El Mundo Bueno

In Starhawk’s novel, The Fifth Sacred Thing, two vastly different worlds vie for control. In mundane terms: a utopian, earth-loving, community-oriented, individual honoring society that values freedom and the sacred fights for survival against corporate fascism, religious, financial, and soul oppression, hypocrisy, and the Police State — a culture’s unprocessed Shadow Side made manifest.

In magical realist terms:

“Doña Elena used to say that there was the Good Reality, El Mundo Bueno, literally the Good World, and the Bad Reality, El Mundo Malo, and they were always vying with each other. In the Good Reality you have a mild headache; in the Bad Reality you have a fatal brain disease. In the Good Reality, you catch hold of the rail as your foot slips; in the Bad Reality, you miss, slide down the stairs, and break your neck.

“We walk in the Good Reality as if we were treading the thin skin on warm milk. It’s always possible to break through and drown. …

“There is a hopeful side to Doña Elena’s teaching. … Even in El Mundo Malo, the Good Reality is always just on the other side of the surface of things. If you can learn to reach and pull yourself through, you can make miracles.” (Starhawk, The Fifth Sacred Thing, page 44)

When I first read these words, I immediately recognized their profound truth. I have witnessed this dynamic so many times during Medical Intuitive sessions when someone inquires about an intense physical issue that could go either way. In these cases, I explain that the outcome is not set: on one hand, those tumors could reveal themselves as stage 3 cancer and the person uses this illness as a rapid and socially acceptable way to “check out” of the misery they’ve been feeling without the stigma of suicide; on the other hand, the person could reach across the veil and reclaim all the reasons they want to live, all the goodness that longs to express itself through them. If they reach across that veil and pull themselves into the goodness, align themselves with that alternate reality, then the test will show those tumors to be benign or even non-existent.

I have many confidential stories of tumors mysteriously dissolving or morphing between initial diagnosis and surgery. I have witnessed even more situations in which a person swims around El Mundo Malo for many months (or years) of chemotherapy — or other intense “treatments” for things like cancer, Lyme Disease, brain injury, Fibromyalgia, extreme Dark Nights of the Soul — until one moment, they finally say and command from the depths of their being: “Enough is enough!” Then, miraculously, they lift themselves through to El Mundo Bueno, and life becomes as inversely wonderful and magical as it was horrific and cursed before.

In The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran describes it thus:

“Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.
And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.
And how else can it be?
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.”

We live in a world of extreme — and intensifying — contrasts. In addition to deeply personal conversations with clients all over the world, I scan so many article headlines and blog comments, and it always strikes me how vastly differently people experience the same circumstances or the same locale. Though tempting to figure out “what’s true” or “who’s a disinformation agent,” my observations show that we live in a Both/And Universe. El Mundo Bueno and El Mundo Malo exist simultaneously, and we summon them by honoring or rejecting the sacred — in ourselves, in others and in the “world” at large. Every time we calm ourselves and remember (re-member … give new form and vessel to) the sacredness of Air, of Fire, of Water, of Earth and of Spirit, we pull ourselves back into the Good Reality.

Here’s the catch, though: the sacred invokes and demands a sense of awe. When we approach sacred things with glib, surface platitudes, we begin our slip into the Bad Reality. Most people don’t notice right away. Things just gradually start feeling “off” until, seemingly “out of nowhere” they become unbearable. This is why the Hopi prophecies say, “All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.” For when we trivialize life, we forget ourselves and our sacred connection to El Mundo Bueno. We abdicate our power to change our world when we slap happy faces, denial and pretend transformation upon soul wrenching or scary things. When we ignore our Shadow Side, we have not “transcended” it. The Shadow, too, is sacred. In fact, seeking and finding the sacred within the dark offers one of the fastest trains out of the Bad Reality.

In his highly recommended book, The Sphere of Art, R.J. Stewart offers a specific practice to transmute what he calls the sub-lunar world of everyday life by allowing it to cling like a shell to a sacred sphere that extends above and below wherever we are. The sphere itself begins as a void that then allows stellar and Earthlight healing to purify and heal everything it touches. Through regular practice, the inner truly does transmute the outer. I’ve only read half of this book so far, but through it I discovered the why’s and mechanics behind many of the things I intuitively find myself doing just prior to some positive external shift. Those interested in Faery Healing and Earth Healing will appreciate all of his books, in particular, Earthlight and Power Within the Land. This article by Jessica Montgomery also suggests ways to bring more sacred ritual into your life.

I write a lot about transmuting so-called negative things, because I know that we can. To sit idly by and just watch or ignore the desecration of our world when we have the power to change it seems to me the surest and most deserving slip into El Mundo Malo. Pointing out the darkness is not enough; neither does minimizing the challenge resolve that challenge. Recognizing fear, mouthing or typing “One Love” and then shouting or scurrying away won’t do it either. Transmutation involves taking it all inside ourselves, burning the dross in the fire of Unconditional Love and then allowing that change to pour forth from us into the so-called real world. “Faith without works is dead.” But so are works without faith. By “faith,” I don’t mean your particular religious belief, but rather a way of life — an intimate call and response relationship with the entire Universe.

Every tradition and non-tradition offers a mystical path and, contrary to popular belief, the mystic does not run from the painful or ugly:

“I will soothe you and heal you,
I will bring you roses.
I too have been covered with thorns.” ~Rumi

The mystic recognizes both the power and the play of paradox. What the intellect and words can’t express — even in this article — the soul well knows. As Christopher Hitchens says, “At a certain point talk about ‘essence’ and ‘oneness’ and the universal becomes more tautological than inquisitive.” However, you will know you’re approaching essence and oneness when you begin to feel them working through you. It’s not all about left-brain-verified results, but a true spiritual transformation naturally wants to flow forth. If you find yourself talking of “oneness” and “essence” but not directly interacting with the Universe, then you will find El Mundo Bueno more easily by offering random acts of kindness than by continuing to offer lip service to what you do not really feel.

“At this time in
history, we are to take nothing personally, least of all ourselves. For
the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey come to a halt.

“The time of the one wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word ‘struggle’ from your attitude and your vocabulary. All
that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

“We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.” ~Hopi Prophecy

“But does this stuff work?!” you ask.

I have reason to believe that it does. I hear daily from people all over the world — some of whom live their lives in a sacred manner and celebration … and others of whom have forgotten to do so. The ones embracing the sacred continue to live in El Mundo Bueno, no matter what the rest of the world presents around them. We each must choose, even the plants and animals. That point of decision does not always come easily, but it does come.

Just this week, I’ve heard from three different people who had despaired of life that life presented an “opportunity” for death. Each person knew that they could accept a set of circumstances that would very quickly manifest all the passive suicidal ideation they’d toyed with over the years. Each person felt the profound significance of that moment, and these three felt waves of grief followed by a glimpse into the Good Reality. “I want to live!” “I have so much more to offer.” “I’m going to allow this joy to flow through me.” In each case, something shifted, not only inside themselves but “in reality,” as well.

In the non-confidential realm, I can share that my sweet, faery friend Tania Marie saw ten more healthy starfish in the Southern California waters. Others regularly see an epidemic of “melted” starfish, but in Tania’s world, they thrive:

I can share this blog comment: “Oh and Laura, chemtrails have been completely absent for the last 5 days, at least over my area of Minnesota. Thursday and Friday last week were bright and cold and sunny. Saturday was a normally winter-gray day with some flurries. Sunday and Monday (today) were bright and clear from sunup to sundown. Not a plane or a trail to be seen. Interesting. A friend from Maine tells me she saw a northern loon swimming in the fjords there, months ahead of schedule, and you had a comment from a beekeeper that the queen bees are unusually active for this time of year. Has something shifted…? I’m going to keep observing.”

I have permission to share this email:

“LONG story short… I made some comments on Sandra Walter’s fb post about the importance of birds (particularly geese, as they were the initial topic) in the Ascension process… as an exclamation point on what I was just saying and validation from the Nature Realms that I was correct in what I had been saying a few flocks of geese began to fly into the farm at dusk (about an hour later). Thought they were Canadas; we have had a lot of those this year. They turned out to be Greater White-fronted Geese! And like so many of the other birds that I have had here on my 5D farm/sanctuary — they aren’t “supposed” to be here! They are rarely seen east of the Mississippi river. 🙂 Love when that happens! And they winter very far south of here on the western side of the river. So cool!

“An hour after I talk of this… geese appear… and not just geese, but rare geese for this area… and they are flocking in… wow.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you, All!!!!

“So many people are having these encounters!!! I AM filled with awe at this. Love it! Looking forward to your post!! Blessings on many levels!!!! j

P.S. No toxic snow here either. :-)”

I can also share from my own experience that not only does our snow melt normally, with no black and no chemical smell, but it is some of the most beautiful snow I have ever experienced. This past weekend, on our way to David’s parents’ house, everything sparkled in a way I’ve never seen before except in my imagination. It looked like faery snow, twinkling to such a degree that by the time we reached the house, I could not contain my joy.

I know from reading blogs, from emails, sessions and world news that many people felt this past week as horrifically intense. We are where we are, and there’s no shame in finding yourself in El Mundo Malo. I just want to share that some people are transmuting their reality in powerful ways. When I mention this on other blogs to counteract the doom and gloom, I often get the blog equivalent of a blank stare, so I offer it here. El Mundo Bueno requires focus and a sacred attention to detail, but it is possible. Not just possible: real.

““Real isn’t how you are made,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.’

“‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit.

“‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’

“‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’

“‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit