by Betsy Chasse

Since the Monday of Hurricane Katrina my thoughts have been with the thousands of people who have suffered such tremendous losses. My own family has been strongly affected because two of my brothers live in New Orleans. One we didn’t hear from for six days and, as it now turns out, he’s stuck in a shelter. We’re still trying to get him a message. My other brother safely evacuated and luckily has a home to return to. But the entire disaster really made me wonder about the notion of “Creating Realty.”

This past week I have been asking myself, “Did all those people really create this disaster for themselves?” In my humanity I realize that I can’t swallow the answer that they did. It just doesn’t seem to feel good. But then the whole movie is about how consciousness affects reality, and I know life really works that way… the thoughts and attitudes I put out come back to me in experiences. And then there’s the idea that we set up much of our own destiny prior to coming back to this physical plane. Does knowing any of this make living through experiences like Katrina better? Easier? Or is my knowledge just a philosophy that disappears the moment my chemicals get going?

Did I choose my parents? Did the small child who lost her entire family in the hurricane choose that? Did the starving children of the world choose their hunger? So often when we were on the road with Bleep, people would ask us questions like these. And often they would get angry if we said, “Yeah, we think people set up their destinies for spiritual growth purposes.” Why would they get mad? Because it didn’t seem compassionate enough a response considering the level of suffering involved.

But just think what it would be like if we could always see the big picture across lifetimes. Take Barbara Bush’s recent elitist comments aired on National Public Radio's "Marketplace.” After witnessing the conditions of the evacuees housed in the Superdome, she commented upon their evacuation to Texas:

“What I’m hearing is they (the victims) all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this …this is working very well for them.” Can’t we imagine that after this particular lifetime, Barbara’s soul might set up a more humbling experience - like being a starving Nigerian refugee?

So if we get all chemical and emotional about things like this, isn’t that just us getting tripped-up by our humanity? If we’re not capable of setting aside the addictions of our human thoughts and emotions in those moments, then how will we spiritually evolve? How far are we willing to go beyond our limits of what we think are the proper responses to live a greater truth? At the same time, how do we maintain the bigger picture without losing our sensitivity and responsiveness? How do we reconcile enlightenment and compassion? Where’s the balance and how do we find it? I am eager to hear your thoughts on this.

This issue is full of great information. I’m excited to read Cate’s interview with Stuart Hameroff about bi-location and quantum gravity. We also had such a GREAT response from readers about the Peace Issue of the Herald last month with all the information about the technologies of creating world peace that we decided to continue the conversation. Check out the article on The Peace Alliance and pending legislation for the development of a Cabinet level Department of Peace within the U.S. government, as well as the uplifting Hello From My Heart campaign.

We also have expanded the Herald to include a new section called Changing Our World, which is about new technologies and discoveries that will move us forward into a sustainable future on this planet. This month we hear about one man who has made a difference by creating the country’s first full-service biofuel station in Sante Fe, New Mexico. This is near and dear to my heart. I recently moved into a new home which is completely self-sufficient with solar panels and everything - totally off the grid! I’m surprised at myself. I am now re-training my brain to turn off lights and computers in order to use less.