Michael channeled by Shepherd Hoodwin
Many of you are quite concerned about the state of the world politically, environmentally, and so forth. Your concern is indicative of your love: your desire to help others, reduce suffering, and raise human consciousness. There is a way of being deeply concerned and taking helpful actions without that burdening yourself with additional suffering. In fact, if your activism and concern are without added suffering, you will be more effective. You might observe what happens in you when you learn about something negative. If you lose energy, that indicates that you are becoming burdened. You might consider reframing your experience.
Some people simply choose at a certain point not to consume any media that may be distressing. That can be a solid choice at a particular time. But if you do choose to stay informed, which is a generally a good idea for citizens of the world, the number one technique is to replace dismay and fear with compassion. We’re not suggesting condoning violating behavior. However, those who harm others are themselves in a lot of pain and fear, even if they try to mask it with bravado, even if they have shut down their emotions so as not to feel what they are doing. Those who harm others are themselves suffering. It is likely that unhealed wounds in them have been triggered, causing them to react destructively.
It can be appropriate to stop others from violating people’s rights or the environment. Such actions are more effective if done with compassion, or at least neutrality. When you react negatively to the actions of others, you are also being triggered. Triggering alerts you to parts of yourself that are available to be examined, brought into light, and healed. If you take advantage of that opportunity, you are also helping heal humanity.
Healing yourself is not a replacement for taking action in the world, but it is ultimately the same thing. You are dealing with consciousness that needs to be processed by light; whether it is in you or in others, it makes no difference. When you tune in to negative or stuck energies and bring light, you are healing—that is what a healer does.
It is helpful to release expectations that others should behave with the same consciousness that you have; that is setting yourself up for disappointment. Those who are interested in reading channeling probably already have more consciousness than the average person. You can look out at the world and see endless harmful acts that you would never do, but that should come as no surprise. When you are shocked by the behavior of others that is not so different from what you have been observing for a long time, you are not comprehending and accepting the current state of human consciousness. In fact, you become enmeshed in their lower consciousness and lose energy. Instead, you might view it as an opportunity to provide an alternative.
It is also useful to break the habit of taking other people’s choices personally. Many react to the choices others make as a personal affront. Most of other people’s actions, even if they include some ugliness directed at you individually, are not really personal. They are an expression of that person’s consciousness, so it is wise not to take very much personally.
When you do take things personally, observe what is going on in you. It might be bringing up some old feelings of being unloved. When you were a child, you didn’t have much capacity to be philosophical about the actions of others, so you probably did take most things personally unless a nearby adult was wise enough to point out that “This is not your fault. This is not on you.”
Humanity faces many major challenges but from our point of view, things are not as bad as you might gather if you were only reading the stories that are chosen to headline the news reports. The growth of human consciousness occurring in unprecedented ways does not usually make it into the headlines.
Hope suggests a wish that things will get better. We encourage you to also feel into what is already better, even though some individual situations are worse. Spend a moment using your intuitive facilities to feel into the center of human consciousness. Take a picture of it in your mind’s eye. Maybe you have a visual impression or feel something about it. Now ask your inner knowing to show you that same consciousness twenty years ago. Put them side by side. Can you observe improvement? If so, it will help you hold a larger picture even when engaged with the current state of the world, particularly as presented in the media.
If human consciousness is indeed evolving, not in every human being but as a whole, then surely that will eventually bring more positive outcomes, although it might be a bumpy ride in the coming decades before the better outcomes fully settle in.
There are some sources of positive news such as heartwarming human interest stories. In fact, if you do a deeper dive into the media, not just the headlines, you can find a lot of positive developments.
Don’t assume that any version of events that you are exposed to is anywhere close to being a complete and proportionate picture. What you are exposed to in the media is often the worst of things. Maybe this is not so bad, since people do need to know about them—at least they often do. But you might think of these worst-of-the-news stories as a collective opportunity to release old consciousness. If, for example, a substantial portion of people are appalled by the behavior of a politician, this could be viewed as forward movement compared to times when these things would have been considered normal or okay, or they would have been hidden from view.
Sorrow is an understandable and compassionate reaction to much of what is in the news, but dwelling on it may not be useful. Instead, open to see how you feel called to help. Put your energy into the outward movement of your compassion rather than the more inward-moving reaction to events that results in persistent sorrow. For example, you could hold sorrowful events in your heart during meditation as you seek to radiate love into them. You could also write an illuminating political blog. Or both. Take a moment now and ask yourself: “What do I feel called to offer to others and to the planet as a whole?”
Whatever it is, it will something that comes naturally to you. Maybe you feel called to make people laugh; that can be a powerful healer. Maybe you feel called to plant a garden and share the bounty with those around you. When you operate this way, from the inside out, you feel more powerful because you realize that there are many things you can do. You may not be in a position of power to directly influence people doing unwise things on a large scale, but even planting a garden or making someone laugh sends out positive energies that could eventually bring more sense to those in charge.
Currently, most people have not heard about the Michael teachings, but anyone can feel unconditional love, which is the goal of these teachings. Many of those who have studied them have learned to be less judgmental because they have realized that people are dealing with their own lessons, for good reasons. Bad behaviors derive from the negative poles of the overleaves and from the obstacles, or what we in general refer to as “false personality.” Michael students understand that no one will always be in their positive poles or free from the influence of the obstacles. In other words, we are all in the same boat, having a lot of lessons. When you are not judgmental, others are more likely to receive from you.
Even though there is a lot of complexity in the Michael teachings, they are, at their core, simple:
We are each eternal souls who are having experiences that we can use for growth, leading to an increase in our ability to love and understand. Doing so requires overcoming maya (illusions) and fear. Even without understanding the overleaves, many people could understand these concepts. As their consciousness evolves a little further, facing their fears may no longer seem as frightening. In the meantime, anything that you might individually do to release your own fears will help others to do the same.
At this time, roughly forty percent of humans are defending their ego, or false personality, to such an extent that not much light can get through. But if we project based on the improvements that have already come in the last two decades, in another generation that could be down to, say, twenty percent. That would bring a lot more momentum to human transformation. In the meantime, when you encounter someone in that forty percent, with a heavily defended ego, trying to break down their walls doesn’t have much likelihood of success. Instead, you could beam them a picture that says, “You know, you would be happier if you let some of this go.” That might plant a seed where something may loosen up in them later on. Meanwhile, invest your energies in those who have open hearts and minds. Share from your own open heart and mind.
Incidentally, people being interested in spiritual teachings does not mean that their minds and hearts are open. And not being interested does not imply that they aren’t. As surprising as it may seem, spiritual knowledge can be used as a shield against self-knowledge just as surely as anything else can. We say this so that you will not be too surprised when you note it in your interchanges with others. Focus on your own open heart and mind, and share what can be shared with others, what can flow.
What are you are feeling in this moment? We perceive that many of you are letting go of a pervasive disappointment that you have been carrying relative to fellow human beings. This is useful because it allows you to love and accept others and yourself where you are now. The great paradox of this that the more you accept things as they are, the more easily they can evolve into something more positive.
A loved one is experiencing increasing dementia. I feel that he is clinging to me and I often feel drained. Do you have any suggestions for me to keep my energies higher?
As you were describing the draining of your energies, you were losing your grounding. Good grounding makes it easier for you to stay centered and more difficult for your energy to be taken. Ask within to see a picture of what good grounding looks and feels like for you. It’s extensive when you ground well because you have a complex field, so for you to ground means grounding all that complexity. Do you feel different when you do that?
I feel a more multidimensional type of grounding happening. The energy is coming in better.
Another issue for you is your compassion: you so want to help him, yet there isn’t much you can do. There are some things you can do, but not much. If you adjust your expectations and are peaceful and accepting of the amount you can actually do, you won’t be giving him all your energy, inviting him to take whatever he wants. Instead, you would offer what he could, in fact, receive.
His constant calls are overwhelming.
You might send him a picture of what it might look like to connect to his own source. Say to him in your mind that he can get what he needs, or at least a lot of it, from within himself. When he calls you, you don’t have to pick up the phone. Instead, send him a psychic picture that communicates “I believe in you, I know you can access more of what you need, and this is what it might look like for you.” That’s a way to help without draining yourself.
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Ask yourself, “What is optimal grounding for me? What does that look and feel like?” Download that picture and ask to ground optimally.
Notice how grounding well allows you to be an even greater blessing to the world with less sorrow and wear and tear.
—East Coast Michael Gathering April 28, 2023
Transcribed by Susan Flow
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