December 1, 2011 

Dear One, 

All suffering comes from self denial.

What does that mean?  In my practice, I believe that there is a difference between suffering, and pain.  On this planet, pain is not an option....pain is a part of life, part of the mystery, part of man's human experience.
From my point of view, pain is not a punishment, but the teacher, the professor who brings us out of the darkness. 

Suffering comes from a disowning of who we are.  It comes from an inherent belief that who we are is damaged, is wounded and is powerless. Suffering comes from the belief that we have been abandoned, and are separated and alone.  Suffering comes from the belief that we are the victims of our fears, rather than than the creators of it.
Suffering comes from the insistence that we are separate from the light.

"Whether the god be called Christ or Love, there is at times an hour when He is forgotten, even by the best. All of us, even the Saints, require a voice to remind us."
-- Victor Hugo

Through our willingness and commitment to enter into and embrace our self denial, we bring the light, the knowing  into the suffering.  Only when we go through this negation of self, can we open to the voice of our souls/eternal consciousness.

Allow yourself to sit with what i have written.  Write down anything anything you disagree with. Then explore these thoughts one by one.
Is it true?  Are you sure?

Now as we enter the darkest time of the year, light the light within your own heart. Invite your soul's longing to be present.  Have this consciousness write a letter to you: 

"Dear <Your Name Here>

In order to give birth to the Christ within, and to celebrate the eternal light that you possess, you are to do the following........ "  (be specific)


Please put this letter in an addressed envelope and mail it to yourself so that you will receive it as a reminder for this holiday season.

Let us invite in a hallelujah and a blessing of peace for the new year.
Know that you are the spark that will ignite  the light of the world.
Happy Chanukkah and Merry Christmas

Barbara