Who I Am is Us

by Lisa Poznikoff

“…when someone offers us a moment, if we acknowledge it, it amplifies the moment for everyone. [This year] pay attention to moments, special recognitions of the power and presence of God and the gift of life that you can offer to those around you. When you feel a moment offered to you, celebrate not only the Power that gives you the moment but the one who reminded you it was there.” ~ excerpt from A message from Mary Morrissey.

It is a New Year. According to some prophecies, it is to be the last year of life as we know it, as we are on the verge of a final shift of consciousness. Some believe we are on the brink of Armageddon and world’s end, whereas others believe it is all hype and nothing at all will happen. In the last few years the Mayan Elders have been trying to tell us that the Mayan prophecies about this time have been misinterpreted. In early December 2011, Leonard and Karen Markin of Slocan Park, BC, had the unique opportunity to meet with some Mayan Elders during a vacation trip. They were invited to speak with and listen to Elders of this ancient indigenous race of people. During our New Year’s Eve program at the Brilliant Cultural Centre, Leonard took the podium to share a little of what they learned and experienced (the speech and evening program can be viewed on the internet at http://www.usccdoukhobors.org/news/currentnews.htm#jan03). The Mayans are not too much unlike the Doukhobors in their beliefs and we, ourselves, have our own prophecies written within our psalmi that are in some ways in line with the Mayan prophecies, as well as those of other cultures. No matter what our individual beliefs, nobody can deny that change is a constant, that the world has been undergoing change for millennia and will always continue to change – humanity along with it.

A question was brought up to me during a conversation: “Who Am I?”, but I took it further and asked “Who Are We?” A child is born of its parents, who were born of its grandparents, who were born of its great grandparents… throw into the mix the siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles… the interconnectedness is easy to see. However, marriage brings in new blood and genetics – where did those family members come from? Many of the Doukhobor people originated not from a single area, but from all over Europe and Asia. Our ancestral blood lines could include not only Caucasian, but Mongolian origins, and various others. Asians and Europeans migrated to the United States long before the Doukhobors did; it is conceivable that there are ancient family connections to the Doukhobors among them as well. Suddenly the question “Who Am I?” is irrelevant and “Who Are We?” is more worthy of exploration. In an interesting twist, however, We are all One – the I AM – God.

Think of an individual part of your body – a toe nail, a toe, a knee, an elbow, an eye… and imagine yourself as that individual part. That part is but a small piece of a much greater body; and so are we as individual living beings on this greater body called Mother Earth. We are all an interconnected part of a great body. By ourselves, as individuals we are relatively insignificant, but collectively we’re a magnificent whole. When we think of it and learn to accept it that way, we begin to realize that hurting another is comparable to that of chopping off our own hand. By hurting another we are hurting ourselves. Every single human being, no matter what race, colour, or creed, is an integral part of the whole. Just like our legs are for walking, our arms are for hugging, and our eyes are for seeing, each plays a different but important role. If any one of our body parts fails the others step in to compensate. No one single culture or religion is better than another. Not one is absolutely right and, as long as nobody is being hurt, none are wrong, but all are necessary to this world. We are all brothers and sisters – we are all One. “I am We, and We are Me, just as God intended Us to be.”

I hope in this year and in the coming time of transition to a whole new world, that each of us is able to find a way in which to connect with the greater whole. Recite psalmi, attend moleniye, go to prayer circles, burn a candle and meditate in the privacy and comfort of your own home, join a drum circle, or do them all, but please do not criticize others for the methods in which they find their way to the whole that is God – bless them for finding a path. There are many different paths to God and many good cultures and beliefs with Leaders and Masters that have ascended to greater spiritual elevations. Along with the rest of us, the ascended Leaders and Masters are all part of one Greater Spiritual Being – call it God, Allah, Buddha… the Universe.

In this first ISKRA of 2012, I will depart from the traditional wishes that the New Year brings all of you Health, Wealth and Happiness. Rather, I wish for all of us to help bring those things to the lives of others. Then, I wish that blessings of abundance are bestowed upon all of us for bringing such goodness into the lives of others and peace to all. That is my New Year’s wish for all.