"Laid to Rest": You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet!

I happened on the cemetery in Santa Clara, Calif., as I was making my way to my most favorite place to be in all of California: The Carmelite Monastery on Lincoln Avenue in Santa Clara.

In all the years I've gone to the monastery, I'd never driven that route and not that far down on Lincoln Avenue. That's where the street dead-ended: into the cemetery.

Since I had some extra time that day, I said,"Why not? Go on in and see what's in there?"

I was not prepared for what I saw.

Not having ever visited any of the national cemeteries, I didn't know this is how "deserving" people get laid out: in GRACE AND STYLE!!!

I don't know about all those other national places, but this place was beyond my wildest imagination for a graveyard.


The Santa Clara Mission Cemetery is something to behold. It's a Catholic cemetery, where Jesuits priests and others are buried. Ordinary Catholics, mostly of Portuguese and Italian descent, are also buried there. It is my understanding, from folklore, that at one time, Catholics had to be buried only in Catholic cemeteries, and this is why ordinary people got in there. Today, it probably is more restrictive as to the person who gets to be laid to rest there.

Row after row of the most impressive tombs and tomstones you can imagine.


Inside the cemetery, there are crypts, graves and mausoleums, some as big as cottages; others like huts, and yet others like little doll houses in which you'd want to play.


I'd always felt eery visiting normal cemeteries or graveyards. But in this place, I felt the majesty...yes MAJESTY...of the PRESENCE of the remains that laid within.


What impressed me even more, though, was the fact that I knew there was NO LIFE in there...there was no breathing, living entity, i.e. no Soul, living in these beautiful surroundings.

As I drove around, the eeriness started: these are TOMBS..these are beautiful TOMBS...but tombs...empty of life, nonetheless!
I began to wonder what each of these "bodies" when they housed Souls had done to warrant such an impressive "laying to rest" in eternity.

So, I began to check out the names and the titles.


Then, I knew.

According to the official brochure, the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery is the first Christian cemetery in the Santa Clara Valley.

"It was founded by the same Franciscan Padres who founded the Mission Santa Clara de Asis in 1777. As the population of the valley grew, the tiny cemerery filled.

Within the space of 50 years, the church of Mission Santa Clara changed locations four times. With each church, there came a new cemetery, ending with the cemetery at the fourth and present site on today's campus."

The current cemetery was founded in 1851.

"It still serves the Valley in the tradition of the Franciscan Padres. Many pioneers of the Santa Clara Valley are buried there. This includes Spaniards, Mexicans and Americans and other of rich and varied ethnic backgrounds."

In the early 20th century, new features were added to the current facility.

The pioneers of the Catholic Santa Clara mission were men and women of the cloth. People who had given their lives, i.e. their time spent on earth, serving other people by trying to bring them closer to God.


Of Course.

It made sense.

These men and women of the cloth certainly deserve an impressive "laying to rest" in eternity.

After all, serving humanity when you're a Soul in a Body is a difficult job, perhaps the most trying job yet. You've got to deal with people who have massive EGOs, those who worship money more than anything else... and you come...talking about GOD? Yes. Their job on earth was not easy.


It seemed a just reward to come to such a fitting end.

Have you thought of how you'd be "laid to rest"?

Have you started thinking enough of what you're doing as a Soul in Your Body to warrant a beautiful end?

If not, I encourage you to go visit an ordinary cemetery, where the ordinary people go and have their bodies spend the rest of eternity. Yes, they are more personal. Like the day I happened on an obscure graveyard in Fremont, and met Leo, who visits his wife's gravesite every day. They'd been married for more than 50 years. After nine months of her being gone, Leo still was feeling her absence.



Leo was suffering in a way that tells you he has no comforter on earth, now that his life partner is gone. He was devastated.

Contrast that with those at the Santa Clara Mission Cemetery. Throughout that huge graveyard, there was not one soul sitting in front of a grave. NOT ONE living Soul, mourning and crying out for these men who had departed.
You have to wonder why.


When your job is done so completely on earth, even those you leave behind have to KNOW that you're in a better place. They don't have to keep following you around, haunted by the yesterdays. If your life is not lived from an EGO center, where you rule everything, then you would have prepared even your loved ones for your inevitable demise.


So, I advise you to go to one of the national cemeteries or as close to one as you can get.

See where you'd rather spend eternity.


Then, you'd know that right there...

In these graveyards: that's where "heaven" and "hell" are decided. Those are places for the living, not the dead!


No waiting to transcend up.

You can see the evidence right there.


The men of the cloth end up in some form of "heaven."


"Ordinary" men end up with their loved ones suffering some form of "hell."


About Death, Leo Tolstoy says, "Death is the breaking of the vessel in which our spirit was enclosed. You should not confuse the vessel with what is inside it.

If you are afraid of death, you should remember that the fear is not in death itself, but in you. Becoming a better person means that you will fear death less. No matter what happens to you, you will always be happy if you are united with God."

He adds,"God is eternal, all embracing and exists across space and time. God is all there is. All exists in him. All life, when it appears, does not come from nothing, but rather from God. And when death takes us, it does not take us to nothing. It takes us to God."

Do you want to be "laid to rest," or do you want to perpetuate the human suffering? The question we should all ask ourselves every day, as the reflection of our Soul becomes manifest to the world: Is the way we're living our lives part of the problem or part of the solution? When we "show up," do people cringe at the pain we display, or do we empower them by our reflective light? Those are all questions that will surface when we're being "laid to rest": would people feel relieved that you've been released from the burden of living, as it seemed too much for you to bear even when you were in PERFECT HEALTH, or would they be somewhat saddened that "a light" has gone out in their world by your absence?

As for me, I plan to be cremated with my ashes spread as fertilizer for roses somewhere. "For dust thou art and to dust thou will return."


Genesis 3:19.





I do not even want a "viewing" of my body, which in the absence of my Spirit and Soul would not be "me."

So a simple Memorial Service with a picture of the "me" that was...would suffice. I just hope that when that time comes, I would have left at least the scent of a "rose" behind!


Ah...to be...just "The Scent of a Rose!"

Ah...to be..."Just the Scent of a Rose!"
To leave such a beautiful fragance behind!
The Scent of a Rose!
That's what I long to be!



Namaste',

Che'

It's All Black and White with "Beautiful People" Dr. & Mrs. Ed Dodge, Inverness, Florida

The eyes tell the story about this couple.

Just one look into each of their eyes, and you know!

The TRUTH.
These are people who are serious about life... about truth...about
the way they treat others.

Then you see them look at each other, and again, the eyes
tell the story: they are serious about love for each other!

It is rare to encounter people who are so direct in their purpose
and their Spirit for the world to see.

But that's what you get with this beautiful couple, Dr. & Mrs. Ed Dodge of Inverness, Florida.
Everything about them is straightforwardly simple. It's really...all Black and White.

Like with most people who wind up in such a good place, the journey
getting there took some effort.

For Ed Dodge, his journey began as the son of missionaries.
His life, indeed, really did begin with the stark contrast of the lives of those who are "black and white." Ed spent the first years of his life in Africa.

His parents, Ralph and Eunice, were sent on a mission to Angola when he was only three months old.


In Angola, he was called "Tim," though Ralph Edward Dodge, Jr. was his real name. "Tim" literally had a life in those early years that represented the culture of blacks and whites at the time.

He was brought up by a black nanny, Julia, who "carried Tim swaddled on her back while she did housework, just as all Angolan mothers carried their babies."


Julia was a member of the Kimbundu tribe and spoke both Kimbundu and Portuguese. Tim's first language then was Portuguese.

English came more slowly.

His early life in Luanda, the capital city of Angola, certainly established a path for developing an interest in medicine and an openness to life.

Tim fought off the effects of mercury poisoning from the wrong chewable tablets he was given to treat malaria. He then had fights with insects, especially an army of ants that attacked more than half of his lower body one day. So in those early years, he also learned much about perseverance and survival.


Tim's story is told in a book of the same name that Ed Dodge published in 2005.

Upon returning to the United States at age five, the young boy known as "Tim" became known as Ed. But the lasting effects of those early years could never be erased in a heart that was opened to the richness of Spirit, diversity of life and cultures beyond just those of Blacks and Whites.


Ed obtained his medical degree from Indiana University and his master of Public Health from John Hopkins University. He taught Public Health in Ethiopia for two years, then returned to the States and became a public health director in the rural United States.

Ed completed his medical career as a family physician, and over those years of practicing medicine he learned that in order to treat a person, the "whole person must be embraced...body, mind and spirit."

In his retirement from medicine, Ed has gone on to doing just that with his "Wellness Explorations." He's established this program specifically to empower people to take control of their inner health and overall wellness, not just a physical ailment.

You then pair Ed with Carol Fitzgerald, born in Barnum, Iowa,(with a population of a whooping 150 people!!!). What you get is a combustion of goodness and light, shining the way for so many others.
(The next two photos are of Barnum, Iowa.)


Carol says,"Ed and I are committed to being all we can be as individuals. We support each other's goals. We see our marriage as an opportunity to share the experience with a partner by often inviting each other to participate in the creations."

That participation in creation will soon take the couple to a new life in San Antonio, Texas, within the next few months. This is where Carol plans to establish herself as an Avatar© Master with training she gained through Star's Edge Inc., Orlando. Ever open to change, her practice, like Ed's is called, "Avatar Explorations."


Ed and Carol met at Unity Village in May 1999. They actually met at a "Sacred Silent Retreat." Since they could not talk, their communications were all in the eyes...and yes, Ed did pass Carol a couple of notes, "since we weren't supposed to be talking," she says.


The couple were married a few short months later on December 17, 1999 at the Fillmore Chapel at Unity Village. Life since then has been a continuing journey of growth, exceeding their wildest expectations.
Both Carol and Ed graduated from Unity's Spiritual Enrichment and Enlightenment program in 1998. Ed continued on to become a licensed Unity Teacher. Carol said she wanted something else.

"I reached a point in my life where I knew I'd read enough books, attended enough churches, retreats, lectures and seminars. In order to experience enlightenment, I had to go beyond the mind."

"Two days later, an Avatar© Journal arrived in the mail. I followed that lead and life has not been the same since."

Carol Dodge is a woman of power within her own right.
Before meeting Ed in 1999, Carol spent approximately 25 years in San Antonio, Texas. With a master's degree in Education, Carol for many years taught every grade from K-12 and some college graduate level courses. Because of her caring nature, she also found a way to focus on "at-risk" learners and literacy in the Language Arts area. She also was a curriculum specialist and before retiring in 2007 for many years she was a consultant, traveling around the United States giving seminars and workng in classrooms to help teachers and students experienc success with current research based techniques.

Carol always has searched for TRUTH.

Growing up Catholic in Barnum, Carol as a teenager came to a crisis point in her faith, when she questioned the practices she was taught to follow. She became even more confused when the practices she'd been taught also began to shift.

"It became that St. Christopher, on the dash of the car, whom we always prayed to for a safe journey suddenly became suspect, as there didn't seem to be enough evidence to support him being a saint. It was all very confusing. It felt like alot of things that made us Catholic were being pulled out from under us."


"Finding Unity in 1986," she says, "was like a breath of fresh air!"

Today, Carol says,"Through the Avatar© courses, I am learning to look at the patterns in my life. I'm examining my beliefs about everything and exploring the different identities I've adopted. It's amazing to realize that I can discover so much about myself that I didn't realize. Most exhilarating of all, she says, is to find out that I can eliminate the beliefs and identities that haven't been working for me and to replace them with new ones that do work. I'm finding I'm less defined and rigid...and DEFINITELY HAPPIER."

As an Avatar© Master, Carol says she's learned how the mind really works and has reset her personal filter to "I am happy now."

It used to be, she says, that she piled things into one of two piles: "the good and the bad." But now she's gotten in touch with that transparent identity, "which was victimhood," she says.



"I was always picking out what someone was doing to me, or not doing for me," she says. "I was not taking responsibility for my own happiness and holding my happiness off until this person changed his or her behavior or that situation changed. Not anymore!

"Looking back over my life, I can see where every single event had to happen in order for me to experience this moment with true inner peace and gratitude. I am no longer fearful of bad things happening in my life. I have a huge set of effective tools and a network of support that's always available."

Carol's personal philosophy is this: "Life is about evolving in every area. It doesn't matter so much what one chooses to do. Life is about BEING. Obviously, we should select something that taps into our talents and makes our heart sing. But more importantly, we should be open to the lessons that each moment brings us to learn about ourselves and about life, to evolve from what we are to what we can become."

She also has a new understanding of enlightenment. What?

She does not share it outright.

But this should give you a clue.

About God, Carol says,

"God is impossible to define. But I see God as everything that is seen and unseen. God is LIFE. I also realize that as God, LIFE JUST IS! I am the Source of the script that gets wrriten around the events of my life. That is empowering."

While Carol has been getting ready for the move to San Antonio, Texas, Ed meanwhile was gone for most of the month of January. He was on a special mission in Ethopia as part of "Project Mercy" of Fort Wayne, Indiana. He spent his month there teaching youth and others Literacy, Basic Arithmetic, Nutrition and Primary Health Care (hygiene, sanitation and Disease Awareness).
To view exciting photos of Ed's recent trip with Project Mercy in Ethiopia, cut/paste this link:
http://projectmercyinethiopia2009.shutterfly.com/ One of the photos documents Ed and an aged Ethopia hermit. This is a precious sight!
(Ed's second book, Dan's Story, was published in summer 2008)
Matthew 6: 22"The light of the body is the eye.
If therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be filled with light."


Ed and Carol Dodge have only just begun to put their single-mindedness to work, serving the common good. The path they will establish will bless the way for more than the four children and 12 grandchildren they have between them. Ed has two sons and a daughter and 10 grandchildren; Carol has one son and two grandchildren.

One of the principal reasons for their moving to San Antonio is that Carol's grandchildren, located there, are only two years and five years old. Five of Ed's grandkids in Inverness are at middle and high school levels, thus now have evolved into activities that keep them away from home: sports, church and friendships.

The light being shone by Ed and Carol Dodge will illuminate the lives of many throughout the world, as they stay busy traveling, spending time with friends and family and "never being at a loss when it comes to keeping life interesting." Carol says.

Namaste',
Che'
NOTE: You may access Ed Dodge's Website at: http://passionforhealth.info. A quicker way is to click on the link on the side under "Wholeness for everyday!" Because of the move to Texas, Carol Dodge's Website has been delayed. You can contact her through Ed, for now, if you need to reach her.
I met both Carol and Ed, at separate times, during classes at Unity
Village in 1998. We have stayed in touch over the years.

Work of the Soul: It's NOT An Overnight Thing!

All men may be created equal, but when it comes to Souls, not all are at the same stage of evolution!

In this lifetime, some of us are here just to "BE"; others to have fun, and yet others to enjoy the "fruits of our labor." Then there are those who are here to re-connect closer to the Soul within them.

According to author and spiritual teacher, Gary Zukav (see upcoming Book Review, Seat of the Soul, on March 22), we know we are on a Soul connection when we are able to plug into multi-sensory perceptions vs. only those of the five senses. So, if you know you "sense" things beyond what you can hear, see, touch, feel and smell, and you have a magnificent obsession with discovering more about what you "sense," then you're here on your Soul's journey of reconnection.

And when it comes to the work of your Soul, there is NO timetable!

The process is the thing.

That process can take many, many years, and there can be many stops and starts. ONLY YOU know the truth about you and your Soul and your "becoming!"


Don't ever, ever let ANY ONE stand in the way of you and your Go(o)d on your way to that "becoming!"

Many times the road is dark and lonely. You feel all alone. Compounded with that, there are those who would want you to begin to doubt yourself, who would try to ridicule you and shame you, because you're no longer occupied with "things" of the world! They would have you think that they are blessed and you are CURSED, because maybe you're not as outwardly successful as they seem to be. A few, really unconcious and presumptuous ones, may even try to suggest that THEY, not your Soul, not God, have "things" to TEACH you!

Don't get distracted by such nonsense...because that's ALL it is! You are on your way to BECOMING! You'll be much freer than they could ever dream of being!


Don't ever let ANYONE put you on their timetable or schedule for becoming ...ANYTHING!


The work of your Soul is between you and your God, i.e. your Soul!

Matthew 8: 23: "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead!"

This has oft been misinterpreted, but what Jesus essentially meant here is: "Let the things of the past remain there!"

I know this to be true when I've gone contrary to this wisdom...

Don't drag along someone from your past into your future...if he or she doesn't belong there! People are in your life for a reason and a season! Few should be invited to accompany you in a lifetime.

KNOW this!

Indeed, even if your family stands in the way of you and your Go(o)d, leave them behind, too.

Matthew 12:25:"Every kingdom divided against itself shall not stand!"
Matthew 13:57:"A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country and in his own house!"

Jesus also said you cannot find the kingdom of God, unless you're willing to give up father, mother, wife (husband), children, sister and brother. Even your own self...and your OLD values!


Luke 14:26: "If any man come to me and hate not his father, and mother and wife and children and brethen and sisters, yea and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple."

If your family and others in your life are seeing life from the inactive side of Infinity, they will never fully understand what you're up to. So sometimes, walking away from them is necessary in this walk with the Soul! Send them love from a distance!

Mark 9:47: "And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out. It is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into the hell fire."

Don't let anyone, with his or her own agenda, intolerance or ignorance, stand in the way of your connecting fully to your Soul!

Please enjoy the poem, below, written after a long night with my Soul!

Namaste',

Che'

Oh, my SOUL! by Che'


Oh my soul!

How lost I was to Thee!
Oh my soul...
When I could not see the truth of what you were to me!
Oh my soul!


There were so many barriers
Placed to separate us...
First, there were people
Next, there were places
Then, there were things...
Objects of my desire


If Only I knew then
All that you meant to me!
Oh my soul!
Without you I was lost
Life had little meaning; it was all a farce
Oh! My soul!


How lost I was to thee
When in people, places and in things
I placed my faith
Not knowing
Only claiming
A life as empty as it could be
When the truth
Of you to me
I could not see


Oh my Soul!

The years of your absence have taken a toll
Now I’ve grown old
Yet in my Spirit
I’ve found a life...
Worth so much more than Gold!


Oh my soul!



How treasured you will be
In all the years left in me!
I’ve searched the fields far & wide
Through all the places you had to hide
I’ve found my pearl
I’ve found my wealth
I’ve found the riches I thought I’d spent!


About the years ahead
I feel a Glow
And now the world we must Show
Oh my soul
The power in me that you
Flow
Through me
As me
Oh, my soul!


Che’

NOTE: We'll continue this theme on the Soul in another post in April. Just in time for Valentine's Day, see the invitation to get "LOVESICK:" L(eave) O (thers) feeling V(ery) E(volved) and S(earching) I(nside) for C(larity) and K(indness). To do so, forward this blog to those who may be interested!