The letters came… and came… once again, and I realized that it’s entirely possible that something dormant lives in the psyche of the Western Woman and that maybe it’s time for it to awaken.
His Holiness is a wise, wise man; he may be right– the Western Woman may be the face of destiny– of this planet and of its tomorrows. He himself has something that can’t be seen but is felt– an energy, or an aura, a Presence or something that because he is a religious man, is greater than the sum of its parts. He has a special ability to connect with an audience and with each individual. He is warm, engaging, humorous and charming. And you can feel him.
I had the privilege of escorting the monks, including my friend Togden, to an audience with H.H. Tenzin Gyatso and the whole thing was a juxtaposition of cultures. At that time I owned a sports car and the monks of course wore their saffron and maroon robes. Imagine them exiting from a low-to-the-ground white sporty car with a black bra in the company of a Western Woman driver.
Then imagine them entering the building where they would have audience and being escorted by that woman. Imagine the raised eyebrows on the Secret Service agents when I emerged from the midst of the entourage. Then imagine meeting the eyes of one of the few truly Holy Men on this planet; imagine your spiritual hero locking a gaze with you while about 5 feet away. His eyebrows raise, then his eyes smile. He nods. I smile. I place my hands in Anjali Mudra and bow. He sees and acknowledges. I float to my seat. The day before I took a vow that he asked me to take to walk a non-violent path in the world. In this moment, he doesn’t know that. Or does he? He doesn’t know I have waited for many years to be in his presence, in his energy. He and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar are my spiritual guides and James Twyman is my primary religious educator. I have been fortunate to have sat in audience with them and so many I admire as the first wave shakers and makers of change on this planet. This is the moment of a lifetime; I am in a private audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
I sit down on the sidelines as this is not my meeting, not my culture. His Holiness begins to speak in English about Tibet and China and quickly switches to a Tibetan tongue. It doesn’t matter: I still understand though he speaks not in my language. Actually, language and speech are not really necessary. I get it. I “hear” his energy; I “feel” his peace. We are one.
When this particular holy man says something, I listen. He has made that statement about the Western Woman and that the world will be healed by her ministrations. I am not surprised for it seems to me she is the stonger sex, the more powerful of the partners. Capable of assimilating great pain as well as great joy. She is mother. She carries life inside. She knows the value of life because she knows its miracle intimately.
I have often wondered what would happen if all the women of the world stood in front of their male babies when they were grown and said: “No!” No to violence, no to conflict, no to the miliary and no to war. What if she, to make her point clearly, withheld all sexual favors until the world began to nurture humankind’s brilliance instead of its shadow. And if men tried to force the issue, what if the women stood together, for one another? With no young men to fight their wars, what would “they” do?
The World Conference on Women was initiated in 1975 and Hillary Clinton gave her iconic speech at the Fourth World Conference on Women and you may remember it was in Bejing, China– an amazing first for that country and this planet. It was, however, twenty years after the first one- in 1995. The formal movement has not happened quickly; perhaps a grassroots is the preferred methodology? The goddess is restless? I am woman hear me roar? The momentum may exist now for critical mass. It seems Michael Jackson women may be part of creating that mass in consciousness.
Women are awakening to their power and their part in shaping the world. Women seem to be awakening in more numbers than men. Most humanitarian organizations are populated by women; personal growth classes and seminars are disproportionately attended by more women.
And a curious thing happened on the way to Inner Michael. The website grew organically without being promoted and it was women who spread it. The letters started coming. The “why?” question multiplied exponentially. Women were gripped and frozen by a misery and grief that was unlike anything I had before witnessed. There was no explanation. Nine Eleven affected a whole country, rocked the world even, but there was a plausible explanation for the magnitude of that grief– it killed three thousand people and made terrorism personal. The death and devastation was enormous.
But this grief was more personal at the outset. And it was spellbinding and deep and a shared personal grief. Shortly after I wrote the review of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” and then the Thank You tribute article, I began to get letters from women– about 60 letters a week in the beginning. These women were deeply in the throes of grief because of the death of Michael Jackson— a pop star and a man they didn’t know! They wrote that they were confused by the scope and magnitute of their grief, by the depth of their mourning. Many never knew of Michael Jackson before or knew of him and had paid no attention. But his passing triggered something in them and they were perplexed and more than a little worried about themselves. It quickly became clear to me that this was unprecendented; this was a phenomenon. 
The demographics were surprising. While many were young and just recently introduced to Michael and his music, many were middle aged women– seasoned in their experience and in living life. Wise women. They were professional women, married women, mothers and grandmothers. The professional ranks included doctors, teachers, lawyers, administrators, and even nuns. Something unusual was happening here!
One woman wrote to tell me she had been awakened by an unseen hand in the middle of the night and unable to sleep, she turned on the TV only to witness Michael Jackson’s memorial service at the Staples Center. When she was finally able to sleep, she woke the next morning with Michael on her mind and she began exploring his life. That story was repeated to me over and over.
I spoke to psychologists and therapists. I asked other ministers. I scoured books looking for the answer. I even went to a Spiritualist Camp to see if they could identify what was going on. Surely the phenomenon of a spirit presence so prevalent and widespread having such a wide and similar effect on people had a name? Even the Spiritualists, who work with spirits who have passed on, were puzzled. They had no explanation for me.
Many of these women who wrote were extremely worried about themselves. They were confounded by their own feelings. Did they need to see a doctor? Perhaps a psychiatrist? Perhaps if there had been one or two of them gripped by an unexplainable obesssion, but they all were! Since I was a kind of hub or touchpoint for all of them, I seemed to be in the center of a storm there was no precedent for. A perfect storm.
Every one of them had the symptoms of spiritual emergency. I had traveled a great distance to take the courses for spiritual emergency and emergence to another state the previous summer. It appeared to me that it was a preparation for this work. The messages all had requests for understanding and the whys of what was happening to them. It was a collective spiritual emergency and a collective spiritual awakening. There was no other explanation for it. So I answered as much as I humanly could in each letter and wrote the rest at Inner Michael.
Someone just this week wrote to say “thanks” and to say I have become her “guru.” I may be a guide, but these women are all their own guru. Their soul is calling them. I just happened to recognize it and be in the right place at the right time to retain their sanity. My own spiritual advisor and associate pastor helped me to understand that I was being called. It has been a pleasure to serve– both people and planet. And that is what is happening here- a transformation of people in service to the transformation of a planet.
Someone else asked me this week if I would ever consider sponsoring and designing a retreat. I have thought about that and my land borders a retreat center. Of course I have considered it. I wonder if there is interest in gathering Michael Jackson fans for something other than a pilgrimage in homage to him. Perhaps a camp for how MJ fans might work to heal the world? Some have already begun on their own.
Shall we “wish upon that star?” I don’t know. Maybe you have some ideas. The moon is a harsh mistress? Maybe it’s a harsh master. We had a conversation last night. I asked questions and await their answers. Sitting on a rock on the shore of the largest inland lake in the United States, my feet felt the cool froth of the incoming waves and my eyes beheld the largest, golden-est, brightest moon I have ever seen. The moon glade looked like the yellow brick road itself. Send me a sign, will you?
Another reader requested “would you consider sharing some of those letters from readers?” I would be willing to share some samples anonymously. I have saved all of them and thought someday they will be a book. It’s too early to release them. And I am pretty sure the writers to not want them copied or shared in any other way. And I am not sure there is a way to prevent that. So I will pray and meditate on it.
For today there are other pressing but related issues to attend to. Today is the transit of Venus– we will never see it again in our lifetime. We have come from an eclilpse, full moon, Venus transit and soon into solstice. The energy! “Can you feel it?” We will come back to this discussion after the election in Wisconsin. We are fighting a battle for democracy here, for principles, for the individual David against the goliath corporations and billionaires pouring money into this state. we have heard “Wisconsin is the first domino” that if it falls, will set in motion another civil rights battle in this country. We are trying to keep it by the people for the people. In my younger days we called it “power to the people.” Michael grew up in that environment; that is why he believed so much in himself and his power (and ours united with him) to “make that change.” Today marks a monumental milestone in America; it sets the compass for the future. Please pray for us here; it’s a prayer that joins Michael’s for equality and a planet “for the people” in harmony… continues.
Now back to headquarters.
We have work to do here.
You?
Addendum Added:
Couple of things came up since I posted this article…
Wisconsin’s Election
Wisconsin’s Governor Walker will retain his seat as governor of Wisconsin. I am very sad today because I think this sets a precendent that big money can buy elections. It is well known and documented that the Koch brothers funded much of Governor Walker’s defense campaign and produced propaganda about the budget and jobs numbers framing the distortions as “the facts.”
I was calling voters and canvasing yesterday and I heard over and over that people are tired of the “drama” in politics; in fact they are tired of the “politics,” period. They want their representatives to understand that the people are the boss, not the other way around. And over and over I heard a longing for “humanitarian values.”
Newspaper articles today said the people who protested special interests, big money and the loss of collective bargaining rights will continue to protest. Some see this failed recall as the beginning of the death of the middle class.
I bring this up not to insist that you ascribe to my politics but to illustrate how effective propaganda is. Propaganda is the deliberate spreading of rumors, lies and innuendo for the purpose of hooking people’s emotions and swaying their opinion. The clever use of linguistics informs the propaganda and makes it more effective. Repitition then solidifies the false meme.
We added the power of linguistics and the language of racism to the “Words and Violence” curriculum for this very reason– it is important to discern truth for oneself rather than relying on others. We need to highlight in particular– “critical thinking skills.” If anyone is an expert in teaching critical thinking, please contact me at revb@innermichael.com.
We have seen with the Michael Jackson story how effective are the tools of propaganda. He was a target of it his whole life. Much of it was inspired by racism. I am encouraged by the percentage of the Wisconsin Leutenant Governor’s contest yesterday– he’s a family man, is black and is a firefighter. He won 46% of the vote. This is significant in a state that was deliberately segregated in it’s northern parts until the late sixties. Racism was rampant here; the underground railroad runs through our state and catacombs criss cross cities here.
What may happen as a result of the recall election is that those who uphold and defend civil rights and human rights get even stronger. We hope that the day comes when we no longer have to ask “what happened to humanitarianism?”
The Dalai Lama
You will notice I received a hate message (printed in the “comments” section.) I left it in because it illustrates what happens to people when they are propagandized with hatred and fear.
Michael Jackson knew the Dalai Lama and he admired him.
Someone who is a Chinese Nationalist or Imperialist would write those words: “The Dalai Lama is a liar.” It is likely a young person under the influence of the propaganda from the People’s Republic of China.
The conflict between the Chinese and Tibetans began in the nineteen fifties. Tibet was subsequently invaded by the Chinese and occupied with the intention of annexing it as part of China. Monks and religious leaders were executed including the Dalai Lama’s own teacher. The Dalai Lama fled Tibet and was exiled to Dharamsahla India.
He was awarded the Noble Peace Prize in 1989 for his peaceful means of protest of the Chinese occupation of Tibet. He was also given the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 by President Bush. He has maintained that Tibetans wish now for “autonomy” rather than independence from China. The Chinese do not believe him but believe he is a proponent of the restoration of Tibet to its former independence. It is a concilliatory political position. The disbelief is perhaps the reference to “the “lie” referred to in the comment. If I am assuming incorrectly, the commentor is welcome to correct me. And if the person who wrote the comment has a defense for the invasion and occupation of a sovereign country and executions of its religious by a military force from a bordering regime, please bring it. The rest of us are informed by the historical reality. Michael Jackson was a friend and supported the Dalai Lama’s position.
23 Comments
You really don’t know about dalai, he is a absolute liar! I’m so disappoint you put dalai with Michael Jackson in an article, so disappoint!!! And I will never come back again, but I truly hope you will know the truth of dalai lama!
Dear Barbara,
Thank you for your beautiful post. It has me contemplating on that glorious moment that awakened me instantly to the Divine part of my being. Thinking of all the blessings and also the dark parts of myself I have been able to surrender. At times I do see the benefit to those around me. Especially the children. But there is much more. I know that.
Believe me, I would walk on glass to be in the presence of even one of the persons who were affected in the same way. It is my dream and it will happen when time is ready. As for publishing parts of our story, There would be no objection from me. Maybe there are people out there that need to know the magnitude of what occurred? If they want to call us fools and decry us- so be it. Our hearts are strong and very willing. I love you all, Lynaire
Barbara, you mentioned the phenomenon in which many people we have been involved after the death of Michael. There are already 3 years, perhaps long enough to accept the loss, overcome the grief and resignation, but not my case, I still feel heartbroken, I can not accept that reality, I cry almost every day, these last two months have been very hard for me, when I thought I had overcome, I’m not ok. … as if 3 years had been between 3 days. Not understand what happens to me.
I have two anecdotes to share you:
May 7, 2012:
I was going to work, and stoped in a trafic light just to wait the green light, in that, I always bring a bucket with 4 photos of Michael hanging from my rearview mirror (The same as you have Barbara) and suddenly a young deaf dumb approached, they sell religious pictures on the street. He made me signs (because he is a deaf and dumb) pointed his finger to the Michael photos, then he pointed to the sky, made angel wings moving his hands, he pointed direct to me and made a gesture of tears with his fingers, refering to me, tears of mourn, then he pointed to the passenger seat that was empty, and he touched his heart with both hands and made the gesture of tears again. I did not understand that last sign, but he made me feel well…My question is: How did he know my heart still is aching for Michael? He could not see me in the eyes because I was bringing my sunglasses but … how could he know my emotional state regarding Michael–someone who knew nothing of me? I do not understand, I was surprised.
June 4, 2012
I took a walk like every morning, but I came out crying because I was thinking about him and how much I miss him. I cried a good part of my walk, I was wiping my tears so that people would not see me. In that, it crossed my path a little red bird, was on the floor, shaking their wings gracefully. when I passed aside it, called my atention he did not flew away as they usually do the birds when people come close to them … fly … but it did not and I thought that maybe he was hurt … finally flew and I did follow my path. Returning back home and go through the same path, surprise me, guess what I found? The same red bird waiting standing exactly in the same place as the previous occasion, then it flew… I got a smile, I thought…red was his favorite color, red birds are rare here, what a coincidence … Actually I want to believe that Michael is not so far from me as I can sometimes think, and that red bird could be a way of saying “Hey! I’m here, near you” Thank you Barbara for your love and dedication, and for this beautiful page. Continue enriching as it is today, there is still much to learn.
Dear ZeroCool I send you Love and Light, I do. I also wish for you Compassion.
You know I was thinking of His Holiness the Dalai Lama for some days last month and then I found him on my television full of wisdom compassion and humour. He truly does seem to try to find the best in everyone.
You know I searched for anything of Michael and His Holiness together back in March 2010, but I never found anything nor the photo you have posted above.. and I have a lot of photos of MJ. Thank You Barbara for the entry(s). I truly appreciate your insight. We Are All One.
Dalia,
Some part of me does not want to “explain” any of this but to leave the mystery and the beauty stand without words. The experiences we have are ours. The universe is ever sending messages and trying to get our attention and to lead us home but we have to be “awake” to it. The natives of many indigenous cultures “read” the signs or messages in nature and phenomenon. They have interpretations for what is witnessed. The Indians saw nature as an oracle and this “way” as it relates to animals who cross your path is chronicled in Ted Andrew’s Book: “Animal Speak.”
I always look for the metaphor in a circumstance. Coincidences are messages from the Universe. I watch coincidences closely. I look carefully at eyes and I “feel” into someone or a situation because I am an empath. I am now working with an elder to hone this craft and to discern what is mine and what belongs to others. It’s tricky when you are a sensitive person and I suspect most MJ fans are sensitives.
Know too that there is power in silence. Some things you do not speak of because the power stays potent; speaking of it dissipates the power. So some things I do not speak of. When someone does not speak there is great power in that silence. Those who do not speak or hear live in the great silence. And they who perceive and communicate in other ways have amplified sensory skills. I suspect your encounter at the stop sign was with an empath. He felt you. You have heard Michael speak of this many times. He asked: “can you feel it?” He had to feel the music; his body had to move to the rhythm. Life lived in him. He let it in.
Your tears, while for Michael, are for more than Michael. They are also for the archetypes that he represents and the archetypes raised by his life and the cirumstances of his life. They are also present in his music and films so– Michael touches a deep part of you. The deep mourning is as much for self and the world as for Michael. You are not alone in that. Whether we recognize it or not, it all touches us. He touches us in a deep way. His loss reflects that depth. (That is all I am going to say here as I will be looking at more of his work and its archetypes and messages later.)
Suffering cracks open the heart and that is the puspose of the unexpected and surprising deep shattering grief his passing evoked. Is it abnormal to cry this far from the triggering event? It is the archetype that holds you in its spell. It echoes something within you. But it is unhealthy to wallow in grief or let it paralyze you. I hope you are sublimating your sadness by taking action against the powers that killed Michael and that kill/destroy those archetypes. Put that energy to good use– especially the anger and injustice of it. Some of the generalized sadness felt is for the human that does not learn– for the human race that repeats its same mistake each time it is confronted and confounded by a similar embodiment of the archetype on the planet. It Reacts with alarm, fear, loathing and the impulse to destroy that which it does not understand and feels threatened by. The mirror is a scary place.
People have had similar experiences as you and have attributed it to Michael. Do you want it so badly that you create it? Maybe. Or for you, it is a Michael touchpoint because your grief is so deep. I also heard stories of actual visitations– many of them. Do I think we can communicate with other realms or the afterlife? I am a practitioner of shamanism. Enough said.
For two nights at dusk I went to the shore of a large lake. The first night I saw a wide rainbow that extended from the shore to the center of the sky. The colors at sunset turned to purple and teal. Those colors were juxtaposed in the water which had turned shimmery with purple and teal. I longed for my watercolors because the oils would never do it justice– it was soft and watery and mystical. But nobody would have believed that painting. I said “thank you” and wondered if that little vignette of life was just for me. Was it a sign? Well, I was the only one there to appreciate that breathtaking moment!
The next night the full moon rose from the water golden and big and magnificent. I watched from a rock on the shore as the waves crashed around my ankles. The moon bounced on the waves and eventually rose to illuminate a golden moonglade that looked every bit like a yellow brick road. It looked as if I could walk on it if I stepped lightly and follow it to its origin in the moon. I thought about the pull of the moon on the tides of the planet and the pull of a little moonwalker on the people of a planet. Was that intended for me? Again, I was the only one there.
Both those experiences were mystical. They were precisely what I needed for connection. Perfect; and enough.
dear Dalia, BTW, our names just differ in one letter:)
About your heartbroken feeling, the tears even after 3 years: Well, your comment is comforting me, thank you for sharing… I feel the same way. Just when I think I passed the rough river, finally reaching the open sea, thinking I’ve overcome… deep sadness hit me to my big surprise, again… still… after 3 – three – years?! (For a man I never met.) Recently I was wondering to consult a physician. I consider myself as a strong personality, not having troubles in my private relationships at home nor at work. Since June, 2009 there is that fragile “issue” that keeps me bothering / wondering every every day. Luckily I have met – unfortunately due to Michael’s passing – a wonderful friend (Erika) who is always ready to listen and we fully understand each other in these matters.
Barbara, I bow to you, for the guidance, I admire your ability “to translate” – to put into words – what our confusing feelings are about. I agree and understand (quote) “the grief is for the human race that repeats its same mistake and the impulse to destroy that which it does not understand and feels threatened by.” I already took your advice to do something positive with the sadness and made a donation to the Make A wish foundation in honor of Michael. Namaste to you all and LYM.
I always come over and read everything, even though I may not always leave a comment. This time I want to express my appreciation: Thank you very much for providing us with such deep (and beautifully penned) insight. Love, Monica- SWEDEN
Barbara,
Since the first day I was led here when IM was newly created, I have found my heart and soul’s path drawn into words by your pen ( or keyboard, although that sounds so much more prosaic for such a spiritual journey!). I have longed for a gathering of like souls, not just those who love Michael although that seems to be enough of a light connection for me to want to draw them in and be drawn in, but of those who went through and are going through similar experiences because of him. A workshop/retreat on spiritual emergency, on emerging from it, on drawing from the experiences to create and transform and bring into action…on spiritual awakening, on learning to see guidance and to trust our empathic natures in our walks in the world…so many things that Michael has been a touchstone for, for many people, and so many things that you have touched on and explored in your beautiful words here at IM. i would be there in a heartbeat!
I would also love to see a book that shared some of our letters…and I would like to believe that a few people from ‘outside’ the experience might pick up that book, and wonder, and understand…
I have also been germinating an idea for more than two years,about mythology and archetypes and Michael and pop culture, about how many of those archetypes Michael represented, and how many the world cast him in. I would love to be in a workshop that explored that idea more, too…connecting our own growth to the archetypes that Michael awoke within each of us…
I hope that the yellow brick road leads you to an answer that involves a retreat or two or ten 🙂 I would so, so love to meet, face to face, everyone who has been here on this journey, sharing hearts and wisdom and tears and vulnerability and inspiration…
Karen
I feel there is a lot of energy right now–as you said, Barbara, the full moon, the eclipse, the Venus transit, and the solstice–and also June 13th, the day Michael was declared not guilty and June 25th, the day we lost his beautiful physical presence. However, he is here on the spirit plane and is clearly communicating to us from that realm. I loved the story of the woman who felt the hand touch her and awaken her. It would be good to one day publish those stories of awakenings and I also love the idea of a retreat for MJ fans–YES!! I think we do need to actually be together at some point, and while it is good to communicate on the internet or in other ways, being actually together would be wonderful. Yes, I do think women are more aware of the spiritual energies; maybe this has to do with the way men are encouraged to hide their feelings and ‘be strong’ or ‘tough’ and certainly not ‘weak.’
I loved your description of the moon and the sunset–I read in a book that when MJ was young and after performances, Bill Bray would lock him in his hotel room for security reasons, and MJ would feel lonely so he would talk to the moon–yes, he actually did this. This was in the book about finding the ranch he purchased Neverland by his real estate agent. He shared this with her while they looked over the ranch.
Rev. Barbara, I feel that women are the true hope for deep and lasting change in our world. The violence HAS TO END. What you said here is compelling:
“I have often wondered what would happen if all the women of the world stood in front of their male babies when they were grown and said: “No!” No to violence, no to conflict, no to the miliary and no to war. What if she, to make her point clearly, withheld all sexual favors until the world began to nurture humankind’s brilliance instead of its shadow. And if men tried to force the issue, what if the women stood together, for one another? With no young men to fight their wars, what would “they” do?”
Back in the 1970’s, there was one of the greatest TV commercials ever created and aired. It had to do with settling differences and depicted a group of men in business suits, taking off their sport coats, rolling up the sleeves on their white business shirts, and preparing to “duke it out” with one another in a fist fight, as opposed to using weapons of mass destruction, i.e., bombs, rockets, missles, etc. I remember the commentator voicing a comment along the lines of men of power settling their differences themselves, directly, rather than involving hundreds of thousands of innocent people. I believe the message meant that wars waste human lives and accomplish no lasting peace. I’m going to look for it on YouTube.
When I think about the horrors of war, the familiies that are torn apart by all types of violent behavior all over th world, I can hear Michael Jackson’s powerful words that he spoke during his Oxford speech….”We have to stop”. He was an uncommon, spiritually-enlightened being. For lack of an explanation as to why he left us so soon, I can only accept that in “spirit” he is actually better able to continue to inspire and lead the way to world-wide change. Sadly, while we no longer can enjoy and revel in his physical presence, we can apply his great gift of “feeling” the things that are important to us and to the world and respond to them. When I see children playing and having a good time, I see and feel Michael. His presence is very strong. It’s not hard to “feel” him. The quiet moments are the best.
A retreat for women who have experienced the phenomenon of being touched, personally, by him would be fabulous. I’d find the time and the money to attend. I believe it would be a life-enriching opportunity and a place where each of our paths could be revealed with more clarity.
Blessings to you and thank you for this thought-provoker.
Barbara
OK. I tried not to comment. I even got zapped the other night when trying to comment and recognized that maybe I should wait….But, I need to just say one thing. Amen to a retreat. Count me in….
Blessings, love and light…..Michael’s essence is one of incredible strength and power
Victoria
Can someone Please link me to the reads about Michael & the Dalai Lama/ I would be so grateful.
Love & Light
I am ready and delighted to walk that yellow brick road the Moonwalker is beckoning us toward. For I truly believe we are being beckoned, everyone of us who come here, as well as so many others.
I am not paralyzed or inhibited in any way by the grief I feel over our loss of Michael’s physical presence, yet I can tell you, much to my on-going surprise, my grief has increased rather than dissipated, it hurts more now than it did at the time of his death. I accept this as manifesting from a deepening connection to his wondrous being and our shared connection to him, each other and our created world. I feel it in every cell in my body and soul tells me that’s what this is. The less frequently-experienced yet deepening grief – I think – is part of awakening.
Do we have a purpose? It seems to me if we weren’t aware of one before, we became acutely aware of it after, Michael’s passing. The soulquake was global, real and I don’t question it or my sanity anymore. It’s too large and continuous a phenomenon to be ephemeral. In some way we belong to him and each other. Will our focussed energy heal the world? Michael thought it could. The more I learn of him the less I doubt he was right. But I also am increasingly convinced that if I don’t heal and evolve myself FIRST, it’s an exersise in futility to try doing that for the world.
A retreat would be nice… my concern is that it would be a big thing to organize and you have had major surgery, Rev. B, so…
This grief is part of awakening from the dream. We are all in a trance of the world and that creates the world. We really work hard to resist the pain of the world and that is the very thing that alienates us from it. I will speak more about the trance/dream soon.
Yes, collectively we can heal the world. We meaning a critical mass of humanity. Could it begin with us? I think so.
G, it takes a year at the very least to plan a retreat like the one we are discussing. There is time to heal. Besides, people are already lining up to help and I haven’t even committed to it yet.
Amen.
There isn’t much to find, S; Michael met the Dalai Lama in 1999 I believe and the visit was brief. About a half hour or so. If anyone can find more, please share. ~B
Thank you for this spiritual blog and the spiritual discourse over here. There is great heartache over the way that Michael Jackson was treated and the huge suffering he was put through. But when I see how much he is being remembered for his kindness, generosity and his goodness, DESPITE all the vilification that was attempted, it lifts my spirits. For I truly want to believe that goodness and kindness is not wasted and does not go unnoticed. He is revered now by many and that brings me great solace and helps restore hope in humanity.
Souldreamer, about Michael meeting the Dalai Lama: there isn’t much indeed to find as Barbara said. It was a sunday, August,15 1999 at the Mark Hotel in New York. It was a brief meeting according to this website:
http://mjjtime.blogspot.be/2010/08/today-in-mjj-history_15.html
About the speech:
http://www.tibet.ca/en/newsroom/wtn/archive/old?y=1999&m=8&p=15_2
Namaste.
The moon isn’t the only thing rising …. No, we’ve risen as well … from the depths and darkness of our unconsciousness back to the light, back to our inner core, back to the women we really are. And in my opinion, we are still rising and evolving.
I can find myself in many of the previous comments. My grief isn’t gone either, it has lessened in frequency but it has grown in depth and meaning. The more I learned about Michael, about this pure heart behind the artist, the more sad and frustrated it made me. Anger has its place as well. Oh yes, sometimes I can be very angry and feel terribly helpless.
What can I do? What do you want us to do Michael? How can we make that change on a global level? I looked in the mirror and I have made that change. I do my best as much as I can and I “try” to “be like Mike”, though being realistic that I can never reach his level.
Barbara, you said : “Yes, collectively we can heal the world. We meaning a critical mass of humanity. Could it begin with us? I think so.”
How can we make an impact on a larger scale? Where do we begin? Sometimes I did feel a bit lost and I wondered whether all my actions can really make a difference … This planet is SO big, there are so many people, so many differences, so many cultures, religions, ego’s, money grabbers … and yet … H.H. the Dalai Lama stated that we Western women might be able to save this world … And then I think of this song Michael sang when he was still a young boy. It was a bit “Man In The Mirror” avant la lettre. “Maybe you and I can’t do great things, we may not change the world in one day. But we still can change some things today, in our small way”.
And that is just the way it is. Our small ways can have the global impact we all so long for, but it takes time, endurance and above all “unity”. I do believe this is our goal, our purpose. This is the reason why we woke up and it’s up to us now to make that change and believe in humanity and our power.
For me personally, things are starting to change. I have awakened and I have changed, but I’m not all that happy with myself for the moment, like it’s not enough what I did. Gertrude’s comment about healing yourself first makes a lot of sense to me.
It’s a bit two sided. The last three years I’ve spend too much time at my computer. Of course, like many, I wanted to know everything there was to know about Michael. And besides a pile of books, the internet has been a splendid source. I looked for everything I could find, studied him, read about him in blogs, social networks, on YouTube, and I’m sure there is still much unknown to me. And it has been such an emotional rollercoaster. I’ve met the most wonderful and loving people during these years and I’m very grateful and happy for that. It helped me a lot in learning about Michael, but also in discovering that what happened to me happened to lots of (mostly) women all over the world. And a lot of credits go to you Barbara, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
But, I realize now that the internet has done its job and I’m now approaching a crossroad. I feel that, for me personally, the next level is opening its doors. I feel it’s time that I “stop existing and start living”. Healing myself is the first thing that has to be done and I’m convinced that this is not going to happen in cyberspace. I want to focus on my own spiritual growth and work further from there.
I’ve studied Michael and got so many important life lessons from him. I believe that now the time has come to put the same energy in studying myself and explore my own natural talents and gifts so I can use them and offer to the world, in Michael’s name. I’m going to LIVE my LIFE outside cyberspace. I want to create, I want to hear, taste, see, touch and feel, use all my senses and put all Michael’s wise life lessons into practice, knowing that, even in my “small way”, I can help heal this world. By doing so, I believe I can be a part of the shift in human consciousness that is taking place.
I will cherish the memories of these last 3 years as if they were those of my own 2 children. My heart will go on with Michael forever as a part of me. And my own little Inner Michael will continue to whisper and guide me for the rest of my life. I will keep rising … and shining … and create my history! Yes, I’ve got work to do too …
Of course I will stay in contact with my MJ friends, they’re spread all over the world and I love them from the bottom of my heart. I will visit the internet from time to time on a selective basis, with IM listed #1 of course 😉 And I would LOVE to be a part of a retreat, it would be a dream come true to physically meet so many soul mates! But I understand that this will take considerable time to organize. Please let me know if help is needed from Belgium.
Erika, thank you for the heartfelt and touching thoughts. There are many who have taken that roller coaster ride with you, myself included. The disillusionment with human nature was almost paralyzing. This is a cynical world we live in that not only scoffs at goodness but does not believe in innocence– or a true innocent. The world is not very familiar with the numinous although that is changing thanks to Hollywood which illustrates too well the shadow in competition with the light. The movie “Avatar,” The “Help” and Kiefer Sutherland’s new series “Touch” bring a new kind of dialogue to the world. “The Help” found us looking at our not-so-pretty past;. That so many people could watch that part of history and keep themselves in a theater seat was no small feat. It was a dark time. We overcame a lot but it is not done. Racism was a huge part of Michael’s reality and informed his work. While much progress was made, we now have an African American president and racism has reared ugly again from the darkness. The Southern Law Poverty Center reports that at least 1000 new hate groups have sprung up since Obama took office. We must stay vigilant.
We have to be able to bear witness to our own darkness to assimilate what really happened; that is not easy, but I am convinced the day will come when humanity will be able to bear the truth. If those who were touched, awakened to a new meme about Michael Jackson, and began to research found a truth so burried in propaganda and tabloid sewage, then the truth can rise from anywhere, can it not? It is difficult (put midly) to bear witness to a darkness so encompassing that it takes the very breath. To discover that a luminous soul was so tortured and so harmed by a race that lost its own soul momentarily is to confront not just the deepest anger but the deepest compassion– to bear witness to the needless pain and suffering of another is an enlightenment that we all need to undergo.
The reality that it happened to a man so filled with compassion and innate goodness is to confront the deepest of humanity’s shadow. We live in a world of duality. The light that opposes that particular reality is blinding. It is not easy to witness or assimilate such heartbreak. But it has purpose. It is a measured step toward enlightenment. It is to visit and then dwell on another level of understanding and humanness. It is a leap on the path. The human heart cannot feel the way it needs to feel unless it is cracked and open. Tragedy, trauma, the darkest of realizations, the most foul of human behaviors must be confronted and processed before the soul is mature.
The reason we, and this planet are so cynical, and so cavalier about this place we call home and its species is because we are so disconnected from ourselves and our feelings. We live from our lower selves and the attractions of the lower chakras and base longings. We try to cut off that part of ourselves and then conduct life and business from our heads and not our hearts. People seek forbidden pleasures and consume the titillating because they suffer a numbness of the human heart. Behind the silently frantic search for the orgaistic state is a longing for union with the ecstacy of the Divine. The mystics speak of this longing– St. Theresa, Catherine, and so on long for union and to be “drunk on god.” I have spoken before of god intoxication, of ecstacy, of the divine impulse of losing oneself in the dance of the divine. Michael knew it.
In order to be in compassionate service on this planet, we must be able to feel. We must bear witness to the overwhelming presence of human missteps and evil itself to open our understanding. The path to awakening comes in stages. There is the shock, the mourning, the realization, the anguish, the anger, the assimilation of it all and all the while, the FEELINGS flood and overwhelm and do thier work scrubbing the human heart, preparing the soul for future work– for the real work. It is not an easy path but it is a necessary one if we are to save this planet and ourselves. We must FEEL.
That is why this experience is so vast, so widespread. And make no mistake– that was part of Michael’s mission on this planet. He came to serve, to bring a message, to awaken and to cause heartbreak that cracks open the human heart. From his dialogue it is evident that he knew much of his own destiny and his impact and its reason.
We have work to do. I salute you in your quest for the spiritual self for that is the journey you embark on now. Keep your heart engaged. Trust that you will be led to the right book, the right teacher, the right experience. In fact– INVITE THEM. I think it is important to work on both levels– micro (my personal life) and macro (the world.) There is much one person can do even though the mission looks overwhelming. Think Stanislav Petrov, Samantha Smith, the annual CNN Heros list– ordinary people doing extraordinaty things.
It may also be fate that we are to work collectively. I am working on some things behind the scenes. I must get trained in some things, get some things in place, build a scaffold and get some things in order before stepping into the next part of the mission. Illness, surgery and a life disrupted and in transition have interrupted the plans and the process but I believe in divine timing so I surrender to the idea that it is not my own timing that is the authority. I am working with wise and generous tribal elders to assimilate and understand all this. When things are in place, I will be inviting you all. Whether it is a virtual retreat or gathering or one in 3-D real space, I feel it coming toward us, don’t you? More in the next post…
Rev. B, in the song “Someone In The Night” Michael said to “look for the rainbow in the sky.” I think you saw one of Michael’s rainbows. I have seen one too!!
Wow; I am taken away by this website, not what I expected. Only in the last 2 wks. I did a music quiz on facebook and got Bille-Jean as the song of my life and loved it and since I’ve been reading, watching you-tube on everything about Michael Jackson and I can’t stop crying and I feel something very deep stirred within me and I’m trying to understand it. I’d heard his music in the 80’s and my young sons would dance to “Bad, Beat it and Thriller” and it would uplift my heart for my life was in turmoil at the time and on June 25th, 2009 I felt great sadness. I received 2 other bad news and 6 months later my world turned upside down and I’ve been studying and working on looking in the mirror ever since and practicing Buddhism and love and compassion and trying to make a difference in the world. Earth Song, Heal the World and We are the World, We are the Children songs have become my mantra. I wish love and peace to all.xoxoxoLinda
Welcome Linda. And welcome to your Soul. Glad you could make it. *wink* You know who to thank. Blessings!
M really happy to see your page thanks a lots