Today we ask that you focus on what is right in front of you.

With the coming of a New Year, there is a natural desire to “make resolutions,” to plan big changes for the new time.

How often do things really work out, when you do this?

This is not to say, give up, be passive, and don’t try new things.  This is not to say, things won’t change.

But often, when people make projections about what they want to have happen in the future, it is not coming from the most pure-hearted place.  Often, such projections come out of a sense of lack, and worthlessness.  

“This past year, I was a failure.  But next year, I shall succeed!”

This is nothing but a set-up for misery.

When you look back on your life, you will see that most of the big turning points were not things that you specifically planned.  Life takes strange and unexpected turns.  That’s the fun of it.

The most healthy thing to do is to be aligned with the flow of the universe right now, in this moment.

That way, whatever arises, you will be ready to meet it with your full presence — instead of being pushed and pulled and thrown about like a rag doll every time what is happening in reality diverges from your fantasies, projections, plans, and goals.

The main thing is to become fully present in this moment, and fully loving and accepting of who you are right now.

From that place, your heart will lead you.

Your heart will not lead you into a place of passivity and “not getting things done.”

Rest assured, if you follow your heart, you will be proactive, and “do things.”

But the activity will arise from a place of fullness, not lack.

It will arise from: “I love myself, and I love life.  How may I best create and build and grow, for the greatest good?”

As opposed to: “I hate myself and life is awful.  I really need to whip myself into shape and make something of life, or my self-hatred will get even more unbearable.”

So, as you make your New Year’s resolutions, get really present with yourself.

Do these goals come from a place of fullness, and self-love?

Or do they come from a place of lack, insecurity, and dissatisfaction with the self?

To the degree they arise out of fullness and love, they shall “succeed.”

But the universe may not always give you exactly what you crave, or imagine.

It will give you something even better.  

Let your heart be open to receive the gifts of the universe, in whatever form they arise.  Do not be so blinded by your “goals” that you do not recognize such gifts, when they come.

Today we ask that you know that the worst things that can happen are never as bad as one’s fears make them out to be.

People spend a lot of time worrying about bad things happening in the future.  They imagine all manner of horrors befalling themselves or their loved ones.  People are really rather morbid in this way.

In reality, it is very rare that one’s worst fears come to pass.

And when they do, the fearful mind has a way of making things much worse than they actually are.

You all have seen that two different people who go through the same traumatic experience may have a completely different reaction to the experience.

For one person, the death of a loved one causes pain and grief that passes with time.  Another person might never pick himself up out of deep suffering; he might spend the rest of his life in painful mourning.

For one person, the sudden loss of a job is not a very big deal.  For another, it is debilitating, and causes a nervous breakdown.

It is not the event, at the end of the day.  There is no question that traumatic events do happen.  But the way one reacts to traumatic events is extremely dependent on one’s mental state, and the ways in which one has been conditioned.

The habit of spending a lot of time worrying about all the things that could potentially go wrong does not help you when a crisis actually happens.  

It is the fear around events that increases trauma, and lessens one’s resilience.

When a crisis unfolds, life is really very simple.  There is something to do.  And then there another thing to do.  Things must be taken care of.  If there is an emergency, you seek help.  You do what needs to be done.  And then you rest, and recover.

In truth, life is always like this.  Every day, there are things to do.  And in between the active doing of things, you rest.

Without fearful imagination, that is all life is.  There are things to do.  And then you rest.  It is that simple.

Fear and worry are really just people sitting around frozen in their negative mental projections, imagining or reliving traumas, when they might otherwise be doing something, or resting.  

Without the fear, there is no problem.  Either there is something to do, or it is time to rest the mind and body.  

Without the fear, it is actually not difficult to perceive that life is very good, on the whole.  Traumatic things may happen, yet life on the whole is very good.

When you experience fearful thoughts, it is good to question them.

One thing you might try is writing down your fearful thoughts in a journal.  Later on, you can look at what you have written down.  What you will discover is that the vast majority of your fearful thoughts and projections never come to pass.  

Just live life.  Do things, and rest.

Living with constant fear and worry is like walking around wearing a pair of dirty goggles.  You can’t see anything clearly.

Without fear, you would see that life is very good.

Today we ask that you make peace with your past.

In order to move forward into the new time with clarity, you must make peace with your past.

Most people are at war with their past.

They wish life had been different.  They wish for better childhoods.  Better breaks in life.  They are angry at people who have wronged them.  Relationships that went sour.  Unfair circumstances.  Bad timing.  A bad economy.

Mainly, they are angry at themselves.  They wish they had done things differently.  Made different choices.  Gone after the right opportunities.  Not wasted time in blind alleys and bad relationships.  Made different career moves.  Had been more conscientious about their health.  Been better parents.  Better spouses.  Better people.  

And on and on it goes.  All the ways people are at war with the past.  Reliving their mistakes and traumas, as if doing so will somehow prevent them from making mistakes or experiencing traumas in the future.  That is, of course, quite impossible.

Make peace with your past.

Make peace with your past.

Know now that there is absolutely nothing you could or should have done differently.

There is no other reality.  No other life you might have had.

Where you are right now at this moment is exactly where you are supposed to be.

The patterns of life are really much more fixed than you believe them to be.  While there is a certain amount of “wiggle room” in any given life path, on the whole beings have much less free will than they might think.

If you believe this, it will liberate you from guilt over past “mistakes.”

There were no mistakes.

Likewise, all the people who “did you wrong” are not your enemies, but your teachers.

Make peace with your past.

Make peace with your past.

Clear the slate now, that you may move forward with a light heart.

You cannot control your future.  Ruminating over your past and analyzing mistakes cannot guard you from experiencing pain and loss in the future.  This is the way life is.

What you can do is become very alive and present in this moment.  Enjoy and appreciate all that is good and beautiful in your life right now.  Be like a little child, full of excitement at the dawn of a new day, full of learning and fun and adventure.  You may fall down and scrape your knee, but that is okay.  It is all a part of life.

Make peace with your past, and enter into this moment with a light heart.

This is what it really means to be “born again.”  It can happen in every moment.

Today we ask you to forgive.

“Forgive” is a very misunderstood concept.

For many, there is an association with moral superiority.  You are the morally superior being who, out of your virtue, deigns to forgive someone who is morally inferior.  You should be applauded for doing so.  The person you have forgiven is really in your debt.

This is all false, and it is not forgiveness.

Forgiveness is a perceptual shift.

It happens naturally, in an unforced way, when you being to change your beliefs about reality.

Most people go through life very attached to concepts of judgment, and guilt.  It does not matter if you are a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, a Hindu, a Buddhist, or an atheist.  All of these groups carry a strong belief in judgment, and guilt.  Some call it hell, some call it karma, some call it ethics.  

In every world view, there is a belief that immoral behavior can and should create a causal chain that leads to punishment.  Guilt is a stain on the soul that cannot be cleansed without some form of purification process, usually painful.

This belief creates a deep terror of life, the universe, and God.  If something is recording all your sins and lying in wait to punish you in this lifetime, the next, or in “Hell” — what a terrifying existence this is!  God is a frightening deity.  Death is to be dreaded and feared.  Either it is total annihilation, or something even worse than annihilation — some sort of courtroom where you must account for your crimes, and face your divine punishment.

None of this is true.

None of this is true.

“Hell” exists nowhere outside the human mind.  It is a completely made-up, imaginary construct.  People choose to live in Hell, because they believe in it.  And people who live in mental Hells create Hells around them.  They create Hell on Earth.  

Please understand that there is no such thing as “divine judgment.”

There are no avenging angels.

It is absolutely impossible for any being you deem “angelic” to perceive any human being as guilty, sinful, or defective in any way.

This is tantamount to perceiving a newborn infant as guilty or sinful, or perceiving an animal as sinful.

To perceive a baby as sinful is insane.  Only a crazy person would do that.

From the “angelic” perspective, all perception of sin is insane.

The unconditional love a healthy person feels for a baby is sane.  

And that is how the “angels,” or higher-dimensional beings, perceive you, right now.

It does not matter what you have or haven’t done.

You are perceived as being as perfect and guiltless as a newborn.

Therefore “angels” do not forgive, or even really understand the concept as you think of it.  They perceive differently.

As your own perception grows and matures, it will become like unto “the angels.”  When this happens, you will “forgive” without any effort, and certainly without moral superiority.

You can perceive this within your own cultural history.  There was a time when black people were largely considered inherently sinful, and morally defective.  Many still consider homosexuals to be inherently sinful, and morally defective; thankfully, this is changing.

There will come a day when people evolve beyond even the concept that criminals are sinful, and morally defective.

There will come a day when people evolve beyond the concepts of guilt, and punishment.

You will then perceive as the “angels” perceive.

That day, peace shall reign on Earth.

Today we ask that you not listen to self-hating, miserable people.

This world is full of self-hating, miserable people.  They have pinched, tense faces.  They stress and worry about everything.  They are very angry and resentful.  They will tell you what victims they are.  Life is a miserable chore to these people, an endless wearisome burden.  They feel little joy; if they do at all it is fleeting.  Most of the time they are just plain miserable.

Some of you may have parents like this, or friends, or bosses, or coworkers.  Sometimes you may be like this yourself.  And that is okay; it is not shameful.  It is a result of conditioning.  

However, it must be understood that people in a chronic negative mental state are actually quite unwell in their minds.  They are very confused and delusional about life.  

Such people could look at a beautiful sunset over the ocean, and not even see it.  They are so caught up in their endless negative repetitive thoughts, that they could not recognize the breathtaking beauty of the world even if it jumped up and bit them.  

And yet so often these deeply deluded individuals consider themselves paragons of wisdom and intellect.  They are very apt to dispense advice, and tell you what to do.  They may even become pundits, talking heads on TV or the internet.  They may become critics.  They are definitely “know-it-alls.”

So it may be that one of these negative people approaches with you with all manner of advice and judgments about how you are living your life the wrong way.

Now, the first thing to look at, when someone is telling you what you ought to do, is:

Does this person appear to be content, and at ease?

Is there a lightness about this being?  A clarity?  A sense of presence?

Does this person appear to appreciate and enjoy life?

Is this person peaceful, and calm?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then by all means, listen.  This person clearly is tapped into a deeper wisdom, and you may benefit from it.

On the other hand, if the person seems sour, miserable, and neurotic, with a lot of personal problems and an inability to enjoy life, then why on earth would you listen to him?  Do you wish to be like this person?  Then by all means, do what he says.

This is especially true if it is someone in your family.  You may love this person, but for heaven’s sake, don’t listen to what they say, unless you want to be just as miserable.  

It is funny, and sad, how susceptible people are to listening to some cranky, negative, miserable person, yet will ignore someone who is simply loving and peaceful.

The more you love yourself, the less persuasive all the negative voices become.  Until at last you can sit with them, see through their delusions, and feel only compassion.  

Today we ask that you examine resistance around the concept of loving the self.

A few days ago, we discussed “radical self-love,” defining it as a state of deeply knowing one’s guiltlessness, sinlessness, and perfection.  

The general objections that arise around this concept are:

Self-love is selfish.  It is irresponsible.  It is dangerous.  It is immoral.  If everyone went around “loving themselves,” no work would ever get done, and civilization would devolve into anarchy.

This is all completely untrue.

Radical self-love is, quite simply, the absence of self-hatred.

It is life without the inner critical voice of self-hatred.

The fact is, most humans are rather severely self-hating.

There is absolutely nothing selfless or responsible about self-hatred.

Self-hatred is the root cause of virtually all human violence, and most human suffering.  If you sit with this, you will see that it is true.

Even in the Biblical myth of Cain and Abel, it is no stretch of the imagination to perceive that Cain’s desire to murder his brother arose out of his own self-hatred, and feeling of unworthiness and inadequacy.

And yet most humans believe, quite insanely, that some measure of self-hatred is healthy, and necessary for a healthy society.

They perceive shame-based self-hatred as a motivator for getting up and going to work, for keeping in physical shape, for staying faithful to one’s spouse, and generally for “following the rules.”

And so — you have countless self-hating people working in jobs they hate, in which they do not accomplish much.  You have countless self-hating people working out in gyms and going on punitive diets, only to gain all their weight back.  You have countless self-hating people in relationships with other self-hating people, behaving hatefully toward each other.  You have countless self-hating parents and teachers instructing otherwise sane, healthy children how to best hate themselves.  

Your whole consumer industry is predicated on self-hatred.  Advertising is only effective with people who hate themselves, and are convinced that they might hate themselves a little less if they bought something.  They buy the thing, and still hate themselves.

The vast majority of physical and mental illness in your society is caused by self-hatred.

So when people fear self-love as a force that would “overturn civilization,” they are not entirely wrong.

Healthy, self-loving people choose to engage in anything they do from a place of fullness, and self-love.  They have no desire to waste their time in activities that are meaningless, or worse, cause harm to others.

Healthy, self-loving people are creative.  Often their creativity is altruistic.  When you love yourself, you automatically love other people, and a natural desire arises to ease human suffering.  Healthy, self-loving people very often work directly with others in altruistic ways.  They may create works of art that allow a beautiful, resonant experience for others, or help people understand themselves.  

Healthy, self-loving people have an affinity toward the natural world, and innately feel a sense of loving stewardship over the earth — a desire to pass on a beautiful planet to future generations.

Healthy, self-loving people have healthy, loving relationships.  They teach their children to love themselves, and love others.

So that is what “radical self-love” is really all about.

It is the absence of self-hatred.

This is what your world is moving toward now.  The younger generations will increasingly reject the lessons of hatred and toxic guilt that many in your current society still hold sacred.

The notion that healthy self-love is dangerous or irresponsible in any way is a lie.

Everyone reading these words is an intrinsically good and beautiful being, with absolutely no cause to feel self-hatred.

Please begin to notice your self-hating thoughts.  Question them.  They do not serve you, anyone else, or the world.

Today marks the one year anniversary of Word From the Well!

At some point fairly early in, I made an informal commitment to myself to post something here every day, even if it was just a “Rest Day” photo, for one full year.  I’m happy to report that this actually happened!  I reached my goal.  I’m not sure if I’ll keep up the daily posting in the coming year, although as of this moment I certainly intend to keep posting as often as possible.

I am immensely grateful to all of my followers and regular readers.  A year ago, when I began, I truly had no idea if anyone would have any interest at all in my channeled writing.  I figured I’d put it out there — more for me, than anyone else.  It’s been surprising and gratifying to see the blog’s group of followers steadily grow, and know from your comments and responses that this work is meaningful.

I’d like to make it clear that I, the channeler, am definitely not the voice that speaks in these posts.  The reason I channel is because I desperately need to hear this stuff.  I’m as lost and confused as anyone in my own day-to-day life.  I often need to check the blog just to remind myself of the messages!

That said, there is no question that this work is having a profound impact on me.  Aside from the channeling, this past year has seen me incorporate an almost-daily yoga and meditation practice into my life, which has helped me to find much more stability and peace.  Doing this work, something starts to sink in, after a while.

Very few people I know are aware of this side of my life.  Most of my friends and family would think I was fairly bonkers for doing it.  There are some notable exceptions, primarily my husband, who couldn’t be more supportive, and often believes in it more than I do.  There’s many a time I’ll fall into neurotic thinking, and he’ll remind me of something that was posted in the blog that day, or even stick the laptop in front of my face to show me.  We have funny arguments.

I’m so grateful to my husband, and to those friends who do know about this work and have supported it from the beginning.  Likewise, I’m thankful to all those of you I don’t know personally, but with whom I feel an amazing connection via this blog.

I’m excited about the year to come, and the entering of a new time signified by this solstice.  I look forward to continuing the journey with all of you.

Thank you!  Happy Holidays, and New Year!

Today we ask that you sit with yourself, and consider what you wish to let go of, and what you wish to keep, as you enter a new time.

It is like cleaning out a cluttered closet.  You look at all these things, and you think — “I can part with that.  I can keep this.”

Often, you choose to let go of old, outmoded clothes.  Clothes that are worn out, or too tight, or too loose, or for various reasons just don’t work for you anymore.

Today is a sacred day.  And this day beckons you to look at your mind and beliefs the same way you would a cluttered closet.

Beliefs are very much like clothes.

But people have a tendency to hold on to beliefs more than they do clothes.  People tend to be “belief packrats.”

They will hold on to old beliefs that are very worn out.  

They will hold on to old beliefs that are tight and uncomfortable.

They will hold on to old beliefs that really do not fit the time they are living in.

They will hold on to old beliefs that do not go with their current style, or energy.

They will hold on to old beliefs because of sentimental value.  “My parents gave me this belief, so I can’t part with it.”

The problem with a cluttered belief closet is that it does not allow room for the flow of new beliefs, and new energy, into your life.

So today is a day to take a big trash bag, and go through your belief closet with a very discerning eye.  Today is the day to let go of old, tight, worn, outmoded beliefs.

They may sound like: 

“I am worthless.”

“I can’t do anything right.”

“I’m not a good person.”

“I’m very guilty about how I live my life.”

“I’m a failure.”

“I hate the way I look.”

“I’m a bad partner.”

“I’m a bad parent.”

“I’ll never be good enough.”

“There’s something wrong with me.”

They may also be outwardly directed:

“So-and-so ruined my whole life.”

“This is a terrible world.”

“This world is full of horrible people.”

“This world is doomed.”

“Life is just one bad thing after another.”

“Life is full of senseless tragedies.”

“Certain kinds of people are morally defective.”

“This is a dog-eat-dog world that victimizes the good and weak; only the ruthless and strong survive.”

All these beliefs have one thing in common.

They are attacking beliefs.

They attack you.  They attack other people.  They attack the world.

These are the beliefs to throw in the garbage bag today.  

You can do that by questioning them.  Sit with these beliefs, and honestly ask yourself if they are really, absolutely true.  

Byron Katie’s system of inquiry, called The Work, can be very helpful with this process.

You don’t need to keep those beliefs.  These beliefs are old clothes that really don’t fit you anymore.  They are worn out.  

If you are thorough, you may find yourself with a nearly empty closet.  And that is okay.  Better to have just a few stylish clothes that fit you very well, than a whole closet full of junk.

Here are the beliefs you can keep:

“I am a good person.”

“I deserve love.”

“This is a good and beautiful world.”

These thoughts are all simple.  They are all defined by love and acceptance.

“My life is good.”

“I am good.”

“Reality is good.”

Such beliefs are like a great pair of jeans.  They fit you well, you feel good in them, you are at ease.  Walking around in those jeans, you look good to other people, as well.  Such beliefs are like a wonderful coat that keeps you warm, but is also very stylish.  They’re like an excellent pair of shoes.

Cleaning out your belief closet is an ongoing process.  You may fill a trash bag, only to find a deeper layer of truly old, ridiculously outmoded beliefs from decades ago.  

You may also occasionally find an old gem — like a grandparent’s unconditional love for you, when you were a child.  That you can keep.  It’s a great old vintage piece.

That said, watch out for being overly sentimental.  Just because your mother always criticized you for being fat does not mean you should hold on to that belief; even if your mother has passed away.  That’s a really hideous piece of clothing, and there’s no room in your closet for that.  

That is what today is for.  That is what this holiday is.

It’s about getting rid of the old, to make room for the new.

Once you make room for the new, you may be surprised at what comes into your life.

You are good.  You deserve love, and are loved.  Believe it.