"The world owes every individual only an opportunity to
express itself and its idea, which will find expression in the manner we treat
our fellow men." Edgar Cayce
I was taken powerfully aback recently when a spiritual “friend”
on Facebook (I don’t actually know her) called me out for being the root of all
evil. Or something like that.
This is a woman who lives in or near the woods and daily shares
the most stunning photos that not only capture the natural beauty of the area and
the love of her dogs, but whose photos also capture orbs, light beings, and
etheric light and color of seemingly otherworldly origins.
Now, being a mystic, I believe wholeheartedly in such
things. Auras, astral energy, angels, orbs…oh, it’s a long list.
I also know that light refraction is one explanation for the
“magic” in her photos, but that wasn’t relevant to me. Other dimensions exist, and you
can capture them on film, not just orbs (which are spirits), but also the auras of living
beings.
Russian Semyon Kirlian, accidentally developed a technique in
1939 called Kirlian photography that captures the electro-magnetic aura of
human beings and other life forms (for example, the leaf above)
It has vast implications pertaining to the existence of etheric,
electro-magnetic, and energetic aspects of the human being. If you talk to a quantum physicist, there’s
little “matter” to us anyway. We’re mostly
space.
If you photograph a hand while its owner experiences various
emotional states (or listens to different music, from loud rock to soothing
classical), the electro magnetic energy (the aura) behaves in vastly different ways. It expands harmoniously in relaxation. It recoils from discord. If you’re angry, the energy pattern becomes jagged. If you’re happy, it expands. Intoxication and drugs both make the auric
field appear discordant.
If you use Kirlian technology to photograph a leaf with a
piece cut off, you will still see the outline of the (former) full leaf
energetically, as well as the physical demarcation where the section was cut. It shows the “ghost” portion of the cut leaf.
This explains why amputees still feel sensation in their missing limbs. There is still something energetically there,
you just can’t see it with your physical eyes.
As a young Theosophist, I was taught that everything exists in the
etheric realm first, and that the body is just a reflection of the energetic
blueprint. This includes the five
senses. They exist primarily on the
astral plane. The physical is just a
denser representation of the higher realms.
So, this FB lady, named Gretchen, shared photos
that deeply moved me. I even wrote under
one, “Where the heck do you live, the Garden of Eden?” She never responded to any of my comments. Her friends regularly talked about angels, fairies,
and other such metaphysical fare.
Whatever you may think about the topic, many great minds have done so as
well. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the
ultimate logician, was a believer, and went to Theosophical meetings in
London. Rent the movie “Fairy Tale: A
True Story” which recounts the story surrounding the Cottingly fairy photographs, a
historical event.
George Bernard Shaw was also interested in Theosophy, which
goes into detail about the “elemental realms,” including what we call fairies,
elves and gnomes. The great mystic Edgar Cayce referenced them as well, and
acknowledged that one of his clients could see them, “Be ye not disturbed that ye see fairies and
elves”.
While the Cottingly photos are patently fake, the elemental
realm is decidedly not. Many visionaries
can see and communicate with this dimension. The Findhorn community in Scotland is an
example of people working in concert with the elemental realm to create an
extraordinary garden with miraculous roots (look up the 1962 story).
After perusing my page, FB Gretchen finally
communicated. She made the oddest comments about a humorous, Photoshop-ed image of Trump, Melania,
Ivanka and the Pope at the Vatican, which you’ve probably seen. The Pope looks as grim as death. Trump is grinning away. Melania and Ivanka, both dressed in black, both
with black things on their heads, look like they’re dressed for a funeral. The artist superimposed a couple of ghostly
characters from various horror films. Even without the superimposed adds, the first
family already looked like the Addams Family in this official shot. Like me, many found it funny. But lo, this Love and Light Lady not only
took issue with the image, she accused me of being sick and twisted for posting
it.
“This is rude and not nice.... people who create this
trash are the culprits of all the darkness in the world. Adding your own
twisted images is even worse.”
It’s never been my goal to be perpetually polite, but being
slammed by her in this manner baffled me.
I progressed from confusion to hurt, especially when I saw that she had
un-friended me. Me? I’m a fan of her work, shouldn’t that endear
me to her? I post a mix of spiritual,
philosophical, political, humorous, environmental, human rights and animal
activist stuff. I’m all about love and
light, but I don't pull any punches where corruption in government, the abuse
of life, or the ruination of the environment is involved. I work for change through activism and my
writing to create a more benevolent world for people, animals, and the
environment. I’m an Aquarian. It’s my job.
I’d posted a second version of the infamous photo,
also popular with people, a cropped image of Melania from the Addams Family Vatican Album, all in black, with the message:
“DRESS FOR THE JOB YOU WANT #WIDOW"
FB Gretchen commented to me and all those who found this
funny.
“From your LIMITED perspective you all think you KNOW. But you don’t!”
Know what? It was
funny. What is it that she thinks she knows, and
thinks she knows better? She didn’t say.
From the way she attacked, you’d think I’m worse than
Trump. But I’m quite sure that the
culprits of all the darkness in the world are not the people who share memes on
Facebook.
I responded, “With
all due respect, Gretchen, neither creating this image (I did not) nor sharing
it (I find it funny) is the cause of evil. It is mirroring a political
situation many people find greatly disturbing. I am also disappointed you saw
fit to un-friend me as a result of my posting this. As a spiritual person, I'm
surprised you can't see past something you don't agree with. I am political as well as spiritual, both human
and divine.”
In response to her reprimand, someone commented, “People
identify strongly with their political affiliations.”
“All is well” until someone posts an image of Trump at the
Vatican.
How many unbalanced people hide behind church titles, hearts
emojis, and angel photos?
It later occurred to me that I’d had bad experiences with
every Gretchen I’d ever known. I have to remind myself that “retch” is right
there in the middle of the word.
frankly, is unspiritual. Freedom of speech is what this
country is about. I can only account for my intentions in sharing, not for
other's interpretations of what I think, or what I think is funny.”
I can’t share a joke about the president without being
called “the culprit of all the darkness in the world?” Not having a sense of humor is a sin right
there. A famous dead guy (I don’t recall
who, but he was a spiritual leader while physically alive) communicating
through a medium once remarked that people who are truly spiritual have a great sense of humor. If you can’t laugh, it’s not going on for
you.
“The Name of the Rose” by Umberto Eco was about the threat
of levity to the Church. Happy people
can’t be controlled, unlike fearful people cowering with shame and guilt who are easily swayed. Elvis, dancing, and rock and roll were all
considered evil by some back in the 1950s. Joy is sacred and laughter is liberating. Angels fly because they take themselves so
lightly.
I started to feel like Salieri in Amadeus. If Gretch is really just a judgmental (Trump
supporter?!) how is she able to photographically capture such ethereal
beauty? This was a huge disconnect for me. It
wasn’t so much jealousy, as Salieri was of Mozart’s talent in the film, it was
confusion that someone who seemed so “well connected” to the higher realms
could be so unkind in the lower. In my book, the more spiritually mature you
are the more kind, wise and understanding you are also. If one is evolved, one has a broader, more compassionate
view of those who are not as far along.
One of my FB friends (and someone I actually know in real
life) is a professional photographer who also happens to have “out there”
spiritual beliefs. He’s a stickler about
stuff. He commented previously about one
of her shots, “I’d like to see what this photo looks like without a
flash.” I thought he was being a stick
in the mud. Can’t you just enjoy a
beautiful shot of orbs? So what if the
flash is the reason the orb was captured digitally? Can’t it be both? A photo of orbs captured via use of a flash? How did Kirlian perfect his technique?
After her attack on me, he made a similar comment about another
of her shots, allegedly of her dog’s “aura”.
Since I was now reassessing my opinion of her, I looked at her “magic” photos
with new eyes. The photo in question was
of her white dog with a blurry white glow on top. Not all around the dog. Just on top.
Now mind you, her other, brown dog, was right there next to the white
one. No aura. How come?
Was this just a blurry action shot captured with flash, where movement created
a ghostly glow around the top of the white dog?
Did she use trick photography to make it look like she’s capturing
spiritual magic, when, in fact, she was capturing natural magic through the
manipulations produced by a camera?
I can’t reconcile the intensely beautiful, otherworldly
energies captured via her lens with her inability to understand human nature
even an iota. If you truly know the love
of god it must inevitably extend to all of creation.
This incident sparked a downward spiral for me. I started questioning whether I was a jerk, if
sharing snide comments about Trump made me bad, or unspiritual. Was I adding to the discord on the
planet by being snarky? After all, I did judge him. I also think it’s terrific that he’s
president, for he’s bringing about the entropy needed to rebuild our government
and our country from the bottom up. (see
my piece “Donald Trump Is The New Pearl Harbor”).
I make no bones about believing in a deep state, a corrupt
oligarchy, and a shadow government that has been controlling this planet for
millennia. Conspiracy theory stuff. I know that focusing on the darkness can be dangerous,
and it can be counter productive if people become ensconced in anger and
bitterness, contributing to the negativity on this planet.
Despite my confusion and hurt, instead of devolving into
hatred, I decided to do some soul searching instead. Remember Darth Vader’s
line (roughly), “Hate me, Luke. Come to
the Dark Side.” When we hate, we become
as bad as the thing we wish to change.
Hatred is understandable at times, but to sustain it is deadly. The energy needs to be transmuted into
something useful. The same with anger,
which is simply an indication that something is off and needs to be fixed. It can be a terrific call to action. But to sustain a state of unresolved anger is
extremely unhealthy. To me, this whole
episode with Retchin' Gretchen was a call to do some (more) soul searching.
“Assasination is the extreme form of censorship” George Bernard Shaw
Those who judge, cast aspersions, and attempt to control others
live in fear. Terrorism, extremism, evangelicalism, censorship are all
fear-based behaviors that attempt to wipe out that which contradicts the holders’
beliefs.
Laughter, on the other hand, doesn’t censor. It can defuse
volatile situations, and help relieve stress and tension.
“Those empowered by truth never express
themselves through boastful or holier than thou attitudes… always allow your words to flow on an energy
of unconditional love rather than stiffly judging, refusing to do something, or
be with certain people out of a misguided sense of superiority… Self righteousness
easily creeps into the thinking of those who believe themselves to be more
spiritually aware than others. Those new to truth are especially
susceptible to self righteousness and must realize that everyone is exactly
where they are supposed to be.” The Oneness of All http://www.onenessofall.com/newest.html
The Arcturian Group, channeled 5/21/17 by Marilyn Raffaele.
As I plumbed my depths I realized later why, in part, this incident
ticked me off so much. It brought back childhood memories of being utterly
misunderstood by people I trusted. My 5th grade class was on a
school trip in New York City. There was
an empty Tic Tac container in front of me on the sidewalk, and I kicked it twice
(a little soccer practice) as I continued walking with the group before finally
crushing it with my shoe. Mrs. Kagan screamed,
“VALERIE! What’s wrong with you? You
know better than that!” Better than
what? I’m not allowed to kick a piece of
plastic?
I didn’t understand. I was just having fun. Similarly, my
mother took me to see Paul Newman’s comedy Slap
Shot (the dollar entrance fee was her
excuse to go) then got furious at me for liking it. There was cursing and rough
ice hockey antics which is precisely what made it so fantastic. I like mayhem.
My mom was disappointed in me for listening to Cheech and Chong’s
comedy sketch “Sister Mary Elephant” over and over, and appalled that I liked Animal House, which I dragged her and my
sister to because I loved it so much the first time (I still do). They thought it was atrocious and that I
was a philistine.
Pondering the school trip episode decades later, it dawned
on me that Mrs. Kagan may have thought that I tossed the Tic Tac container,
then kicked and crushed it. But she should have asked me if I littered, not
assume that I did and then accuse me of shameful behavior. I’ve never littered. I even pick up plastic trash on the street and in parks. But not all of it, for god’s
sake. I’m not a sanitation truck.
Other incidents came to mind from my youth where I was
minding my own business, having a good time when someone read me the riot act. An
old man in the swimming pool of the YWHA yelled at me for veering outside of my
lane when I was in high school. There were three of us in the Olympic sized
pool. “You’re a menace!” he squawked.
My mom lost it one day when she found crumbs on the kitchen
counter after asking me to clean it. I
did clean it. I just didn’t get all the
crumbs. I understand now the level of stress she was under as a widow with two
kids and don’t hold her outbursts against her (she died many years ago).
However, at the time, I had the wherewithal to give her a reality check as she
screamed at me. “Mom. I get A’s in school. I don’t drink, do drugs, or have sex. I’m a good kid. Other parents would be grateful to have me.” She got a grip, apologized, and hugged
me. But I was terrorized on many
occasions by her fury, an outcome of her personal frustrations. Which is why
it’s so important for me to understand, analyze, and heal my own issues. As I’m doing with you now here as witness,
hopefully to inspire you to do the same.
Be able to explain yourself to yourself at all times. Become your own best expert.
After all the dust settled, I realized that this journey was
about me, not "the angel lady." Her sentiments speak to
her character, not mine. Now that I’ve processed my thoughts, beliefs and
feelings regarding the situation I can accept FB Gretch from afar, as I do with
many people who are not easy to love up close.
It’s hard to forgive someone if they keep irritating you. So, why keep such people around? There are plenty of good, kind loving people,
both grounded and inspired, who even have a sense of humor. Life is too short to take it so seriously.
I concluded that my posts were not contributing to planetary
discord. As long as there is politics,
there will be political humor. Was my
intention to foment discord and divisiveness by posting the images? No more than dancing is a sin. Once I came to terms with who I am (a fabulous
person) I was able to let her judgment and rejection of me, and her beautiful
photographs (camera flash and all) go. Is the
woman who sees angels an asshole? I wouldn’t
know. I don’t know her. I’m just an agitator who appreciates
alliteration.
© 2017 Valerie Gilbert, All Rights Reserved
Valerie is the author of RAVING VIOLET, MEMORIES, DREAMS AND
DEFLECTIONS, SWAMI SOUP and BRILLIANCE BREWING: A Meditation On Change. The books are available in print, e-book,
and audio, narrated by the author.
Valerie leads psychic development/guided meditation/past
life regression/personal growth workshops in New York City, and
privately. A healer, psychic, medium, and channel, you may book private
sessions through her website.
For more information on Valerie's full line-up:
http://valeriegilbert.weebly.com
