CHAPTER 1

Who Are You and WhyAre You Here?

Who Are You?

You are a spiritual energy being in a physical human body.

Just what is a "spiritual energy being"? I believe that aspiritual being is a pure, loving being of light and energy. Thisenergy is a spiritual force that connects us all. Ever hear theidea that we are all "One"? That comes from the belief that thisspiritual force is in all of us and we're all part of it.

What kind of energy is it? It's the best kind of energy! It's a pureloving energy. And we're not the only energy beings around.Everything is energy: the earth is energy, air is energy, themountains and water are energy, the animals are energy, peopleare energy, and all of Nature is energy.

What is "Source"?

We all come from a loving force of energy in the universe thatexists in all time and space. Yes, it's that big. There are manynames for this life force, but I will call it "Source." When Italk about "Source" in this book, you'll know that I mean the"Source" that is the infinite loving energy we are all made of.That makes us loving energy too.

If you want to find Source, you don't have to look far. Sourceis everywhere. Source is around you all the time, and it ispart of you. Source is in you and in me and in your pet. It isin the sky, the ocean, the air, the Earth, and everyone youknow and do not know on this planet. Source is the sameenergy that makes up the stars in the sky and runs throughthe whole universe.

Source is not something outside of you that is judging you.Source is not an authority figure that will get mad at you if youare not exactly what others say you should be. Source is notout to get you if you make a mistake; that's called "learning"and we all do it.

You do not have to prove yourself to Source or do anythingin particular to earn love. Source is just there, loving you fullyand completely, waiting for you to connect. Source is like theradio that way: always available when you tune in.

Source is loving energy you canconnect with anytime, anywhere.

Why Are You Here?

As spiritual energy beings, we have come to Earth to love, tobe loved and to learn. No matter what is going on around us,we deserve to be loved, we get to keep giving love (especiallyto ourselves) and our journey is one of continuing to learn.

Every one of us is here for a reason, and that reason is to be ourtrue, loving selves and to share our unique gifts with the world,no matter what those gifts may be.

That all sounds kind of perfect, I know. And you know what?Everyone, absolutely everyone, goes through hardship, bad times,and crappity crap crap. Everyone. There are no exceptions; ithappens to everyone, but often they keep it hidden inside.

We go through crap so that we can learn. Sure, it's no fun; butwe learn to keep being our loving selves. It sounds strange, butI've learned this is actually true: we are all students of life. Theevents in our lives—good and bad—are the teachers. We're allhere learning together in Earth school.

One thing we are all here to learn is how to take care of ourfull selves, not just our physical selves. We need to take care ofour bodies, spirits and souls. It's great to know that you are aspiritual being, because it means you get to realize that you areloved, you are powerful to make positive changes for yourself,and you are never, ever alone! Not even in the most difficultmoments of your life. Source is always with you.

We are here to love andlearn, love and learn.

What Are the Differences BetweenBody, Spirit, and Soul?

You all know you have a physical body; it is your outer shell.It is like a house for your soul. There is more to you than yourphysical body.

I want you all to know that you have a soul. You are a soul thatcomes with a physical body, not a body that comes with a soul.You were a soul first before you came to this life—and you willcontinue to be a soul after you leave this material world.

Your soul is the person on the inside. If you go to the mirroryou can see your face. This is your external shell. This worksfor some people to see their internal self: keep looking in themirror and look behind your eyes. You can see the personinside, your soul.

You all have a spirit, too. Your spirit feeds your soul and pushesyou to go as far as you can and be all that you truly are. Yourspirit is energy, like Source.

Another way to look at it is this: imagine you are a car. Theouter car or chassis is like your physical body. Your soul wouldbe the part of you that drives the car and steers you to differentplaces. Your spirit would be like the gas that fuels the car.

So What?

When I was 15 years old, I learned about my true nature asa spiritual being. My mom took me to a Spiritualist Churchin the basement of a meeting hall in my hometown. Churchwas held once a week, on Sundays. We were a small groupof about 20 people. We smiled at each other...