Messages from God

http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifWell, my last post has gotten quite a response, mostly positive and in agreement! Which is refreshing.

In case you haven't heard, I'm now hosting a weekly free teleclass called "Messages from God" with my co-communicators Ann Strong and Becky Kimes.

You can register to attend the live calls by clicking here. There's no charge, just input your name and email and we'll send you the info each week. We have also set up a discussion forum and folks are really jumping into that.

And we're set up for podcasting, so you can listen to a prior call and if you like what you hear, then subscribe to the Messages from God podcast.

Ah yes, lots of exciting things afoot! Stay tuned...

Something Big is Brewing...Uh-Oh, Not a New Religion

I don't know about you guys, but I don't watch the news, read the paper, or listen to NPR and I watch very little TV (mostly just Survivor and sit com reruns like Seinfeld and Scrubs) so what I hear about current events comes 100% from friends and family.

A friend forwarded me a youtube video today, and I got bored with it about a minute in (shocking, I know with my attention span) but something in the "related video" section next to it caught my eye. It was called "The Church of Oprah Exposed" and for some reason, I felt called to click on it.

At first, I was impressed. The video was pretty well done, good editing, and what sounds like professional voiceover work.

It seemed like a cool video, showing that Oprah is embracing new thought teachings, and helping to spread the word about a freedom of beliefs.

I found myself nodding a bit as I read what the church of Oprah is teaching (like I said, I rarely watch TV, and the last time I TiVo'd Oprah's show was when people from The Secret were featured. What was that, a year ago or so?)

This is what the video claims Oprah believes -- might be fun to play along and see if you agree with these statements:

Who you are requires no belief.

Heaven is not a location but refers to the inner realm of consciousness.

The man on the cross is an archetypal image. He is every man and every woman.

My mind is part of God. I am very holy.

My salvation comes from me.

Let me remember that there is no sin.

Do not make the pathetic error of "clinging to the old cross."

So I'm reading and listening to this and thinking, "Yeah, this is very congruent with my own beliefs. In fact, it kind of sounds a lot like what Unity teaches: 'We are all one. We are all good. The only power and presence in my life is God, the good omnipotent.'"

But then about a minute into the video, I realized that the video was actually made by fundamentalist Christians who believe Oprah is off her rocker, and downright "dangerous." In fact, the purpose of the video was to "warn" people to stay away from Oprah and her so-called "new age religion repackaged."

It struck me as so interesting -- that someone was stating facts (the beliefs expressed by Oprah -- what's in bold above) and trying to show me it was bad, and yet, while I was reading the facts, it seemed perfectly normal and fine to me.

It wasn't until the video moved away from fact and got into opinion (i.e., "Oprah is dangerous, don't be brainwashed") that I even noticed the video's creator and I had differing opinions about the whole topic.

Then I started to notice what other videos were in the "related topics" list and I realized there is a whole movement slamming Oprah for her choice of beliefs.

Some were even accusing her of creating her OWN religion. As if that were a bad thing!

Personally, I think people would be a lot happier and get along a whole lot better if we all realized that religion is an extremely personal thing, and each is entitled to his or her own choices of belief.

Then I wouldn't have other people trying to cram THEIR beliefs down my throat all the time, telling me their way is the one true way.

Who says?!??

I can remember being a young girl, not even a teenager, and sitting in the Catholic church our family went to, listening to the priest.

I had a similar moment as what Oprah describes in the video I referenced above -- something this church leader said just didn't resonate with me.

He said (I'm paraphrasing -- this was quite a while ago) "If you don't believe that Jesus is your savior, you cannot get into heaven."

I specifically remember thinking, "but what about all those Jewish people? Are they just misguided? Confused? Are they going to go to hell for all eternity because they checked the wrong box? And what about the fact that they think THEY are right -- that THEIR religion is the chosen one, and that everyone else is delusional?"

That was the start of my journey of questions.

Would God really send people to hell just because they made a mistake and picked the "wrong" religion?

Are ALL the people who don't pick the "right" religion really doomed to be kept outside Heaven forever?

Who can really know which religion is "right"? BEcause they all think they are, and they just can't ALL be right!

It was then, at that young tender age, that I started to create my own religion. I figured if these religious leaders couldn't seem to agree on something, then I would just explore it all and see what felt best for me.

The first thing I decided was that God really is good, and he really does love us.

The second thing I decided was that if there really was a heaven, then believing in God was the way to get there. Just God -- it didn't matter if you believed in Buddha or Jesus or Elijah the prophet -- as long as you believed that there was a GOOD force driving things, then you were a shoo-in for heaven.

The other big thing that never quite sat with me about Catholicism was this idea that you died and then went to heaven. Even at a very young age, I felt like I had memories and experiences and wisdom that didn't quite match up with anything I had experienced in this lifetime.

So I kinda figured that reincarnation was a real thing, and I believed in it.

But then when I told people that, they tried to tell me that it was crazy to think that if I didn't do a "good" job in this lifetime, I would come back as a cockroach, or a flea on a donkey.

That didn't seem to fit with my idea of this all-good, all-loving god, so I made up my own ideas about reincarnation. I figure if God is so good, and we really do have free will, then we could come back as whatever we wanted, or not at all (i.e., just hang out in heaven).

For awhile I believed that God didn't sent people to hell, people sent themselves to hell by choosing it.

But that just seemed stupid. Who the hell would CHOOSE to go to hell? That didn't seem to fit, and I grappled with that concept for a long time.

Then I met Andy, who would later become my husband. Since he was raised Jewish, he had a completely different perspective on a lot of things about God, etc. First off, he told me Jews don't believe in hell.

Wow. I remember thinking, "now THAT's a refreshing concept!" So what happens when you die? Nothing, because they're all still waiting for the savior to come. OK, that struck me as kind of a bummer. Because what if Jesus really WAS the Savior and all the Jews are kind of missing out on the fun by not getting that?

But then Andy told me he didn't believe that either. He believed in Heaven, and basically, everyone who wanted to go there got to go there. He also believed in reincarnation, of our own free will.

Yeah, now THIS was getting good. I was digging this idea for sure.

So I revamped my idea of hell, and decided that there was no hell, except for those who just refused to see that it was OK for them to be in heaven. But definitely, I believed there was no devil with a pitchfork, and there was no thermostat turned all the way up, and no "down there" and "up there"

I could say that my beliefs evolved into what I believe today, but today is just a snapshot of what I believe -- it's ever in flux, constantly changing.

My heart and my spirit tell me what is true for me.

And please understand -- I am not slamming organized religion. If your heart tells you the teachings of a particular religion are true for you, then so it shall be. But remember, religion and spirituality are very personal things -- you don't have to read this blog, and I'm not telling you that YOU have to believe what I believe, so don't tell me that about yours either.

But if your heart tells you that maybe -- just maybe -- your religion of choice might have missed the mark on one or more topics, then I would invite you to speak to God directly and get the truth straight from the horse's mouth, so to speak.

That's what I did and it set me free. And we're all free to choose. We're even free to create our own religions. I highly recommend it, it's quite an enlightening and empowering space to be in.

So I say to Oprah, you go girl! And don't think you've got to be an Amy Scott Grant or an Oprah to create YOUR own religion. You've got everything you need to get started right now. And if you've been searching for a religion that fits you,I would invite you to consider that nothing will be a 100% match. You are an individual, and you deserve an individualized religion.

Because God is personal. Very personal. And you can fit into each other, instead of YOU cramming yourself into something that isn't really a match.

Capisce?

And you're free to disregard, disagree with or discount anything I've said here. Because it may not be true for YOU anyway. It's true for ME, and that's all I write in this blog, is what's true for me.

You're free to create your own opinions. Adopt what fits for you, and leave the rest.

Now THAT's freedom! And man, I love freedom. Thank you God for freedom!!!! Yeeee-hah!!!

P.S. Now if you happen to mostly agree with me, and you want to get that icky-video taste out of your mind, check out this one. Hang in there, the ending is WELL WORTH it - trust me!.

Reverse Engineering

Who's the Expert?

Recently, I received an email from a guy who was quite frustrated. He was telling me about how he couldn't quite accomplish his goals no matter how hard he tried or what he did.

I gave him some pointers, which he quickly refuted by saying, "Well, the experts claim you're supposed to..."

C'mon dude, are you serious? You're writing me for advice (for FREE, I might add) and I take the time to answer you, and now you're telling ME what the EXPERTS have told YOU? Which, incidentally, isn't working for you?

I mean, seriously, where does he think I get MY info from? It's from stuff I TRIED that the EXPERTS said would work, and it didn't work for me! So I carved out my own methods and used trial and error, and that's how I know what works!

And just what makes someone an expert anyway? Is it because they wrote a book on the matter? they get paid to speak about it? Someone calls them an expert? they accomplished something big?

I don't buy this idea of "expert" status anyway. I've been interviewed countless times when someone called me an "expert" in my intro, and I always think, "really? Am I an expert? Because most days, I still feel like the student."

There's always something to learn, something new to master. And calling myself an expert doesn't mean you should listen to me.

I'd even go so far as to say that YOU are the expert in your OWN life.

YOU have all the answers.

YOU have what you need.

YOU know what to do, how to do it, where to go, and how to get there.

If you're lacking anything, it might only be some communication with someone who can help you unlock it. (BTW, guess who locked it up in the first place? Yep, it's you.)

But you don't need an expert.

Stop buying books, looking for answers. Stop going to conferences, trying to find the missing pieces. Stop looking for experts who can tell you what you're doing wrong and how to do it right.

You already know all that.

All you need to find is a way INTO yourself. That's it.

That's why I love what I do. I help people return to themselves -- they don't end up dependent on me, because I show them where to look inside themselves, and what to do when they find what they're looking for.

I'm no expert on YOU. I'm an expert on ME. And maybe it's fair to say that I'm an expert on helping YOU return to YOU -- the true expert in YOUR life.

OK, expert. What will you do today, now that you know you have everything you need to accomplish everything you came here to do?

Just go for it, already!

But I suppose a lot of folks are walking about

Personal Development...Camp?

My friend and mastermind buddy Perenna Fleming is teaming up with creative artist (and V.C.P -- Very Cool Person) Aimee Rousseau to bring you a fun and enlightening weekend called Your Bliss Camp.

This is what Perenna has to say about it:

Personal Growth doesn’t have to hurt! Be healed, inspired, pampered and rejuvenated while you play. We will clear our heads and renew our spirits at an enchanting retreat just outside sunny Austin, Texas! Come to Your Bliss Camp June 20th – 22nd.

There are only 20 spots available which guarantees lots of personal attention from me, Aimee Rousseau and other magical guests who are blessed with http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif the ability to heal a group of people of more in a single weekend than a lifetime of weekly appointments could begin to accomplish!

While you are pampering your inner God/dess, waking up your light bodies and playing with angels, you will be painlessly cleared through a mix of modalities! By Sunday, everyone will be profoundly and permanently changed for the better – unblocked, inspired, rejuvenated and at peace!

Healing and Clearing is FUN!

Come and PLAY your way through massive clearing and transformation! Remove what stands between you and being your best!

Visit Your Bliss Camp to claim your spot.

Sounds yummy -- are you going?

Here's Why You Feel Like Crap

Got a huge download today and I wanted to share it all before I forgot.

While I was conducting a session for a client, I got a heap of information about stress and anxiety, and I get it's optimal to share it with you.

If you've ever wondered why you feel crappier than you deserve to most days, prepare to be enlightened.

For starters, if you're like most people, your "early warning system" is on the fritz.

I am referring to the system that lets you know when the sh*t is about to hit the fan. Call it a bad feeling, a pit in your stomach, uneasiness, or that part in every good movie when the policeman says, "I got a bad feeling about this..."

We're so stressed out and strung out day to day that we don't recognize these early warning signs. And because we feel like we don't get any notice when something unpleasant is coming down the pike, we're constantly on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

This is evident in road rage, muscle tension, increased stress levels, obesity, and all kinds of other stuff. We try to protect ourselves from the impending doom with extra layers of padding, anger, resentment, a veneer of "positive thinking" and all sorts of other defense mechanisms designed to keep people and stuff at arm's length.

We never know when negative energy will strike again, and that is one harried way to live.

In addition to being on edge, your energy stores are depleted.

So when sh*t does happen, you have no backup plan. A mountain becomes a molehill in two seconds without a beefy supply of reserve energy to help you cope and sustain your energy field.

What's more, you're spending so much energy masking or hiding your fear and waiting for the other shoe to drop, that you don't have any time or energy left for rebuilding your stores. We're all on the run constantly -- so we eat crap, drink crap, talk crap, and sleep poorly. It feels like there is nothing left over to refill the silo. Then trauma strikes and we're in the red again.

Have you ever met someone who seemed extremely grounded and centered? You can bet they have a huge store of energy reserves. So when life throws a curve ball, they dip into their reserve, and it feels more like a bump in the road instead of driving off into a chasm.

Wouldn't that be a refreshing change?

The third tier is all about relationships. How many people do you know that have truly meaningful, lasting, powerful and empowering relationships? Any of them have more than 2? Probably not, because we figure relationships like that take time and energy and we don't seem to have enough of either. We can barely keep ourselves going much less constantly stoke the fires of a meaningful relationship.

Trouble is, without meaningful relationships, life seems to fall flat. We have no support network to rely on (which we could sure use -- A LOT) and that's no fun at all. But there's no time for relationships when we're so busy watching for the big bang and putting out fires.

It's a good thing that breathing is automatic. If we had to actually take time to stop and do it, people would be dropping like flies everywhere you look. Man, no wonder most of us feel like crap a lot of the time!

So what's the solution?

This is gonna sound crazy, so don't say I didn't warn you.

You can invite your guides (angels, spirit guides, your beloved deceased Grammy, God, Jesus, whoever supports you from the unseen) to set up an energetic renewal system for you.

But how do I do that?

Well, you can follow the instructions I give you below. Or you can ask me to do it for you. Ann Strong and I are putting together some MASSIVE clearing tools that will work for you behind the scenes -- there is nothing for you to consciously or actively do (how's THAT for testing your beliefs about life and your 'so-called' reality? Oh yeah, it's a dooooozy) except sign up and we will set the wheels into motion for you. We'll even teach you how to check for yourself to see whether or not progress is being made.

But more about that in the next few days.

If you want to give it a go yourself, here's what you do:

1. Be still. Get centered and put yourself in touch with your guides. Ask for assistance.

2. Listen. Notice what you see, hear, feel, imagine, or know.

3. Ask your guides to put together an energy renewal system for you. Here is an example, but you may feel guided to add, change or delete any or all of it:

Tier 1: Please recalibrate and re-adjust my early warning system. Help me to know clearly and unmistakably when I need to be aware that something is about to happen.

Tier 2: Please replenish my energy stores and create this as a renewable resource for me. Rebuild my supply continuously so that I can dip into it freely whenever I need it. (For the client session I did today, I got that this would be accomplished by "skimming" energy. In other words, the guides would skim energy in such micro amounts that the person would never miss it, but these skimmed amounts would be put into reserve, and the silo would be filled rather quickly. Kind of the same way the grocery stores can make millions of dollars each year by overcharging a nickel here or a few cents there. Only this has far more spiritual motives...)

Tier 3: Please assist me in efficiently and effortlessly building meaningful relationships with individuals and groups who are most optimal for me, in line with my Highest Good.

Yep, I know it sounds ridiculously simple. But you've been believing for FAR too long that it takes hard work or effort, or that YOU need to be involved in some active way.

The times they are a'changin. So you can either hop on board this new new thought gravy train, or you can stand behind in the dust. Just know that either way is perfect.

I'll seeya on the train.

BTW, since I'm now "out" of the Spiritual Closet, there will no longer be a QoD (Question of the Day). From now on (or until I change my mind), we'll have a CoD (Consideration of the Day). LEt's start now, shall we?

CoD: You could work a LOT less and get a LOT more accomplished if you are willing to turn a LOT over to your guides and let them do some work for you.

After all, they don't sleep, they don't need breaks, and where they are, time is not an issue.

Why not? Really, what do you have to lose?

Out of the Closet

No, I'm not gay. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

I'm "out" of the Spiritual closet, and I'm laying it all out on the line, right here, right now.

I get information, every day. I don't mean intuition, hunches, or the Wall Street Journal (although you gotta consider that it all really comes from the same place). I mean I get information from God, sent directly to my brain, all the time. Well, not ALL the time, but throughout the day, every single day.

And it's becoming very clear to me that what I'm getting isn't for me to keep to myself. It's for the world to know.

So look out world, I won't be hiding in the closet anymore.

I'm "outing" myself.

Stay tuned to see what the voice of God has to say. It's gonna be juicy for sure.

--Amy