We are taking pot luck today. No particular question.

(Carla channeling)

We are of the principle known to you as Q’uo. Greetings, dear ones, in the love and in the light of the one infinite Creator. We thank you, as always, for inviting us to share our thoughts with you at this time. And we must say that the topic this time is interesting.

As we chat we ask, as always, that you please take only that which sounds good to you and leave the rest behind. Use your discrimination. We thank you for doing this, for we offer our thoughts to you freely, knowing and trusting that you will not allow them to be a burden or stumbling block but only to use them as possible tools and resources in your path of seeking.

The term “pot luck” is interesting, the connotation being that of the meal, the choice of food, for truly we are those who deliver a kind of grocery. There is the food for thought that definitely fills an appetite, and perhaps today we would talk a bit about that appetite for more, that thirst and hunger for the truth. How hard it is even to find the truth of the self. Each of you sits within a framework of flesh and bone, apparently limited and mortal, fenced about by circumstance, with only a marginal degree of control over much of the experience of the incarnation. And as the seeker awakens, as the spirit within stirs and rouses and rubs fists into sleepy eyes and looks about the manifested world, at first glance it would seem to know the self is a simple thing, and yet as the being within incarnation grows in stature, in age, in years, there is that moment when the unthinking child becomes a seeker. There is that moment of awakening, that movement of awareness as if someone had suddenly opened a door and the fresh air from the outside came in and beckoned. And suddenly you do not want to be indoors anymore. You want to be out in the world seeking the truth, looking for it as if one were a traveler searching for a lost homeland.

And who is that person who has awakened, who has walked out of the comfortable, sheltered life of those who sleep? One of the penalties of awakening is the realization that you do not know yourself. And so the seeker seeks to know the self, and each journey that the seeker makes reaching outside for learning, going to the classes, the seminars, the workshops, each of those experiences offers a tantalizing glimpse of a variety of those who also seek, perhaps one or more who teaches, who has a point of view that seems to beckon and have truth, rubbing shoulders with other seekers that have points of view that seem enticing, provocative. Soon the new seeker can be swamped in the projected thoughts of self from teachers, from fellow seekers, and from various portions of the being within that is awakening.

And so awakening often brings not a simpler or more peaceful mind, but an awakened, searching, uncomfortable mind that is looking for deeper and more lasting truth. What is that self that is seeking the truth? Let us go in search for that self at this moment. Scan that which sits and listens, the skin, the hair, the clothing, the weight of the body. It is this outer shell of manifested being with which each of you meets the world. And for those who sleep it is that simple. That is that person. “I recognize that person’s face, that person’s clothes.” That is that person.

Going a little deeper, we find the roles that each has played: student, teacher, brother or sister, mate, friend, lover of this or that hobby or interest, the froth upon the waves of being. That also is you. Now let us move further into that interior of being. Let thoughts of body go. Let thoughts of roles go. What remains? Allow the mind to ask this question. What remains? And as naturally as waves beat upon the shore the truth comes—love, love. That is your truth, your deepest truth of being is that you are a creature of love called into being by love, chosen by love to manifest that the Creator Itself may experience the illusion of a dream. If you have thought recently that life sometimes has a dreamlike quality, we say that you are very much in tune with the way we feel that things are. For even that which lies at the heart of the manifested universe is still an illusion, and the only thing that is not illusion is unknowable, for in the dualism of known and knower the truth has already been abandoned in its pure state.

Yet, if the hand that cast each of you forth has meaning at all, and we feel that it does, then that illusion that holds the most light serves as the truth. And that, I think, is what each person does seek, that truth that is deepest for that person at that particular time and that particular place. When the seeker has at last relaxed into a sure and certain awareness that the truth will come bit by bit, little by little, realization by realization, then the heart is at last free. What frees the self from its agonizing search for identity is a surrender to the realization that knowledge of the self and knowledge of truth shall always be partial, with the mystery forever receding before one’s grasp. This realization sets the soul free to play, to reside in peace, and to rest in the natural joy of being aware.

When it is winter it is not particularly obvious that nature is a world or a creation which dwells in a state of pure joy, for the trees seem barren and bitten, the blossoms of winter are sticks and dried berries, and it is not clear how joyful the creation is. The winter chill brings that movement of contracting, pulling in the radiant arms of summer and nestling in that period in which rhythms are slow and the resting is paramount. And yet we say to you that in all weathers the natural creation dwells in a state of joy. This level of joy is available to the seeker in third density. However, as was spoken earlier today in your conversation, in order to experience this one must let go.

We give this instrument a vision of the starry sky, of that depth of space in which no planet or sun is near, and we say to you, “This creation is inside you.” This experience of creation that seems outer is actually taking place within your awareness and is an experience which not only comes to you but with which you interact. When first the seeker sets off on this journey of seeking the truth there is that concept of some place to get to, and yet the seeking pulls you out and out and out further, only to disappear into the self. Whether one studies the outer or the inner world, one is studying the same thing.

But it is valuable to be aware of the space and of vast distances with the self. Literally, on a microscopic level, you are a creation with billions of star systems. Even the physical illusion that builds the chair upon which you sit and the body which sits in that chair is largely, if not altogether, empty. What is there is light, and that is what manifests all things. And that which calls light into being is the love that you are.

We have walked you about the universe with these foolish thoughts of ours, and yet always we bring you back to the heart that rests within, within which the Creator resides in glory and holiness and in utter truth. All of the reaching outward ends within the realization that you already have and already are the truth. That truth is always and ever the same. All that there is is love. You are love. And because you are a spark of manifested love you have the opportunity to become one who deals lovingly. It is as though to those who seek and simply go about their day there is a woodenness, a deadness. It is that quiet of one who sleeps. And to each who sleeps there is an alarm clock set, and when it is time that entity, each entity, shall awaken, so it is not a concern of any to bring another to wakefulness. But only to know the self as having awakened to a life that does not begin with birth and end with death but is eternal, infinite, unitary.

As you breathe in this depth of union, this oneness, it is a life-giving intake. Each of you hungers and thirsts for the truth of your being, and yet the end of all your journeys of seeking shall be your own heart, and you will learn to warm yourself at the fire of creative love which dwells within you. A tremendous hearth, a blazing fire of being rests in that holy place within where love resides. There is no cold within the illusion that the warmth of that fire cannot thaw, for the worst that the world can do is render lifeless the body that limits you to time and place. This is a realization that enables the weary seeker to laugh and relax and take the self lightly.

We would at this time transfer this contact to the one known as Jim. We thank this instrument for its service and leave it in love and in light. We are those of Q’uo.

(Jim channeling)

I am Q’uo, and greet each of you again in love and in light through this instrument.

The taking of the self and the experiences of the self lightly is the work of a lifetime, and each entity who engages in such work will find that there is much of effort and much of that which you might call a lack of effort, that is required to take oneself lightly. There are those times in which one finds it easy to be down upon the self, shall we say, to berate the self and to list in detail those difficulties one has faced and the shortcomings one has felt in dealing with them. And yet in this illusion of limits each entity finds that there is a limit beyond which he or she seems unable to go. And when there is this limit then it is often easy to expend the energy one would wish to expend exceeding limits in berating the self for being unable to do so.

This is the kind of situation in which the forbearance [to refrain from] berating the self is laudable yet difficult to achieve. The ability to hold back self-criticism, the ability to see the self as whole and perfect in a situation in which the self seems to have been revealed as quite disjointed, imperfect, unable and wholly lacking in the effort necessary to achieve success by one’s own terms. There are those times where it would be well for the acceptance of the entity if the entity would speak for the self, engage in an effort to offer the self as that source of inspiration and motivation which not only the self but perhaps another would benefit by experiencing, to put the self forward, to engage another entity in simple sharing of being, the give and take of the ordinary daily routine. And yet one holds oneself back because one does not wish to make such an effort. It seems perhaps to be either doomed to failure, to be too much of an effort to make, or there is something easier that one can do instead. It is a form of self-acceptance to put one’s self forward in instances such as these. And yet, as each knows, there is often a lack of the attempt to do so.

Yes, to take the self lightly and to take one’s daily round of activities lightly does seem in many cases to be just beyond the grasp. And yet the effort to do so, we suggest, is worthwhile however many times it needs repeating or reminding. To pick one’s image of oneself up from the floor, to dust it off, to try it on again, and to move forward, the effort is often too much to make and we understand this, my friends, for the illusion in which you live is indeed one which is constructed carefully by all who enter and who partake within it to offer you just these opportunities, for as many times as you have been unable to put the self forward, to take the self lightly, to feel whole, full, and perfect, as many times more shall this opportunity be offered, for though this is an illusion and has its limits, there are no limits to the opportunities each of you have offered to yourself within this incarnation to take that moment of inspiration and run with it, to take that moment when one feels whole and full and to allow the self to express this exuberance and this unity, yes, these are the moments which each remembers, for they are unique. And your incarnation has been engaged in order that these moments might present you with the opportunities that you have wished for,

to face the challenge as is necessary in order to find a smile where once there was a frown, in order to find one small measure more of acceptance where before there has been none. These steps forward may seem small when one looks at the long run of things and the picture that seems to get larger and larger with opportunity. Yet we assure you, my friends, that each of these opportunities, however small that they may seem, can become the turning point, the axis, shall we say, upon which a new world turns for you. For as one is able to develop the light touch, the sense of humor, the tolerance of the self, then can become a new beginning for each of you. By just such small measures can the fulcrum point be turned and the momentum of the life path shifted.

So, as always, we recommend to each seeker that perseverance can become one’s greatest ally when seeking tolerance and acceptance of the self. Continue, my friends, for one never knows when that moment will come that will offer the turning point of the incarnation, the opening of new vistas, the filling of a heart that felt empty, and the movement of a point of view to a wider perspective that sees and experiences more and more compassion, love and acceptance from and for others, from and for the self, especially the self, my friends. Do not neglect to have compassion for yourself. May we assure you that each of you does indeed deserve it, and when you, yourself, are able to give it then you will find a new and risen being within your midst.

At this time we would offer ourselves for any further queries which those present may have for us. Is there another query at this time?

[A cat is heard mewing in the background.]

It’s too bad that you can’t answer Abbey’s question.

I am Q’uo, and we would take this opportunity to suggest that each of you is like the small creature that calls for love and protection. This second-density creature does not know not to call and not to ask for that which it needs, for its perceptions are quite clear and simple. Each of you can become as clear and simple in the perceptions.

Is there another query at this time?

No. Thank you.

I am Q’uo, and at this time would thank each of you for offering us the inspiration of the incarnation that each of you lives, for to live within the seeming darkness of your illusion is a valiant undertaking, and we are aware of the difficulties within this illusion. Do try, with all your might, to take the self more lightly every now and then, if only as an exercise. Perhaps, as with meditation, you will find that there is a value in so doing and will wish to engage in this activity upon a daily basis. We do not mean to suggest that there is not much that can be learned and that there is not much of value in the learning. However, we do suggest that the earnest seeker needs a rest and deserves compassion from itself, and will find the learning is much easier to accomplish with the light touch, with the sense of humor that sees a sense of proportion in the life pattern of the self and in the greater pattern of events and entities about it. For all are individualized portion of the one infinite Creator. You do not deal with anyone else, ever, within the incarnation. It is only the Creator and you. Speak kindly and lovingly to each Creator that you see, including the one in the mirror.

At this time we shall take our leave of this instrument and this group, leaving each, as always, in the love and in the light of the one infinite Creator. We are known to you as those of Q’uo. Adonai, my friends. Adonai.