‘Summerfest’ 2012

It’s less than a week till we kick off for ‘Summerfest’.

Here are three reasons I’m excited about this year’s event:

1. There are lots of new experiments to try with the environment. They are all based on loving principles so I can’t wait to see how they turn out.
2. This year is less hard, repetitive yakka. More diversity, lots more opportunities for participants to learn things they can implement on their own land. People have the opportunity to learn while they are giving.
3. There has been more interest this year from other groups in the community who may attend e.g. the local Landcare and the local Sustainability group. Newbies to welcome and meet = yay!
4. There is already a great team spirit amongst those who have been involved in the planning and leadership so far. This usually spells FUN for leaders and participants alike!
Oops that was four things I’m excited about!


If you are still tossing up about whether or not to come here is an outline of the programme:

28th November – Swales, Systems & Contour Planting
We will begin the week in a large paddock (around 100 acres) focussing on large scale soil improvement and water management. Methods to be demonstrated and created include: using contours and ponds to redirect and retain water, and building living eco systems to provide fertility and regenerate soil, and seeding of grasses to prevent soil erosion.

 
29th November – Re-generation and restoration of swampy land 
Activity on this day will using some alternate methods to reduce water logging down from the paddock worked on on day one. We will focus on improving water take up through building living systems above ground and planting shrubs and bushes to absorb water.

 
30th November: Swales & Living Systems
Work on this day will build upon swaling that was completed at last year’s ‘Octoberfest’. We will tend to the planting from last year incorporating living systems into swales to create fertility and improve soil.
1st & 2nd December: Various Activities To Choose From


There are three activities to choose from on both Saturday and Sunday. You can choose a different activity each day and have the opportunity to swap between activities during the day at 11.30am.
Activity 1: Waterless Home Gardening – demonstrating several techniques including fibonachi system to maximise sun and water usage of any area, designing waterflow in your garden, techniques to minimize or completely remove the need for watering, mixed planting incorporating natives both flowering and mulching, fruit trees and vegetables.
Activity 2: Nature boxes – positioning boxes for animals and birds according to their particular needs, providing shelter close to food and water. Scouting for suitable locations and some tree climbing will be necessary. 

Activity 3: Creating reptile habitat – Reptiles are often forgotten or even shunned members of vital ecosystems. This activity will focus on providing habitat for reptiles by placing shelter, food and water in close proximity, providing safe transit zones. We will utilize above ground living systems to incorporate suitable living shelters and abundant insect life. There will also be planting for protection and mulching.

 
 

3rd December: Unfinished Projects & Possible Green House Construction
The day’s focus will be on completion of any unfinished projects plus green house construction and waterless seedling propagation. Full details TBA on the day.
 
If you want more information on Summerfest including prerequisite listening and ‘what to bring’ its all listed on the ‘Whats New’ Page of the Divine Truth website.

Hope to see some of you happy campers down there!

P.S. There should also be lots of fun in the evenings. Think: concerts, karaoke, dancing and film nights….

P.P.S. We spent a sometime planning with the leaders team at Kyabra couple of weeks ago . The photos in this post are from that week and were taken by the wonderful Eloisa.

A Right Commencement

In Chapter 13 of ‘Through the Mists’ Cushna and Fred discuss the barriers to easy communication between those in spirit who wish to assist us and those on earth.

“But we cannot expect too much from them so long as they imagine our only employments are singing ‘Glory, glory, glory’, or writhing in unutterable torments.”  p.152

Fred wonders at how those who wish to be of guidance do not become discouraged.

Cushna responds:

“Our knowledge of the government of God shows us that all the erroneous ideas of men can only delay, they cannot prevent, the success of truth ultimately. They attach an undue importance to the earth-life, and transfer the great advantages, which are the peculiar features of this estate, to the earth condition when they do so. With them everything is determined by the three score years and ten; the temporal governs the eternal; the finite controls the infinite; the things when are not, are placed in jurisdiction over the things which are. We know better and therefore, can wait, if needs be; at the same time, we are not unconscious of the advantage of a right commencement.” p.152

Our homework for Book Group this week is to consider and notice the ways in which we place emphasis on the temporal rather than the eternal in our day to day living. e.g. The times that we honour that which is only of this life over our spiritual health and growth.

In my experience it has been often my avoidance of fear that has caused me to break good ethics towards others in favour of feeling safe or comfortable. It is the terror of how others might treat me that at times causes me to modify expression of my true heart and passion, which limits my growth into the person God designed. When I justify fear, I also find myself justifying poor choices for my health and my relationships.

Fear makes us believe that all that we have is right here and now, and that here and now is a small and dangerous place.

The story of ‘Through the Mists’ demonstrates to us a different reality, one of hope and love not only for the future but also right here and now. The wealth of information available on the Divine Truth Channel and in The Padgett Messages gives us the keys to a perspective far beyond the ‘three score years and ten’.

At this time, with the knowledge that so many of us have already been given of God and His Laws, I believe that we have the opportunity of a ‘right commencement’ i.e. we can use our knowledge of things spiritual to begin to make choices based in Love, Truth and Humility. We can let decisions based in faith, morality and ethics guide our lives rather than listen to the gripes of fear and doubt.

But are we making this choice?

I am letting this question work on my heart this week and asking for guidance to show me the ways in which I am still clinging to the material things to measure my worth, and the ways in which fear may guide me away from Truth and Love. I don’t want to waste more time, nor overlook the gifts already presented to me  – I’m aiming for a right commencement.

If you care to, you are welcome to join our group in this reflection.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”  Philippians 4:8

Live From The Heart: Dane

*** UPDATE: Sorry folks, the issue still exists with this video (the sound drops out half way through) – we are working on rectifying it! I’ll let you know when the video is reloaded properly. Thanks for your patience. M

AJ & I had never met Dane when he completed the following interview with the God’s Way of Love Communications Team.

I found his story both interesting and inspiring. Thanks Dane for sharing your journey.

Bound

We are planting trees. 
Some have sat in the nursery a long time, waiting for us to prepare good earth. 
My breath catches as I ease this one out of its pot. Its roots are bound. 
I have to break up them up otherwise they’ll stay growing in circles and the tree never grow tall. 
It will live like it’s still got the limits of a 4×6 pot – when in fact all around is fertile soil. 
My hand is tentative as I work the roots. You see, I know what it’s like – this sudden shock. To have every part of where you thought you were going and growing to, suddenly exposed to naked air. Everything you thought to be truth abruptly in question. Sudden blank space where you thought there would be solid ground. 
It stuns you. It winds you. It’s scary and hurts more than a little. 
It can feel lonely and lost. 
It causes you to question: ‘What is right?’ ‘What is good?’ “What do I really want anyway?’ 
Nothing feels certain for a while. 
But in the end, I’ve come to give thanks for this process. In fact, I know that to grow I’m sure to repeat it. 
Just like this tree, we each of us have things in our roots that would keep us bound and small. We don’t always see them, these patterns of growth that keep leading us toward pain and restriction.
Life has led us to view some errors as truth, some truth as error. There is a great challenge in coming to understand that in at times what seems like comfort and goodness, is actually a limit and drain. There are threads of truth amongst the weave of error and humility is the only way I know to grow in discernment between the two, to grow this soul in love.
photo source with thanks
And this is it – I don’t know of a seamless, sedate and calm way to reassess who you are, and to truly make change. 
It takes a shake up to break out of the mould. 
Some roots are bound to error and breaking that away, breathing into new ways feels foreign and flawed sometimes. It takes faith in things higher to shift forward and expand.

At times, it takes bowing in deepest humility to discomfort and uncertainty, before the greatest truth can come.

So I steady my hands and make them firm as I pull away roots from their inward spiraling course. 
I know the joy that comes out of this kind of struggle and shock. 
I make a good bed for this tree to rest in. 
Don’t worry little one, this shock and upheaval will pass. And you will find yourself in a place to be nurtured; a new world of possibilities surrounds you. 
All this shaking loose is just you shaking free.
I smile and sigh. 
Go well little plant, find new earth, become something you cannot even yet dream. 

  We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert Einstein

Book Group Announcement – ‘Across The Mists’ Part 3

Yep, you read right.
In our next book group we’ll meet up for part three of the discussion of Chapter 12 – ‘Across The Mists’.

Turns out the shortest chapter in the book has many lessons for us all to learn.

So, if you are a part of book group here is some extra homework to prepare for Wednesday (chuckle, I know, I know. Shortest chapter = Most amount of homework ever):
1. In last week’s discussion we talked about how sympathetic attraction between people on earth and in spirit, often leads to codependent relationships (and how – lets face it- co dependence is never really a good thing). So how does this knowledge relate to Cushna’s statement:

Yes! Love conquers death, and that one great law which governs and controls everything with us, is also the means by which we may reach and save mankind. Sympathy, whether pure or impure, base or noble, holy or unholy, has a natural attraction for that which is like itself, and its power is not destroyed by the grave, as you have seen in the cause of our present mission.

If all laws are governed by the one great law (of Love) as Cushna states – how are sympathetic attractions be loving?

2. As Fred and Cushna discuss the darkness of the earth plane, Cushna states:

The amount and quality of light radiating from a man, declares his real condition. We do not need to be told, it is impossible to deceive us, because it is impossible to tamper with the witness.

Fred asks:

What does the cold, keen air indicate?

 And Cushna responds:

The degree of charity registered by the spiritual thermometer.

(or in other words the degree of the lack of charity – my words added here)

Consider the questions:
In what ways do I reflect charity in my day to day life?
In what ways is charity extended to me in my day to day life?

3. Listen to the channelling of a local woman who attends book group, and a group of Christian women who also attend.

You can find the downloads by going to this page.

Or you can right-click the following links and save the file:

Mary 20121020 Jesus Talks To Karen (A Christian Spirit Woman Who Attends Book Group).mp3
Mary 20121020 Jesus Talks To Mandy (A Local Spirit Woman Who Attends Book Group).mp3

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There will also be a special guest joining us for the meeting.
Following the group there will be a presentation by Jesus. Topic of the discussion is ‘How to Create Loving Eco Systems’ and much of these lessons will guide our activities at this year’s Summerfest. Anyone interested is welcome to attend and there will be time for questions during the presentation. Full details in the Divine Truth Events tab.
Book groupers, perhaps you would be kind enough to pass on this information to other members who may not have regular internet access?
With love and thanks,

M

The Thing To Focus On First

1.   The benefits of a relationship with God

All of those other beautiful truths, which all of you have been so attracted to for the majority of your lives, will all come to you, if you develop this relationship first. Now those truths may come to you over a period of time if you develop other relationships, instead of this relationship with God, but you’ll never understand them until you receive the Divine Love to understand them. So do that first. Focus on that relationship with God first. When you focus on that relationship and long for God’s love to enter you what will happen is, you will feel this two-way conversation, which is an emotional conversation between you and God. And you will know God exists. That is the way in fact that you will prove to yourself that God exists. And no one will ever be able to shake that in you. And you’ll get to the point when you’ve received enough Divine Love to be at-one with God that no one will ever be able to shake any of the knowledge in you. (02.21.12)
You will feel the truth inside of your being and you will become outspoken about it, you will have no fear about it, you will know it’s the truth inside of yourself. You’ll become the person who speaks in knowledge. Not in knowledge of intellectual knowledge, you’ll become a person who speaks in full emotional knowledge of the truth that you’ve actually personally experienced. That’s what will happen to you. So my suggestion is to really contemplate this stuff about praying for Divine Love and praying for Divine Truth. They are the two greatest things that you could ever pray for and allow yourself to start understanding God’s nature and let yourself to feel and meditate about God’s nature and connect to God. Allow that to occur and your soul will expand a lot more rapidly than if you try to circumvent that or you get interested in other things. (01.22.09)
And the beauty of doing that is that all of your spirit communication will all grow very rapidly as a result. All of your joy will grow rapidly as a result, if you do it that way. If you do it the other way where you’re focused on these other emotions, you’re focused on natural love, you’re not so focused on God, you want to connect with your spirit guide and all those things, it will be much slower for you. So allow yourself to do what’s going to be the most powerful thing. And I know right at this moment many of you may feel like, “Oh, God doesn’t feel real to me.” So say that to God, “You don’t feel real to me. I don’t know why, but I would like you to feel real to me. How do I do that?” And notice what happens in your Law of Attraction. What is it then attracted to you? Say to God the thing that you feel. Just be honest with God. Because remember connection with God is all about honesty and truth. (01.23.10)
Excerpt from the E-book “Longing For Divine Love” 
A transcript of a teaching by Jesus
L to R: Luli, Barb, Lizzi

I’m excited to tell you about the work of these three lovely women. Lizzi, Barbara and Luli have been working to create transcripts of past seminars, and are now putting them into various formats to make them more accessible to others. Due to their efforts many past seminars are now available as e-books.

These books are broken into easy to read chapters, and all the ‘ums’, ‘ahs’ and ‘does this makes sense’s have been edited out. They make for great reading whether it be in chunks or as a long sit-down read.

E-books are available for download to your Kindle, IPod, IPad or computer at this site or at http://www.divinetruth.com

‘Summerfest’ Date Claimer

Our friends the Lytton-Hitchins family really inspire me.

After many years as sheep and cattle farmers, they now want to transition their 15,000 acre property into an environment supporting all of God’s Creations.
Their farm is already becoming a sanctuary for all kinds of wildlife just through the changes they have made in their souls and the flow on effect this has had on their actions and aspirations. In the long-term I know their desires are to provide a place to demonstrate how farmers can transition from practices that are harsher on the environment to ones that are more in harmony with how God cares for things.
I love that this family recognizes that they are in transition. They can see that some of the things they have done with livestock and the land in the past haven’t been perfect or loving, but instead of just dropping everything and starting again somewhere else, they are acting to change from where they are at. I see this as a demonstration of their desire to take responsibility for what they have created and to move from the point of view of ‘owners’ to become good ‘stewards’ of the earth.
Some exciting things they have been working on this past year have been:
– Breeding intelligence back into their sheep, and breeding sheep back so that they no longer need their tails cut-off
– Investigating (with Jesus’ help) ways to regenerate earth that has been damaged by grazing and by chemicals.
– Experimenting with ‘Back to Eden’gardening techniques
– Experimenting with loving ways to fix erosion, and condition soil. Learning about Living Systems!
To me this family’s journey with the land could be a metaphor for the work we all must do on our own souls. Humbly, we must start where we are at, imperfect and damaged, and take responsibility for what we have done, all the while moving towards the people we hope to become.
Another one of the many things I love about these guys is their passion for giving to others and all of Gods Creations, including plants and animals. Last October they gave us all the opportunity to spend a week planting native trees and shrubs on land that had been grazed for the past 160 years. They took part of what supported their livelihood and gave it back to nature.

Our aim at ‘Octoberfest’ was to form a corridor of native habitation so that birds and animals had safe passage across the property and access food, shelter and water. So much care and planning went into this effort. Jesus and Peter spent a long time in the months beforehand preparing to ensure the trees were well fed and watered through the use of swales and ‘swaling systems’. They also spent time during that week feeling what the land in each area needed and what trees would go together in certain locations in order to form particular and cohesive habitats for certain birds and animals.

 

Some of my favourite things from the week last year were seeing so many of you (around 100) work together so peacefully and with care and regard for giving to the land and the trees. 
I loved that after all that hard work and despite aching backs and arms, everyone still seemed to have energy for singing or dancing in the evening. I loved yoga in the early morning with Cecily.
I loved the spectacular thunder storm that descending after our last day of planting. 

This year the Lytton-Hitchins family are offering us all another opportunity to learn and to give to the land and its systems.
‘Summerfest’ will be held from the 27th of November till the 4thof December (more details at the end of this post).
This year the focus will be on understanding, supporting and creating eco-systems with special emphasis on the importance of bacteria, fungus, insects and creatures that live in the soil. We will also look at ways to create self-supporting systems i.e. planting and creating habitats that don’t need ongoing care and maintenance.
While we will still plant some trees, the week will broken up between different activities that will give you opportunities to learn as well as give to the land.
In the evenings we are hoping to have some fun with Karaoke, dancing and possibly more mediumship. There might also be ‘Finding Your True Voice’ workshops, face painting and various other escapades according to the desire and passion-following of individuals. 
Last weekend we got together to plan and have some fun in preparation for ‘Summerfest’!

Summerfest Date details are as follows:

27th November
Arrival @ Kyabra in the afternoon to set-up camp
Evening welcome and orientation with Jesus and Mary

28th Nov – 3rd Dec 
Activity Days in Teams

Activities will include:
Creating a Systems to Support Small Animals
Creating a Loving Home Garden
Working with Swales, Living Systems and Contour Planting
Tree Planting
Tending to Last Years Plantings
Three Considerations for Supporting Wildlife and Planning Where to Position Nesting Boxes

(full programme details will appear later so that you may plan which days you would like to attend, not every activity will be happening on every day of Summerfest)

4th December
Pack up camp and go home.

Notes:

This event is open to anyone wishing to participate, not just those who are interested in the teachings of Divine Truth.

If a week is too long, it will be possible to attend and participate for only part of the week.

Because of the need to organize teams and events it will be necessary to register your intention to attend. Details on how to register will appear in the Divine Truth Events tab soon. When you register please provide details of which days you plan to attend and if you will be camping.

Camping is available on Kentucky

If you plan to camp please:

1. Advise when you register your desire to camp and the length of time you plan to attend.

2. Observe the Lytton-Hitchen’s guidelines for camping including no alcohol, cigarettes, meat or drugs on the property. More details will appear on Pete and Eloisa’s blog.

3. And ask yourself the ‘three questions’ found on their events page.



 
If you attended ‘Octoberfest’ last year, what were your favourite things about the week?

When Would You Like To Meet For Book Group?

Book group meetings should occur more regularly for the rest of the year.

I received some feedback that the usual 3-5pm time slot in Wondai isn’t suitable for some of you. So I’m asking that you let me know your preferred time via email (mary@divinetruth.com).

Wednesday Book Group Proposed Time Slots:

10am-12pm
1pm-3pm
3pm- 5pm (current regular time slot)
4pm – 6pm

Please let me know your preference in the next week and based on your responses I’ll decide on a standard time we stick to in future.

I’m really enjoying leading this group – big gratitude to all of you participating locally and abroad. I sincerely love hearing all of your comments and insights. There is no book group without all of you and I still find it exciting that you all want to explore ‘Through The Mists’ together.

M

In Every Heart

In Chapter 11 of ‘Through The Mists’ our narrator Fredrick learns more about life in the spirit world and the great laws governing all of God’s Creation.
Following is part of his discussion with his guide, Siamedes:
“Then perhaps you can answer me a question which puzzled me many times in the old life?”
            “I will, if possible,” he replied kindly.

“Which of all the denominations, or religions if you will, contribute the highest percentage of the redeemed?”

            “We recognize but one religion here, that is – Love; and all its disciples have but one denomination – lovers of mankind. No one of all the man-made religions holds a monopoly of this attribute. But earnest and conscientious followers of it may be found in all. Its worship is service to humanity; its litany, noble deeds, its prayers, tears of sympathy; its sermons, simple lives, known and read of all men; its songs are lullabies to soothe the brokenhearted; its faith the immolation of self; and its hope – Heaven. This is the only religion which can write the passports of heaven for the pilgrims of earth. Systems of theology have no more charm for us here than they had on earth; but in every heart there is a latent ideal towards which all mankind is blindly reaching out, a vague and undefined hope to which all the nations are ignorantly aspiring, a settlement of political problems that is only just beyond the reach of statesmen, a method of international arbitration by which peace shall reign on earth; these are all generating in the womb of futurity.”

Part of our homework for this Chapter was to consider the following questions:
In Chapter 11 Cushna makes a statement about Love being the only ‘true religion’.
In this chapter and throughout the book, ‘Through The Mists,’ we learn that the qualities of love and sincere service expressed in our lives are the only true measures of our development.
1. Do I think Cushna’s statement about love is in harmony with what you have learnt about Divine Truth from Jesus? Have I understood this truth by listening to the lectures?
2. How does this statement relate to the way I live my daily life?
3. Given that our development in love alone is what dictates the location we enter into in the spirit world, consider – how would I fare if you entered the spirit world today?
4. How many excuses am I making to avoid living ‘the true religion’?
I thought you might like to join in the reflection. I found this to be a great journal activity.
If you are interested, the recording of the book group meeting in which we discussed these questions was held on 26th of September. It will appear in the playlist on youtube sometime in the next few weeks.

Snippets of Last Week

Last week one of my favourite Christian writers asked her readers and some friends to write a letter to their teenage self.

One day I might be brave enough to post my letter to myself here, but can I recommend the exercise to you? I cried many tears in the writing of mine and I found an opportunity to love and forgive parts myself that were still hurting and alone.

For those of you in book group, after our discussion of Chapter 10 last week and of collecting curios on the beach, one of the letters caught my eye.
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Some years ago I spent time living in Bouj el Barajneh, a Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. This was such a rich experience. I learnt a lot about myself. I was supposed to be there in service to a community of 20,000 completely dispossessed people, generations of them living piled together in one square kilometre.
After two years, my major impression was that I received far more that I had given. I was so deeply honoured to have been accepted into the hearts and homes of so many Palestinian people. One of my most treasured experiences about living in the camp was sitting in homes in the evenings and listening to stories of Palestine, life in the camps, and the trauma and hardship so many had suffered during the Lebanese civil war. As I said, I felt honoured to be trusted with these stories that sculpt a life.
One of my friends, Kholoud has been working with researchers on an oral history project with elderly Palestinians, having them recount stories of their lives and culture before the nakba. If you are a sucker for people’s stories, or for a slice of history not often heard, you can read some of their stories here.
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We’ve been involved with more media and interviews in the past week.

Being around journalists always reminds me that so much of what is reported on in the media is all about perspective, perception and pre-determined viewpoints. I am learning to give up the desire to control what happens and how I am perceived.

I came upon this bible verse that gave me solace:
All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, God opposed the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.  

1 Peter 5: 5-6

And I was also reminded of my favourite children’s story.
I couldn’t find my copy of it, so I found it one online. 

I have certainly gone places in the past five years that I never imagined I would go!