Building Bridges with Same Sex Weddings by Emily VanLaeys

 The first legal gay marriages were celebrated on July 24, 2011, and on July 26th, I performed

my first same-sex wedding for two women who had been together for twelve years. They had
already had a commitment ceremony in Vermont, and a wedding in Massachusetts, so they just
wanted an intimate ceremony to legalize their marriage in their home state of New York.  I
conducted the ceremony in my back yard, with my husband as the only witness. Although it was
their third ceremony, it was the first one in which the women’s love story was told. The women
were visibly moved by hearing their personal story and feelings for each other framed in words
as part of their wedding ceremony. At the end of their Massachusetts wedding, they had simply
been pronounced “married.” I ended their ceremony with these words: “Because you have come
together with your hearts and minds and souls, and pledged to one another your futures, I
pronounce you to be united in legal and spiritual matrimony.”

    A lot of the gay couples who are getting married now have already been committed to each
other for many years. In September I conducted a wedding for two men, Ed and Bill, who had
been together for sixteen years. They have an adopted son who came to this country from China
and has brought immeasurable joy to the two fathers. We included a Chinese tea and orange
sharing ritual as part of the wedding ceremony, in order to symbolize the cementing of all three
individuals as members of one family. Before the couple took their vows, I spoke these words:
“This is a great day for all of humanity, as well as for these two men, because the new law that
allows this wedding to occur tells us that the world is becoming a kinder and gentler place.”

     In October I officiated the wedding of two men, Earl and John, who have been together for
fifteen years. The best part of this and the previous wedding was the presence of so many
supportive friends and family members. As part of Earl and John’s ceremony, all of the guests
shouted “We do!” to promise their support for the couple.  Earl’s brother read a classical
Chinese wedding poem, and John’s sister read an excerpt from Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Gift
from the Sea.  As I told them, Earl and John have the kind of relationship that other couples envy,
because they NEVER tire of each other’s company. Using the insights I gleaned from their
responses to my questions, I said: “You are two halves of a whole: two pieces of a puzzle that fit
perfectly together. You put forth a great deal of effort to take care of each other and you support
each other in your personal growth. You are better together than either of you is apart.”

 Each of the same-sex couples that I have married believes that they are soul mates. Can
anyone tell them that they are wrong when they know themselves and each other better than
anyone else can? Every human soul is composed of both masculine and feminine aspects
which each of us must learn to balance within ourselves. Our soul mate is someone who helps
us to balance the different qualities of our personalities. For the majority, this is someone of the
opposite sex, but for some it is a person of the same sex who has just what it takes to make
another feel whole and complete. This is so well put in this poem by Mark Twain, which I read at
Bill and Ed’s wedding:

"On Marriage”
A marriage makes two fractional lives a whole;
It gives two purposeless lives a work and doubles
the strength of each to perform it;
It gives two questioning natures a reason for living,
and something to live for;
It will give a new gladness to the sunshine,
A new fragrance to the flowers,
A new beauty to the earth,
And a new mystery to life.

11-11-11: Bridge to the Future

    
         I am re-posting the article I wrote a few weeks ago, because we are living in the last few days of increasing vibrational energy, leading up to the 11-11-11 Stargate Portal, and many Light Workers, me included, are filled with excited anticipation. I realize it may turn out to be an ordinary day for a lot of people, but I am expecting to feel some extraordinary energies that day - because I am already experiencing them! Last night I barely slept because I was so full of vibrating Light and Love. Maybe by the end of the week I won't be sleeping at all, but that's okay. I don't want to miss a moment of bliss!


        Last year I wrote an article about 10-10-10 in response to those who say that there can’t be anything spiritually significant about a date, considering that our calendar is man-made. I made the point that many people believe that the Company of Heaven -  those beings of Light who dwell in the higher dimensions – are taking an active part in the evolution of humanity. And if this is true, then these Light Beings (angels, masters, guides, and extraterrestrials) are going to use tools that will help them to bridge the gap between heaven and earth, in order to communicate with us. Among these tools are the people who are able to channel their messages. Other tools include those symbols that have meaning for humanity, such as the geometric symbols displayed in crop circles, and the number sequences that have been occurring in our calendar since the new millennia began.

       The upcoming sequence, 11-11-11, is a date of great importance for people who are working to help bring about the new golden age of peace that has been prophesied for this time. It is not the date itself that will “magically” usher in the beginning of this new age. The spiritual planes where the Company of Heaven does its work lie beyond time and space, so dates are meaningful only for those of us who need calendars and clocks to let us know when to focus our attention on a specific goal.  On 11-11-11, Light Workers all over the planet will come together in spirit to focus intention on raising the consciousness of humanity to a higher plane, where divine will rules supreme. Ceremonies of great import will be taking place in Norway, New Zealand, Peru, Arkansas, Arizona, California, and many other places around the world.

       Since September 25^th, I have been participating in the Rites of Passage transmissions offered by Children of the Sun, as a way of preparing humanity for the coming changes. Each week’s rite is a vibrational attunement for our body temple. So far these attunements have bestowed on us the vibrations of faith, balance, purity, compassion, and humility. After the attunement, we take a guided soul journey to a different part of the world where we receive and send divine light. Anyone who has not participated in one of these rites cannot scoff at those who do. The experience is incredibly beautiful and assists with your personal spiritual transformation as well as that of the planet. If you would like to join one of these journeys to assist the salvation of humanity, just follow this link: Children of the Sun: Rites of Passage.

       Also on the Children of the Sun site is this article about the 11-11-11 portal: 11-11-11 Oracle Vision. It explains that no one knows what changes may take place on that day, because each of us is creating the future in every now moment. However, one thing that is certain, the more people who hold a positive vision of a world where peace and justice reign, the closer we will be to this actuality. This is the meditation for 11:11 PM EST on 11-11-11: Stargate Crossing.

       Some readers may scoff and say, "But you said 10-10-10 was going to bring about positive changes. Where are they?" My response is that positive changes HAVE occurred. Many of these changes have been taking place on the inner and higher planes of reality, which you will experience if you meditate and connect with your higher consciousness, and if you connect with others who are aware of these changes. Some of them ARE happening in the physical world, but they are not the kinds of stories that usually make it into the news since our media thrives on negativity. More and more changes will be coming for the better after November 11th. If you have eyes to see and ears to hear, you won't miss them. And if you participate in the worldwide meditations taking place that day, you will be even more likely to notice the opening of your spiritual eyes and ears.

      

Imagining the New World

By Ebony Chan

All things begin in the imagination. “You’ve got to have a dream to have a dream come true” go the lyrics of one old song from the musical “South Pacific.” The only way to create a new and better world for the future is to imagine it NOW.

John Lennon promoted this idea with his famous song: “Imagine.” Some people assume Lennon was promoting a Godless world because he imagined a life without heaven or religions. His words, “Imagine all the people living for today” imply that we would live in peace and harmony with one another, our hearts full of love and compassion RIGHT NOW,  instead of basing our actions on the requirements of a future heaven and the threat of a future hell. (Even Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is among us - now - not up above the sky!) And there would be no religion, because so many wars have been fought over religious differences!

In the new world, as I imagine it, people would have faith in the divine spirit that connects us all. We would honor and respect the differences between people. We would love and honor every part of Creation, recognizing the connection and oneness of everything. This would not be a Godless world – it would be a God-full world!

In the world I imagine there will be an abundance of delicious and natural food available for every single person. Perhaps we’ll just go out and pick fruit straight from the trees and vegetables from the community gardens that will flourish in every village and town. We won’t need money because each person will freely give of his or her talents and abilities, and one will not be deemed more valuable than another. Unlike this world where entertainers are valued above everyone else, musicians and actors will perform for the love of their art and their audiences. There will be no violence in any kind of entertainment – in fact, no violence in the world. The very idea will be considered barbaric and antiquated. Better yet, we won’t even remember that violence ever existed!

I love Lennon’s line: “You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.” I’m a dreamer, too! Are you? I would love it if readers would add to my imaginings. Please comment: What do you imagine for the new world? Let your imagination go wild – with beauty, color, joy, and peace!

 

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Transmuting Darkness into Light

A Wrinkle in Time is one of my all-time favorite books. I first read it when I was ten years old, and I have read it many times since. The story has more meaning for me as I grow in wisdom and understanding. The heroine, Meg, has lost her little brother, Charles Wallace, to the clutches of IT, a cold, dark force that feeds on human fears and controls the entire population of the planet, Camazotz. There has been no trouble of any kind on this planet for centuries, because everyone is exactly alike and there are no differences to fear. IT told Charles Wallace that he would have peace and utter rest if he surrendered his mind to IT. Charles decided to be free of all responsibility by giving in to IT, and so he lost his individuality and his desire to return home with Meg.

The planet Camazotz has been compared to communist countries; a natural connection since Madeleine L'Engle wrote this book during the Cold War. But now I compare Camazotz to the world we live in, because even though we are not all alike, there is a constant fear and hatred of those who are different from those who belong to the status quo, and these negative emotions are constantly fed by the Powers that Be: in the media, in government, in religion – nearly everywhere. And when we fill our minds with the violence we are fed by the media, the exclusiveness we are taught by certain institutional religions and governments, and the materialism that society showers us with, we lose sight of who we truly are.

Meg knew that she was the only one who could save her brother, and the only way to save him was to discover what she had that IT did not. She had tried fighting against IT, but violent emotions just made IT stronger. The voice that spoke to her from Charles Wallace's body, that was the voice of IT, was full of hate. And so she realized that the one thing she had that IT did not – was love. She could not bring herself to love IT, but she could love Charles Wallace. She knew that the mind and soul of her little brother were still there, deep inside. The first time I read this book, when Meg felt her love for Charles Wallace with all her heart, and her little brother broke free from IT's grasp, the tears rolled down my cheeks. Even now, as I think about it, I feel chills of joy!

And yes, there is a lesson here for all of us, in this present day. There is a dark force attempting to rule over our planet, just as IT ruled Camazotz. This negativity tries to control us by leading us to believe that the world is full of enemies that we must fear and hate. It controls us by entertaining us with mindless drivel on our television sets, and violent sports events. It controls us by feeding us too much of the wrong kind of food. (Have you been out to eat lately? Did you feel like you had to clean your plate even though there was enough food for three people on it? Did you feel fat, content, and happy afterward?) It controls us by leading us to believe that we belong to the One True Church, and we are citizens of the Best Country on Earth.

The only way to break free from this dark force, is through love. Jesus said: “You will know the Truth, and the Truth will make you free.” The truth is not that you must worship Jesus and bow down to him. The truth is that we must live as he and the other great ones have, loving our neighbors and our enemies: Transforming our enemies into friends. The truth is that we and all of humanity and all of creation are one in spirit - and so there really is nothing to fear!

When we watch the News on television, and give in to fear and horror over what we see, we feel heavy and bleak. Our vibrations are dense and sluggish. This is exactly the result that the dark forces want, because these low vibrations keep the world under their control. Other activities contribute to humanity's low vibratory rate: taking toxins such as nicotine, recreation drugs, alcohol, and food additives into our bodies; resorting to anger or violence as a way of dealing with challenges; or just turning to mindless entertainment instead of facing the deeper questions of life.

Just as Meg set her brother free with love, we can free ourselves and our world with love, and the higher vibrations that emanate from love. Love is not just an emotion that one person feels for another. It is the energy of creation! Feel love and gratitude for your life and you feel light and joyful. Love yourself and your life, and you will not need to numb your mind with drugs or an excess of food. Meditate by inviting love and light into your life, and you feel bliss. At this time,more and more people are living with joy, in gratitude and in love, and so the vibrations of the world are becoming finer and higher. As a result, the dark forces are fighting even harder for a stronghold on human minds. They are doing their best to spread fear and hatred over the media and any way that they can. But fear and hatred are illusions. The only real truth is Love, and Love will win in the end. This is something I'm sure of. But I'd like to see it happen sooner than later, wouldn't you?  

Weddings Create Good Vibes

I've been so busy with my wedding celebrant business for the past month, I haven't had time to write for my Blog. But I find that my wedding work is part of my spiritual work, too. Participating in weddings is a luscious way to increase the level of joy and love in the world, and I get to do this way more often than the average Emily (and I know there are thousands of Emily's - maybe millions).

Every time I conduct a wedding ceremony, evoking, with my words, laughter and tears of joy from the bridal party and guests, and I pronounce the couple husband and wife, I feel a thrill of joy, and I know that waves of light and love are rippling out into the world from each person present. This energy is contributing to the growth of peace and harmony on earth!

Some will wonder how mere feelings can have any effect on the state of the world. Just think about how heavy you feel when you are angry, fearful, or worried. These emotions lower our energy and consequently the vibratory rate of our environment. By the same token, think how light you feel when you are in gratitude or full of love, joy, and appreciation! Many people are realizing how our attitudes and feelings effect the world we live in, and so they are making an effort to enjoy and appreciate all the little moments in their lives.

So, going back to wedding ceremonies - I recognize that it is a great honor for me, as a wedding celebrant, to be an important member of the wedding, over and over. So far this spring and summer I have pronounced twelve couples to be united in blessed matrimony, and there will be at least 14 more, including my daughter and future son-in-law! Each bride and groom brings his and her unique personalities to the ceremony creation process, and it's always fun to witness the results.

There was the bride who wore a bright aqua wedding gown with her white veil and tropical-colored flowers. The groom hailed from New Zealand, and so for the wine sharing ritual they combined wines from New Zealand and New York to symbolize the blending of their two lives. Then they took turns stomping on the glass - even though neither one of them is Jewish!

Another couple had roots in Iceland and Ireland, so for them I created a honey-mead ritual to honor the cultures of these countries. In days of old, newlyweds in Ireland and Iceland would spend a month together drinking honey mead, and so the term for "honeymoon" was born. I don't know if my bride and groom will drink it all month, but they shared a cup of honey mead at the wedding and said it was quite tasty!

On the evening of July 7th, a couple came to my home to be married in my back yard. This is what I wrote for the opening to their little ceremony:

"We have gathered together for the marriage of Susan Smith and Ronald Brown at 7:07, on the 7^th day of the 7^th month of the year. This has always been a special date for Ron and Susan, and after today they will celebrate it as their wedding anniversary. Seven is a significant number in many ways. There are seven colors in the rainbow, seven notes in the musical scale, and seven days in a week. The Eastern mystics tell us there are seven chakras or spiritual centers in the body. Because of its connection with music, light, and subtle energy, seven is considered to be the number of spirit. A marriage that is born on this day of sevens is certain to be one in which husband and wife will love each other at the deep soul level – completely and unconditionally."

The next wedding I will perform, again in my back yard, will be for two women who have been together for twelve years, just waiting for the first day that they can be legally married in New York. I believe the fact that they can get married now, and legalize the commitment they have already made in their hearts and minds (and two other states!), is a sign that the world is becoming a kinder, gentler place. As more people spend more time feeling gratitude, love, appreciation, and joy, the world will continue to grow more peaceful and harmonious.. Participating in weddings is one way to create good vibes for the world, but there are many other ways, and each of us can contribute in the ways that feel best to us!

Pan and the Elemental Kingdom

Pan and Psyche

Edward Burne-Jones

      

     I have just finished listening to the audio lecture: “Encounters with Pan and the Elemental Kingdom” by Roc Ogilvie Crombie. What a wonderful and enlightening experience it was! I highly recommend this CD set to anyone who is interested in building bridges with the nature kingdom, and anyone who believes in the nature spirits, or wants to! If you are familiar with the work that has been done in Findhorn, you already know something about Pan's desire to work with humans to restore the beauties of nature that have either been destroyed or seriously damaged by humanity. Pan found in Crombie a man who was open to a connection with the elemental kingdom – someone who loved and respected Nature, and the elementals, who could serve as a messenger between the two worlds.

     I decided to order this CD set after my own contact with Pan, following a Star Blessing that I received from Dennie Lee Maslak early in May. The Star Blessing enables the recipient to channel an ascended master or other divine being who chooses to connect with you. (See: What is the first Star Blessing?) I was surprised to be chosen by Pan as I had expected to connect with a more “serious” master, such as Jesus or El Morya. Pan is playful, elusive, and not always cooperative. He usually does not communicate with me in words, and I can't see him and touch him as Crombie does. At first I was very disappointed to be chosen by Pan. While all the other Star Blessing recipients were happily writing pages and pages of wisdom that they received from their masters, I was receiving only impressions and spiritual vibrations.

     Gradually I learned to appreciate the tremendous love energy that Pan gives me, and to recognize the subtle way in which he and the nature elementals are using my energy to aid the work of restoring the beauty of Nature. He chose me for this project because I believe in the nature spirits and the importance of their work, and because I have created beautiful garden spots in my yard where his subjects can safely work and play. As Crombie explains in his lecture, people and nature spirits will work together in the coming new age. This is starting to happen now, as more and more people recognize the reality of the etheric plane and the beings who dwell there.

     Something I learned from Crombie's lecture is that while the nature spirits are actually entities of light and color, they appear as fairies, gnomes, elves, and such because they need material bodies in order to work with the physical aspect of the plant kingdom. Of course their physical bodies are still much lighter than ours, vibrating at a rate too fast for us to see. As the new age dawns, our own bodies are vibrating at higher and faster rates. (Do you feel this happening? I do!) I hope this means that more of us will soon be able to see the nature spirits as Crombie does.

     When we imagine nature spirits, most of us imagine fairies to be the most beautiful of these creatures. Usually we imagine them as female, with butterfly-like wings. I have noticed that most fantasy fairies depicted by contemporary artists look like sexy winged-women in provocative clothing. I think these images have more to say about the artists' desires than they do about the real fairies that live in our gardens. That's why I prefer the faery art of Brian Froud to modern fairy art that frequently looks like it belongs in Cosmopolitan magazine.

     Perhaps I digress, but perhaps not. Pan has taught me that to connect with Nature we must live from the heart: be love, vibrate love, share love. There is ego-related sex-love, that wants to have and to relate to stylized, perfect bodies. Then there is pure, unconditional love that sees beyond physical imperfections to the spirit within. It includes everyone, human and elemental, no matter what each one looks like. This is the kind of love we need to emanate, to build a stronger bridge between humanity and nature.

Winged Faerie by Brian Froud

Waiting for the Apocalypse

Regeneration by Noell Grace

On May 22, 2011, the Associated Press published an essay by Ted Anthony called “Apocalypse Not Now and How We Saw It.” The essay is a response to the highly publicized prediction made by one Rev. Harold Camping that May 21, 2011, would be Judgment Day. Anthony allows that Camping and his followers had good reason to suspect that the Apocalypse is near, considering the current state of the world. Anthony points out: “Less than five months old, 2011 has already brought us a cataclysmic earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan, another tremor in New Zealand, major tornadoes in the American heartland and, on Saturday, a volcano eruption in Iceland. Manmade events, from the uprisings in the Mideast to the killing of Osama bin Laden to the ongoing struggle of the global economy, also contribute to the sense that things are moving at a dizzying pace.”

Yes, changes are occurring at a dizzying pace. Those who are familiar with biblical prophecy can’t help but remember Jesus’ warning that wars, earthquakes, and famine will herald the beginning of the end. As Anthony says in his essay, Camping’s prophecy got many people to think about the possible end of the world and whether or not they are ready to face it. As to what is going to happen when, we will just have to wait and wonder.

Those who believe that an angry God is going to punish humanity by destroying the earth will wait as they focus on worldwide violence and disasters. Those who believe the world will just keep on without any divine interference will also continue to dwell on these horrors. Jesus foretold that these events “are just the beginning of the birth pangs” (Mark 13:8). So some are waiting, not just for the end of the old world, but the birth of a new one.  Some realize that they must do more than wait; that they are to be active participants in the transition to a new and better world. They recognize that the increasing number of natural disasters is the earth’s way of cleansing herself of the toxins humanity has defiled her with. These people act as midwives to the new world’s birth by treating the earth and its citizens with care and goodwill. 

Violence and disasters can fill us with horror, or they can move us to compassionate action and prayer. The midwives of the new world see the same violence, oppression, and self-centeredness that others see. But instead of helplessly waiting for a vengeful God to rid the earth of all wrong-doers, they cooperate with a loving Creator to help bring about peaceful changes. There are many ways to participate in the transformation of the world from an ego-centered hell to a heart-centered paradise. When we focus ourselves in love, we know what to do. And when we live from our hearts, we have no reason to fear “Judgment Day.” 

One columnist’s tongue-in-cheek response to Camping’s failed prophecy was to say, “just in case” Judgment Day is coming: “I do believe, I do believe, I do believe . . . in whatever it is I have to believe to be saved!” His words echo the sentiments of those fear-centered people who choose what they hope is the "right" religion in order to ensure their salvation. I would like to comfort these people by telling them: It is not so much what we believe that is important, but the way we believe and the way we lead our lives. I would point out this Bible verse: “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18). The coming new world will be made perfect in love. As we follow the way of love, we begin to taste the joy-filled life that we will know every day when the new world is born.