10.09.07
“Perfect Unfolding Process” by Marilyn J. Miller
I was raised a Christian – a more liberal variety (Disciples of Christ). I was taught the basic belief of Christ and God and rules of being a Christian. However, when I was 15 my older sister (16 years old) died from a cancer that had never been seen before. My sister was brilliant and it seemed that she had so much to offer this world. My family had a difficult time dealing with this, and my mother began to study books such as “Seth Speaks” and the works of Edgar Cayce and Ruth Montgomery. These books dealt with the thought of beings who have died speaking wisdom to people alive in this world.
I had never quite been able to understand the concepts of Christianity, as I was taught that God has unconditional love for us all, but then all sorts of conditions were then outlined by which people were to follow or else they wouldn’t go to heaven and would be in deep trouble with God. I just could not understand how a loving God could be so harsh as to deny people the ability to go to heaven if they weren’t raised Christian and hadn’t even heard of Christianity. Also, I wondered what happened to people before Christ. The thought that the concept of people dying and not returning to live other lives seemed a total waste, and that Heaven must be pretty crowded. Despite all of these questions, I was not aware of any other choices, as I did not really know details about other religions or philosophies.
Then in 1993, my daughter got encephalitis and I learned about the energy therapy Reiki. I took a course in Reiki and my teacher also taught Life Management classes. I learned about the concept of Consciousness and everyone being part of this central Consciousness, and that through the process of becoming enlightened, one can realize this connection at a deep level. He also brought it to my attention that religions were created to control people through the threat of eternal damnation, and told me about books that pointed to Jesus actually surviving the crucifixion and that he died in his 80s. Knowing how controlling some people can be and how power hungry they can be, lead me to think about all that was being taught in the religions.
I honestly felt that Jesus was trying to teach people that he was one with God, but that everyone else was as well. We are all capable of great things, and I felt that religions were not boosting people’s self image, but tearing them down. In addition, people were trying to personify an entity that was not human, in human form, but was Consciousness and that I was a part of that Consciousness. I did not need to feel bad about myself or feel guilty about any of my actions, because I was made this way on purpose to learn and to grow.
Then my mother sent me a book by Neale Donald Walsch called Conversations with God and I also read a book by Carolyn Myss called Anatomy of the Spirit and listened to a couple of courses on CDs called “Energy Anatomy and Advanced Energy Anatomy.” I found those fascinating because they talked about everything happening for reasons that we had determined before coming to our present life, about past existence/lives, and how we use our energy systems to scope out what goes on in our lives. Also how to empower ourselves and take control of our lives. It became apparent that various aspects of our lives are orchestrated to ensure we accomplish key things and events/people are placed in our paths to help us along in accomplishing them.
At this point, I acknowledge that I do need to learn and grow and to be tolerant, compassionate, and loving to people. When I feel that I could have done better, or am particularly frustrated with something happening in my life, I draw comfort from the concept that “all things happen for reasons.” Looking back on my life retrospectively, I have noticed that things that appeared to be major disasters at the time, turned out to be the best possible event in the long run. Now I just chuckle when things happen and try to see the good in what might be unfolding. It’s becoming easier to look at a situation and extrapolate it out to see why it might be happening, and even if I can’t see why immediately, I now firmly believe at a deep level that all things happen for the overall good. Even death isn’t to be feared, as it’s simply a door to another experience or state of existence.
I have run like a dog from anything that resembles a religion, since I do not believe that God has rules. I believe that everyone has a path and that people are at different stages of spiritual development. Therefore, religions have a purpose for people who aren’t as far along in the journey and think they need a bit of direction. I believe that we are all part of Consciousness and that we are part of a dream. I have decided that since everything feels real to me, I need to act as if it’s all real. As Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer teaches about how to handle dogs, I believe that you need to be calm and assertive in living your life and above all balanced.
Comment from MPJ: This story was written by a friend of mine, so I don’t feel comfortable offering comment on the stages for her, as I did with the other stories where I mostly only had what was written to go by. I will let you draw your own conclusions. But the story shows a type of logic that is typical of someone who has clearly reasoned herself out of the grasp of traditional religion. And the part about accepting whatever life brings you is more Stage Four-ish.