Q. Why do I ask myself, again and again, the same question: what should I do with my life? Although I seem to understand why I am here, I’m at a standstill, inert, frozen and incapable of stepping forward and claiming my divinity, of wearing the cloak of Masterhood, out of indecision and fear of the unknown. What should I do?

A. Of course, you already know the answer to this, for it’s contained within your question. You are here, indeed, to claim your Masterhood, to wear the mantle of divinity, to declare your greatness and assert yourself. Why are you so afraid? What are you really afraid of? Do you really believe that you will be left out in the cold, alone and impoverished, if you take the risk of asserting your divine nature, of taking on a spiritual disposition, of seeing the world through the eyes of a Master? What is truly the worst that can happen to you? Will some dislike you, even shun you? Probably. Will others ¬love what they see in you, even if they may not understand it? Absolutely. With whom do you wish to spend your time?

Q. Still, even though I know I should take on the mantle of my higher self, my soul, Masterhood or whatever you want to call it, I don’t really understand the steps. Often, I simply seem paralyzed regarding what concrete steps to take, what path to follow. How can I know what the appropriate steps to take in my life are?

A. How many steps ahead do you need to see? When you climb a staircase, do you really need to scout it out in advance, perhaps taking aerial photos to be sure the staircase leads somewhere, or in fact do you really only need to see one step ahead at a time, and the rest you take for granted? This is the way of it, with your life as well. Don't worry about what is ten steps ahead, think only to the next step, the subsequent will come immediately after you’ve taken the first one you can see, and so on and so forth. Sometimes you may believe that you can see several steps ahead of you, but the staircase can be transformed at any moment, change course or direction, so don’t become attached to any of the steps you think you can see. For the next step always occurs in the NOW, and that is the only one you need to worry about, and it will always be available for you if you ask to see it. Although, sometimes, it may simply be appropriate to hang out on the step where you are, seemingly immobile, while the coming steps are being created for you (and by you!)

Q. Anything else?

A. Don't be so serious! Enjoy yourself along the way. If you think you’re simply standing still (which you never really are) then celebrate standing still! And when the next step becomes clear, and you take it, then celebrate that. And if you think the next step is clear, but you’re afraid to take it, then celebrate that, until you are ready to take it. Life is a highway, life is a carnival, and though there’s work to be done, do it with joy. Have fun along the way, wherever you may be going!

Q. Who are you? Do you have a name?

A. That part of you which has always been there, waiting, sometimes hiding, never idle, never afraid, never worrying…there to be claimed.

Q. How can I channel?

A. You’re doing it right now. Be spontaneous, free yourself of preconceived notions and ideas and then let the words flow. Is that not what channelling is, in its essence?

Q. You still haven’t given me your name.

A. What’s in a name? Call me the love of life, the zest for life, the striving for something greater. Call me whatever you want.

Q. How do I differentiate between channelling and my own made-up thoughts?

A. Let it flow…don't censor…be free!

Q. That’s very vague!

A. The Universe cannot be compartmentalized in the way that many humans would wish. You seek a name for something that is in reality simply a part of yourself. Don’t be so preoccupied by naming and categorizing spirit, but if you simply must give it a name, then make one up! Call me Shabang, if you want! (or anything else for that matter). If that somehow makes you more comfortable in dealing with the nameless and indescribable, then by all means do so, although know that this name is simply for your own benefit.

Q. Is this really channelling? It simply feels like I’m writing down my own internalized responses to my own questions.

A. Congratulations, you’ve just defined Channelling! When you’re in the ‘zone’, in that freespirited, freewheeling frame of mine that every writer has experienced from time to time (and wishes to enter more often), then you’re connected to spirit, letting it flow freely through your heart, mind, and veins. What more did you think Channelling was? Is it not just a word used to describe this very process? Does it necessarily need to be an entity taking over your body and speaking through you? What if you can simply connect to this state of mind/thought process without needing to be ‘taken over’ by a foreign being or entity? Is that not more desirable?

Q. So what, then is my Higher Self?

A. Simply that part of you that exists on a higher plane, permanently in that ‘zone’ just mentioned, into which you can go any time you wish, if you so choose.

Q. So what information would you give me, or should I give myself, then?

A. You are here to love life, to live your life and to inspire and be inspired by the beauty of life and the magnificence of your world. Though it at times may not appear magnificent, it is for you and up to you to create that magnificence, to see it where others might not, to see the beauty of spirit at work and to celebrate it in all circumstances, despite any appearances to the contrary. Your world is a vast, beautiful and delightful playground, a paradise for the making, the wonder of the Universe. Never forget the divinity that lies behind all things and within all beings; express love whenever you can, as often as you can. Let yourself be filled to the brim with the magnificence of spirit.

Q. How does one find this inspiration, be filled with the ‘magnificence of spirit’ at all times? This seems a tall order, in such a world?

A. Indeed it seems that way, especially if you make it so, if you give strength to the negativity that seemingly surrounds you rather than affirming the inner beauty that is all around.

Q. So what is it appropriate to do, with regards to work, survival, paying of bills, etc? Should we not be practical, at times.

A. Certainly, be practical; just don’t do so out of fear. Thoughts of lack, of needing to protect yourselves from the future are simply ways of envisioning future hardships which you do not need to create and perpetuate. The future will be as rosy and as comfortable as you envision it, so if you believe you need to prepare carefully for your retirement, otherwise you will be left out in the cold, recognize this for the fear that it is. Humans have evolved for thousands of years through a kind of ‘survival mode’, which is no stranger to any of you. It is time to move beyond this, to move into a ‘blessed mode’, if you will, where the driving force of your life and your motivation is a spiritual overlay, an existence without fear, without concern for the future. When you exist truly in the NOW, then all such concerns will and MUST fade away. This is not to say that you don't need to plan for the future, simply plan when it is spiritually appropriate and without the pressing anxiety that ‘survival mode’ always evokes.