This simple answer is it can be both. I have said many times that our ego is not the enemy, and no matter how hard we try we can never eliminate it, nor would we want to. Our ego is part of the human experience. It differentiates us from each other and helps us define our place in this world. As the ego gets stronger so does our sense of self. A healthy ego helps us feel confident and proud of who we are and have become. Without a wholesome, powerful ego we might not find the necessary courage to stand with humility and pride, shine our soul’s light, and make a difference in the world.

As I mentioned in last weeks newsletter, during the first days of the war in Ukraine I had a difficult time writing about it. I decided to wait a week for my shock to settle and my emotions to calm down. I can’t say I’ve resolved either issue completely. Every day there are more shocking developments and every hour the tragedy, devastation, and loss of life are heart-wrenching. However, this blog is not about what is right or wrong about what is happening regarding Ukraine. I do not have the knowledge about military operations, nor do I have a full understanding of the history between Ukraine and Russia. I am a spiritual teacher and thus I look at the world and the people who inhabit it from a spiritual or soul perspective, so that’s what we will discuss.

This blog idea came to me this morning during my pre-dawn meditation. At first, I resisted it because it seemed like old news and a topic most people have studied, contemplated, and experimented with. There have been more than a few books on the topic like The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, or You’ll See it When You Believe it, by Wayne Dyer. However, when my team of light wants something done, I know there is a good reason. They are usually spot on about the importance of discussing something in the present moment.

As of late, it seems that one of the major topics of conversations is about how divided we are, not only politically, but in many other areas of our lives. Why does this happen over and over even though our souls know and communicate to us on a deep inner level, that we are one. Unity is real from a spiritual perspective. Though many of us here on the earth plane perceive and believe the illusion of separation, there are those of us on a spiritual path who look beyond the illusion of isolation and see the truth. We are one energy and one soul, likened to the trillions of cells in the human body. If all the cells are not working together to sustain health, the biological form will begin to feel unwell, and perhaps cease to function healthfully, and may even die. The soul of course can never die because it is immortal. However, the more we cease to function as one, the less we will feel whole, the more we will forget who we infinitely are, and the more lost we become within the illusions of the physical experience.

Being one of those rather strange humans who ponder the meaning and reason for just about everything, it’s not surprising that I wanted to know the answer to these questions. “Why is our world filled with so many different colors? Why not just have a black and white world? Is there a specific reason or purpose for each color? Do all souls have the same-colored aura? If the term is not familiar to anyone, auras are energy fields surrounding all living things.

When I mention to clients, patients, or friends about how wonderful journaling is for spiritual awareness, as well as bringing through wisdom from our team of light, I usually get one of two responses. The first is “Oh, I love to write, how do I go about it?” The second response goes something like this. “I’m not a very good writer, I don’t think that will work for me.” The first reaction is, of course, a green light to go ahead and explain to him or her how the process works, and how it can help us. The people who believe they need to be a good writer for it to work for them, simply need a bit of encouragement. Being a good writer is, most definitely, not a prerequisite for success in connecting with our team of light including our spirit guides, the angels, who are God’s messengers, and our wise “oversoul.”

It wasn’t too long ago that I believed, if I had a strong enough faith and a healthy spiritual life, that was enough to get me through just about anything. My spirituality, including deep inner work, meditation, and prayer, is what helped get me through the horrendous and painful divorce and ugly custody dispute between my ex-husband and myself. It began in 1993 and didn’t end until the spring of 1997. That was a long time to endure the kind of trauma and fear that I did. I remember actually trembling in fear throughout my days, just waiting for, and trying to anticipate the next bomb that would explode in my life. Yet, focusing on my soul and the inner power I had, pulled me out of many dark corners, as I cried devastating tears of blinding confusion, and excruciating pain.

“Well, that sure is a strange name,” I’m sure you must be wondering, “What the heck is Ho’oponopono?” “Ho’oponopono means, ‘to make right’, or to ‘rectify an error. According to the ancient Hawaiians, “error” arises from thoughts that are tainted by painful memories from the past. Ho’oponopono offers a way to release the energy of theses painful thoughts, or errors, which can cause imbalance and disease.”

So let me begin by explaining to you what my understanding of ho’oponopono is. We know that we create our life by what we believe to be true about ourselves and the world around us. The thoughts we think, as well as what we say and do arise from those beliefs. They are the tools we use to, consciously or unconsciously, create our lives. This is called the law of attraction. Therefore, we are responsible for everything that shows up in our lives, both the joys and the sorrows.

Life here on the earth plane is anything but easy. We are told that, while in the spirit world, we had a choice to come here or not. Some may wonder what kind of crazy soul would choose to endure the hardships, losses, adversities, and pain that this existence brings to us. Those of us on a spiritually directed path understand that the earth is a school, and an enormously difficult one as well. We come here to work through our suffering, learn our lessons, and then hopefully graduate, return home to spirit and move on to the next level of consciousness. That is the soul’s journey. Sometimes we wonder why some people have so much more pain than the average person. We also ponder a life where everything seems to go smoothly and how that person got so lucky. It has been my experience that no matter how carefree someone’s life seems; it is rarely without challenges. We may also think about how some people are able to endure their intense pain and heartache and never lose hope.

Whether our spiritual path involves an organized religion, is a nondenominational one, or if we have no spiritual thought system at all, most of us know we should live our lives with the intention to do good, and not to do harm to the world or each other. Yes, we know this, but often that is not what we see in the world because we are either part of the hate, divisiveness, and violence, or because that is what we expect to see. In the past, here on Drusilla’s Dream, we have talked about the importance of seeking the good in one another. When we do, we will see the divinity and infinite light in each other as well. Doing so will guide us on a path directed by God, our teams of light, and our souls. It will also help us to create a life and a world filled with kind, caring, honest and trustworthy people because that is what we expect to see, and we will tolerate nothing less.

I am writing this on the morning of New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow will be the year 2022. It seems impossible, as I still feel like I am just a kid at times, playing kickball in the street during the 1960’s, or doing gymnastics on the front lawn of our home on Long Island, until of course, I look in the mirror. It is there, with that strange older woman staring back at me, that I see how the illusion of time, in the physical world, becomes a blatant and harsh reality during our human journey. We may gaze at the younger generations and long for their energy, zest, and enthusiasm for life. We may wish our bodies were more svelte and stronger. We look back at the time in our lives when we were in our prime. We believed anything was possible. We could climb mountains, run for miles, and play and party till the wee hours of the morning.

Many of us believe that almost nothing in this life remains the same for the duration of our time here. Is this true? Yes and No! It is true that almost everything in the physical world will change, fall away, be lost, or die. That is the nature of the physical experience and that is why the soul chooses to come here. We chose to experience an existence that is impermanent and mortal. We chose to embrace the emotions and feelings that are part of our lives on the earth plane. As hard as this is to believe, our souls also chose to endure hardship, adversities, and challenges. Why? It is because, within each our difficulties, is a gift and a lesson for our souls. We can evolve much more quickly here than we can on the other side where all those things are non-existent. We do continue to evolve in the spirit world, just more slowly.

“This is a strange title for a blog,” you might be thinking. What the heck is the Portal Pause? Truthfully, I made up the term during my morning meditation. The Portal Pause is the gap between our thoughts, as brief as it might be. It is the moment when one inhalation and exhalation of our breath is complete and before the next one begins. It may be after we complete a task and before we begin another. It can be just a tiny space in a conversation after someone finishes speaking and before we respond. It can be when we break for lunch on a busy day of mental or physical exertion and mindfully enter our Portal Pause for a brief moment in order to release any tension so that we enjoy our down time. We can enter that sacred space when we get in our car after work, school, or shopping and before we put the key in the ignition and head on into our day.

What is diligence and how does it have significance in a life dedicated to being of service to our Creator, which of course means being service to others? The dictionary defines diligence as follows: the constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken: persistent exertion of body or mind. I think I would also add spirt to the definition since body and mind is an incomplete description of the souls earthly journey that encompasses all three.

When I think of this topic, I can’t help thinking about my own life and how being diligent has been difficult and honestly exhausting at times. We all have our challenges and adversities. It’s nearly impossible to take on the human experience and not have our share of pain, tears, loss, and sometimes feelings of wanting to just give up.

As most of you know, I post a spiritual quote on Facebook and Instagram about every day. Once I find the quote, I want to talk about, I then simply put my fingers on the computer keys and listen to what my team of light wants me to share. I do the same thing with my weekly blog minus the quote. This blog and all past blogs are always posted on my website drusillasdream.com and are included in my weekly newsletter that goes out every Monday.

It would be wise for all of us to have one main rule in our homes for anyone who enters our sacred space. The rule is simple. The only thing we ask is that people bring their kindness with them when they walk through the door. If they mindlessly or carelessly left it home, and if they should bring with them their bad mood, anger, or hostility and take it out on us or anyone who should be there, we will most likely ask them to leave. It may sound harsh but, creating a place filled with peaceful energy and joy is important. We want everyone coming to our home to feel a sense of tranquility. Once we put this rule in place, we will eventually notice that, by the law of attraction, we no longer attract people into our homes who would even think about being unkind.

During a recent guided meditation, the teacher was talking about the symbol of the Buddhist wheel and the eight winds of life. I had never heard of it before, but it was, for me, a fascinating explanation of the polarity we experience all the time while here on the earth plane. The symbol is an eight spoked wheel, and each spoke represents one of the winds that come and go or roll into and out of our lives all the time. These winds are as follows.

As spiritual beings, we are ultimately made of energy. That energy comes from an omnipotent Creator who is pure love and brilliant light! As offspring of this transcendent being, we inherit its spiritual DNA, so to speak. Therefore, we are essentially also made of Divine love and dazzling light. So, does that mean that we all therefore, go around spreading our love and light wherever we go? I think we all know that is not true. Why? It is because we are spiritual beings who inhabit a physical form. Living in the physical world leaves us vulnerable to the pits and falls of the fearful, mindless individual ego that we all have, as well as the collective one that can be felt deeply by each of us.

Living here on the earth plane can be a pretty scary experience. Somewhere in the recesses of our spiritual memories, we remember what it was like to be immortal. We didn’t have a physical, biological form to worry about. We knew we would never age, get sick and eventually die. Yet, for some reason we were all intrigued with the possibility of experiencing all of those things. Why? Why would we want to leave the security and predictability of our immortal experience and come to a place that is far from predictable and actually down right frightening at times.

Those of us on a spiritual journey of exploring the inner spaces and places within the temple our soul’s light know the transformative energy that resonates there. When we enter, we are leaving behind the illusions of the physical world and joining with the unseen, but vibrantly real and pure energy of love, light, and truth. While there, we are lifted up to a state of bliss and all-encompassing peace. We can feel the celestial flame of transfiguration removing all the dark and distorted deceptions that have inadvertently seeped onto our consciousness from a world filled with fear and obsessed with mortal power.

What is real is not of this world. We cannot find the truth by wallowing in the egoic mind of the collective consciousness. The only place where we find our truest self and that of the world, is within that glorious, transcendent, nonmaterial world of God’s imperceptible and unfathomable adoration, power, and love.