Stepping Into the Darkness

One of the "loopholes" in my philosophical belief system when I was younger (and at this point in my life, that means "almost middle-aged"! ) was whether or not there was an evil force in the universe equal to God who served as man's adversary. He was the original "bad guy," and the human race seemed to be caught between these two invisible forces - one of good and one of evil. People, as the pawns in this universal power play, followed either Jesus or Satan.

I was surprised, when I started really studying the Bible instead of just reading it, to discover that Satan existed, according to the Jewish tradition, for thousands of years before Jesus of Nazareth was born. He's always been a key player in the six-thousand year history of the Judeo/Christian religions, and he makes his first appearance early on in Genesis when he tempts Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. If we choose to, we can look at the Jewish/Christian histories as the ultimate example of good vs. evil - like Star Wars, without the spaceships.

My inner truth says that there is no power in the universe equal to God, but my outer experience has confirmed - time and time again - that there is a dark side to life that is anything but God-like. The Christian perception that we are caught in the midst of a major power struggle between two equal forces - helpless victims of invisible forces fighting each other for our souls, and having one isolated lifetime in which to choose which force to follow - is one that I simply can't accept. If God is the Creative Source - if God is the beginning and the end of it all, and everything that exists is a part of God himself - then it must have been God who created evil. Seemed logical to me.

As I walked a little farther down my personal path to spiritual understanding, I came to realize something else: God doesn't really "create" anything in definitive form. He creates potential, and that potential is "made real" in one of two ways: either through a natural growth cycle (as in flowers and trees) that takes it's own course according to the natural order of the universe as governed by Universal Law, or through conscious manifestation into something specific as defined by the life form who is manifesting it. This whole concept gets really confusing, and when "The Seth Material" was first published back in the 1960's, one of the concepts that made it so controversial was the idea that nothing really "is" except God. Everything physical is false; we've created it by putting enough energy and emotion behind our thoughts to make it real. This is the concept that "creating our own reality" is based on: we have an idea, we believe in that idea, we feed emotional energy into that idea that gives it substance, and it becomes reality.

So - back to my original question! - where does "evil" fit into the picture? All we have to do is look around, and we have instant confirmation that it is there, and it has been made real to any definition. "Evil" has as much - or even more - power in our lives than "good." Those light-hearted souls who contend that evil does not exist - who proclaim that "bad deeds are only the result of bad choices" - are failing to recognize the power behind this idea made real. Everything in God's universe has a counterpart, and it is this duality that offers us - as spiritual beings in physical form with the option to choose what kind of person we want to be and what kind of life we want to live - the opportunity to exert our free will at all. Why would God give us the option to choose without giving us, at the same time, options to choose from?

Did God create evil so that we could choose between it and good? That's not the way God works, especially if He only creates potential, and it's up to us to become "co-creators with God" by manifesting that potential into something real. If everything is of God, and everything is raw potential, then my logical conclusion would be that God creates energy - neutral energy - that we, in turn, manifest into "light" or "darkness." It isn't that evil is a force separate from God; it's that evil is a human choice to use God's creative energy for less than spiritual purposes.

Every world religion uses the phrase "the light" to refer to the state of being that comes from working in a position of spiritual awareness and an open connection to God; every world religion uses the phrase "the darkness" to refer to the shadow life that comes from closing off our connection to God so we can't see the people and events in our life from the light of God's love. Each belief system has it's own names for the good guys and the bad guys, and each has a long history of the battle between these two forces for the souls of men. The problem today is that we fail to see ourselves as co-creators of this powerful energy, and we fail to see that the solution is as easy as making a conscious choice NOT to co-create with others who are manifesting darkness.

How many times a day are we presented with the opportunity to respond from darkness to what is happening in our lives? Too many: every time someone is rude to us, we have a natural tendency to be rude back. When someone else wants to argue, our ego wants the instant gratification of having the last painful word. Our greatest challenge in choosing between the light and the darkness is the difficulty of turning the other cheek and walking away from the opportunity for conflict and confrontation. We're much too human to stop, in that intensely emotional present moment, and choose the light. We've learned our survival skills well, and don't always realize that emotional survival (that is, giving in to the emotional need to create chaos in our lives) is a giant step into the darkness and sometimes the forerunner to spiritual death in this lifetime. We can't work from the light if we are responding from the darkness; we can't say one thing and do another.

If everything that God creates is neutral, so that we can make it into whatever we want it to be (aha! adds a whole new dimension to "Ask and you shall be given," doesn't it?) then there can't be any "gray" areas. We have a tendency to justify our actions by saying that - even though what we're doing is obviously "of the darkness" because it is against God's laws of love and mutual respect - we are "of the light" because we see, from our own distorted perspective, a higher purpose to what we're doing, and we're foolish enough to think that God will applaud our darkness if it's used to further His objectives, as we understand them. This is the conviction of seemingly endless groups throughout history who have persecuted, tortured and killed in the name of religion. This is not God's work; this is not of His Light. This is of the darkness, and those who advocate working from the darkness in the name of light are the "false prophets" that every religion warns us about.

When I was a child, I learned a big word in Sunday school: omnipresent. God is omnipresent, and - if we really want to reach a point in our lives where we can apply our spiritual understanding to our daily lives - we have to understand what that means. It means that nothing exists in God's universe that is not of God, that was not created from the energy of God Himself, and that includes "darkness" or "evil." We need to move past the antiquated idea that God forces anything on us, and make an active choice to respond to the people, and the events, and the circumstances in our lives from the Light instead of from the Darkness.

It's only when we accept personal responsibility for being the co-creators that we are that we can begin to see the many ways in which we create our own dark reality, and step out of the darkness that has consumed us (and our lives and our relationships) and move into the Light, where we can become a reflection of God's love at work.

Lois Grant-Holland is a Life Path Focus Counselor offering Life Path Focus Sessions, Karmic Astrology Charts, Channeled Guidance, Intuitive Readings and Classes and Workshops to spiritual seekers on all positive paths, and is the site facilitator at The A.N.S.W.E.R. - (The Seeker's Resource Guide to Alternative, New Thought, Spiritual Growth, Wellness and Enlightenment Resources.) You can visit her website at http://www.loisgrantholland.com

Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents
Internet browsers are useful, but they can be dangerous. Clicking on malicious links can direct you to dangerous websites that steal information or infect your device.
Apple's latest iOS update introduces advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, which may be capturing and analyzing sensitive information.
Breach site confirmed 56,904,909 Hot Topic users' data leaked online. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the company's silence makes matters even worse.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how an innovative Easy-Way kit turns standard strollers electric, simplifying navigation for parents.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about T-Mobile being hacked in broad cyberattack on global phone and internet companies.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you how to add, customize and manage widgets for quick access to apps and info from your iPhone home screen.
Wrong Google searches can not only compromise your device and personal data. They can also bring law enforcement to your doorstep. Hackers are targeting Google searches.
China's Shanghai Kepler Robotics has developed a new humanoid robot that can carry up to 35 pounds per hand for commercial applications across various industries
Checking your hearing has gotten easier with the new hearing test feature in AirPods Pro 2. You can take reliable hearing tests using your iPhone or iPad.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains how a VPN — virtual private network — works and how running it can slow down the operation of your device.
The WalkON Suit F1, an exoskeleton developed to help people with disabilities, can actually walk over to a person in a wheelchair, solving a major problem.
ClickFix, a new scam targeting computer users, is on the rise in the U.S. The scam prompts its targets to click on a link to fix a problem.
Skydweller is the world's largest unmanned solar-powered aircraft that can stay airborne for weeks, and even months, without refueling.
The U.S. government said it is investigating after People's Republic of China hackers targeted commercial telecommunications service providers in the U.S.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated ways to lure unsuspecting victims, and some are impersonating an email help desk or support team.
You can unsend or edit your iMessages with the latest iOS updates. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how you can save yourself some potential embarrassment.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says there’s been a rise in cybercriminal services using hacked police and government emails to send subpoenas and data requests to U.S. companies.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how Axiom Space and luxury designer Prada are collaborating on NASA's Artemis III spacesuit design.
Voice assistants may cause confusion across devices. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers some solutions to fix it.
Shameless scammers trick veterans into giving personal info or cash. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explores five common scams.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson helps you honor our heroes with these powerful podcasts, audiobooks and documentaries this Veterans Day.

Spiritual Healing - The Hidden Truth and Misconception

Throughout history, what is portrayed in all religions as being... Read More

Protective Symbols, Charms, and Totems

There is power in meanings of the old images and... Read More

Controlling What YOU Hear By Watching What YOU Say

If you're going to listen to anyone you're going to... Read More

Christian Religious Addiction in Hawaii?

Surveys show that religion and spirituality play a central role... Read More

The Path Less Traded - the Spiritual Road to Financial Abundance!

There is nothing more valuable to a sentient being then... Read More

Psychic Angels

Are you looking for a way to improve your accuracy... Read More

Anamchara - The Value of Ritual

Let me explain my approach to the practice of ritual.... Read More

Accessing Your Spiritual Guidance

For the last 35 years, I have been working with... Read More

Faith Building 101A

Let Your Family and Friends Know That You Are A... Read More

Living Successfully - Spiritual Answers for Modern Day Desires: Part 1

Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me,... Read More

Loving People In Spite Of Them, Not Because Of Them!

Before the movie "Finding Nemo", came out Steve Jobs the... Read More

Astrology & The Bible: Age of Aquarius

The normal Aquarian preoccupation with rational science is clearly seen... Read More

Passions of the Heart!

There are no better people to be around than those... Read More

The S Word

We all sin. To avoid using the "s" word, we... Read More

The 17 Miracle Prayer Points that Make You Rich

Someone asked me the other day what was the most... Read More

Spiritual Belief

The atmosphere surrounding the earth is still a matter of... Read More

Unforgiving Servant - Why Would You Hurt Yourself Like This?

Everybody knows that if you stick your hand in a... Read More

Horse Racing and Seabiscut -- A Hope, A Prayer, and A Horse!

Even though our lives progressively moves forward on occasion it... Read More

Be Still - You?ve Got To Be Kidding?

Be still, and know that I am God; I will... Read More

Can People Really Change?

MOST PEOPLE NEVER REALLY CHANGESad, but true.Some people never even... Read More

Oceans of People

Oceans... There's water in 'em! :-)It may seem a bit... Read More

Pioneering Insanity

"They're crazy!" That's what they're saying about us. The majority... Read More

Kundalini Awakening - Definition and the Path

Kundalini Awakening - the sure shot method for awakening of... Read More

Mankinds Ten Worst Enemies: #1 Pride

We have a proclivity to think of individuals and nations... Read More

The A To Z I Beheld

I beheld the sky and its wonders and saw AstonishmentI... Read More

Antigo wedding limo ..