Virginia Virgil of Rumney, N.H., is a Marian messenger, speaker, spiritual teacher and intuitive counselor. She teaches a class in the lifelong learning program that is affiliated with Dartmouth College and gives Life Purpose telephone readings utilizing Mother Mary’s wisdom and guidance specific to each client caller.

A Holiday Message From Mother Mary - 2001

Mother Mary’s Christmas message emphasizes the need to simplify our life so that we will have more time and energy to devote to spiritual pursuits. She points out in the New Golden Age of Spirituality, which began in 1954, that the focus will be on growth and service. If we wish to participate in this movement, we will need to clear ourselves of the attitudes and habits that produce the physical, mental and emotional clutter that keeps us from realizing our spiritual purpose for being. Therefore, we will have to make a conscious effort to simplify and to moderate our lifestyle.

She notes that we live in a society in which achieving the “American Dream’ of enjoying a life of material ease and plenty is the primary goal. Since satisfying and indulging our physical appetites is a top priority, shopping, buying, owning and amassing possessions is a national pastime. Consequently, caring for, replacing, storing, updating, replacing and insuring, as well as culling and getting rid of unwanted and unused things preoccupies us. Hence, without realizing it, what we accumulate can end up inundating and owning us because of the inordinate amount of time and energy we devote to its acquisition and care. Furthermore, the adoption of a credit card lifestyle that encourages us “to buy now and pay later” produces a consumer mentality that promotes a self-indulgent, materialistic lifestyle and the habit of living beyond our means. Purchasing the “good life” through credit card charging can end up producing intense mental and emotional stress when the inability to repay the debt results in bankruptcy and the loss of credit.  The mindless and endless production and consumption of goods and services needed to support materialistic lifestyle has an adverse effect on the environment because it depletes our planet’s resources and contaminates the elements that sustain our life.

Mother Mary suggests that we simplify our lifestyle by reducing the amount of time and energy we devote to accumulating and caring for possessions. By asking ourselves “is what I wish to buy a want or a need”, we simplify our lives because we will learn to live on less, to want less and to buy less. At the same time, we will curtail the amount of goods we consume and do our part to help preserve Earth’s resources. By sorting through and giving away the things we no longer need, use or want, we promote reusing and recycling. We also are clearing out the physical clutter that an excess of unwanted, unused possessions produces. Since we are living within our means financially, we will eliminate the mental and emotional stress that credit card debt produces. As the influence of our consumer mentality diminishes, we will re-arrange our priorities and to simplify the way in which we live. Gradually, the quality of the life we choose to lead will take precedence over the quantity of what we own. The time and energy that we once spent pursuing a self-indulgent materialistic way of life can now be devoted to pursuits of a spiritual nature that encompass growth and service. Whatever we do buy will be selected based on its ability to “enhance and advance” our spiritual growth and service.

Another way to simplify our life is to give more thought to living in the moment. We make our life confusing, complex and difficult when we choose a lifestyle focused on “doing”. We tend to cram our day full of too many activities; try to perform too many tasks; and more often that not, over-schedule errands and appointments. Not only does this hectic pace result in our being exhausted at the end of the day, but also mentally and emotionally stressed, for what we have left undone today we will add to tomorrow’s already overcrowded schedule. Experiencing a sense of being overworked and overburdened by too many duties and responsibilities makes us feel that  
“the faster we go, the behinder we get”.

When we are caught up in a cycle of “constantly doing”, we find it difficult to live in the “now”. Instead, we live in the future and continually project what more we need to accomplish. We take little pleasure in “doing” because of the time constraints we put upon completing tasks, engaging in activities, running errands and keeping appointments. Mother Mary suggests that we make a conscious effort to focus on living in the now and enjoy whatever we are doing by viewing it as a service rather than as work, duty or responsibility. By refusing to think about anything but the activity or task at hand, we find that we are living more in the moment. In addition, if we can think of whatever we undertake as service, we will experience a sense of enjoyment that is lacking when we think of it as a duty or responsibility. For instance, is we perceive our home and its contents strictly as a financial investment to be preserved and protected, we will view their maintenance as a duty and responsibility. The amount of time, money and energy we feel obligated to expend to safeguard our investment is apt to produce physical, mental and emotional stress. However, if we think of our home as a sanctuary that offers protection and comfort, then we will view its upkeep as a service. The time, money and energy we invest to maintain our home and its furnishings will be done with a sense of joy and as a way of expressing our gratitude and appreciation to them for the service they render. When our thoughts and feelings are imprinted with the vibrations of these two qualities, we will find that whatever we are engaged in doing will not overtax us mentally, emotionally or physically.

When we are constantly doing, we give little thought to setting aside quiet time for spiritual reflection and introspection. Yet, it is when we are in this state of quiet being that we acquire our greatest insights. Devoting quiet time to prayer, contemplation and meditation needs to be part of our daily regimen because they help us to explore, develop and expand our spiritual nature.

Mother Mary suggests that we think of prayer as a way of having a conversation with God about everything and anything that is going on in our life. She reminds us that we are Divine Children, so the path we pursue, the decisions we make and the actions we take should be spiritually oriented. What better source can we turn to than the God Within to answer questions that confound us, to resolve perplexing dilemmas and to decide the course of action we need to take when faced with difficult choices?  When we undergo physical, mental and emotional pain and suffering who else is better able to alleviate feelings of grief, disappointment, hurt, sorrow, anger, rejection, anxiety, fear, doubt, guilt and remorse than the God Within? As Mother Mary points out, there is no one better equipped than this Divine Presence to know and to supply whatever is needed to help us to grow and serve spiritually.

Taking quiet time to contemplate gives us an opportunity to reflect upon all of our God-given gifts and to feel a heartfelt sense of gratitude and appreciation for them. We tend to forget that life is a gift because only one out of every three beings who ask to reincarnate is permitted to do so. In addition to feeling grateful for the gift of life, we can thank God for providing us with all that is needed physically, mentally and emotionally to sustain us as we go through our spiritual tests and lessons. We can also say thank you to God for the gift of free will that gives us the right to choose how we wish to think, to feel, to act and react and to use our five senses. Lastly, we can thank God for never giving up on us in spite of our spiritual waywardness. Who else other than God would give us countless opportunities to return to Earth until we are able to get our spiritual act together and complete our Divine Purpose for being?

Contemplation also gives us the chance to dwell on all the good in our lives. Instead of focusing on what we do not have and think we need, want or desire, we can acknowledge and be thankful for all that we do have. Mother Mary reminds us that each lifetime, we are given all that we need mentally, emotionally and physically to help us spiritually grow and serve. If we have clean air to breathe, pure water to drink and adequate food, clothing and shelter, heat and mode of transportation as well as a healthy body and a sound mind, we to be thankful for them. Family, friends, neighbors and co-workers that befriend and love us need to be thanked as well as those who do not because they are the ones who present us with the greatest opportunities for spiritual growth and service. We can give thanks for being born in a country where freedom is considered a God-given right. We can thank the Nature Kingdom for providing our physical nourishment as well as much of our artistic sustenance by serving as a gallery for God’s beautiful and wondrous works of art that delight our senses and uplift our spirits. As God’s artists, members of the Nature Kingdom continually manifest these Divine Environmental Forms for our pleasure and enjoyment. As Mother Mary notes, the list of what we have to be grateful for is endless and She therefore suggests that each of us take time to make up our own ‘gratitude” checklist.

Setting aside internal quiet time to meditate also is spiritually enhancing. Meditation gives us an opportunity to the chatter of our mind and to calm our emotions to a point where we can hear the voice of the God Within speaking to us. It is a time when we can receive answers to our questions and acquire spiritual insight into what we are learning. An empty mind and stilled emotions allow us to experience total relaxation, inner calm, peace and a sense of spiritual rejuvenation that result in a renewed physical, emotional, mental vitality.

Mother Mary further notes that when doing out of a sense of duty and responsibility rules our life, we do not take enough time to laugh, to be joyful, to be spontaneous, to play or to have fun. Laughter and joy greatly enhance our sense of physical, mental and emotional well being. Laughter as long as it is not at someone else’s expense, is one of the most effective healing mechanisms that we can use to relieve and release our stress and tension. Heart spontaneity is beneficial because we let our guards down and allow ourselves to respond in way that are free of social constraints (i.e. performing “Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty”). Taking time out to play and have fun also are rewarding spiritually as long as the activities do not harm the environment; kill, injure or maim another; are noncompetitive in nature; are not engaged in at someone else’s expense; or based on compulsive/obsessive behavior patterns.

If we decide to practice a few of the suggestions that Mother Mary has mentioned, we will be doing a lot to simplify our lives. We will be ridding ourselves of a great deal of physical clutter as well as the emotional and mental frustration and discomfort it produces. We will be open to giving and receiving gifts that spiritually enhance and enrich the lives of others as well as our own.

Simplification and moderation can also be applied to the holiday season if we decide to select and give gifts that are spiritual in nature and have no “quid pro quo” strings attached. These presents do not cost money, do not require running around, shopping or wrapping, nor do they need to be delivered physically. Not only are these gifts environmentally friendly, buy also they promote peace and improve one’s mental, emotional and physical health. These presents will benefit us because they will help us to get rid of the beliefs, attitudes and habits that impede our spiritual growth and service. All that is required of us is to generate the gift of good will and to package it in a variety of ways before bestowing it upon family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and those with whom we find ourselves at odds.

• Breaking the habit of “brother’s keeping” is a priceless gift that we can give because rather than try to curtail, we give others the freedom to use their energy the way they choose. We can give this same gift to ourselves if we decide to take our freedom and refuse to allow others to dictate how we should use our energy.

• Developing the habit of forgiving others and ourselves for being unable or unwilling to be responsible for each other’s happiness and welfare is another valuable present we can give. Accepting both as our responsibility, we stop directing feelings of ill will towards others. We realize that to demand or to expect them to assume such an obligation is totally unjustified as well as unfair and unreasonable on our part.

• Cultivating the habit of overlooking and refusing to feel threatened by what we consider inappropriate behavior, beliefs, appearance or personality traits is yet another invaluable spiritual gift we can give. Although we may not understand or agree with others’ opinions and/or choices, we respect and honor their right to choose how they wish to act, think, look, feel and express themselves free of our judgment, condemnation and criticism.

• Making it a habit to find and focus on some good quality in everyone and in everything especially that which we find distasteful is yet another beneficial gift we can give others.

• Having a sense of compassion towards others and ourselves for using energy in unloving ways is another precious gift we can give. Recognizing that our abuse and misuse of energy is based on spiritual ignorance, we understand that “when we know better, we will do better”.

• Eliminating the habit of blaming others, including God, for the pain and suffering we undergo is another gift we can give. Realizing that what “goes around always comes back around”, we accept that spiritual justice always is in play. Instead of feeling victimized by our life experiences, we view them as learning lessons, opportunities to rehabilitate ourselves spiritually and to make karmic restitution for our unloving use of energy.

• Enjoying and praising the skills and attributes of others is yet another unique gift we can give. Recognizing that each of us has been assigned a thread to weave in God’s Tapestry for Earth that no one else can duplicate, we focus on discovering and enhancing our own God-given gifts rather than coveting those of others. Adopting this attitude will enable us to live in greater unity, harmony and cooperation with one another and help us decrease the sense of separateness and divisiveness that competition breeds.

All of these gifts spiritually benefit other as well as us because they involve heart-inspired thought and action. They also are sent to the recipients via special heart-to-heart delivery wrapped in feelings of unconditional love. The value of the impact of these gifts of the heart on others and us can continue to have a long-range positive effect if we carry them over and continue to give them in the New Year. We will be developing the ability to use our energy in more loving ways, which not only will raise our own vibrations, but also increase our capacity to grow and serve spiritually. Since our gifts will help to increase and to expand Divine Light and Love, we will be giving a present to God. At the same time, the constructively qualified energy that composes our gifts will help to reduce and eliminate the amount of pollution that unloving thoughts and feelings emit into the atmosphere. Thus, the Nature Kingdom will benefit and be blessed by our gifts as well.

Mother Mary emphasizes that true simplicity is spiritual in nature and can be experienced only when we decide to assume our spiritual “ID” and live like the Children of God we were created to be. When we decide to focus our energy on completing our spiritual growth and service and allow the God Within to determine and to supply our needs, we will know true simplicity. She encourages us to expend as much energy as possible in exploring and developing our spiritual nature. As our enlightenment increases, we will eliminate all of our remaining physical, mental and emotional clutter because will be removing the limitation and discord that produces them. Then we will know and enjoy the on-going sense of inner peace, contentment and happiness that has so long eluded us.

In closing, Mother Mary wishes us a joyous and peaceful holiday season. She emphasizes that we can heighten and enhance these feelings greatly if we can get ourselves into and maintain a state of appreciation and gratitude for all of God’s largesse, which we all too often tend to take for granted. We will find that when our thoughts and feelings express these two qualities, our vibrations automatically are raised to a level where we will experience a sustained sense of happiness, contentment and inner peace. When appreciation and gratitude are present, we are more open to giving and receiving unconditionally and less prone to want to take, to get and give conditionally. Mother Mary hopes that we will set aside time to reflect upon and to express a sense of appreciation and gratitude for the many gifts that God has showered upon us. She urges us to remember that the “Heavenly Presents” we enjoy cannot be bought, bartered, sold or duplicated by humankind.

                                                                                             12.25.00

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