February 4, 2000

Subject: Mystical Files #3: Graceful Passages + LightShift 2000 latest update + The New Group Consciousness

Hello everyone

Here is first some information about a wonderful musical and spiritual work I warmly recommend to you. The music is really awe-inspiring and the soul-soothing and enlightening messages chosen are just as good. A much needed instrument of awakening and preparation if you are approaching the transition point into the life after life. I've personally met Gary Malkin and Michael Stillwater, the music composers and designers of this unique creation of Art/Heart, and I can vouchsafe for their integrity and commitment to achieving their life mission of assistance to others.

Love and blessing to all of you

Jean Hudon
Earth Rainbow Network Coordinator
http://www.cybernaute.com/earthconcert2000

Here is some material taken from www.gracefulpassages.com

Wisdom of the World, Volume One

Graceful Passages

an interfaith audio resource for those in transition and all who care for them

Designed to:

* Provide an opportunity for anyone undergoing loss at any phase of their lives to gain perspective and comfort.

* Assist dying persons, their families and caregivers to help make the transition from denial to acceptance, and from anxiety to peace.

The wonder of life is often overlooked. The awareness of the preciousness of being alive, of appreciating ourselves, each other, and our world, is sometimes the last thing we remember in our rush of activity.

Simply acknowledging the inevitable can be healing. Despite advances in medical science, we are neither capable of preventing our transition from this world nor in absolute control of the timing. As reluctant as we may be to approach the subject, admitting our mortality is an important step toward embracing life on its own terms. Such an acceptance can profoundly support a recognition of the moment-by-moment gift of life itself.

Those working with the dying observe that suffering is increased by denial and resistance. This applies not only to those who are dying, but also to their families, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. This principle extends to all of us, at any stage of life.

There is a need for effective, artful ways to ease the shift from resistance to acceptance. We believe Graceful Passages has the ability to address anyone who is going through or anticipating loss, whether through physical death or otherwise, in a profound way, using the contemplative awareness of death as a focus.

Our response has been to develop a CD of spoken voices and music addressing this issue directly. We have recorded people, among whom are foremost experts in the field, speaking candidly about key elements of the dying process. Themes include:

¥ the process of letting go
¥ the elements of closure
¥ the importance of giving and receiving love
¥ the benefit of forgiveness
¥ appreciation of life
¥ continuity of spirit

The people we have selected as guides, coming from different traditions, share a common quality of presence which infuses their words with a tender, universal eloquence. The messages they deliver are spoken in an atmosphere of quiet honoring. To further enhance the delivery of these messages of acceptance, we have created music to support the psycho-spiritual transition observed in dying persons, created with the intention of gently addressing persons behind the resistance of their conscious defenses. This music is intended to provide an opportunity for listeners to both relax and to feel supported in freely expressing feelings with or without words, thus more easily experiencing reconciliation, resolution and peaceful transitions.


The Need for Graceful Passages

A letter from Ira Byock, M.D.

Those of us working in the field of end-of-life care are often frustrated by the limited expertise available to assist people with the emotional, psychological and spiritual challenges that an expected dying represents. Even in clinical settings in which sophisticated symptom management is available, these deeply personal aspects of dying are often neglected; that is, unless the person's distress reaches disruptive or psychiatric proportions.

Graceful Passages is a unique resource for people who are facing the prospect of dying. This CD makes the wisdom of experienced clinicians, counselors and spiritual advisors available to anyone who is confronting life's end, either themselves or within their circle of family and friends. In contrast to our medical response to people who are dying, the listener's feelings need not be pathologic before Graceful Passages would have value, nor must this soothing resource be prescribed. Instead, Graceful Passages offers anticipatory guidance that is appropriate for anyone who is interested in exploring their personal mortality. Having listened to the CD, I can attest to the power of the words and music to comfort, build confidence and connect listeners with their own inner wisdom.

Together, Michael Stillwater and Gary Malkin embody an integration of musical prowess (in both composition and performance) and a working knowledge of intra-personal dynamics related to illness and loss. These qualities have been richly applied in conceiving, editing and producing Graceful Passages. The resulting combination of tone and text is at once authentic and aesthetic.

Ira Byock
M.D. author, Dying Well director of the Palliative Care Service in Missoula, Montana director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation National Program Office, Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care past president of the American Academy of Hospice Palliative Medicine


Project Summary

We are dedicated to help relieve suffering through shifting the cultural view of transitions. Rather than dread this time with fear and denial, we would honor transitions as an inevitable part of our lives to celebrate.

With this paradigm shift, a variety of accompanying challenges which plague end of life care in its current form may be addressed. For example, the reluctance on the part of physicians to assign or release a patient to hospice for palliative care even though they are in the end stages of a life threatening illness. Likewise, the reluctance of family members to admit to themselves that their loved one is dying, thus missing priceless opportunities for reconciliation and connection. When one considers what it takes to provide so-called heroic measures to preserve life at all costs, regardless of quality of life, the social and financial consequences are staggering.

Graceful Passages offers a simple yet very targeted response to the widespread denial of death in our society; through gently addressing this issue in an artful, aesthetic way, we hope to support a change in attitude towards this crucial subject.


Responses

Below are a few of the responses we are receiving weekly from listeners to our first volume.

Deeply moving. Touches the soul and makes contact with the universal. Should be in everyone's CD library.

Harville Hendrix, Ph.D. author Getting the Love You Want


By the very nature of change, passages are not usually embraced gracefully. Life threatening illness and death present opportunities for resolution, forgiveness and peace. Graceful Passages is a guiding light which helps one to navigate through the darkness, mystery and fear surrounding issues of transition, death and dying. Let the words and music of Graceful Passages open your heart and comfort your soul.

Stephen Hosea, M.D. Clinical Professor of Internal Medicine Santa Barbara, CA


A moving, heart opening piece of work addressing psychological and spiritual issues which every human being needs to open to in their development.

Gay Hendricks, Ph.D. author At the Speed of Life


In the midst of a burgeoning movement to transform America's long-held denial of dying as a natural part of life, this CD emerges as an intimate tool for compassion, awareness and support- both for the person facing their transition, their families, and their caregivers. If death is the doorway to our most profound destination, Graceful Passages is a timely, essential resource for those upon the journey.

Steve Simon Producer of the major motion picture, What Dreams May Come


Too often people do not have the support they need in facing the personal issues that surround death. There is a profound relation between understanding the nature of peaceful dying and searching for meaning in life: peaceful dying is as much about living well as it is about dying well.

Daniel R. Tobin, M.D. from Peaceful Dying, Perseus Books, 1999

How wonderfully welcome to my ears and soul! The music is truly beautiful and extraordinarily moving- it provokes a soft open heart.

Joan Halifax Founder/Director, Upaya Institute


Graceful Passages, recognizing the movement from life to death as a period of rich and sacred transformation, accompanies that spiritual grounding with wisdom and compassion.

Kathleen Dowling Singh, Ph.D., author of The Grace in Dying: How We Are Transformed Spiritually As We Die


An enjoyable diversity of theology, music and culture. I think you have truly achieved your objective of providing something that all people of all different faith journeys can appreciate.

Pastor Michael Anderson, First Lutheran, Northridge, CA


I want to sincerely thank you for your gift to this planet of Graceful Passages. This is truly a remarkable work and it has left a solid mark on my life and uplifted many of the members of my family at an important time. Dad made his transition a few hours ago. We have all had a chance to realize our own surrender to the dying process. In doing so, I sense we co-created a stronger family bond as well as a deepening of the knowledge of who we are. And, I believe we will all cope better over the next few weeks. My mother started sleeping properly after listening to Graceful Passages. This was about 9 or 10 days ago. A few other people in the hospital, mainly staff that were attending, got to hear certain passages and everyone who did, expressed an uplifting.

B.C., listener


Graceful Passages is a wonderful experience. It prodded me to pay attention to my distractions. On a deep and profound level, I recommitted to the profound messages of unconditional love and mindfulness that are essential to serving the dying and bereaved. I think this consciousness is vital to those of us in Hospice leadership as we struggle to maintain the spiritual uniqueness of hospice cared in an increasingly regulated and costly health care environment. I trust your work will continue to enrich myself and others.

Gail M. Rink
MSW Director of Community Counseling and Education Hospice Services of Santa Barbara


What a gift you are giving to people in their dying time and to their families! This is spiritual work of the highest order. Congratulations.

Cindy Spring
Founder, Wisdom Circles


I have just listened to Graceful Passages and I am deeply touched. My heart is wide open and tears are flowing. Thank you for creating this magnificent work. I support you with my love, my prayers and my good wishes.

Barbara Musser
Facilitator Human Awareness Institute

To find out more about how you may order this wonderful CD please visit www.gracefulpassages.com where you will find more information about the musicians who created this extraordinary music, Michael Stillwater and Gary Malkin, as well as on the people who assisted them to bring this project to completion including the Guides of Graceful Passages (Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Ram Dass, Thich Nhat Hanh, Lew Epstein, Fr. Maximillian Mizzi, Arun, The Very Rev. Alan Jones, Tu Weiming, Jyoti the Mother and Rabbi Zalman) who lent their voices, and much much more.

If you wish to place an order for a CD of Graceful Passages, you may call
888-242-6608, or visit the website at www.gracefulpassages.com




AND HERE IS THE PERSPECTIVE OF OUR GOOD FRIEND KEN KALB ON THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LIGHTSHIFT MEDITATION

From: Dolfunman@aol.com
Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2000
Subject: Alert: LightShift 2000 Feb 1 Meditation and Update

Dear Friends,

This is Ken Kalb, LightShift 2000
http://www.lightshift.com

Thank you so very much for helping create the living miracle of a successful
"LightShift" on 1/1/2000! The power of the grass roots is awesome, and the
way the fire spread through virtually every spiritual spokesperson on the
planet was another miracle.

The smoothness and ebullience of the transition into the year 2000 surprised
even the cheeriest optimists. There was no terrorism, a minimum of Y2K
glitches, and a general consciousness of a positive outlook for the future.
That the hostages were released, and Yeltsin resigned were also interesting signals of
breakthrough.

Perhaps most significant, the mindset which filled many trains of thought for
hundreds of years -- that the year 2000 was some kind of apocalyptic end time
-- has now been thoroughly dispelled.

Was the influence of millions of people merged in meditation around the world
in a planetary peace wave of positive intent responsible for this? I
certainly think it helped. Dr. Roger Nelson's Global Consciousness Project's
preliminary results which measures receptor sites all around the world indicates greatly
increased resonance in the unified field. You may see this study on the
LightShift 2000 website at:

http://www.lightshift.com/Vital/index.html

Scroll Down to Global Meditations and follow the first link.

The task now is to keep this energy going throughout this millennial year to
the official millennium on January 1, 2001. I feel 1/1/2001 will be the most
massive and significant spiritual convergence of all time -- much greater
than 2000!.

The basic LightShift 2000 schedule is as follows which I ask you to network
through your groups:

1. Please continue vocalizing the affirmation "May Peace Prevail on Earth,"
at Noon each day.
2. Please continue the First of the Month at Noon meditations for 15-30
minutes wherever you are -- the next one on February 1, 2000
3. There will be 6 one-hour Quantum meditations on:
A. Each Solstice and Equinox (dates and times will be posted in the Vital
Information Section of the LightShift 2000 site)
B. World Illumination Day -- World Earth Healing Day - May 3-4, 2000 9:11 pm
pdt during the New Moon of the Grand Planetary Alignment:
http://www.lightshift.com/Vital/500.htm
There are time conversion charts in the Vital Information Section
For more info on the Grand Planetary Alignment in May, 2000, please see:
http://www.luckystarz.com/Articles/window.html
C. December 31, 2000 at 11:59 for one hour.

You may also wish to sign the simple PeaceQuest "World Peace Declaration" on
the bottom of the LightShift 2000 front page. The goal is 100 million
signatures to present to the United Nations and demonstrate to the world that
most of its citizens are taking a stand for living peace.

We thank Lucky Star Research Institute for helping finance the LightShift
2000 project by donating 1/2 of their proceeds from their remarkeable
Astrological Service to the project. You may wish to visit Lucky Star at:

http://www.luckystarz.com

May we keep the flame of peace in our minds and hearts radiating throughout
the world.

May Peace Prevail on Earth,

Ken Kalb
LightShift 2000
http://www.lightshift.com




From: Newrealities@cs.com
Date: Fri, 21 Jan 2000
Subject: The New Group Consciousness

Someone recently asked me to tell them more about the new group
consciousness, so I created this. If it interests you, enjoy the read. If
not, feel free to let it go and find your own interpretation of these
wondrous changes going on around us. After all that's what it's all about
isn't it...diversity in motion.

When I recently asked for some insight into the changes that our new
year/millennium would give us I was given that we will begin to see the very
best of humanity surface. We will begin to be inspired by one another now.
We will also move into a whole new way of communicating with other humans,
with the Earth and with all living life including animals and plants.
Perhaps this write-up gives some insight into why that will be, or perhaps I
should say IS, as I believe that it has already happened. We're just waiting
to see it on the 6 o'clock news.

Lots of love
Soleira


The New Group Consciousness

In September 1997 as we watched the passing of Princess Diana, we also saw on
world-wide television, the birth of group consciousness on this Earth again.
What is group consciousness? It's a connection between people, the Earth and
all living beings upon it that goes beyond what we've been living up till
now. People reaching out to people, sharing their joys and their sorrows in
a whole new way.

Our world in the twentieth century has been built on individuality and the
science of the mind. We have lived "individually" because we have been cut
off from our feelings of and connections to other living beings. Why?
Because we lived in a time of a closed human chakra system. Some people
could break free of this closure before the '90's, but mostly they did so by
years of meditation and good hard personal journey work. In the past three
years, that human chakra system has changed. Today the generic blueprint of
the human chakra system is an open system. Why? Because so many people did
all of that clearing and opening work. The hundredth monkey syndrome you
might say. So now, when a person wants to open up, the opening of their
heart gives them access to so much more than they have ever known as an
experience of life. They begin to "feel" life and others, sometimes for the
very first time.

As the chakra blueprint opened, we moved together on the chakras beyond... we
lovingly referred to it for a long time as the thirteenth chakra. You might
visualise it like a giant ladder above our heads. As you go just beyond your
own personal chakra system (the last ladder on your rung) you discover a
meeting place and it was in this place that we have all gathered together to
create the new group consciousness for this Earth. We (the collective we)
gave it heart and soul, compassion and non-judgement, discernment and
intuition, empathy and telepathy. And then we began over the past year to
draw it down our ladders to be lived in our realities. A new energy grid
system... a new communications system in which we experience our oneness as
our unique contributions to the whole and as sisters and brothers of the
heart, giving birth to a new way of life for our Planet.

You can feel it around you, like the vibrancy of Source in the air you
breathe. It gives connection and a new form of communication. It offers a
new type of power, not the type of power that seeks to control or to
manipulate for its own end, but rather the type of power that glows and
inspires all who touch it to become the very best that they can be. The new
group consciousness is a web, a honey-combed network of our own energies,
mixed with the energies of Source, allowing us and all living things and the
Earth itself to become all that it is. We are giving physical manifestation
to Source through us. And what's so wonderful about that is that, in order
to do it, we have to each become the complete and unique contribution that we
are as an aspect Source.

From what I've seen of other group consciousness scenarios in previous times
and places, it is the sameness that is it's flaw. Take for example, the new
Star Trek Voyager series exploring Seven of Nine, the Borg who was once a
human and who is now exploring individuality as part of the human collective.
No longer a drone, of one mind of their head mind, but rather a thinking,
breathing being who is encouraged to become her own unique contribution to
the whole.

Our new group consciousness is a hologram, every piece, every one of us is a
perfect picture of the whole (Source) and yet every one of us is a perfect
representation of our own uniqueness. What a beautiful paradox... and of
course it's the only way that it can work. We are a giant group soul
reforming ourselves into a whole new sentient consciousness that is made up
of all of our wondrous contributions to the whole. We have the ability and
the responsibility not only to think for ourselves, but to create for
ourselves the world we wish to dream into existence. And yet, do we not
share the dream together? Is there any who would not wish peace upon our
planet? For human to know human in all our diversity? For each of us to
know ourselves as the greater beings that we truly are? For the Planet
itself to be alive and vibrating with its own great life force once again,
expressing itself through all the life upon it?

It is time we moved beyond ourselves, beyond our individuality, to step into
the gracious beauty and joy of our oneness married to our uniqueness. It is
not something that you can just talk about it. It must be experienced and
the doorway to that experience is through the heart. For those who have
visited there, for those who are living there, it is a heaven upon Earth.
There isn't any place to get to...we're already there..."home."

By Soleira Green
Newrealities@cs.com







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