For me that’s plenty. Enough. But I’m afraid people will keep asking.”
“There is no harm in asking, only harm in not hearing the message that lies within your own consciousness. The mind goes on asking. But it is spirit that must answer.”
Another question comes up now. “What about the end of book one, where it seems we are going to be permanently in the new universe, never coming back? And yet, here we are, in this book, back in the old one.”
I sense a smile in your voice. You reply, “It is a mystery I don’t fully understand, but I’ll do my best. We are indeed there, in that new universe. Those forms of our lives will not return into the old universe. They will always link us, however, transmitting energies of assistance and appreciation. But here is where the real action is happening for now; it is where the greatest need lies. It appears that the story of this book is in the old universe because this is where the Great Storm is. Our focused attention is to bring the old into the new.”
My mind is chewing on that. I don’t really understand it either. Another thought slides in. “Speaking of ‘old’, who built the obelisk in Atlantis 100,000 years ago? You didn’t have time to explain it when we were there.”
“That is a very long story. I won’t do it justice here. But I will give you a brief overview. The human spirit has come to Earth through the soul realm, as we discussed in the epilogue to the first book. The human form likewise has come to Earth from another realm. In fact it is a composite from many other places in the Cosmos, your form. It is through the interstellar web of conscious evolution and civilization. We have roots in the systems of Sirius, Orion and the Pleiades primarily. But there are many others—from other dimensions and other galaxies.
“In the beginning, humans on Earth were simply an experiment of exploration at the far edge of galactic settlement. The intentions were quite limited. Some of your scientists have conjectured about a so-called ‘slave race’. This is partially accurate. The early forms, later to evolve into humans, were simple-minded creatures. They were put in place by mixing genetic components from particular extraterrestrial species with those existing in Earth hominids.
“As millennia passed, evolution exerted its prerogative, and new forms became available for other types of incarnating souls to inhabit. This made the game of Earth life increasingly interesting—to both discarnate life forms and extraterrestrial races. Your intellectual capacities expanded, as did your connection to general unfolding consciousness. The Ark of the Covenant was put in place when it became clear that the Earth evolution deserved it’s own contract with the galactic systems of governance. It is their way of assuring that evolution will be allowed to follow its deeper mandates, without undue manipulation from interlopers.
“Your race and mine have a guarantee within that covenant that we are a recognized part of the cosmic evolving civilization. Once you realize this and make it truly conscious, your awakening proceeds apace. This is why it was essential that we conclude this book on that note. It is time for humanity to recognize it’s rightful place in the Cosmos.”
“Wow. I’m sure there’s much more to be said on that subject.” I can’t resist one follow-up, however. “What do you mean by ‘interlopers’?”
“There are those—with their own egos—from other places and dimensions, who come to Earth and attempt to influence your planet in various ways, to their own ends. The Ark safeguards you greatly from this tampering, but not entirely.” You fall silent.
“Do you want to say anything more about that?”
“Not at this time. It is far too large a subject for this book. I will only add, as a hint, be alert to the rings of power—as in Tolkien’s rings. They play a major role in the interplay of dark and light forces on the planet in your time. They are portals of great mystical force.”
“Hmm. That makes me start wondering. Perhaps there will be more about this in the next book?”
“Perhaps,” you say enigmatically.
I shrug and turn my attention back to another question that’s been nagging me. “On several occasions you have described the Earth experience as a ‘game’. Isn’t that a little glib? Doesn’t it make light of all the suffering and turmoil in the lives on this planet?”
“Exactly so,” you respond, to my surprise. “The point is to ‘lighten up’ a little. I do not use the word ‘game’ in a compassionless or condescending sense. I am not capable of that. To call Earth experience a ‘game’ is to point out that it does not need to be taken as seriously as most humans take it most of the time. Yes, there is great suffering, cruelty and ignorance in your world. There is allowance in any game for such outrageous behavior.
“The stakes in this ‘world game’—to use a phrase from Buckminster Fuller—are very high. No question about it. They are ‘life and death’ stakes. But life and death are what we do here on this plane, in any case. If these stakes are unavoidable, why not choose to play with them, rather than fear and anguish over them? The origins of the word ‘game’, relate to the joy of people getting together. Let this be the sense of your life experience and you will profit therefrom.”
“Well, O, I sense this dialogue coming to close now. But I have one more request for clarification. Can you speak a little more about what you said earlier, about ‘falling back into formlessness? I feel there is something more to be said on that subject.”
“Yes, there is, as always. And this will be a fitting way to close. ‘Falling back’ is a way of opening tospace. Formlessness is the Void, the Now. It is also the Absolute, the Source, spirit, God. Each of these words carries its own qualities as pointers.
“Form is all the mind can ever know. There is much consciousness beyond the mind, however. There is much formlessness beyond form. Falling back into formlessness simply means letting go and realizing the beneficent simplicity of your origins, of who you really are.
“Your true nature is not form-bound or form-focused. It is a nature that can choose to create forms if it likes. It can enter and even immerse itself in the realms of form. It may even, for a time, accept the illusion that it is form, that it is the mind—and only that. To fall back into the formless is your release valve into awareness. It is your ultimate and intimate way of leaving the Earth.
“I advocate falling back into the formless at any time, especially at those times when you feel the weight of forms pressing upon you, stressing you. It will bring you peace and joy and timelessness. It will bring you into the Now. And you know I must say it again. It will bring you into appreciation.”
“O, so are we ready for the next book yet?”
“I am. You, my friend, are not. Not quite yet. Have patience. I love the irony of a human expression that I heard once—taken jokingly. ‘Patience is such a waste of time!’ It’s funny, but there is great truth in it. Time is your prison. It needs to be recognized as the illusion that it is. In order to realize patience, time must be wasted, removed from the equation. Without time, there is no distance in space, no need to move from here to there. You are already everywhere. And yet, paradoxically, you must wait for the cycle of expression to come to you. This is where you must be patient. Be timeless. The book is already written from that space.”
“I’m happy to hear it. Thank you, dear friend and guide, O. With that I will sign off for now.”
“Blessings of infinite abundance to you all.”
Copyright © 2011 by Robert Lee Potter
Letters From 500 