Over the past year I’ve been diligently working on my new CD “Emergence” and was in a celebratory mood when I finally sent it off to manufacturing.  It was a lot of work, but in many ways it was effortless to produce.  Because I surrendered to a force within me that had its own rhythm and its own path to walk.  Emergence didn’t have lyrics like my other CD’s.  It was just pure expression of the feminine voice wailing, chanting and singing her songs of the unleashed spirit.

It is that unleashed spirit that I believe we are all seeking.  That feeling of being able to completely surrender to something much greater than ourselves and allow it full expression in our lives.  It is not an act of doing but rather an act of being.

During the process I came up against  a lot of opposition, mostly technical but I also had some human opposition.  It seems that the dark forces of the universe were putting obstacles in my path to prevent me from fully stepping into my truest expression.  I was challenged on many levels but finally after successfully moving through each challenge things just clicked into place and the project sort of completed itself.

The way I found myself moving through these challenges wasn’t about pushing.  It was really about surrendering.  I found myself just letting go of any and all expectation of what I thought this CD should be and simply allowed it to be what it was.  I realized that this was really a huge accomplishment for me because I had successfully learned to surrender to the will of God/Goddess and give the feminine intuitive voice expression. 

In our patriarchal society we learn to push ourselves the direction we want to go.  The energy is very masculine.  And although the masculine part of humanity is important we have forgotten the feminine.  She has been pushed right out of the equation and the result is a very out of balance society.

But like all cycles the patriarch has had its day and it is in the process of crumbling.  The old systems can no longer sustain themselves.  And in the midst of the last fight to remain in control the feminine emerges into her rightful place on the planet.  She is reborn, reclaiming her power.  She is reborn in the hearts and the souls of men and women who are ready to live a more purposeful life.  It isn’t a life of pure achievement or material accomplishment.  It is a life of the spirit!  It is the life of discovering the authentic self and living according to a divine plan.  It is a life of complete balance and wholeness and most of all connectedness to something greater than the self.

This is the emergence!  Yet as there is a mass awakening happening on the planet there is also an equal rising up of the darker energies fighting for power and domination.  Those who are hungry for spiritual nourishment can easily fall prey to the narcissistic spiritual guru who claims to have all the answers for their empty life.  The quest to know thyself involves the journey into darkness and the reemergence into the light.  As we embrace our own shadow it is much easier to recognize the shadow at work in others.

But many get stuck in the dark night of the soul and never find their way out.  Some commit suicide and others go into a deep depression and a lifeless, passionless existence.  Some simply live as robots following the protocol set by Corporate America.  Most are enslaved by this protocol and never really believe they can break out.  It is those who really feel the call to awaken that are most vulnerable to the spiritual guru’s who lead with their own power hungry agendas.

There is a great movement happening on the planet as we rapidly approach the year 2012.  Once again this is a time that promises a great shift in humanity, either for the greater or for the worse.  Books and films on this topic are on the rise and where some promise enlightenment, others speak of our doom.

Fear is one of the greatest controlling agents on the planet.  So those who plant the seeds of doom are controlling with fear.  Those who talk of creating a new planet that honors and works in harmony with the earth and all her creatures are sending the message of hope that we can somehow transcend the current human condition.

Currently we are facing the dangers of spiritual narcissism in the age of awakening.  The spiritual narcissist is very charismatic and draws us into his powerful intoxicating Web.  But as we enter that world we depart from our very souls.  We fall for his sugar coated promises of enlightenment and success all the while turning over our hard earned money, and our ability to be self ruled.  We surrender to the group mind, just like in a cult, and we forget the part of us that knows the truth.  The truth that is within each and every one of us!

If you find yourself falling in love with a spiritual narcissist it might look very appealing up front.  You may believe you have finally found someone who understands you and can share your thirst for spiritual enlightenment.  And as you put your trust in this false God you slowly surrender your soul to his leadership.

The spiritual narcissist can be found in the church, in Corporate leadership and in the self-help and new age industry.  He can have a great following of admirers who put their faith in his leadership.  On the outside he looks very impressive and appears to be quite successful.  His words are powerful and he delivers his message in a very charismatic package.  But underneath his impressive exterior is an entity afraid of his own shadow.  He has reached his level of achievement by pushing past his weaknesses and denying their very existence.  The danger is that these weaknesses are projected outwards onto his followers.  He comes to see them as the weak and wounded looking to him for salvation.  But it is his own weakness he is running from.  The further he pushes his weaknesses into the shadows the more dangerous he becomes unconsciously encouraging his followers to do the same.

But our salvation doesn’t come in denying what is in the shadows.  It comes in embracing the part of us that has been long suppressed and pushed aside.  It doesn’t come in running from our weaknesses but acknowledging them, making friends with them and upgrading them into strengths.

Our salvation doesn’t come to us through a savior!  The savior is within!  As long as we continue to seek outside ourselves for salvation we risk putting our lives in the wrong hands.  I think if Jesus himself were walking amongst us today we would not see him or hear him because he wouldn’t be wrapped up in a pretty package asking people to follow him.  He, or she, would be the one asking people to look to the God within (The I am) for their salvation!  I am the truth, the life and the way.  Only through the God within can we have eternal life.

Truth be known a lot of people would be sadly disappointed when they realize there is nobody going to save them.  But there is a power greater than the self who can set us free!  Those who talk to you about looking to the God within for the answers are leading you to the right place.  Those who say “I have the answers” are misleading you.  There is no one way or technique that will work for everyone.  We have to learn to trust what we know.

Having walked a very difficult path, met the demons both within and without, and experienced several a dark night of the soul, I am here to share what I have learned about spiritual enlightenment on my journey.  Take it for what it is worth to you.  I am not here to be a leader only to share what I have found to be true for me.  You won’t resonate with everything, but some of what I talk about may really ring true for you.  And if my experiences can lend themselves in any way to your finding a greater connection with the God/Goddess within, then I have contributed in a way that is in alignment with my integrity.

It is my hope to identify and expose the spiritual narcissist!   Because it is my belief these jokers are a menace to society.  If we can learn to recognize them we can stop being seduced by their charming promises.

But on the journey of recognizing the narcissist out there we must also confront the narcissist within.  Because the truth of the law of attraction is that we attract what we most need to learn.  We either need to understand the part of ourselves that feels so worthless that we need a bright shining star to acknowledge and validate our worth, or we must see the part of us that wants to be that powerful, and beautiful, and rich and in control.  We may find that we align ourselves with people who externally project the image that most represents success to us.  We may overlook the humble man who needs not attention or admiration, who doesn’t need to drive a fancy car or own ten expensive homes, dress in thousand dollar suits and flash a million dollar smile.  Yet he may be the one who could teach you the most about success!

It is my hope you will get equipped with the insight and knowledge to spot the narcissist or the false God when he crosses your path and have the courage and strength to say “no thank you!”  It is my hope you will come to know yourself in such a way that when someone projects their weaknesses onto you, you can say “No that’s not mine, I’m not taking it on!”

In the end we all come to realize that nobody really has the answers for our lives, but others can inspire us to find our own answers.  Be inspired but never led!  Follow your heart and the calling of your own spirit and it will lead you to your greatest experience of life.