The below question was posed by Catherine Kent in an email to a few friends. The posts that follow this one are responses received. Eva Peck has compiled their highlights into a newsletter article that will appear in the upcoming issue.
If you are inspired to comment, feel free to do so, the subject is not closed.
Hello dear friends!!
I'm thoroughly enjoying re-reading the What Happens After You Die compilation of the Padgett Messages and I'm presently in the chapter of the great philosophers. Some of them accepted Divine Love, and some did not. I especially appreciate the message by Auguste Comte, who did a nearly comprehensive job of describing the experience of progressing via natural love.
But I yet again bump up against a question I've had many times: What are the 'animal desires and appetites' that are not in harmony with God's Love? And, what constitutes natural (God-given) desires and appetites versus the perversion of the same?
In our current hedonistic "anything goes" culture, there is little discussion of this topic. I'm very curious to know your thoughts!! Please forgive the email exchange, but I really don't like having these conversations on FB and no one seems to use the Forum anymore.
We know that selfishness (considering one's own needs ABOVE the needs of others - rather than equal to), greed, sexual lust (versus the physical expression of love), intoxication, and gluttony are among the desires and appetites that are out of harmony.
What are the others??? Thoughts???
Much Love,
Catherine🕊
Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
Re: Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
Hi Catherine,
Good question. I think some of the wrong desires and appetites are all those that you mentioned as well as anything that would not be or lead to expressing love. This could include emotions, or the expression of unloving emotions, desires for things that don't help or edify and could do harm, anything that can result in addiction, anything that draws us away from light and truth. It could include the company we keep if we are attracted to them for the wrong reason and they pull us down rather than edify us. It could be entertainment that is not edifying.
Below are a few Bible verses that give some ideas and in some cases contrast the inharmonious things with those that will lead us to God's Kingdom. (Even on the Divine Love path, we still have to constantly chose what is right -- it will not just happen, even if we are praying for God's Love, but with our transforming souls, the choices will become easier and easier.)
Ro 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires [which is worldly things]; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit [Divine Love] have their minds set on what the Spirit desires [spiritual things. As the Divine Love transforms the soul, mind priorities and orientation change].
Ro 8:6 The mind of sinful man is [leads to] death [loss for potentiality for salvation], but the mind controlled by the Spirit [if soul is controlled / transformed by Divine Love, it becomes spiritually oriented] is life and peace; [eternal life and peace]. ...
Ro 8:13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, [through transformation of the soul we stop sinning] you will live [become immortal],
Ro 8:14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [through the Divine Love transforming our soul, we become God’s true children – not just by creation, but through soul transformation into divine essence.]
Ro 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” [an intimate endearing term, like Daddy.]
Ro 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. [we know this at the soul level.]
Ro 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. [heirs of God’s Celestial Kingdom.]
Gal 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
Gal 5:20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
Gal 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Gal 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus [are on the Divine Love path] have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
Gal 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Mt 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
Ro 13:13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
Ro 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
These are some of my thoughts. Looking forward to the insights of the others.
Love,
Eva
Good question. I think some of the wrong desires and appetites are all those that you mentioned as well as anything that would not be or lead to expressing love. This could include emotions, or the expression of unloving emotions, desires for things that don't help or edify and could do harm, anything that can result in addiction, anything that draws us away from light and truth. It could include the company we keep if we are attracted to them for the wrong reason and they pull us down rather than edify us. It could be entertainment that is not edifying.
Below are a few Bible verses that give some ideas and in some cases contrast the inharmonious things with those that will lead us to God's Kingdom. (Even on the Divine Love path, we still have to constantly chose what is right -- it will not just happen, even if we are praying for God's Love, but with our transforming souls, the choices will become easier and easier.)
Ro 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires [which is worldly things]; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit [Divine Love] have their minds set on what the Spirit desires [spiritual things. As the Divine Love transforms the soul, mind priorities and orientation change].
Ro 8:6 The mind of sinful man is [leads to] death [loss for potentiality for salvation], but the mind controlled by the Spirit [if soul is controlled / transformed by Divine Love, it becomes spiritually oriented] is life and peace; [eternal life and peace]. ...
Ro 8:13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, [through transformation of the soul we stop sinning] you will live [become immortal],
Ro 8:14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. [through the Divine Love transforming our soul, we become God’s true children – not just by creation, but through soul transformation into divine essence.]
Ro 8:15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” [an intimate endearing term, like Daddy.]
Ro 8:16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. [we know this at the soul level.]
Ro 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. [heirs of God’s Celestial Kingdom.]
Gal 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
Gal 5:20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions
Gal 5:21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
Gal 5:23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Gal 5:24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus [are on the Divine Love path] have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.
Gal 5:25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Gal 5:26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.
Mt 15:19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
Ro 13:13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
Ro 13:14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
These are some of my thoughts. Looking forward to the insights of the others.
Love,
Eva
Re: Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
Eva,
Thank you for your helpful response! Your statement: "Even on the Divine Love path, we still have to constantly choose what is right -- it will not just happen, even if we are praying for God's Love, but with our transforming souls, the choices will become easier and easier" is precisely why I posed the question...that and the fact that I have been steeped in this sinful world since birth, where many people have an "anything goes" attitude, and I was reared by parents who focused primarily on the Love of God, rather than the sins of humanity. So, I want to be as sure as I can to follow God's Will to the best of my ability.
The Bible quotes you included from Galatians and Matthew were especially helpful, because they listed specifics.
I'll share a bit more in response to Al's email.
Much Love from your sister and friend,
Catherine🕊
Thank you for your helpful response! Your statement: "Even on the Divine Love path, we still have to constantly choose what is right -- it will not just happen, even if we are praying for God's Love, but with our transforming souls, the choices will become easier and easier" is precisely why I posed the question...that and the fact that I have been steeped in this sinful world since birth, where many people have an "anything goes" attitude, and I was reared by parents who focused primarily on the Love of God, rather than the sins of humanity. So, I want to be as sure as I can to follow God's Will to the best of my ability.
The Bible quotes you included from Galatians and Matthew were especially helpful, because they listed specifics.
I'll share a bit more in response to Al's email.
Much Love from your sister and friend,
Catherine🕊
Re: Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
From Al:
Thanks Catherine for posing this question as it is a critical part of our struggles within the material plane. God's original intention for humanity was never realized since the first parents decided for themselves to be independent and free of obligations towards God. Over the course of millennia we have become entrenched in our physical bodies, governed by our minds and neglectful of our souls. Our appetites of the flesh are expressed as an imbalance between our physical/mindful selves and our souls. We are creatures of our will and desires and they have been channeled into a material existence which is out of harmony with God's Laws and Creation. Consequently anything that is experienced and an expression of the material plane is part of our material appetites. Thoughts, feelings, physical expressions and desires, etc. all have a physical component which manifests in our earthly existence. If we are out of sync with God and His Laws, then these appetites are to some degree a reflection of our own disharmony. We have contradicted God's plan which was to have humanity living as a reflection of our souls in light and harmony rather than man creating his own reality and expression within it, thereby living in 'sin' or out of harmony with God. So the perversion of our physical appetites is merely a component of how we are out of harmony with God on all levels. I believe that it takes a depth of soul perception to truly understand how very much we are out of sync with God. The power of Divine Love gives us that understanding if we can get beyond our mind's dominance and sink into soul awareness.
I accept that my appetites and desires are for the most part out of harmony with God's Laws. It's humbling and a bit frustrating but as we follow this path we are obliged to look at ourselves truthfully and with compassion. None of us are perfect and I know that I am far from it. I have to keep praying for the transformation of me so that I can choose to be more in harmony with God's Laws. This struggle is daily and I have no doubt that it will continue until the day I transition into spirit. I hope that I will land up in a good place but I also recognize that there are parts of me that are not so good. Some of my appetites have diminished and changed with time and others are still going strong. Its a constant battle since all around us is the reinforcement of dark conditions. At least with the truths that we know we are empowered to seek change and greater harmony. Thank you God for your Grace and Mercy, without that we would all be lost.
Hope this helps Catherine.
With love........Al
Thanks Catherine for posing this question as it is a critical part of our struggles within the material plane. God's original intention for humanity was never realized since the first parents decided for themselves to be independent and free of obligations towards God. Over the course of millennia we have become entrenched in our physical bodies, governed by our minds and neglectful of our souls. Our appetites of the flesh are expressed as an imbalance between our physical/mindful selves and our souls. We are creatures of our will and desires and they have been channeled into a material existence which is out of harmony with God's Laws and Creation. Consequently anything that is experienced and an expression of the material plane is part of our material appetites. Thoughts, feelings, physical expressions and desires, etc. all have a physical component which manifests in our earthly existence. If we are out of sync with God and His Laws, then these appetites are to some degree a reflection of our own disharmony. We have contradicted God's plan which was to have humanity living as a reflection of our souls in light and harmony rather than man creating his own reality and expression within it, thereby living in 'sin' or out of harmony with God. So the perversion of our physical appetites is merely a component of how we are out of harmony with God on all levels. I believe that it takes a depth of soul perception to truly understand how very much we are out of sync with God. The power of Divine Love gives us that understanding if we can get beyond our mind's dominance and sink into soul awareness.
I accept that my appetites and desires are for the most part out of harmony with God's Laws. It's humbling and a bit frustrating but as we follow this path we are obliged to look at ourselves truthfully and with compassion. None of us are perfect and I know that I am far from it. I have to keep praying for the transformation of me so that I can choose to be more in harmony with God's Laws. This struggle is daily and I have no doubt that it will continue until the day I transition into spirit. I hope that I will land up in a good place but I also recognize that there are parts of me that are not so good. Some of my appetites have diminished and changed with time and others are still going strong. Its a constant battle since all around us is the reinforcement of dark conditions. At least with the truths that we know we are empowered to seek change and greater harmony. Thank you God for your Grace and Mercy, without that we would all be lost.
Hope this helps Catherine.
With love........Al
Re: Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
From Catherine:
Al, thank you for your humble and encouraging response!
I concur that we must be compassionate with ourselves and others, as we *are* steeped in material distractions and allurements here on Earth. As you stated, nearly everything here has been channeled into our material existence, rather than spiritual, and this is true for all of us. To me, this fact means that we cannot necessarily even know when we are out of harmony.
I know that God gave us some appetites and desires of the flesh that are harmonious with natural love. For example, we must eat daily, and God gave us not only an 'appetite' for food, but also delicious flavors to savor (think watermelon, for example). And physical/sexual desire and fulfillment are pleasurable (not just compulsory), which suggests that there are conditions under which it is in harmony (such as committed and considerate love). Our challenge seems to be in finding that balance, which (I believe) comes through our intentional focus on the spiritual, our dedication to prayer, discernment, and obedience to God (as much as our soul development allows).
Like you, Al, I don't expect to achieve perfection here on Earth, but hope to land above the Earth Sphere on the Other Side, and to progress upward from there. That said, I'm dedicated to giving it my all, even now.
I SOOOO APPRECIATE having this beautiful Divine Love Community of souls with whom to share what is of greatest importance, and to find that we are in accord with one another!! What a tremendous BLESSING you all are in my life!
Al, from your response and Eva's, it seems that "sins" are fairly obvious, and perhaps I haven't overlooked one...but I am still very curious to see if anyone else weighs-in on this topic.
Much Love to you Al (and all),
Catherine🕊
Al, thank you for your humble and encouraging response!
I concur that we must be compassionate with ourselves and others, as we *are* steeped in material distractions and allurements here on Earth. As you stated, nearly everything here has been channeled into our material existence, rather than spiritual, and this is true for all of us. To me, this fact means that we cannot necessarily even know when we are out of harmony.
I know that God gave us some appetites and desires of the flesh that are harmonious with natural love. For example, we must eat daily, and God gave us not only an 'appetite' for food, but also delicious flavors to savor (think watermelon, for example). And physical/sexual desire and fulfillment are pleasurable (not just compulsory), which suggests that there are conditions under which it is in harmony (such as committed and considerate love). Our challenge seems to be in finding that balance, which (I believe) comes through our intentional focus on the spiritual, our dedication to prayer, discernment, and obedience to God (as much as our soul development allows).
Like you, Al, I don't expect to achieve perfection here on Earth, but hope to land above the Earth Sphere on the Other Side, and to progress upward from there. That said, I'm dedicated to giving it my all, even now.
I SOOOO APPRECIATE having this beautiful Divine Love Community of souls with whom to share what is of greatest importance, and to find that we are in accord with one another!! What a tremendous BLESSING you all are in my life!
Al, from your response and Eva's, it seems that "sins" are fairly obvious, and perhaps I haven't overlooked one...but I am still very curious to see if anyone else weighs-in on this topic.
Much Love to you Al (and all),
Catherine🕊
Re: Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
From Susan Kubicek:
Hello friends!
Excellent thoughts all around Eva (great use of Bible quotes with specific examples), Al (clarity and harmony through growth on the Divine Love path), and Catherine (love the point you said about not knowing we might be out of harmony since we're so steeped in this material world)! As I pondered this question, my impression was we cannot know all this right now because we are born out of harmony with God's Laws and still are on the Divine Love journey. And perhaps it is not a black and white answer. My main answer is simple (and of course frustrating to the mind that wants all the answers
)...as we progress along the Divine Love path, we'll understand, and be more inclined toward living a life of harmony with God.
Like you stated Catherine, we might think what we are doing or practicing is in harmony with God, but turns out, we cannot see the big picture of disharmony. But as you all stated, as we grow closer to God, attaining more of His Essence in our souls, our understanding of harmony will grow. I was also reminded of a post created a few years ago on the forum. It had to do with how to eat in order to be most harmonious with the Creator. I also remembered there was a message that was given shortly after this discussion, in response to the initial question I posed on the forum. I'm going to paste the message here because it provides good guidance, I believe, for this question. I highlighted what I found most pertinent to your question Catherine.
Title: A Spiritual Perspective on Dietary Choices
Spirit: Seretta Kem
Medium: Al Fike
Date: March 10, 2018
Location: Oahu, Hawaii
God bless you, I am Seretta Kem.
You have had some discussion about diet, and I would wish to add to this discussion, hopefully to clarify some issues that you may have some concerns about.
*This world of yours, beloved souls, is composed with layers upon layers of error, of inharmonious conditions, not in conformity to God’s Laws of Creation. So it is easy to bring forth one particular issue over another, indicating the error and the disharmony that this creates in your world. Yet if you were to address all the issues of error, all the layers of disharmony, all the darkened conditions of this world, would you have any room for prayer or up-liftment of your thoughts and discussions of Love? So your concerns about diet have some validity, are borne from observation and truthful awareness of these erroneous conditions. I need not go into these particular issues regarding whether you may eat meat or not. It is your choice, beloved souls. God does not condemn you for eating meat, nor does God bless those who do not eat meat because they are of a higher level of consciousness. Considering all the conditions which you deal with on a daily basis, this particular issue is not of a great priority in terms of your souls’ growth and harmony. Now when it comes to your thoughts beloved souls, this is important. *If your thoughts are wrapped up in judging another because of their dietary habits, you do far greater harm than that individual whom you criticize.
When we ask you to walk in your world, we ask you to walk in Love. Do not judge, do not condemn, to impose limitations on others because of your judgments of their behavior. This is not of Love. Yet if you feel empathy for the beasts of the field that are slaughtered to feed humanity and in this way you cannot consume meat and this brings harmony to yourself, then by all means follow your edicts. But do not judge your brother or your sister who walk a different road. Whether you eat meat or do not, whether you consume anything that is available in this world to sustain your bodies, has very little influence upon the yearnings of your souls. It may have influence upon other things, material things regarding your body, but it will not inhibit a soul receiving Divine Love and this is your concern is it not? To encourage others to be open and receptive to the blessing of the Father’s Love.
Of course there is wisdom in healthful eating, in knowing that what you consume gives vitality to your bodies and we have asked you to eat in a way that gives vitality and strength and because you are engaged in material mediumship, mediumship that requires a body that it is healthy and vital. These concerns are valid and our requests are important. But this request is not of the upmost importance, but merely an adjunct to all the other efforts that you make and desire to do in dedication to this service and the activation of this gift of direct voice.
Saying a prayer over your food my beloved souls, may neutralize toxins. Having Divine Love in your soul in great enough quantities may change your cellular structure and eliminate conditions that are not in harmony with a healthy body. Positive thoughts may affect many things within the body. You see, there are many approaches to this issue, there are many aspects and layers to these things. It is easy for the mind to categorize and place things as good or bad, healthy or unhealthy.* There are no definitive answers to this question and so you need not concern yourself with your brother or sister’s behavior, but you must concern yourself with your own and the responsibilities that you take to be in harmony in all ways. Your souls know, my beloveds, what is good for you in your diets. You have a deep, intuitive understanding of this and I would advise that you follow these knowings from within and be true to the Truth within you. We do not judge you my beloveds, in regards to your diets, in regards to many things. We are here to love and support you. When you behave and make choices that are positive and helpful and healthful, you will feel our love, our signal of acceptance and love. When you choose something that is not in harmony and not helpful, often you do not receive our approval, but you do not receive our judgment. So this is another way you may test the waters. Ask for the Love to flow as you choose that which is in harmony, and you will feel the signal of Love, this flow of Love towards you. When this is not present, ask yourself, is this in harmony, is this good for my well being, my spiritual upliftment, my soulful harmony? You will receive the signal. We promise you this. If you are attuned, it will be easy to discern what is harmonious and what is not. Yet if you choose that which is not in harmony, we do not need to admonish you my beloveds. You will feel the effects, you will see for yourself, as you become more sensitive within your souls.
As we have told you many times, *your lives are a series of choices and each choice has a consequence. When you choose Light, you receive Light. It is that simple. There are categories of choices which are often neutral, not light or dark, merely a manifestation of elements of your life, and this you understand as well. I do not mean for you to be consumed with the idea that you must categorize and place everything within your being in life, in these ideas of good and bad, light and dark, approved and not approved. No my beloveds, we wish for you to focus upon your souls. To seek your guidance of course, but to not be overly concerned with the many and vast elements of life that are not of such importance that you need to be guided, that you need to know how to discern and place them into these categories. It is for you to use your wisdom and your common sense. Live life my beloveds, but do not fear life. Be your true selves but do not enter into a judgment and a perception of yourself that embodies this desire to categorize your actions always.
You will not attain perfection, my beloved souls.* You are not required to attain perfection. You are asked to seek Light and to come close to harmony and these two things are not the same. Harmony is being close to God, bringing Love into all things that you do. Perfection entails the judgment of your minds and the harmonization of your minds. This requires a great deal of effort and energy and focus. Perfection is not easily obtained. Harmony with God is far easier and this is the road which we encourage you upon. In the course of obtaining higher levels of harmony, you may make certain choices regarding your diets or any other thing in your life. But nothing is imposed, all comes in the flow of the awakening of your souls and the shedding of those conditions within you that are not in harmony with Love. This is what you must focus upon beloved souls, seeking harmony, seeking Love. In Love you are embraced. In Love you find that road which is right for you. In Love there is not judgment of yourself or others, merely compassion and acceptance. *Even though you may see more clearly and see error all about you, the predominant perception within in you will be compassion and Love. Because the wrongs in this world will not be righted with a sense of justice, a mindful judgment and practice that categorizes right from wrong, good from bad. This is not your path my beloveds. It is a path, but it is not your path. For right will come forth readily and easily in the flow of harmony. It does not come from a sense of self-righteousness and a desire to impose these conditions upon others.
Harmony and Truth go together, they are a part of one another. But Truth is not a weapon to force others to change. It is an invitation to embrace harmony and in this invitation is a great patience and simplicity that waits for the unfolding of the knowings and Truth of the soul as each soul makes their journey towards God. In this journey come the choices and actions that reflect and reinforce this journey. And to be in harmony, one must walk a path of Truth.
But the timing of this is within each soul’s hands. It is within their choice, within their efforts and thus you must be loving towards others, supportive of their path and to be patient. Live your life in Love, my beloved souls. Know that God Loves every soul and God is infinitely patient. Know *God has created laws that govern this universe and there are consequences to actions. It is not for you to be responsible for their actions. It is for you to be responsible for your own and to live a life that is in harmony and in this way, you add to the Light of this world as you continue to grow in Light and you add more Light. In time, the dark conditions of this world, which often compel many souls to live in error, will dissipate and the eyes will open for those souls of darkness. Have faith in this my beloveds, have faith in your own journey and the journeys of all your brothers and sisters in this world. As you seek to support in Love those you may touch as God’s Instruments, so you will fulfill your destinies and bring Truth. This is of the soul, my beloveds, and as your souls awaken so will your gifts and your efforts that will bring greater Truth to this world. Seek the Love above all else and these other issues are trifling in comparison.
May God bless you upon your path beloved souls and show you the way. May you be always aware of how loved you are and how *God patiently guides you and brings you to deeper awareness with each day. You will make choices for Light naturally in response to the Love within your souls. This wisdom will grow within you so, as will strength, as will compassion. Your faith grows, your Love shines brighter, becoming truly children of God. You will see and you will know how you may contribute to changing this world, to bringing greater Light and harmony. May you know a deep peace and a deep joy in all that you do in life. God bless you beloveds. I am Seretta Kem and I love you.
2018-03-10-AF-Seretta Kem-MK-TA
Love you all! Have a great day!
Susan
Hello friends!
Excellent thoughts all around Eva (great use of Bible quotes with specific examples), Al (clarity and harmony through growth on the Divine Love path), and Catherine (love the point you said about not knowing we might be out of harmony since we're so steeped in this material world)! As I pondered this question, my impression was we cannot know all this right now because we are born out of harmony with God's Laws and still are on the Divine Love journey. And perhaps it is not a black and white answer. My main answer is simple (and of course frustrating to the mind that wants all the answers
)...as we progress along the Divine Love path, we'll understand, and be more inclined toward living a life of harmony with God.Like you stated Catherine, we might think what we are doing or practicing is in harmony with God, but turns out, we cannot see the big picture of disharmony. But as you all stated, as we grow closer to God, attaining more of His Essence in our souls, our understanding of harmony will grow. I was also reminded of a post created a few years ago on the forum. It had to do with how to eat in order to be most harmonious with the Creator. I also remembered there was a message that was given shortly after this discussion, in response to the initial question I posed on the forum. I'm going to paste the message here because it provides good guidance, I believe, for this question. I highlighted what I found most pertinent to your question Catherine.
Title: A Spiritual Perspective on Dietary Choices
Spirit: Seretta Kem
Medium: Al Fike
Date: March 10, 2018
Location: Oahu, Hawaii
God bless you, I am Seretta Kem.
You have had some discussion about diet, and I would wish to add to this discussion, hopefully to clarify some issues that you may have some concerns about.
*This world of yours, beloved souls, is composed with layers upon layers of error, of inharmonious conditions, not in conformity to God’s Laws of Creation. So it is easy to bring forth one particular issue over another, indicating the error and the disharmony that this creates in your world. Yet if you were to address all the issues of error, all the layers of disharmony, all the darkened conditions of this world, would you have any room for prayer or up-liftment of your thoughts and discussions of Love? So your concerns about diet have some validity, are borne from observation and truthful awareness of these erroneous conditions. I need not go into these particular issues regarding whether you may eat meat or not. It is your choice, beloved souls. God does not condemn you for eating meat, nor does God bless those who do not eat meat because they are of a higher level of consciousness. Considering all the conditions which you deal with on a daily basis, this particular issue is not of a great priority in terms of your souls’ growth and harmony. Now when it comes to your thoughts beloved souls, this is important. *If your thoughts are wrapped up in judging another because of their dietary habits, you do far greater harm than that individual whom you criticize.
When we ask you to walk in your world, we ask you to walk in Love. Do not judge, do not condemn, to impose limitations on others because of your judgments of their behavior. This is not of Love. Yet if you feel empathy for the beasts of the field that are slaughtered to feed humanity and in this way you cannot consume meat and this brings harmony to yourself, then by all means follow your edicts. But do not judge your brother or your sister who walk a different road. Whether you eat meat or do not, whether you consume anything that is available in this world to sustain your bodies, has very little influence upon the yearnings of your souls. It may have influence upon other things, material things regarding your body, but it will not inhibit a soul receiving Divine Love and this is your concern is it not? To encourage others to be open and receptive to the blessing of the Father’s Love.
Of course there is wisdom in healthful eating, in knowing that what you consume gives vitality to your bodies and we have asked you to eat in a way that gives vitality and strength and because you are engaged in material mediumship, mediumship that requires a body that it is healthy and vital. These concerns are valid and our requests are important. But this request is not of the upmost importance, but merely an adjunct to all the other efforts that you make and desire to do in dedication to this service and the activation of this gift of direct voice.
Saying a prayer over your food my beloved souls, may neutralize toxins. Having Divine Love in your soul in great enough quantities may change your cellular structure and eliminate conditions that are not in harmony with a healthy body. Positive thoughts may affect many things within the body. You see, there are many approaches to this issue, there are many aspects and layers to these things. It is easy for the mind to categorize and place things as good or bad, healthy or unhealthy.* There are no definitive answers to this question and so you need not concern yourself with your brother or sister’s behavior, but you must concern yourself with your own and the responsibilities that you take to be in harmony in all ways. Your souls know, my beloveds, what is good for you in your diets. You have a deep, intuitive understanding of this and I would advise that you follow these knowings from within and be true to the Truth within you. We do not judge you my beloveds, in regards to your diets, in regards to many things. We are here to love and support you. When you behave and make choices that are positive and helpful and healthful, you will feel our love, our signal of acceptance and love. When you choose something that is not in harmony and not helpful, often you do not receive our approval, but you do not receive our judgment. So this is another way you may test the waters. Ask for the Love to flow as you choose that which is in harmony, and you will feel the signal of Love, this flow of Love towards you. When this is not present, ask yourself, is this in harmony, is this good for my well being, my spiritual upliftment, my soulful harmony? You will receive the signal. We promise you this. If you are attuned, it will be easy to discern what is harmonious and what is not. Yet if you choose that which is not in harmony, we do not need to admonish you my beloveds. You will feel the effects, you will see for yourself, as you become more sensitive within your souls.
As we have told you many times, *your lives are a series of choices and each choice has a consequence. When you choose Light, you receive Light. It is that simple. There are categories of choices which are often neutral, not light or dark, merely a manifestation of elements of your life, and this you understand as well. I do not mean for you to be consumed with the idea that you must categorize and place everything within your being in life, in these ideas of good and bad, light and dark, approved and not approved. No my beloveds, we wish for you to focus upon your souls. To seek your guidance of course, but to not be overly concerned with the many and vast elements of life that are not of such importance that you need to be guided, that you need to know how to discern and place them into these categories. It is for you to use your wisdom and your common sense. Live life my beloveds, but do not fear life. Be your true selves but do not enter into a judgment and a perception of yourself that embodies this desire to categorize your actions always.
You will not attain perfection, my beloved souls.* You are not required to attain perfection. You are asked to seek Light and to come close to harmony and these two things are not the same. Harmony is being close to God, bringing Love into all things that you do. Perfection entails the judgment of your minds and the harmonization of your minds. This requires a great deal of effort and energy and focus. Perfection is not easily obtained. Harmony with God is far easier and this is the road which we encourage you upon. In the course of obtaining higher levels of harmony, you may make certain choices regarding your diets or any other thing in your life. But nothing is imposed, all comes in the flow of the awakening of your souls and the shedding of those conditions within you that are not in harmony with Love. This is what you must focus upon beloved souls, seeking harmony, seeking Love. In Love you are embraced. In Love you find that road which is right for you. In Love there is not judgment of yourself or others, merely compassion and acceptance. *Even though you may see more clearly and see error all about you, the predominant perception within in you will be compassion and Love. Because the wrongs in this world will not be righted with a sense of justice, a mindful judgment and practice that categorizes right from wrong, good from bad. This is not your path my beloveds. It is a path, but it is not your path. For right will come forth readily and easily in the flow of harmony. It does not come from a sense of self-righteousness and a desire to impose these conditions upon others.
Harmony and Truth go together, they are a part of one another. But Truth is not a weapon to force others to change. It is an invitation to embrace harmony and in this invitation is a great patience and simplicity that waits for the unfolding of the knowings and Truth of the soul as each soul makes their journey towards God. In this journey come the choices and actions that reflect and reinforce this journey. And to be in harmony, one must walk a path of Truth.
But the timing of this is within each soul’s hands. It is within their choice, within their efforts and thus you must be loving towards others, supportive of their path and to be patient. Live your life in Love, my beloved souls. Know that God Loves every soul and God is infinitely patient. Know *God has created laws that govern this universe and there are consequences to actions. It is not for you to be responsible for their actions. It is for you to be responsible for your own and to live a life that is in harmony and in this way, you add to the Light of this world as you continue to grow in Light and you add more Light. In time, the dark conditions of this world, which often compel many souls to live in error, will dissipate and the eyes will open for those souls of darkness. Have faith in this my beloveds, have faith in your own journey and the journeys of all your brothers and sisters in this world. As you seek to support in Love those you may touch as God’s Instruments, so you will fulfill your destinies and bring Truth. This is of the soul, my beloveds, and as your souls awaken so will your gifts and your efforts that will bring greater Truth to this world. Seek the Love above all else and these other issues are trifling in comparison.
May God bless you upon your path beloved souls and show you the way. May you be always aware of how loved you are and how *God patiently guides you and brings you to deeper awareness with each day. You will make choices for Light naturally in response to the Love within your souls. This wisdom will grow within you so, as will strength, as will compassion. Your faith grows, your Love shines brighter, becoming truly children of God. You will see and you will know how you may contribute to changing this world, to bringing greater Light and harmony. May you know a deep peace and a deep joy in all that you do in life. God bless you beloveds. I am Seretta Kem and I love you.
2018-03-10-AF-Seretta Kem-MK-TA
Love you all! Have a great day!
Susan
Re: Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
From Jane Gartshore:
Interesting conversation, everyone. I especially appreciate the Seretta Kem message.
In my experience there are activities that may be in harmony and approved of in one situation and not in another. For example, times when I am doing more channeling and guided to avoid certain foods or substances. If I have them at those times I feel I am not in the flow of God's will and I can feel the disharmony within myself as the soul desires alignment with God and the mind/body wants its habits/addictions/ indulgences. At other times those same substances seem to be accepted. God wants us to enjoy ourselves (in moderation) but also wants us to put Him first, to not be tempted to go against His will for us, or to have the desire for a substance or activity to be stronger than our desire to be with Him.
Of course there are certain substances that are really damaging to the body, mind and spirit, and we should avoid those. But as the message said, the unloving and judgmental thoughts we have towards another for their choices are worse. God needs us to be loving more than He needs us to have an optimal diet.
If you really delved into it, to be in complete harmony you would never shop at stores where employees are mistreated or buy products that were made in sweatshops or that harm the environment in their making (even electric cars when considering the mining to make the batteries).
Sensitivity to what is in harmony and what is not increases as one grows in the love, as Susan mentioned.
Jane
Interesting conversation, everyone. I especially appreciate the Seretta Kem message.
In my experience there are activities that may be in harmony and approved of in one situation and not in another. For example, times when I am doing more channeling and guided to avoid certain foods or substances. If I have them at those times I feel I am not in the flow of God's will and I can feel the disharmony within myself as the soul desires alignment with God and the mind/body wants its habits/addictions/ indulgences. At other times those same substances seem to be accepted. God wants us to enjoy ourselves (in moderation) but also wants us to put Him first, to not be tempted to go against His will for us, or to have the desire for a substance or activity to be stronger than our desire to be with Him.
Of course there are certain substances that are really damaging to the body, mind and spirit, and we should avoid those. But as the message said, the unloving and judgmental thoughts we have towards another for their choices are worse. God needs us to be loving more than He needs us to have an optimal diet.
If you really delved into it, to be in complete harmony you would never shop at stores where employees are mistreated or buy products that were made in sweatshops or that harm the environment in their making (even electric cars when considering the mining to make the batteries).
Sensitivity to what is in harmony and what is not increases as one grows in the love, as Susan mentioned.
JaneRe: Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
From Catherine:
Susan, what a fantastic message from Seretta Kem!! Thank you for including it! I totally agree that it is pertinent. I remember reading it in the past, but as I grow, it helps to be reminded.
The entire message resonated with me, but the excerpts below directly address my question as I'm experiencing it now:
Truth is not a weapon to force others [nor ourselves] to change.
God patiently guides [us] and brings [us] to deeper awareness with each day. [We] will make choices for Light naturally in response to the Love within [our] souls. This wisdom will grow within [us], as will strength, as will compassion. [As our] faith grows, [our] Love shines brighter, [and we become] truly children of God. [We] will see and [we] will know how [we] may contribute to changing this world, to bringing greater Light and harmony.
Jane expressed this concept beautifully with the real-life examples she shared. We try our best, as we should, and yet, it would be nearly impossible for us to come into complete harmony (think: never using anything with PLASTIC).
We who are on this path of Divine Love have chosen to put God at the center of our lives. This is blessed sowing that will reap a great harvest. The sense I'm getting from each response to my question is the same message we always get: Seek God's Love and walk in faith; pay attention to our own sowing and reaping and the guidance we receive in prayer, but always with compassion, understanding, patience, and LOVE. Not with judgement, self-righteousness or fear.
It's good to periodically clarify these familiar points, as we grow and come closer to God. Our guidance is the same, but our soulfelt experiences shift as we grow.
Anyone else feel drawn to share?
Much Love,
Catherine🕊
PS
I meant to include that I regularly experience what Seretta Kem mentioned about certain choices being neutral, and that we should not condemn ourselves nor anyone else by labeling every single choice as "good" or "bad."
In our hearts and souls, surely we all know that every soul is doing its best in any given moment, given the stressors, pressures, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
of which we cannot on this plane be fully aware, even within ourselves. So surely it is folly for us to judge anyone, especially an "other."
Hugs,
C.
Susan, what a fantastic message from Seretta Kem!! Thank you for including it! I totally agree that it is pertinent. I remember reading it in the past, but as I grow, it helps to be reminded.
The entire message resonated with me, but the excerpts below directly address my question as I'm experiencing it now:Truth is not a weapon to force others [nor ourselves] to change.
God patiently guides [us] and brings [us] to deeper awareness with each day. [We] will make choices for Light naturally in response to the Love within [our] souls. This wisdom will grow within [us], as will strength, as will compassion. [As our] faith grows, [our] Love shines brighter, [and we become] truly children of God. [We] will see and [we] will know how [we] may contribute to changing this world, to bringing greater Light and harmony.
Jane expressed this concept beautifully with the real-life examples she shared. We try our best, as we should, and yet, it would be nearly impossible for us to come into complete harmony (think: never using anything with PLASTIC).
We who are on this path of Divine Love have chosen to put God at the center of our lives. This is blessed sowing that will reap a great harvest. The sense I'm getting from each response to my question is the same message we always get: Seek God's Love and walk in faith; pay attention to our own sowing and reaping and the guidance we receive in prayer, but always with compassion, understanding, patience, and LOVE. Not with judgement, self-righteousness or fear.
It's good to periodically clarify these familiar points, as we grow and come closer to God. Our guidance is the same, but our soulfelt experiences shift as we grow.
Anyone else feel drawn to share?
Much Love,
Catherine🕊
PS
I meant to include that I regularly experience what Seretta Kem mentioned about certain choices being neutral, and that we should not condemn ourselves nor anyone else by labeling every single choice as "good" or "bad."
In our hearts and souls, surely we all know that every soul is doing its best in any given moment, given the stressors, pressures, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
of which we cannot on this plane be fully aware, even within ourselves. So surely it is folly for us to judge anyone, especially an "other."Hugs,
C.
Re: Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
From Al:
Thanks for posting this message Susan. I believe that it explains clearly what I was trying to say in my response. Leave out the judgements, follow your own soulful knowings and more Divine Love. This is a credo to live by.
Much love......Al
Thanks for posting this message Susan. I believe that it explains clearly what I was trying to say in my response. Leave out the judgements, follow your own soulful knowings and more Divine Love. This is a credo to live by.
Much love......Al
Re: Animal Desires and Appetites -- what are they?
From Michael Nedbal:
Aloha family,
Thank you, Catherine, for the discussion. I was not able to respond yesterday, but I thought I would just say a few words even though I’m late to the party
.
I resonated with what everyone has said. Thank you, Susan, for sharing the message by Seretta Kem, it was excellent. I had read it before, but have gained new insights in rereading it again, especially about non-judgement. Eva has some wonderful scripture and her point about "anything that would not be or lead to expressing love" is so true and succinct. I like Al’s response because it is from a place of humility and personal experience. I resonate with him saying that “it it takes a depth of soul perception to truly understand how very much we are out of sync with God.” Also, “Its a constant battle since all around us is the reinforcement of dark conditions.” I also found it interesting regarding Jane’s point about the “activities that may be in harmony and approved of in one situation and not in another.”
The first point that I want to add to the discussion is that animal desires and appetites that are not in harmony with God’s Love are sinful thoughts and actions that man has created going back to the fall of our first parents. These are not things that God created that belong to our animal nature. I am reminded of the message from Luke in ARDT, Vol. II which discusses "The Sins of the Parents are Visited Upon the Children unto the Third and Fourth Generations." Luke says that "When a child is conceived and gestates and is born, he not only partakes of the physical nature of his parents but also of the qualities and condition of the spirit and soul of the parents. The spirit and soul of the child is susceptible to, and in a way absorbs, the influence of the spirit and soul of the parents - not only at the time of conception but also during the period of gestation." When you think this, one can see how fast sinful tendencies have propagated throughout humanity when they were first brought into the world by our first parents. So in essence, as we progress, we are not only working to get rid of our own creation of sin, but the tendencies that were “given” to us from our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents.
The other point I wanted to make is that of spirit influence as communicated through a message by Dave Lampron. When a mortal has a disposition to think or do evil things (e.g., sexual depravity, abuse of oneself (overindulgence) or others), it attracts spirits who have an affinity for those thoughts. In essence, when a mortal activates his lower desires there is a “calling” out to lower spirits who wish to vicariously participate in those thoughts or actions. And every attempt is made by the spirits to “intensify this desire in the mortal to persist in the indulgent activity so that both spirit and mortal can exercise and attempt to fulfill their appetites for these things jointly.” One can see that getting rid of these evil thoughts and desires can be very difficult when the feelings are being magnified by evil spirits. These evil thoughts and desires continue on the part of the mortal until “the mortal recognizes and knows of the help he may ever receive from the Father and His angels through sincere prayer.” The relevance to our discussion is that the Laws of Rapport and Communication (e.g., the company that we keep) play a role in maintaining a state of harmony with God’s Love. If we are constantly striving to be at-one with God and have a desire to communicate with our spirit band, then their presence will help to elevate us above this earth plane and have harmonious thoughts. In this state we won’t necessarily have questions such as, “should I do this or do that”, because everything that we think and do will be in harmony – our state of being will be in harmony with the Love.
Blessings and love to you all,
Michael
Aloha family,
Thank you, Catherine, for the discussion. I was not able to respond yesterday, but I thought I would just say a few words even though I’m late to the party
.I resonated with what everyone has said. Thank you, Susan, for sharing the message by Seretta Kem, it was excellent. I had read it before, but have gained new insights in rereading it again, especially about non-judgement. Eva has some wonderful scripture and her point about "anything that would not be or lead to expressing love" is so true and succinct. I like Al’s response because it is from a place of humility and personal experience. I resonate with him saying that “it it takes a depth of soul perception to truly understand how very much we are out of sync with God.” Also, “Its a constant battle since all around us is the reinforcement of dark conditions.” I also found it interesting regarding Jane’s point about the “activities that may be in harmony and approved of in one situation and not in another.”
The first point that I want to add to the discussion is that animal desires and appetites that are not in harmony with God’s Love are sinful thoughts and actions that man has created going back to the fall of our first parents. These are not things that God created that belong to our animal nature. I am reminded of the message from Luke in ARDT, Vol. II which discusses "The Sins of the Parents are Visited Upon the Children unto the Third and Fourth Generations." Luke says that "When a child is conceived and gestates and is born, he not only partakes of the physical nature of his parents but also of the qualities and condition of the spirit and soul of the parents. The spirit and soul of the child is susceptible to, and in a way absorbs, the influence of the spirit and soul of the parents - not only at the time of conception but also during the period of gestation." When you think this, one can see how fast sinful tendencies have propagated throughout humanity when they were first brought into the world by our first parents. So in essence, as we progress, we are not only working to get rid of our own creation of sin, but the tendencies that were “given” to us from our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and great great grandparents.
The other point I wanted to make is that of spirit influence as communicated through a message by Dave Lampron. When a mortal has a disposition to think or do evil things (e.g., sexual depravity, abuse of oneself (overindulgence) or others), it attracts spirits who have an affinity for those thoughts. In essence, when a mortal activates his lower desires there is a “calling” out to lower spirits who wish to vicariously participate in those thoughts or actions. And every attempt is made by the spirits to “intensify this desire in the mortal to persist in the indulgent activity so that both spirit and mortal can exercise and attempt to fulfill their appetites for these things jointly.” One can see that getting rid of these evil thoughts and desires can be very difficult when the feelings are being magnified by evil spirits. These evil thoughts and desires continue on the part of the mortal until “the mortal recognizes and knows of the help he may ever receive from the Father and His angels through sincere prayer.” The relevance to our discussion is that the Laws of Rapport and Communication (e.g., the company that we keep) play a role in maintaining a state of harmony with God’s Love. If we are constantly striving to be at-one with God and have a desire to communicate with our spirit band, then their presence will help to elevate us above this earth plane and have harmonious thoughts. In this state we won’t necessarily have questions such as, “should I do this or do that”, because everything that we think and do will be in harmony – our state of being will be in harmony with the Love.
Blessings and love to you all,
Michael