Christian: [00:00:00] Hi, I’m Christian Camerena.

Maureen: [00:00:01] And I’m Maureen Whitehouse.

Christian: [00:00:02] And this is Miracle Renegade.

So, right now we’re going into like a space of slowing down. This is our pandemic series…

Maureen: [00:00:12] Yeah.

Christian: [00:00:12] And,  there’s been a lot of clutter in my life. Like there’s always been like work or I have to do something. I have to strive for something. I have ambition. It’s always been like a stepping stone kind of deal. And, this pandemic has really shown me that a lot of that stuff was bullshit. Like I could be happy where I was at the place that I…

Maureen: [00:00:36] Exactly where you were and how you were.

Christian: [00:00:38] Yeah. And, it’s been interesting during this slowdown cause I’ve seen what my nature actually is. Like I’m a guy who, you know, I wake up at 11. I like working at my pace. I like taking a lot of mini breaks. I like going back to work. I like hanging out with people once in a while. I like , meals, but  I don’t eat so much during all this. And,  it’s been very kind of eye-opening. But you know, like we’ve had this privilege of not being sick, not having to worry about anything.

Maureen: [00:01:12] Yeah.

Christian: [00:01:13] And,   I’m just, I’m asking you like,  how do I stay here?

Maureen: [00:01:17] Yeah, it’s interesting, cause you’re talking about this coming from the fast-paced life of being a chef in a busy restaurant.

Christian: [00:01:24] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:01:25] Being the hub of things while there’s a lot of activi ty, commuting to the job and then being in the midst of other people’s demands all day –

Christian: [00:01:35] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:01:36] – and then getting a breath, maybe at the end of the day before you fall asleep at night and do it all over again.

Christian: [00:01:43] Yeah maybe, if that.

Maureen: [00:01:45] So what a contrast, first and foremost, to recognize that. And so  for a lot of the restaurant workers or service industry people out there in the world right now, this may be your story too. Where you’re having a dramatic slow down and being able to experience life in a way that you most likely would not have.

Christian: [00:02:09] Yeah. Like I’ve definitely  had these times, but it’s like, I’ve been unemployed. So I had to worry about getting a new job – what am I going to do next? Or if I’m sick, it’s like how, how much time do I have until I can get back to work. There was always that  doing the next bullshit thing. Recognizing love as the drivign force

Maureen: [00:02:26] Yeah. So I love that that’s the way we’re starting out this episode and recognizing that this is a dramatic shift for people worldwide. And even if you are still doing the job that you had prior to this, you’re seeing that there’s a totally different way of approaching it. You have got to be more mindful and slow down, especially if you’re still out there with people in a way that’s  supportive and essential right now. It feels like you’re doing something for all of us who are not in that position right now, who are safe in a home not contacting the masses daily. We so appreciate you first and foremost. And I’d like everybody who’s listening who’s not in that position of being on the front lines, just right now, before we even begin – take a breath to recognize with gratitude, first of all, your fortune to be able to be in a safe, secure space. And second of all, just how selfless that is and how essential these people’s lives are to your very own life and existence and happiness and peace and ease.   

Really important to see once again, how connected we are, how integrally connected we are, and how important each and everyone’s life is to our very own. You know, we said that we’re all breathing the same breath and that’s obvious because this spread across the entire planet and  if we begin in our own individual world to be more calm and kind and mindful that that’s going to spread as well.

Christian: [00:04:06] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:04:06] And that could be another, pandemic of its own –  this slow down this collective slow down and recognition of what’s most valuable and important. And if you look at this, what’s driving most people now – the people who aren’t at home – is love. Love for their families if they’re going out and supporting them, love for the people who they’re serving.

Christian: [00:04:32] Mmhm.

Maureen: [00:04:33] Love for the planet at large wanting to have a semblance of normalcy, and we’re getting a chance to really recognize what’s the most important driving force here.  It’s love. Everything else is very obviously confusing right now. Notice that if anybody’s  polarizing people, or trying to get people to follow them or  be in their own little world of comfort or safety and security without any regard for other people. That’s the confusing situation. Love is very clear. You’re kind. You’re outwardly present. You’re available in the ways that are most important to other people. It’s very clear. You’re very conscious of what affects you, affects other people. And  because it’s so clear and because it’s so available to all of us, it’s our truest, innate nature to be love. That’s who we came in as when we set our first breath into motion in our body on this planet. We came in as that love. It’s the most superior energy on the planet. And whenever it’s the ruling power –

Christian: [00:05:53] Mmhm.

Maureen: [00:05:54] – then things go well. Kinks iron out. Challenge becomes clear. Everyone has this genius capacity  to listen to the Voice of Love within us all, that connects us.

Christian: [00:06:10] Yeah and,  it’s interesting that you, you paint it like that cause in this time it’s, it’s so dramatic. Like if I turn on the news, all I have to do – I don’t even think about the headlines, I don’t think about anything – it’s just pay attention to how you feel when you’re doing it and then pay attention to when you’re not doing it. And it’s literally that clear.

Maureen: [00:06:34] It’s that clear. And here’s the thing that you’ll notice:  when you’re looking at something that’s horrifying, or terrifying, or scary or promotes separation in any way –  separation from love – when you feel that you’re being jarred, it’s because love is peaceful.

Christian: [00:06:56] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:06:56] It’s just peaceful. It’s innately calm, and sane. When you are  noticing things that are really separate from that, you’re going to see chaos reign. You’re going to see people are trying to lead you down some path with an agenda. Maybe it’s to get more funding or maybe it’s to  you know, let people know that, “Hey, this is scary here on the front lines. We don’t have masks!” And it’s human nature to think that fear gets more attention. But the kind of attention it gets is typically not very effective . People will throw things at something to try to fix it. Or do things that have to be undone.  When you’re being propelled forward by fear, it feels like someone has a knife in your back pushing you forward.

Christian: [00:07:45] But like, you’re on the front lines. You’re afraid. You have kids at home… how are you supposed to get the things that you need when the people who are not on the front lines and kind of looking from the outside, are not helping you?

Maureen: [00:08:01] Yeah, in A Course in Miracles it talks about there’s only two things ever happening.  It’s either a Love, or a call for Love. So as a sane person who is in the safety and security of your own homes or able to listen to this podcast from a safe space,  the best thing to do to discern what’s worth listening to, or how to listen, is to notice, is it Love?  Does it make me feel peaceful? Like Oh, okay. I can feel good today. I can take a big deep breath right now. I can see some light at the end of the tunnel. I can notice that this too shall pass. That made me feel more connected.” Like for instance, I know a lot of people are defaulting to animal videos right now.

Christian: [00:08:42] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:08:42] Because nature is used to this coming and going. You know, birds fly in storms and they nest in places that get destroyed and, and animals are used to, especially human intervention being like an assault. So they know how to ride it out and move more deliberately and be more aware of the space around them. So notice how people find solace in that now.

Christian: [00:09:10] Yeah, through – you’re saying like through humor.

Maureen: [00:09:12] Animals and kids are bringing a lot of levity to this because they go with the flow. They can feel where the peace or the love is. And they often default to that kind of resonance. They’ll default to where’s the space? Where’s the peace? Where’s the ease? They are very intuitive that way. They haven’t been enculturated into that world you’re talking about, where every day you’re performing and moving really fast and doing something in the name of it being your occupation or the way that everybody else in the world does it. So you just learned it and go along with it that way.

Christian: [00:09:49] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:09:50] When we Start to recognize that everything’s Love or a call for Love, now read a headline. It’s a valid point to be afraid when you have no appropriate medical gear on the front lines. But panic is also something that people perceive with panic. It’s not the most effective motive to move from. Give a solution. Whenever you see something saying what not to do instead of what to do. You have to go through all the “nots” before you get to what to do.

Christian: [00:10:23] Oh, that’s a good point. Yeah.

Maureen: [00:10:24] What not to do is something that’s very separate. When you’re being effective, when you’re being connected and you’re being driven by love, you also have a creative capacity that kicks in very naturally, “Do this! Why don’t we do this?” Or you’ll ask for the most effective solution right upfront. Miracles collapse time and space  and effective communication collapses time and space. Saying, “This is what we need. Step up.” Is much different than throwing a lot of panicky thoughts at people  and then expecting them to somehow come up with a sane choice or action. 

How to Live a Miraculous Life in the Midst of White Noise

Christian: [00:11:05] Yeah. I kind of straddle the line between these two worlds, cause there’s like the spiritual world and I – I sit down and I’ll listen to like channelers and stuff, and they’ll, they’ll talk about pretty much all the same thing, which is really interesting, but a lot of it becomes white noise to me.

Maureen: [00:11:25] Peaceful white noise however.

Christian: [00:11:26] Yeah, it is very peaceful. But I also love humanity. I love being human. I love being alive and I’ve always had a curiosity over what happens in the world. But like, that becomes white noise as well, because it’s just like, it’s not useful.

Maureen: [00:11:44] How do you apply it…

Christian: [00:11:44] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:11:44] So you just touched upon a really important point. What this podcast is for, Miracle Renegade, is to highlight how to live a miraculous life while you’re embracing being in a human body. A Course in Miracles puts this very clearly, that Revelation is between the Divine and us – so sometimes people have these Revelations like, “Oh, that’s not the way to approach it.” Or, “I just feel, I know this.” That’s a very direct hit. There’s no time and space with that, because it’s directly Divine. And channeled work is –  at best,  if it’s authentic – a direct kind of Revelation. It’s coming from that world to our world as a message.

Christian: [00:12:29] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:12:29] But Miracles are between people. They’re in the world of human beings, how we experience Miracles is in the world of time and space.  Channeled works and divinely inspired books and things like that – very inspirational and very peace promoting – will put you in a nice space of receptivity and awareness to be able to go out and engage the world at best. Then you’re in Miracle territory. If you take that, that kind of information and really incorporate it,  that’s part of Miracle Mindedness is hearing inspirational things and reading things that make you feel peaceful and calm, going into nature. That’s Miracle Mindedness, getting yourself in a space where you’re more resonant with the world of Spirit than the world of form.

Christian: [00:13:20] Hmm. Yeah.

Miracle Matrixing

Maureen: [00:13:21] Doesn’t mean you forget the world of form because then comes Miracle Matrixing. You bring that formless, that spirit, that breath that you came in with and the breath that you’ll leave this life with, you acknowledge that that’s the animating force of everything that’s in the material world. This loving energy that’s pure and whole, and at one – win-win for everybody. We breathe that in every day with our breath. It animates us while we navigate this world and we’ll leave this world with our last – but we go on infinitely. So this finite time on earth is best experienced when we are Matrixing that energy of the Divine. And that’s where the Miracles come in.  As you start to focus on the Divine in life, the form recedes a little bit, and the Light moves forward. So in essence,  when you’re looking at someone in the grocery store now who’s bagging your groceries – if you’re in a Miracle Mind during a pandemic, you’re recognizing a human angel.

Christian: [00:14:29] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:14:30] You know, you’re noticing this is amazing. This person is doing this for me. And you don’t forget to smile, and you don’t forget to acknowledge them. And you, don’t forget to say, “Stay safe, be well.” You know, things like that that are connecting with them. Just letting them know with your eyes, if you have a mask on, how much you appreciate them. That’s the Miracle. When we start to have exchanges like that, that are much more aware, that is Miracle Matrixing. That is when we become an evolved human species.

Christian: [00:15:05] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:15:05] Further and further and further evolving what love would do on this planet. That’s what all the Masters tried to embody. Anyone who’s ever come before us, anyone who’s ever been authentic as a spiritual teacher, they only  embodied the loving presence that we all have access to. They just didn’t embody the other bullshit, like you said.

Christian: [00:15:29] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:15:30] That drives so many people all day, every day.

Christian: [00:15:32] What you’re explaining, it almost feels like it’s human nature. Like , if I watch the news all the time and take that in and incorporate that into my life, I’m going to be an unhappy person. What you’re saying is that what you bring into your presence, or body, is what comes out.

Maureen: [00:15:49] Exactly. And it’s all about perception.  That spirit the One that’s connected to everyone  and our deepest capacities, our brilliance, our genius, our love, our, our everything. It’s our everything. And yet we give it so little attention.  If we gave it our full attention in the morning,  when we begin our day taking our first deliberate breaths,  and then feel it till we can feel it matrixing within us. Then we will go out in a way that we touch lives in very significant ways, because we’ll be sent – “Tell me where to go. Tell me what to do. Tell me what to say and to whom and I will to do it. We all have free will. We all have willpower. We all have power that either we’re giving up, or we’re connecting. It’s like plugging in a lamp. You plug in the lamp, you’re going to be connected to the Light, which is the Source of everyone.  You can feel it. If you turn on the news , or open your phone and it’s a story, that’s just, that’s just not the story to maintain this kind of peace and ease. You’ll also be told very significantly. Put that down, go bake a cake, go play with your kids.

Christian: [00:17:03] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:17:03] Go, go write something that you were thinking about writing for awhile. You know, those three phases that we talk about; Miracle Mindedness – shifting our mind to be open to the Divinity of us and of everyone else and every thing else that exists on the planet. Then Miracle Matrixing – where we get an opportunity, especially in situations like this, this pandemic, to embody it and live it. And these situations hold us to it, it puts  it’s thumb  it’s virtual thumb on everyone to live it, or you’re going to feel separate and in chaos.

Christian: [00:17:38] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:17:38] Period.  Then Miracle Mastery is where you just commit to this. You realize that there’s a way of being in the world, that’s in it, but not of it. And when you begin to see that, you’re more resonant with the ones that know this. It’s the people who will wave to you from across the street at a nice social distance that’s respectful and they’re doing everything for the good of all right now.

Christian: [00:18:06] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:18:06] It’s the people who are on the front lines, but still smiling while they’re, while they’re stocking shelves and grocery stores and enjoying each other and man, they are on the front lines more than any military ever was!

Christian: [00:18:18] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:18:18] You know? Or at least the same as somebody on the front lines of a battle. This one’s invisible!

Christian: [00:18:24] I think – I think this is gonna really change the perspective of what it is to be like a warrior or soldier…

Maureen: [00:18:30] And I also think that it’s going to make people much more capable of being aware of invisible force or power.

Christian: [00:18:39] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:18:39] Invisible forces are kind of the things that are coming against you or at you. They’re a little bit separate in nature or very separate in nature. Invisible power, however – feel it – comes from aligning your will.  Miracle Mindedness shifts your mind to see more Miracles, Miracle Matrixing brings you into it with all your heart, and it’s a heart space – you’re living from this connection to Divinity, which is love – and Miracle Mastery is where you feel  your core, gut-power being released in a way that, you know, you’re out there to receive-give. It’s all one motion. It’s coming through a nice, clean, clear mind that resonates with peace and joy and love and all the things that are Divine – you’re surrendering to that, but it stokes the power that you have as an individual and that you have when you show up to life. And it’s really, truly one motion. It’s more vertical than it is horizontal. It’s expressed in a way that you’re in the world of this and that and, and having an experience of, I go out and talk to people, touch people’s lives, do things… but you’re receiving it in a very vertical way. Comes right through your head where it’s nice and clear through your heart, where it’s open to receive and give in a loving, present, purposeful way, and then comes right through your gut in a way that you can feel the power behind it now. You’re connected in a way that it’s this, this powerful like lightning-bolt-Ray-of-the-Light-of-the-Divine that comes to world through you.

Christian: [00:20:16] Wow. But to – to come back to,  the individual, the person. You said that people are not seeing the full picture of what they are.

Maureen: [00:20:27] Yeah.

Christian: [00:20:27] And it seems like, you know, I look at my phone, it’s a small screen. I have to be focused on that phone. Is it like, are the things that are keeping me away from that – what you just explained – is that like a problem of focus?

Maureen: [00:20:44]  That’s part of this. What you focus on, you get more of.

Christian: [00:20:49] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:20:49] So when in the morning you connect with this Divine Self before the world kicks in, you’re essentially choosing at that point to default to a focus that’s more peaceful and kind and aware. And by nature of that, it’s more expansive.

Christian: [00:21:07] Okay.

Maureen: [00:21:07] The aspects of Miracle Mindedness, Matrixing and Mastery are Embrace – you embrace it with your mind. Embody, with your heart in Miracle Matrixing, and Expand with Miracle Mastery. So you’re not in a place where you’re thinking this is about I, me, my. When you’re a master at navigating the world Miraculously, it’s much more about receiving the acumen and the capacity and the intellect to be able to grasp it, your heart’s fully in it, you’re engaged. But you’re giving it, you being the vehicle to give it to other people. You’ll see that on the front lines when people are not thinking logically, they’re intuiting where to go to help this patient and how to at the same time simultaneously keep themselves most safe. There’s no selflessness about it that’s unconscious.

Christian: [00:22:01] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:22:01] You know, “I’m a victim and I’m giving to you, and not me.” It’s always, win-win. It’s like a beautiful dance where it’s coming through you, and the audience gets  the best of you, but you’re getting it at the same time, if you were on a stage, say.

Christian: [00:22:17] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:22:17] Same thing in a hospital right now. When you show up and you’re fully surrendered to not the situation, cause that could be super chaotic, but surrendered to the Divinity of you, that then perceives the situation as the opportunity to experience that dance, that flow that Grace.

Christian: [00:22:36] Yeah, Wow.

Maureen: [00:22:37] So one thing that we’re doing right now, in the midst of all of this, we’re evolving as a human species. We came here to wake up. Until we are all entirely awake, we are going to evolve to that end, to be awake. And to be awake is simply this: to know you’re Divine. Period. End of story. You can’t do anything about that. We have such a amazing and benevolent Divinity, that it made one thing impossible: that you cannot change that you are Divine. Everything else, have at it. Dream the dream the way you need to in order to wake yourselves up. And that’s what this kind of pandemic is. 

What does it mean to Dream the Dream?

Christian: [00:23:20] I’ve heard that term “dream the dream” over and over again. But what does that mean?

Maureen: [00:23:26] Such a good question. So hard to grasp, until you experience it firsthand. That’s why the matrixing of Miracles is so important.

Christian: [00:23:33] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:23:34] Once you start doing what true, powerful spiritual practices would compel us to do or  teach or advise us to do, we start to see that the only thing that’s going on is that you’ve already been everywhere you want to be, you’re already the Light. So Enlightenment is just knowing it with your heart and experiencing it by the Mastery of it, by giving who you know you are now and nothing more.  Knowing you’re love and nothing more. So don’t pretend you’re not that.

Christian: [00:24:06] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:24:07] And just be that. Period. Be the awareness. So it’s such a significant shift in perception when you finally let go to that completely and entirely, and there’s no where to go. There’s nowhere else to go. That you can finally just do what you’re doing a hundred percent there, with presence and availability, so that you know you are being animated by Spirit, that’s your breath. You came in with the first breath of Spirit and you’ll leave with the last. If you just surrender to that breath, to this moment, to that Spirit, everything’s going to be just fine. And that’s the thing. This whole path, this whole experience of being human on earth is the development of Trust. But trust who?

Christian: [00:24:57] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:24:57] We’re told trust the media, trust the politicians, trust the next door neighbor, trust your spouse. Trust someone else. We’re always taught to trust someone else before we ever knew what it was like to trust ourselves.

Christian: [00:25:12] Yeah that’s a good – that’s a great point.

Maureen: [00:25:14] So right now we’re being told, just like you’re doing – even if you’re out in the world, stocking shelves or doing things that are on the front lines in healthcare – you’ve got to slow down now to be safe. You’ve got to be more aware and present. It started with us all being told to wash our hands for two minutes and that’s really slow for what most people would have done when they were washing hands, splash a little water and run.

Christian: [00:25:40] Mmhm.

Maureen: [00:25:41] Now we’re realizing, well where are you gonna go if eating your lunch is like the big event of the day? Slow down. Really prepare it with love and notice who got it to you, send a little blessing or happy thought to the person who stocked the shelf to get that to you. Think of the people, all those many lives, that were touched in the process of you getting your food. This is a miraculous event, to be able to eat right now on a planet that’s in upheaval. Shows you how amazing the entire web of life is that’s getting food to your plate. Then just eat it slowly. The point is, this is a collective, cosmic slow down. We’re being told slow down, slow down. You don’t have to go any faster than just this breath. And Look at this pandemic, it’s really getting people very aware of their breath because that’s what’s affected here –

Christian: [00:26:43] Yeah. 

Your entire spiritual path in a nutshell – slow down, breathe consciously, savor

Maureen: [00:26:43] – that takes people’s lives. Their physical bodies can no longer breathe.  So for every breath you breathe right now, slow down and savor it. Feel grateful for it. That’s your entire spiritual path in a nutshell, right there. Slow down. Breathe consciously, begin to connect with your breath, and if you can smile and I’ll tell you, this smile is not for you to influence other people even cause you might even have a mask on, but you’re smiling underneath. It’s that you know everything’s all right, this too shall pass.  So the dreaming part of this is that, you’re not that physical body. You have it as a vehicle of connectivity while you’re on earth to express and experience miracles, but you’re so much more.  If you slow down and get the message, the big cosmic joke of this you’re eternal! Nothing can happen to you in that realm and in that light. And it doesn’t really do anything for you not to get that right now –

Christian: [00:27:49] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:27:49] – because it makes you go out into the world in a way that’s just more conscious, kind, available, sane, loving, and present. So, slow down. You know, I’ve spent 10 days on a retreat with the Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh,  who was superior as a teacher of mindfulness.

Christian: [00:28:11] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:28:11] And it was with a group of his nuns and monks, and we would daily go for walks that were mindful and every meal was eaten in mindfulness. Every part of the entire time for 10 full days was focused on slowing down, and being mindful. And I’ll tell you, at the beginning of the week, people had big, full plates of food because it was the time when you got to just be free and the plates were piled high in this beautiful you retreat center that had lots of great food and it was a buffet kind of set up.

Christian: [00:28:48] Nice.

Maureen: [00:28:49] Really nice. And it was the thing to look forward to breakfast, lunch and dinner. Well, when we filled up our plates, we would go to the table and they were round tables with about 10 people at each table.  And you had to wait for every person to show up, standing there at your seat, before you could sit down.

Christian: [00:29:07] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:29:08] And then when every person arrived, you acknowledged everybody, with your eyes, with your smile. And Then everyone sat down in unison – connection, it’s all about connection – and then no one in the entire place would eat until every table had sat down. Then a mindfulness gong would sound and everyone would take their plate and look at it, bless it and really acknowledge what was on the plate and who it came from and the gift that it was to be able to eat this meal and then take small, deliberate bites and chew mindfully each bite. The beginning of those 10 days was so different than the end of those 10 days when people had little, tiny piles of food on their plate, because they couldn’t possibly eat it quick enough to make it through the time if they were eating that big pile of food.

Christian: [00:30:06] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:30:06] Not only that, it was so much more satisfying because the essence of the Soul, of the Light of us, of the Divinity of us is Fullness. Nowhere to go, nowhere to rush to, nothing to accomplish – like success. You already have the utmost success because you are Full of the Divine. You are the Essence of the Divine. There’s nothing missing. That’s what this dream is, a dream of separation from that kind of Fullness and Knowledge and receptivity – that you’re receiving your True Essence with every breath. You’re living that deliberately and mindfully in a way that’s so enriching and so fulfilling that you’re at one with the Fullness that you Trulyare.

Christian: [00:30:52] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:30:53] And then you go out into the world and make choices and decisions based on Fullness rather than lack. Totally different.

Christian: [00:31:00] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:31:00] That awakens us from this dream of separation. So getting back again to what you asked about, you know, “the dream”. The reason why it’s said that way is it’s a really great metaphor that when you wake up in the morning and you had a nightmare say, you know it was a dream. It wasn’t real.

Christian: [00:31:20] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:31:20] But we don’t know that this life of separation wasn’t the only option or isn’t the only way of being, until we awaken to the fact that we’re all one. Truly, I mean, this is not metaphor. Most people will hear these words all the time, if you’ve been on a spiritual path for any length of time or even just a regular normal person on earth,  they’ll make jokes about people who are spiritual teachers saying “we’re One” or “we’re love”. When you awaken you know that’s True. And it’s the only truth there is. And I mean, truly, you know it in the Core of your being that anything anyone else is experiencing or pretending to be, is that call for Love.

Christian: [00:32:02] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:32:02] So we’re kind of back to where we began. When we slow down, we have the privilege of seeing with a different perception. Miracles collapse time and space. So if you want to experience more miracles, slow down. Deliberately.  I started telling that Thich Nhat Hanh story about the retreat because it was funny to watch in the beginning – I was already awake when I went on the retreat, I went for the experience of being able to be around people who are practicing an experience that I knew was so valuable. And so I knew before I got there, how astounding it would be to be in the presence of people who practice this all day as the vehicle to awakening. And the interesting thing was how the younger monks and nuns doing things like checking sound while Thich Nhat Hanh got his talks recorded or things that were pretty normal and mundane tasks, but they’re Buddhist monks and nuns –

Christian: [00:33:03] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:33:05] – when they walked, it would be so exaggerated and slow that, you know, if Thích Nhất Hạnh asked for a microphone, someone would take 20 minutes to walk the microphone to him. It was kind of funny. I’m exaggerating a little myself here, but it was so exaggerated . But it was the path that they were really respecting.

Christian: [00:33:25] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:33:26] And not yet understanding a hundred percent. They recognized, I’m sure, multiple times through multiple actions, how valuable it was  because you’re not going to do something like hand a microphone to somebody across the room unmindfully, like shove it in their face by mistake or crack their tooth when you hand it to them if you’ve just walked there for the last 15 minutes, very deliberately and mindfully. Now that’s again an exaggeration, but it’s an example of how slow we could get.

Christian: [00:33:55] Wow.

Maureen: [00:33:56] You know?

Living in a world with time

Christian: [00:33:56] All right. There is no time in the Divine. But we live in a world with time. I know, it’s a little bit warped right now, but there has to be a practicality to things, right? Like we can’t wait 15 minutes for somebody to get a microphone. Like no matter how awkward it might feel or anything…

Maureen: [00:34:15] That’s definitly the luxury of a retreat.

Christian: [00:34:17] Yeah. Like there’s a… in order for society to work – I guess this is like the old version of me coming out – everything needs to be on time. Right? Cause everything is open a specific time…

Maureen: [00:34:31] And this is such a great point because this is a resistance of the ego, you know, or peoples voice of separation, that  “Get it done fast. Come on, go.”    How many times have you lost your keys when you’re trying to rush out the door? Or, you know, people who have a fender bender because you were not paying attention because you had to get somewhere so fast. The little in quotes “accidents” that happened in life are a result of us not being connected to the Voice of our own best interest. So where are you going to, how and when?   Who wants to go to work now and be on the front lines in healthcare and not be listening to the Voice of their own best interest , that’s simultaneously the Voice of everyone else’s own best interest. Who doesn’t want to be connected to the Voice of peace and ease and utmost Unconditional Love? Because look, in a body or without a body that’s who we are.

Christian: [00:35:29] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:35:30] So if you’re looking at it this way, then you’re seeing that, why would the Source of All Love, not be prompting us to do things that are in our best interest? It’s just because we’ve never discovered yet – most of us – that what’s in our best interest is also in everyone else’s best interest.

Christian: [00:35:54] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:35:54] That there’s a way of being in the world that we show up knowing that – “oh, cool, I’m happy and peaceful, and they’re happy and peaceful.” You know, who knows this? A baby.

Christian: [00:36:06] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:36:06] When they’re just first learning how to do things and people clap and are excited, they realize, “Oh, all I had to do was wiggle my big toe and everybody’s happy? I’ll do it some more.” And they start to do things that feel like a win-win, naturally. It’s how we got inculturated to look at other people for our, you know, approval and confirmation and also just the way that we do things – we ask other people. Is this right or is this wrong? That’s okay as long as you first and foremost, have a deep and clear and true connection to your Inner Being – to the One of you, that’s the One of everyone else.

Christian: [00:36:44] Hmm. Yeah. That’s a… that’s a mind bender.

Maureen: [00:36:47] It’s a mind bender because then you have to go out in the world and there will be people who are separate from that. And they’re looking for you to play by their rules.

Christian: [00:36:55] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:36:55] You know,  right now they’re looking for you to make sure you do practical things like, you  know, listen to, the laws that are being put out there. I say that’s perfectly fine if our leaders were completely connected to the Voice of the Soul.

Christian: [00:37:11] That’s, that’s the tricky part.

Maureen: [00:37:12] That’s a hard thing here now, that we- we’ve elected and we have leaders worldwide that are in a place of major disconnect. How can we feel safe and secure when that’s leading the way?

Christian: [00:37:23] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:37:24] We’ve got to get together here people and recognize that the more you understand and abide by this Voice of your own best interest, that’s truly peace and joyful and love and only oriented towards that. And that in itself is a win for everyone. That when you commit to that, we’re going to elect and promote leaders that are exceptional and profoundly connected this way themselves.

Christian: [00:37:49] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:37:49] We can’t blame our leaders if we elect them when we’re disconnected!

Christian: [00:37:54] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:37:55] Because then you get what that is in living color out loud.

Christian: [00:37:59] I mean, it’s another confirmation.

Maureen: [00:38:01] That we have to wake up. You know, anybody here, you can be in divisive ways that are polarizing and politically oriented, this and that. It’s not going to do anything for anybody unless we wake up first.

Christian: [00:38:15] Yeah. Like the virus doesn’t care what politics you use or…

Maureen: [00:38:18] No.

Christian: [00:38:19] It doesn’t really care what line you’ve drawn.

Maureen: [00:38:21] That’s the interesting thing about this, is it’s the great equalizer here. That everybody has to wake up now. Everybody has to be self-loving, and self-referring, in a way that they’re saying, “Is this in my best interest, does this promote peace? Does this make me feel more ease?” So here’s an important point about this. I want to make sure everybody knows how you know if you’re following the Voice of your own best interest. It literally feels peaceful. It doesn’t have a this and that. It’s not divided. It’s not that he won, but I don’t win. I win, but she doesn’t win. It’s that if you think about it, it feels peaceful. And now notice the difference between the days that you experienced before there are large parts of it that probably felt peaceful because you were kind of conditioned into being a chef and getting to work on time…

Christian: [00:39:17] Ah but the-the focus of it was… it was never peaceful. So like, I was always stuck. I’m-I’m like the guy who didn’t even know what peace was. I didn’t know how to ask myself what peace was. Cause I only saw – I’m super hyper focused – so I only saw like the next problem. There was never a time to like relax. If there was time to relax, it was like to chug like a quarter of water.

Maureen: [00:39:43] Wow.

Christian: [00:39:43] And that’s not peaceful.

Maureen: [00:39:45] So feel that. That’s the utmost of what people are feeling now, especially in the midst of this pandemic. That’s damage control. That’s you’re constantly motivated by damage control. You just said, “what’s the next problem gonna be?” That’s everybody’s life who’s disconnected right now in the world. It feels like let me keep my guard up. And let me be hypervigilant so that I can wash my hands a thousand times a day, but if you come near me, buddy…

Christian: [00:40:12] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:40:13] You know? And in this state of ultra vigilance –  feel how fast your mind goes when you’re an ultra vigilance.

Christian: [00:40:19] Mmhm.

Maureen: [00:40:20] Slow it down. Let your mind be more open to receiving from this peaceful aspect of you, this centered and whole aspect of you.  The most important thing about awakening or being oriented towards a miraculous or any of this stuff that’s “spiritual” in quotes. The most important aspect of it is to know your True Nature firsthand.

Christian: [00:40:49] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:40:49] That’s what we came here to do. That is awakening. That is how we will evolve this planet to be amazing when we’re here in human bodies. But you’ve got to know this part of you that abides in peace. It abides in awareness. It abides in a love. It is at One with those qualities of us that we all have.

Christian: [00:41:15] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:41:16] If you decided to be a chef again, if you can be in that space, you’re like feeding love to the masses.

Christian: [00:41:24] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:41:24] Because it’s coming through you with such exceptional acumen, because you’re doing nothing but being aware of that connectivity to Who you Truly are.

Christian: [00:41:33] There’s only been, a couple of times where I really let myself go. Because, you know,  I’m hypervigilant. I’m a perfectionist. So I really wanted to get every plate out perfectly, temps perfect, on time. So my mind was always fixated on those goals that I had. But  a couple of times I just kind of let loose and it was, it wasn’t…it- it…it felt like my body was just doing the thing and I got to enjoy what I was doing. And the food came out just as fast, just as perfect.

Maureen: [00:42:09] And way better I’m sure and taste-wise…

Christian: [00:42:11] No complaints. Yeah.

Maureen: [00:42:12] No frenetic energy in the food. You know, again, we’re being called to notice that there are things in the invisible that affect us greatly. So if you’re a chef, whose in the flow, and connected to the Source of Love and Presence, the food is affected greatly by that.

Christian: [00:42:29] Yeah. And if you, if you go to Spain, for example, if we can go to Spain…

Maureen: [00:42:34] Ever again…

Christian: [00:42:35] Yeah. They have, like a siesta. But in the restaurants, the chef can come in whenever he wants. So we’d get there at like 10, 10:30 to just get like a nibble or something. And a lot of bartenders were like, yeah, the chef isn’t here yet. The chef has – but the food is phenomenal because they’re working at their own pace. There’s no quota. You’re not overturning tables. You’re not… you’re not trying to become a King.

Maureen: [00:43:00] And at best they know it’s about the energy of Love.

Christian: [00:43:03] Yes.

Maureen: [00:43:04] We’re sharing something that looks like food on the plate, in the material world of things, but the essence of this is that it was grown with love, served with love, prepared with love, and now we get to slow down and eat it with love.

Christian: [00:43:19] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:43:19] And that’s the best of everything here on the planet, is when we’re really aware that what’s coming to us and what’s coming through us and what’s coming from us is all oriented towards love.

Christian: [00:43:30] Wow. We have some time right now. and I think this is a great time to know about your nature and be more aware. So do you have any tips on what we can do to…

Maureen: [00:43:42] How really use this pandemic…

Christian: [00:43:43] And know that you’re…

Maureen: [00:43:45] …for the best.

Christian: [00:43:45] …you’re where you’re supposed to be?

Breath is the Essence of Love

Maureen: [00:43:47] Okay, first things first. Notice that your breath is everything. Really truly. No one can deny this now on the planet. Because this disease affects our capacity to breathe. And that’s the thing that’s causing all the tumult right now in life. All the chaos, all of the despair, all of the hardship.  It’s that this pandemic, this virus affects the breath. So just slow down your thoughts enough to stay with me here in this thought: if that’s so valuable and important   that it can shut down an entire planet, then let’s get more evolved through the situation. Let’s evolve the energy on this planet, this entire planet. So slow down, deliberately become present in this moment, there’s always the capacity to see love or peace or ease. Remember there’s only two things to experience: either Love or a call for Love. And the answer for both situations is Love.

Christian: [00:44:50] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:44:50] If you have a call for love that you’re showing up to, love is the answer. If love is apparent, then love is also the answer – to share and give love. So only love is real. Nothing real can be threatened. The True Essence of us is eternal and it’s eternally Love.

Christian: [00:45:08] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:45:09] So, let yourself slow down now and really try to grasp that. Let your mind slow down enough to be able to grasp how essential this breath is, and that this very breath is the essence of Love. That if you can just breathe this breath with love and gratitude, you’re on the right path. It’s the only path to be on right now on the planet. So slow down and honor that breath. Number one.

Number two, we’re a social species. Miracles are between human beings. They’re expressed through human beings to each other. So that means communicating this way, becoming adept at communicating lovingly, is really key to this. We evolve ourselves by communicating lovingly. If you find that there are any places in your life right now that there is a grievance or some kind of challenge or pain with another human being, or with another situation, slow down your mind enough not to think the same thoughts within the same patterns that you’ve had in the past. Know that this aspect of you that’s the Soul, the breath of you, is the genius part of you. It has the answer to any challenge or problem you could ever have. If you slow down enough to really chew on a challenge or a situation you have just chew on it. Like use that symbol of food. If you gulp it down, you’re going to be like, “What just happened? I have a sick stomach from that.”

Christian: [00:46:41] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:46:41] If you chew on it, to get the essence of it, to get the flavor of it, to notice that other people have other experiences because they have different lives that they’ve been living up until the moment that you encounter them. That they have other ideas and agendas. Just let yourself slow it down enough to not be threatened, by putting yourself in someone else’s shoes for a moment. If you have a grievance with them, see where they might be coming from, notice where you can close the gap. The pain is in the gap.

Christian: [00:47:12] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:47:13] If you can close a gap between you and anything else, then you will be coming to Oneness deliberately yourself. This is Self Realization. You wake yourself up by choosing not to live in this gap of separation. It feels bad. It feels like a void. It feels like you’ve been dropped. It feels like you’re disconnected. It feels like you have no genius. You have no answers. It’s all chaotic. It can come at you at any time. It’s threatening. It’s assaulting. That’s the gap.

Christian: [00:47:41] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:47:41] But when you close that and realize everybody’s doing the best they can, literally, on the face of the earth. When you default to being generous in your perception of other people. They did the best they could no matter what it was. You waking up to people’s potential, that they too are amazing and awesome somewhere within them – because we all have that Soul, we all have that Essence – if you begin to look for that and seek that, only that, pretty soon you’re going to feel at one with everyone and you’re going to make choices and decisions and communicate with others in a way that have them see who they are, even when they’re in their darkest hour.

Christian: [00:48:24] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:48:25] Even when they’re in a painful place. So what this looks like is if you’re someone who’s out there preparing food still for people, you just add that extra love, that extra love-energy, knowing that whoever’s home. It goes to, they may be feeling really separate at the time. And you’re sending beams of light in that, in those chicken nuggets or whatever it is, that vegetarian platter that you just made. And know how substantial that is because not only does that affect them – know that it affects you. As you give the love you know who you are more substantially. You know this is not just like throwing food on a plate – you’re sending loving energy, healing energy, the Light that you are you’re expressing and expanding it. That Miracle Mastery that we talk about. That’s how you know who you are – you expand. Expand the Miraculous Nature that you are and have. So it’s you expanding the love without having a hesitation between receiving the love that you are – from the top of your head, all the way down to the tips of your toes and the edges of your fingers – receiving that Divinity. Each time you take a breath that, that force that animates you is Love, and then you give that substantially to other people without pause or hesitation. No need to think. It’s very fluid. It slows down time and space that it requires to think because all the linear thinking is where our time and space is perceived.

Christian: [00:49:52] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:49:53] When you’re just giving from this timeless part of you and this aspect of you that’s only Love – giving Love to Love – there’s no labels to get stuck in. There’s no conflicts to have. So I’m thinking about this just in mundane, normal ways, like, you know, “pass me the channel changer”.

Christian: [00:50:09] Yeah.

Maureen: [00:50:10] If you do it with love and you participate in the activities you have in your home right now with your family, with love and presence and kindness, then you’re knowing who you are.

Christian: [00:50:22] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:50:22] Then you’re not feeling disconnected at that moment and scared. The moment that you judge someone else, anyone else, anything else you’re going to feel separate because you’re not acknowledging the Divinity of you that sees everything as perfection or perfection in the making.

Christian: [00:50:36] Hmm.

You’re the Miracle – Choose well how you communicate

Maureen: [00:50:37] The Miracle is where you notice, and only follow, the Voice that sees perfection or perfection in the making. You’re the Miracle, you show up. You allow for yourself to be Love, even in very unloving kinds of situations. You show the Power of Love as it comes through you, and just let go and relax and receive that, and then give that.

Christian: [00:51:00] Hmm.

Maureen: [00:51:02] So showing up and slowing down, noticing your breath, communicating is really vital right now. Choose well how you communicate, because through your communication you’re going to know who you are. We always teach ourselves who we believe ourselves to be by communicating with others. If you show up to a situation and you’re being angry and mad, well, now you’re teaching yourself that you’re an angry person and impatient person, and you’re teaching them that too. We’re One. Now you show up and you’re defaulting to being calm and kind and no matter what the situation is, well you’re not only teaching them that it’s all right and you can be calm right now, but you’re feeling more calm yourself. Whoever you believe yourself to be, whether it’s this unbounded beautiful, amazing Eternal Spirit or this scared, separate physical body is what you’re going to teach other people about who you believe you are.

Christian: [00:52:03] Hmm. Wow.

Maureen: [00:52:04] Connect. Connect, connect, connect. That’s the most important thing. Let’s just notice that as you slow down, you begin to make more deliberate choices that are more kind and conscious and aware by default, and then communicate that, that loving kind nature that you are, and default to that as well. Communicate is key. We’re a world that feels separate and scared right now in many ways. Come together and connect with your mind first, with your hearts completely and with all of your will. And this doesn’t mean you have to have physical contact with people. It’s an Essence of Spirit that makes you show up whole and complete. To engage the rest of the world and all the people in it.

Christian: [00:52:50] Beautiful. Thank you.