Why is it so hard for us humans to simply be with what is?

I believe it ultimately has to do with our separation from Source. 

Shaltazar says that so much of human life is about separateness.  We are all born into this world with amnesia as to who and what we truly are and with no memory from whence we came.  By design, we were cut off from the unconditional love of Source upon birth.  But somewhere, buried deep in our being, is a living fragment of Source – an actual piece of the Creator.  This fragment of God is like a beacon, calling unto itself, acting like a homing signal welcoming us back, drawing us like a magnet to reunite with the whole, with the Oneness.

As a result, we spend many lifetimes in physical form, wandering about with a vague sense there’s something more, something bigger, something greater to us than the mundane existence we experience.  Paradoxically, though we are perpetually searching, ever expecting it to appear around the next corner, we never really find what we seek, assuming we even know exactly what we’re looking for.

And then one day we read something or hear something or see something that makes us pause and consider that this nagging sense might just be a call from an invisible force hidden from our view: a call to awaken.  So we continue to search and explore, but this time for information and knowledge about this unseen place.  The more data we digest, the more we come to realize what we are searching for isn’t out there, but instead somewhere inside us, eventually bringing us to an inner knowing that we are Divinity, the way, the truth, and the life.

But before we get to that point, we tend to suffer under the delusion that it all begins and ends with us.  Without tangible proof of the invisible world, we assume everything we experience in the physical plane is under our control and all outcomes directly attributable to our actions.  I have come to believe much of the anguish and emotional strife we face in our lives is the result of struggling against this notion of control.

When something unanticipated manifests in our lives, our automatic reaction is to freak out.  Be it an illness, an accident, the loss of a job or a loved one, or some other major disappointment, in a flash we get sucked out of the present into a dismal version of the future fabricated by our ego in response to an obsolete remnant of the fight-or-flight instinct buried deep within our DNA.  We then set about to take control of the situation; to fix what we perceive to be wrong. 

Shaltazar talks often about letting go; about surrendering and accepting.  Difficult concepts for the person who believes they’re in control to concede let alone attempt.  Although we are creators, our creative powers have limits.  While we can effect change, the change we can bring about has limitations resulting from our living in duality. 

I once had a conversation with my nineteen year old about this topic.  She was desperately concerned about the environment and the dire state of our planet.  Although I don’t fully understand the purpose behind what’s happening with our climate, I am one hundred percent certain we are under the constant watch and care of a hierarchical form of celestial government comprised of spirit beings charged with marshaling the affairs of mankind in alignment with God’s evolutionary agenda.  Label them as you wish – angels, ascended masters, spirit guides, heavenly hosts, celestial citizens, the Gavish Banenu – I believe these stewards of our planet have been here with us always and continue to guide and protect us from ourselves, legislating the events of time for the greater good of our progress and ascension. 

I have no doubt many of history’s great leaders were members of this celestial community embodied in human form to serve some critical evolutionary purpose.  Likewise, I believe it’s by no simple twist of fate the Allies were victorious when evil sought a foothold during WWII.  I believe it’s no accident we’ve never had a nuclear war.  Nor is it remarkable that most of the world’s most notable scientific discoveries and cures for diseases were in some way “accidents.”  There is most definitely a greater intelligence at work here, even though we can’t detect it with our senses.

The earth has undergone major upheavals over the course of history with land appearing from the seas that once covered the planet, disappearing again, then reappearing elsewhere; continents drifting apart, multiple ice ages, lush tropical forests that are now deserts, deserts that are now forests.  Perhaps we are in a time of global transition, and climate change is a symptom?  Or maybe this is some necessary step in our planetary evolution?  Regardless, as other historical problems were resolved in our favor, I believe the health of our planet is too important to have escaped the attention of our invisible benefactors, and I must assume they have us covered. 

My daughter balked, refusing to believe that such unseen forces even exist let alone could have anything whatsoever to do with the present state of our climate or with curing that which appears to be ailing. 

I asked her if she believed in God.  She said yes, of course.  I asked her if she’d ever seen God or heard God’s voice, or had a two-way conversation with this being she was so certain is real.  She said no.  I then asked why, if she was able to believe in an unseen God, was it so difficult for her to accept that there could be billions of other beings around us right now whose energy vibrates much faster than ours making them invisible to us, but nonetheless real?  She had no answer. 

It is our minds that create struggle owing to our inability to keep our thoughts from drifting back into the past or projecting out into the future.  This struggle is part of the design of the human experience.  How we react to the struggle is our choice. 

Ah – choice.  Although we live here subject to celestial supervision and governance, there is also the concept of free will at play.  How do we reconcile the concept of God’s will and our own free will?  That is a question which has perplexed many for thousands of years.  If you choose to believe in a Higher Power and that the Higher Power has our best interests at heart, how do we integrate this idea with free will?  Yes, choice is the cornerstone of human existence.  Shaltazar makes it quite clear that once we incarnate into human form, we are free to choose every step of the way in our human experience.  Although there may have been a loosely crafted plan for our human journey in this lifetime, we definitely get to choose whether or not we will follow that plan.  This is often very difficult to understand or comprehend because this plan was created in the higher dimensions beyond our logic and linearity.  Does God create our destiny, or does our free will determine our life’s journey?  And what if you don’t believe there is a God?  Are we left alone to figure it all out for ourselves?  Who is ultimately in control of our life?  Is it destiny, or free will, or maybe both?

So when life’s circumstances beset us, we can choose to give in to the darkness and feel sorry for ourselves like we’re being punished, OR  we can choose to rejoice in the darkness just as we rejoice in the light.  Shaltazar challenges us when life feels difficult, overwhelming, or overpowering, to make the choice to accept what is.  Why?  Because what life sends our way – like the weather, and the tides, and the climate – is beyond our control.  All we can control is our reaction to what comes. 

Of course it’s often hard to know what’s within our control and what’s not.  If we are able to figure it out, maybe we can use it to our benefit.  What if it was possible to allow our free choice to merge with God’s will?  We would still be left to fend for ourselves and decide how to respond to what comes our way.  But maybe, just maybe, we could use that fragment of the Source that is within us to guide our decisions and choices.  If we could connect to the piece of the Creator inside us then maybe we could have access to the wisdom of the ages.  Then we would be able to amalgamate our loosely laid out plan for our life (destiny) with the free choices we make each and every day, finding the delicate balance between control and surrender.  The best of both worlds – destiny and free choice working together for our highest good.  Perhaps the result would be a better, more fulfilling and enjoyable life with much less suffering.

Applying the Wisdom:

To better understand and apply this concept let’s imagine life is like a bus, and we the passengers.  We are not driving the bus, but merely along for the ride.  In fact, we aren’t even sure who is driving the bus or why we chose to get on in the first place.  There is a certain mystical and somewhat invisible nature to the driver/guide.  Some say he or she is capable of performing miracles.  The bus has a scheduled itinerary, and if we stay on the bus, we are told we will be taken for a lifetime adventure. We are also told, however, that we are free to get off the bus at any time and find our own way to our destination. Do we trust the tour guide, or do we get off the bus and hoof it on our own?

I’m reminded of the Knight Bus scene featured in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  Harry leaves the Dursley’s, drags the trunk containing all his worldly possessions out into the night, and sits down on the curb forlorn and out of options.  Suddenly, a double-decker bus materializes out of nothingness. The oddball conductor beckons the bewildered Harry to get on board, at which point the crazed, half-blind maniac driver takes Harry on a harrowing ride through London.

Like this scene, we have no guide book to tell us where we are traveling or why.  What if Harry had refused to board the Knight Bus?  Would he have eventually found his way to the Leaky Cauldron?  Are we better off choosing every step of this journey on our own, or trusting someone or something we don’t know or even comprehend to guide us to our destination?

Some will find the whole affair too bizarre and get off, choosing to exercise total free choice in navigating their journey.  Like Harry, others are more trusting and willing to go along and see where the bus takes them. Still others may choose a little of both.  No choice is wrong (except perhaps choosing not to choose).

The brilliant thing about this journey is we have that magnificent fragment of Source implanted in our DNA which works like a GPS, ever leading us back to the next bus stop should we choose to get off and walk for a while.  As there is abundant freedom of choice on this adventure, we are allowed to stay at each stop as long as we choose.  This may cause our journey to take a bit longer than if had we gone for the ride, but because all roads lead back to Source, we will eventually arrive at our desintation, no matter which route we choose to get there.

The big question is how will you choose to travel on this life adventure?  On the bus, or on foot?  In collaboration with Source, or solo?  One way implies assuming personal control; the other surrender and acceptance.  One flow and connection; the other struggle and resistance.  Both work.  Which way works best for you?