This page was first entitled, "How to Surrender Ego"..., subtitled "Just Kidding!"
But, tho divine humor is our saving grace, I wanted  to honor the  chosen title words as they had actually formed in my mind... the way "God talks to me" when I am playing a God- given persona but forget, for the moment, that I AM The One expressing through this one! (It's divine "hide and seek"... "Now I'm this guy... Now  I'm God 'playing'  this guy..." )

"I" hear "the voice of God" as crystal clear but soundless "words" forming in a receptive mind .  Of course the Path is about each, in one's unique way, finding such a "receptive mind" within the inner silence. It  is also about learning how to listen with the Heart, to see through the One  Eye (I) of Spirit, and open the crown to Unlimited Consciousness.

My preparation today  for the receptive mind which can "hear the Word of Creator within"... was a hike to the top of Skinner's Butte, Eugene, OR. (My wife and I live at its base. The meditation center is near Pleasant Hill... my other favorite inspirational hilltop above the "Center for Conscious Unity"  yurt... I've been asked to share more from the heart... Yes, we are One Family learning to live in loving ways!!)

First, to clarify, I see that everyone can listen this way if they really want to. It is not a
spirit- gift reserved for just a few mystics like "myself."  But each must find his/her own "receptive mind" and  loving heart. Then  "God" or "Goddess" or Consciousness ItSelf (whatever you call It/ Her/ Him) can "speak to you" through your own way of openness and surrender. "Who is speaking to whom" is the deeper contemplation, as, in Truth, all is One.

Let's enjoy the metaphors along the Way. My last pages of cosmology and prophetic Vision were from the "Mountain Top", the Grand Overview, as I was given to dwell in Cosmic Consciousness... But "today's lesson" came from the "Hilltop", more "down to Earth", but still overlooking Lovely Downtown Eugene.. or Industrial Eugene, looking west... not that industry doesn't have its merits, but  this little inspiration is focused on Beauty! I had been walking the natural path by the Willamette River north of the butte quite a lot since my week or so at the "Mountain Top." The "River View" (in the continuing metaphor) beholds the Beauty of the Mother "up close and personal."

But today I was called to the top of the butte.
As I hiked up the trail... taking it easy and enjoying the sunny day... I "asked" for a way to explain "ego surrender" in a practical way that could be adapted to spiritual practice , each person in their own way.  I "talk" to the Divine Personae of  Mother Nature, ("the Goddess" being part of the Mother,  Beauty Incarnate, for me),  and Universal  Father Light/ Consciousness... I have "conversed" in my own Way  with Diety since my first visionary "trip to the stars" at age five. Answers then come to me in their own time and way in my "Walk of Life."

( I had "big league" nightmares after my first star journey until my earthly Father , who had guided  me,  assured me that what I had seen as an infinitely large "Being" through little, finite eyes was actually a loving Creator on a scale I could not yet understand. It  had seemed "cold" from the "center of the cosmos" and absolutely terrifying as the "big crunch"  part of the "bang- crunch" cycle came imploding back toward "me" at center. Dad had taken me "out of body" hypnotically to view the cosmos in my own way in response to my question, "How big is God?" Being his best hypnotic subject at age five, he had invited me to see for myself.) (See "Cosmic Wave" page for "bang-crunch" cosmology.)

This time, I went to my meditation spot at the high point of the butte, sat awhile, visited the Mother Oak at the west  end of the crown, and then headed down the trail on the north side. I passed a young couple coming up the trail. He said, "Howzit goin'?" I said, "Good", and she smiled in response to my peace sign and smile. (I was enjoying the day and their youthful beauty together.)
Further down the trail I took another break, leaning against an ancient fir. (I'm 57 now, and it pleases me to take a lot of breaks, whatever I'm doing!) I reflected on how precious a small moment of genuine friendliness between "strangers" can be.
Then I contemplated the contrast when people avoid eye contact and greetings for whatever reasons. I breathed deep and gazed at the bright green sunlight coming through the high clover on the sunward side of the trail. At this magical moment, the words formed, clear as crystal, in my mind... the answer to my prayer..., "Quit Posturing and Behold the Beauty Before You.. and Within You... and Beyond the Separateness of  "Within and Without.  I AM THAT BEAUTY AND THIS BEHOLDER."
The sun had warmed the Earth and this body, and the beauty before me warmed my soul. These " words" had been clearly "spoken" in universal "language" beyond words as an answer to my prayer for a better answer to the question I am frequently asked, "How do I surrender ego?" Of course, the short answer is "Lose the ' I '." But that "begs the question", "How?"  The long answer is each persons story in testimony of ego- transcending moments... like friendly greetings, not contrived, and like the awesome beauty of the Goddess/ Mother in the bright cloverleaf light as I leaned against this Ancient One for support. (Yes, the Metaphor continues, and it is actually true in this beautiful world as well!)

So the ego- transcendent lesson was clearly given. "Quit posturing and behold Beauty." One of ego's primary programs is about "looking good", so to snap out of the trance of "self absorption"... being so "stuck on oneself"... it helps to "behold the beauty"  before, within, and beyond the illusion of "separateness." If  what is "before" you is "not so beautiful", first contemplate that very judgment. If what you see is "ugly", why do you believe that? Maybe the habit of judging things "ugly" is the deeper "ugliness." If it just stays "ugly" even after this contemplation, like hatred and its brutal effects, then the beauty will be in your intent to find a way to help make this particular place more beautiful, more kind and caring... eventually more loving, and ultimately united in the One Love.

Methinks this is about enough for now. The quotes around "I" signify the irony of designating a non-entity, the personal "self" as some "thing", this particular "I"-dentity. The "I" liberated from the cage of quotes is then the transformed I AM. I only use these quotes to emphasize the irony. But for "practical purposes" like speaking plain English... which I have been graciously asked to do more of... I  will quit with the quotes, and just ask  the reader to "inquire within" occasionally when saying "I", ..."I", Who?
Can you hear the Voice of Spirit within and without saying "I AM THE CREATOR!" ?  This Is the ONE I AM in each and all!!
Amen. So let the Word be heard within the inner sanctum of each, that we may know the Unity of all. Amen.

mik I el