Happy Easter, Happy Passover & much more

      Our school is a school where all faiths may come together in One Faith. There are many paths and only One destination. Recently I received one of those emails from a Christian friend that is essentially a hate email....although people like that really have no idea they are sending hate emails. It was about how there are too many mosques in Europe and the Muslims will take over the world. I really didn't read it. There is never any need to fill our minds up with other people's dramas and negativities. Our only goal is to stay focused on Truth, to walk our own path with integrity. And so today, whoever you are, whatever your religion, I honor your way. I honor the way of Truth.


      I happen to love the teachings of the Bible and I think Jesus was the coolest dude ever. I also love all the Mary's.  I love the teachings of the Bhavadgita, which is part of the Mahabharata, from India, and one of the oldest and the longest epic poems in literature.  I love the wisdom of the Buddha and Lao Tzu. The words of Thoreau and Emerson. Goethe. Shakespeare. The poet saints Mirabai, Gibran, and Rumi. The modern day poet Mary Oliver. Charles Bukowski. There are so many great teachers, saints, and poets to learn from and to honor. I feel sorry for those people who wear blinders, who will not open their hearts and minds to anything that is not in their line of thinking. Notice I said "line of thinking"--because it is a line and it is thinking--it is not a wide open circle that grows and expands--it is THINKING--with the MIND--the very thing we, as students of the School, strive to understand and rise above, so that we can live truly and completely from our hearts.

     I hope you are beginning to understand - with your heart - how valuable the School and the Open Classroom really are. Where else can I go, as a student, to write this kind of stuff? Because I am a student, you know, just as you are -- a student of life, of love, of the School. I often sign, "Your Teacher" -- but when I do that, I do not really mean me -- I mean the angels, the higher truth that comes through me.

     As you all know, I had a near-death experience in 1981. This was a tragedy in my life at the time, one I thought I might never overcome. I really had to draw upon all my inner resources, upon the strength of God to get through that time. I felt so lost and helpless. This is because my near-death experience was caused by another human being -- a human being who broke into my house and tried to kill me. I had never before looked into a person's eyes and see a murderer looking back at me, but I did that night.

     Thank goodness, I had the angels to remain with me after that night, to offer me comfort, solace, and truth.

      It was also not easy for me to live with the experience and constant companionship of the angels. I was living with something that most people could not understand. Psychiatrists probably would have said I was crazy. The truth was that, without the angels, I would have been crazy. I would not have survived that night. I would not have survived after that night, because my world had been shattered. Not only had I been brutally attacked, but I had experienced that another human being could be so cruel. I had looked into the eyes of a human being and seen only darkness looking out. That is a soul-shocking experience.

     Fortunately, I had the angels and my experience of the Light. The Light I saw that night was brighter even than the angels. It was all compassion, all wisdom, and all love.

     Darkness has no real power. This is important for you to know. The trick of the darkness is to make you--make us all believe--that it is has power. How does this happen? Well, think of it like this....you have had an experience like this, I am sure....you are sitting home alone,  thinking dark, fearful thoughts. The more you think, the darker you feel. Later you realize that everything was in your head....but it seemed real to you at the time---you thought it was real. Only in retrospect can you see how caught up you were in false thoughts.

     When we believe thoughts of darkness, we have no possibility but to react from our own darkness. Anger is a dark force. The fear that arises in reaction to anger is an equally dark force. Although we may not be able to stop anger or fear from arising, we can stop ourselves from letting dark emotions take over our existence.

This is one reason the School exists, to teach you ways to rise above the darkness into the light. You always have the choice to turn to the School instead of fear and anger. You always have the possibility to turn to the Light. You can read your lessons. You can stop by the Open Classroom and write to your heart's content. You can read what others have written. You can be reminded that you are not alone on your path. Isolation is a tool of darkness. The companionship of others who are intent upon Truth is a vital tool of Light. Matthew 18:20 tells us, For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

     I was once taking a train through Luxembourg and the train broke down. I was in a small town and decided to go have a look around. So I left all my luggage and walked into town, because the engineer said it would take 45 minutes to fix the train. It was really interesting and I wanted to see everything. Then I had this sudden impulse to return to the train. I actually heard a voice telling me to return. I looked at this big clock tower and saw that only 10 minutes had passed, and my mind said, it's crazy to go back now. You have time to look around. I hesitated only a second--because my desire was certainly to explore the old town...and then I heard this voice again telling me I had to leave NOW.

     Without a moment's hesitation, I ran back to the train. When I got there, the doors were already closing! If you know anything about trains in Europe, you know that you do not get on a train when the doors are closing. I started to race to the train and some people called to me that I could never make it, to stop. I remember saying, "I have to get on this train!" And somehow I made the leap through the closing doors.

     The voice of darkness was that of my own mind -- encouraging me to stay in the town and fulfill my desire. Had I done that, I would have missed the train. My luggage would have been on the way to Switzerland, where I was supposed to give a talk that evening. I would have been stranded in Luxembourg, with even more dark thoughts, telling me how stupid I was!

     But Light IS brighter than darkness. Love IS stronger than fear. And Light and Love prevailed that day. And so I have this story to tell you today.

     And so this holy season,  I wish you all the ability to listen to the voice of love and light within yourself. Be kind. Be flexible. Be open and understanding. Be willing to see yourself as you are and as you are not. And if you have the courage to see the darkness inside of you -- than know that you are NOT that darkness! Darkness has no power over you. Not unless you decide that it does.  The moment you decide that darkness has no power over you, the darkness loses its power!


     All love, your fellow student and Teacher