Extracts from my channelled book, Things That I Believe In and the transcript of a talk I gave explaining how I 'met' John (JD), received his message and the journey to publishing it, giving an overview of the book and including extensive quotes.
PREFACE -
In 2002 I felt a strong urge to make
a commitment to write for two hours a day. I knew it was
to write a book but not what the subject would be. When I write I
have no plan and the subject emerges as I progress. After the first
few days, John spoke - and continued to do so at the appointed time each
week day for 4 weeks, starting where he had stopped the previous
day. As he spoke, I typed. What follow are John's words…
INTRODUCTION
- I want everyone to know and understand not just that I
live on, but that every soul who ever walked this Earth lives on… There
is no eternal damnation. The final destination for every soul that ever lived
is in the light.
1
PASSING OVER - 'Passing over' is a much better, more accurate
expression than 'dying' or 'eternal rest' or any of those other expressions. I
think 'going home' is even better... The review is a crucial part of the
process of returning to the light, a sort of purification… one is aware of
being perfectly loved and accepted.
2
LIFE IN SPIRIT - I can vouch for the fact that when
you think strong thoughts of your departed loved ones, they know it. They will
often be with you at these times and are aware of your thoughts (and) your
love. How could anyone possibly believe that life on Earth is all there is?
This is a place of infinite possibilities…
3
4
THE BIGGER PICTURE - When you come into consciousness,
you want to understand this bigger picture. For some people that comes about by
becoming more socially active or environmentally aware, or maybe taking a
traditional spiritual pathway... Others take a more cosmic viewpoint and start
to look at life in other forms, wanting to connect with spirit, seeing the
eternity of life, exploring esoteric literature and the various gifts of the
spirit.
5
SPIRITUAL GROWTH - You have all heard the phrase that you are
not humans having a spiritual experience but spirit having a human experience;
this is very true… Life is a spiritual lesson and an opportunity for spiritual
growth.
6
ENLIGHTENMENT - What is enlightenment? To be enlightened is to
reach full understanding, not just intellectually but on all levels,
emotionally, mentally,spiritually and physically, of the reason for and the
perfection of existence and the natural laws that govern it. It is the reaching
of the highest, purest vibration possible.
7
DETACHMENT - If you ask people to describe detached, most
would have the concept wrong. They would state that it means someone cold,
distant, aloof, who seems uncaring, lacking in warmth, unloving. That would
describe someone who is psychologically detached… Detachment is not about
never loving. It is about having the ability and strength to love and then to
let go.
8
PAST LIVES - Why would it matter if we have lived in the past
or will live in the future? In some ways it doesn't, because we have to
live the life we have now to its fullest degree... It is so helpful to be
open to the possibility of reincarnation as an explanation of why things happen
in this life, as then you can understand that life is not just a lottery
of unrelated events.
9
EVIDENCE OF SURVIVAL - What is evidence of survival?
Well, I'm hoping this book is! Evidence is the transmission from
spirit of pertinent information, which could lead to the belief by those for
whom the message has some meaning that life continues on after the death
of the physical body... My plea to all people is to have an open mind and an
open heart...
10
FORGIVENESS - Forgiveness is a prime factor in being able to
live in a clear and balanced way. I'd like to ask you this: can you say
with your hand on your heart that you have nothing and nobody to forgive?
Can you say with equal sincerity that there is not one person from whom you
need forgiveness? If you can, well done! I wish I was able to say
the same thing.
11
FEAR - Fear always stems from feelings of lack - lack of
love, food, shelter, trust, money, security… Many people live in a
permanent state of fear. They have alarms not just on their cars and
homes and in their handbags, but also wired into their hearts and minds - and
fear just like a cancer grows… With knowledge comes freedom from fear.
This is what I am hoping the outcome of this book may be for some
people; freedom from the fear of death.
12
GRATITUDE - We need to spread the love around. If I do
something kind for you and you in turn do something for the next person who
needs some help, the goodwill will spread, first like a ripple and then like a
tidal wave. It does not have to be something big and grand… It can be
something small and quiet, as simple as a smile and a hug or a kind word.
Then you pass it on.
13
MANIFESTATION - To make something manifest is to bring it
into being and it is an active thing. What you choose to create must be
positive, responsible, and not deprive any other person of what is rightfully
theirs. Use your powers of manifestation wisely and well. Never
wish harm upon another. Every powerful negative thought or action aimed
at another creates karma… What we give out always rebounds at some point,
whether now or in the future.
14
THE ENVIRONMENT - One of the things I have learned
since being in spirit is the strong interaction between the Earth and her
people and the damage that lack of reverence for the environment has caused.
The Indians would say that we need to tread softly upon the land, which to me
means that we should try to leave as little damage as possible. I believe…
that everything starts with YOU.
15 THE PHYSICAL BODY - People in the Western
world fill themselves up with a vast array of junk. They have the
malnutrition of opulence while others starve through lack of resources...
Yearnings that we cannot put a name to are a hunger, but they are not usually
for any of those physical things. In the final analysis, what most people
have is spiritual hunger. When you finally accept yourself, you are on the way
to easing your hunger.
16 SOME FINAL THOUGHTS - My purpose (for
communicating) was two fold. Firstly... If people understand... that
there is a beautiful world of love and light waiting for them when they finally
complete the journey home, then they can let go of their fear. My second
purpose is a more selfish one. I hope that through these
pages, those who knew me will recognise my voice and know that it is indeed me
who speaks to them. Whether I succeed or not in my two-fold plan, I have
had a blessed time both on Earth and here in spirit.
THINGS THAT
I BELIEVE IN
(Abridged
version of a talk given at Tumbetin in May 2009. This version was given
at
This talk Things That I Believe In, is the
title of my book, One of the things that I believe in and which is so important
for all mankind is freedom of thought and conscience. The need for that freedom
has led many of us to a spiritual path outside of the traditional churches
where we were told what we should believe and taught to fear abilities and
experiences which are a natural part of our birthright. It's good to share
thoughts and ideas with people who listen with open minds and hearts.
If my or anyone's ideas or experiences challenge your
way of thinking, try not to reject them but put them on the back burner. I
remember laughing aloud at the idea of people having North American Indian
spirit guides. I thought, 'What a load of rubbish!' and was suitably ashamed
when I later realised and perceived that people do have them, including me!
Fortunately White Cloud, who is a guide to many, isn't easily offended, as
shown by the 3 pages of messages included at the back of the book! The guides
just wait patiently until the day we become a little bit wiser…
Spirit guides and teachers communicate in various
ways. How we perceive them is different for everyone. Unlike many mediums, I've
not been aware of spirit all my life. I was over 40 before I began consciously
developing my awareness. I do recall some early incidents and always somehow
'knew' things, but never saw colours around anyone nor did I see dead people
and I think 'Thank goodness for that!'
I mostly hear spirit as an inner voice, like an
extension of my own thoughts. Neale Walsh, who wrote Conversations
with God, calls it the 'voiceless voice' and that's a great description. I
also occasionally hear the actual voice of individuals in spirit, but
usually only when I'm deliberately tuned in to do so. Evolved spirits respect
our free will. Unremitting, tormenting voices that can't be stopped are a
different matter, where professional help may be needed, but here I'm talking of
developed and controlled spirit communication.
People often ask how I connected with John, whose
message is the subject of my book. In October 1997, I had sat twice weekly in a
development group for about a year, mainly doing inspired writing and light
trance. My teacher organised a channelling afternoon. As I waited for my turn I
felt the widest grin on my face and an exuberant male energy, but when I stood
to speak, after a few words he stopped. I went blank, but then I became aware
of another guide who apologised for the previous visitor who was new to the
spirit world and had been overcome with emotion. Immediately
I realised it was John Denver, who died in a plane crash just six days
earlier.
Later that afternoon he spoke through my teacher, which
confirmed my feelings. At our Monday meeting he was with me again. His big
smile was unmistakeable. Having got the hang of communicating, there was no
stopping him. He was so full of life and exuberance that I thought, 'Wow, if
this is being dead, he's got more life in him than most living people!' He said
to call him JD. It was a joy to be the medium for his visits and to experience
his energy. He spoke of life in spirit and the lessons he learned during his
life on earth. In the following months John spoke at most of our meetings
and was an able teaching spirit with a great sense of humour and
compassion.
That November, I started writing songs. One morning
lyrics started pouring into my mind. As I realised it was a song and not my
usual poetry I wondered, 'If this is a song, what's the tune?' Straight away it
came into my mind with the words, like it was already written. I just
had to take dictation, tidy the words and sing the melody onto tape as I
can't read or write music. That first song is a little bit country and western.
It wouldn't win any awards but is a real, singable song. Within a few months
I wrote 20 songs of various styles. Some I didn't get onto tape, so I have
the words but the tunes are lost somewhere in the depths of my mind.
After a few years JD wasn't around much and the group
finished. I continued communicating with spirit, developing in other groups,
writing and giving talks and my busy family life kept me well grounded. Some of
what I'm telling you may seem otherworldly or flaky, but to get good quality
communication you really do have to be well earthed.
I somehow knew that in early 2002 I'd be writing a
book. JD once said we would write a book called I Want to Live, the
title of one of his songs, but as he wasn't around much and I was
very aware that in this work it's possible to blur the line between true
communication and imagination or wishful thinking, I didn't take much notice.
In January 2002 I decided to sit and write for 2 hours a day, 5 days a week at
the computer as spirit had asked for a regular commitment. In the first days I
wrote some stuff which I knew wasn't for the book itself but seemed to be
practice for it, and Spirit asked me to make it freely available. (It's
on the Healing page - Heal Yourself and Heal Your World.)
On my next writing day I meditated and became aware of
a guide who said it was time for the real work to begin. He said I'd be
working with JD and to write without worrying about publishing. Then JD was
there and I typed as he talked. We wrote the introduction and we did
initially call the book I Want to Live. Each morning I'd read the
end of the previous day's writing, then I'd hear John's voice and he'd continue
from where we left off. I didn't work out chapters. Each one was given to me as
we wrote, having been planned by better minds than mine. After 4 weeks I had a
48,000 word manuscript. There was still work to do and I've spent hundreds of
hours on it, but don't regret a moment.
I forgot I was told not to worry about publication,
and proceeded to worry about it greatly! I wrote to John's family, hoping
someone who knew him might read my manuscript and recognise him, as that was
one of his objectives. I got nowhere and eventually decided to remove his
full name and references to his songs, including the title, in order to avoid
copyright issues. Later I watched a DVD someone lent me, where JD
mentioned that he had always stood up for the things that he believed in.
One of the songs I'd written with his inspiration was titled Things
That I Believe In so it seemed a great replacement title and the lyrics
would be a great way to finish the book. They follow the final chapter.
I contacted some spiritual publishers and got some
very kind rejection letters! They said it was well written but not quite
right for their list. I let go and decided to wait for a publisher to hopefully
somehow materialise. It's happened for others. I reasoned that as spirit
gave me the book they might send a publisher! I realised I could wait a
very long time. Once when worrying about it I got a message. 'We give you
a gift and you turn it into a problem.' They also said, 'You think time is of
the essence, but it is timing that is of the essence.'
After a couple of years I decided the
manuscript had sat on my desk long enough and wasn't doing anyone any
good just sitting there. The only option within my means and skill was to make
an A4 booklet. The positive feedback I received made me determined to self
publish. People said, 'I love it but I'd like a real book for my shelf'. My
booklets were passed between friends and I had calls from people who wanted
their own copy, which confirmed the book's merit. It was like market research.
As calls came from people I didn't know, I realised that the great feedback
wasn't just my friends being kind!
In 2007, I discussed publishing with someone who said
if I prepared it a certain way, organised a cover and an ISBN, she would take
it to
'Just find someone,' I thought. In the Yellow Pages, a
small ad intrigued me. I rang, had a chat, got a quote. I didn't use an editor,
but my publishing adviser, Besharl, was a gem. The finished product was
the better for her input. It was I who opened the Yellow Pages on that
day, but I'm sure Spirit guided me to her. In October, finished book in hand
with my own photography on the cover, I got tingles down my spine as I
realised that my book launch was on the 11th anniversary of the first day
that I first felt that big smile.
When people hear I've written a book, they ask,
'What's it about?' I mumble that it's about what happens when we die, what
we're here to learn and stuff like gratitude and forgiveness. Their eyes glaze
over, because it sounds dry and boring, but it isn't. I think it has energy and
attitude. I know that people read and re-read it. I was told this again only
last week. Some open it at random each day to read a paragraph or two. Even my
sister, who didn't seem too impressed at first, said recently that she's
reading it for the third time, which is quite a compliment. She said it
sort of low key, probably to make sure I don't start getting up myself, but I
thought 'Ah, so you do like it!'
Two years before I wrote the book, JD said, 'Never
be afraid of dying. If you can give that message to people, you will do the
world its greatest service.' One person at my book launch had
seen the flier and told me she just knew she had to attend.
While at the launch she bought the book. This lovely lady found
it so helpful and enjoyable to read that she rang to tell me and
to get a copy for a friend, passing her own copy around among her friends
and family. We clicked immediately and I was sad to learn that
she was fighting cancer. She passed on recently.
I am blessed to have met her and been a friend for even
such a brief time. It is an honour it is to know that
John's message helped and gave comfort and a sense of peace
as she faced her greatest challenge. I realised that if this
book has helped one person pass peacefully, it was worth every minute I
spent on it during these past years.
I'm sure JD was thinking of people like L, and people
like all of us, when he said, 'I have some insights to offer which can give
hope and help to many people.' He said, 'I believe many people spend
their whole life being scared of death and feeling confused about what the
purpose of life really is. If people can understand and truly believe that
there is a beautiful world of love and light waiting for them when they finally
complete the journey home, then they can let go of their fear. They can
live joyfully, knowing that living joyfully is a basic requirement of life. It
is right to be happy.'
He tells us, 'Every soul has the opportunity to
evolve and grow through service and love.' I truly believe that the more
you give the more you get. Our hearts have to be open to receive. Most of us
walk round with hearts tight shut and it's only when something of great
magnitude happens that our hearts open. During the bushfire tragedy we
experienced an incredible outpouring of care and support. Later the negatives
started creeping in, as they do, but while it was happening the love and
compassion in the atmosphere was very moving.
Another line says 'The final destination for every
soul that ever lived is in the light.' Yes, hard as it is to get our minds
around, even Pol Pot, even Charles Manson. We all have a chance to redeem
ourselves. We're on a journey to this outpost in the universe, trying to find
our way back home. Like those little puzzles where there are several paths to
choose, we must work out the right one to take. Think of the freeway signs,
'Wrong way, go back.' Sometimes there is no going back, but we may be able to
find a side road or climb a mountain or cross a river and take a new direction
home.
JD states, 'No-one is excluded from heaven,'
and, 'Every single person has a right to go to the light once they can
perceive that light.' He says, 'It doesn't matter whether they
worshipped Allah or Buddha or Jesus or flowers or nature or trees. What does
matter is how they lived and what they believe about themselves. If you know
yourself to be worthy from the depths of your being and you have lived a life
where your intentions have been to create good, even if you didn't always
achieve that, the light is yours.' I find that comforting and
a much nicer concept than heaven and hell.
I believe many people's lives here on earth are the
epitome of hell. No-one could think up anything worse than they already endure.
It's sobering to realise that most hellish situations are man made. Soon after
John passed there was a bombing in
In the chapter Life In Spirit, John comments
that 'a life is a life lived. Whether it was ten minutes, ten hours, ten
years or 100 years (it was) a life completed. My life was not cut short even
though I was only 53; it ended when it was meant to. It was a contract my
higher self had with my guides; maybe that was (why) I would get so emotional
when I talked or sang of getting old. My soul knew I was not to have that
experience this time around. I wouldn't sit in the old rocking chair with my
grandchildren on my knee. I didn't know this in my head, but knew it in my
heart and in my soul.'
He said, 'we're put on this Earth to learn things
like compassion, trust and forgiveness. We have debts to pay and scores to
settle, to balance our karma. The most simplistic (definition of karma) is,
what goes around comes around or what you give out you get back. Everything
we do has an impact on our world and environment. Every breath changes the air
around us and every exhalation puts something different back into the world.
Every time you breathe, several billion other people breathe too! The
atmosphere is therefore changing moment to moment. If a simple thing like one
breath changes the world in some way, any bigger action will correspondingly
change it even more. Every thought you think, every action you take, affects
your world. That is an incredible responsibility and a very humbling
thought, if you take some time to reflect on this notion. Given that you
have such an impact on the world, it behoves you to use that power wisely.
'
'Life is a spiritual lesson and an opportunity for
spiritual growth.' We often believe we have to make pilgrimages or go into
retreat or something to live a life embracing spirituality and so we delay
stepping onto the path. 'I'll do it when the children grow up,' we think, or
'I'll have time when I retire,' yet each moment we live contains the potential
for spiritual growth and practice. Lessons of patience, gratitude, strength of
character and self control are not learned on retreat but in the nitty gritty
of everyday life.
We can learn from anything and everything; what we did
and didn't do, what went right and mostly, what went wrong. Foresight is good
but most of us learn, especially at first, through hindsight. This next line
was probably specifically for me, but if the cap fits, I dare you to wear it. 'Moaning
is the resort of the powerless.' Ouch! Can you imagine what it's like
typing this stuff, knowing that spirit may be saying, in a subtle way, 'This
means YOU, Jan!' When JD first used to talk with me he wasn't always subtle.
I remember in a family situation I wasn't too tactful, and I later felt
him around me. When I tuned in it was to hear him saying something like, 'Oh,
well done, Motormouth!'
When it comes to Enlightenment he jokes, 'If
a spoiled old sinner like me managed to get to the light, just understand the
leeway we have! You don't need to be perfect; you don't need to never
have made a mistake, so just relax. Light can't permeate tense cells and
muscles…' When it comes to fear, JD tells us that it's illusionary,
but concedes that it feels pretty real when we're in it. He says 'love
is the only truth' and suggests that we replace fear with awareness,
saying, 'our greatest fears should not be about other people but of not
reaching our full potential or uncovering our greatest gifts.' One of my
favourite lines in the book is, 'Gratitude is a song of the heart,'
but I do keep changing my mind.
The chapter on The Physical Body says in part:
'Your body is the temple of your soul and temples are places in which to
pray. Your body is to your spirit and soul what a cathedral is to the people who
go there to pray. (It) is your own meeting place of sacred significance and
should be regarded and treated with due respect and love. It is
appropriate to have reverence for your own self, for you have God within. That
pure light, the sacred fire that burns within, needs a container worthy of its
greatness. You are that light; your body is the container. Make it the best
container it can be.
Don't be hard on yourself. Clean and nurture it
with reverence, love and admiration. Concentrate on what it does well. Choose
to love it exactly as it is.' We are reminded, 'True beauty
shines from within. When you are in the presence of a truly beautiful soul, any
superficial ideas of what beauty is just fade away.'
John asks, 'What is evidence of survival?' and
answers, 'Well, I'm hoping this book is! (It) is the transmission from
Spirit of pertinent information which could lead to the belief, by those for
whom the evidence has some meaning, that life continues after the death of the
physical body. Denial of communication between those who have passed and those
sensitive enough to receive transmissions was a masterpiece of manipulation.'
He says, 'It is my belief that there was a time
when everyone had a clear understanding of and communication with their guardian
angels and ancestors. Spirit communication was an accepted part of existence.
Church authorities decided it was dangerous and a threat to their power and
control if people knew they had direct access to their own guidance and thence
to God. They realised they had to stamp this knowledge out and instil fear (so)
people would perpetuate a belief that spirit contact was evil. Those with
influence chose a clever way of doing this. They accused the most talented
seers and healers of witchcraft and dealing with the devil (and) thought up
many and varied ways of disposing of them. The fear this created became so
instilled within the race memory that the persecution perpetuated itself. Most
of us know the phrase, "talking to your self is the first sign of madness."
This was a lie spread by members of the Inquisition and used to persecute
people. It would have been commonplace in times past for people to openly
converse with the spirit guides that they could hear, see or sense around them.'
He tells us, 'I have spoken now to many people
since I have been here, for one of my jobs is to impress people with positive
thoughts and ideas. Some are impervious to my presence, (but) there are far
more who are aware of something (and) sense that I'm around. They may get a
shiver down the back or feel a presence. Some hear what I'm saying as a kind of
whisper in the mind, yet they deny it. Others might get a line for a song. I
have visited old friends and helped with a line here and there. They'll think,
"Where did that come from? Gee, I'm clever!" I'm thinking
"Hey, it's John! Can't you see it's me? Can't you sense it's
me?" Other times I'll visit a gathering and someone will say, "I keep
thinking about John," or "it almost feels as if he's here." Yes
I was there! They are feeling my energy.
My body is gone but my essence lives on and this
is my big message to you. If a talented medium can give you a message that has
meaning for you, that should be a comfort to you. For those of you who have
said, "I didn't get a chance to say goodbye, I didn't have the opportunity
to tell them I'm sorry," this information should be a great help. Your
loved one knows. They know you wanted to say goodbye and they know how sorry
you are if the last words you had together were angry or unhappy. I believe
that the knowledge that life goes on should give hope and comfort to all people.'
There is a much scepticism about mediumship as it's so
nebulous and often imprecise, depending on the conditions, the skill of the
medium in passing on impressions and descriptions of what they are seeing,
hearing or feeling as well as the skill of the communicator. There are also
frauds. John acknowledges, 'Yes, there are charlatans but mediumship and
clairvoyance are not their only province. Charlatans are found in many walks of
life. There will always be people who live by deceiving others. There are also
frauds in spirit, but they generally can only deceive people operating on a low
vibration who are not working for the highest good. These beings soon move on
if the medium surrounds their self with light and calls for the help of their
highest guides. Does that mean that all well meaning and talented people on
both sides of the divide who do such good work should be painted with the same
brush? I hope not.'
As you can see from these selections, while the book
isn't big and is an easy read, it covers a wide range of subjects. Not everyone
will agree with all that is in it and they don't have to. It's food for
thought. Some won't believe the source of the message but that doesn't matter
either. The content stands on its own merits. In the introduction John states,
'I am not asking anyone to believe in me or to believe in God for that
matter. It makes no difference to me or God or whatever you choose to name the
Divine Intelligence. Your belief or otherwise will not affect our pathway and
it will not affect the fact of our existence, only in your own mind.'
The last paragraph is also the end of this talk. John
says: 'I could go on forever, but I have to stop somewhere and I choose to
stop here. I wish you such love and peace upon your journey. Do what you can to
make a positive difference to your world. Start with yourself. Know it is ok to
love the self. Believe in the greatness of the eternal being you are, then
stretch your wings and fly'.
©Jan
Hunneybell, 14 May 2009