by Lee Carroll
“It’s complex, Michael,” Violet continued. “Each incarnation of a human being is connected and related to everyone else’s. There are contracts you pen before you ever arrive that set up your potentials for learning and growth. You are someone else’s thorn, as well as a pearl of great value. The situations you call accidents and coincidences are carefully planned.”
“That sounds like predestination?”
“No. You have a choice in all of it. The road is created, but you can travel it or not—create a new one if you wish.” She paused for effect. “That’s exactly what you are doing now.” She smiled at Mike, then continued. “When you gave intent to travel this road, you threw away the contract you made with the others. You went beyond the mundane that you planned could happen to facilitate ordinary lessons, and instead decided to go for the gold, Michael Thomas. Now you get to see this and understand the big picture.”
“Why the films, Violet?” Mike had to ask this.
“To allow you to view every seemingly negative thing in your life, Michael, and understand that you helped create it. You helped plan it, and you executed it right on schedule. In other words, you were responsible for it.”
Mike was astounded at the thought of it all. He still didn’t understand the dynamics. “What if I had wanted to change it, Violet? How is it that I would have chosen such trouble and tragedy?” Violet was ready with the reply.
“When you are not here,Michael, you have the mind of God. This is hidden from you now, but it is so. Death and emotional circumstances are energy to God. You are eternal, and the comings and goings of humans are meant for a grander purpose than you know—one that you will understand again some day when you join me in my form. For now, you must understand that what you call tragedy, although horrible for you in your present mind-set, can be the catalyst for planetary change, vibrational increase, and a gift beyond measure. It’s the overview that is important, not the actual event. I know this sounds confusing, but it is so.” Violet paused again to let Mike think about it all. She continued.
“As for changing it?You always had that option and choice, but that fact is also hidden from most humans. It’s all part of the test of life, Michael. Look at it this way:When you leave this place, you will have a tendency to stay on the road. The road is the most natural place to be. It’s easy, and it requires little thought about where you are headed. It’s already there, leading the way, so why not stay on it. The truth is that in this land of seven houses, the path always goes in the same direction, but it meanders a bit. Therefore, you could reach a house, perhaps, even sooner if you simply headed in that direction without taking the road. You might even discover wonderful new things along the way, off the road. In human life, it is the same. The road represents your potential plan with others. It meanders, but always leads you in the same direction—toward the future. Most humans stay on the road, never realizing that they have a choice to get off it if they wish. It’s when humans leave the road that all manner of things change for them—especially their futures. They actually start writing a new future as soon as they give intent to leave the road. They find peace in being able to control their lives better; they experience purpose. Some of them even come through here, Michael.” Violet smiled knowingly.
“And this House of Responsibility?” Mike asked.
“It’s where you learn that YOU, Michael Thomas of Pure Intent, are directly responsible for everything in your life. The sadness, the grief, the seeming accidents, the loss, what others did to you, the pain, and yes, even death. You knew it coming in, you helped plan it with the others, and you played it out—until now.”
“And the purpose of such a thing?”
“Is love, Michael. Love at the highest level. The grand plan is something you will know in time. For now, understand that it is all appropriate, and part of an overview of love that you already know of and are participating in right now. Things are not always as they seem.”
The words rang in Michael’s ears. Things are not always as they seem...were the words of the first angel, the one in the vision after the robbery. Then, he had heard it again from some of the others along the way. Mike’s mind was reeling with these new concepts. Then, he remembered Blue’s words in the House of Maps. You are looking at the contracts of every human being on the planet. In those small holes that Blue managed, millions of them, were the potential plans of all humanity, planned by each individual, and ready to be altered if humans wished it so.
The true message of all this suddenly slammed into Mike’s mind like a hammer. If he had only known this when he was young! He would have understood so much more about life. He could have changed his future. He could have found peace with this kind of overview. The deaths, the lost love, the depression—what hope and wisdom this would have given him! The thought of choice changing his life was amazing. Violet was right. Mike had followed the path of life as a road, letting all the things unfold that he had—planned? That was a difficult word to think about. It meant that he was responsible for everything that had happened. That put an entirely new perspective on it all. Oh, could he have used this! His life would have been far different. No one in church had ever told him this. He loved God, and he had always felt the sacredness of that place, but he had always been told that he was a sheep following a shepherd. No spiritual teacher had ever told him that he had this power.
“Violet, if this is so, then why didn’t I learn of it in church?”
“Church won’t tell you everything about God, Michael. Sometimes it tells you a great deal about humans and what they think about God.” Violet wasn’t being critical or judgmental of any human, but simply factual and truthful.
“Was the church wrong?” Mike asked.
“Michael, the truth remains the truth, and there are pieces and parts of it throughout all your spiritual systems. You all are greatly honored for seeking the truth of God. Love, miracles, and the mechanics of the way things work are all represented to some degree in your places of worship. That’s why you felt the Spirit of God when you went there, Michael. Spirit honors the quest, even if all the facts are not known. Remember that your true existence is veiled from you even now, as you hear the truth. Your church, and all the spiritual quests on your planet, are greatly honored, for they represent the search for God—and for spiritual truth. The only sadness is when humans control this quest and keep it from being enhanced by limiting it, sequestering those under their control with fear.
The honor is in the seeking, not in what you got right. Therefore, the sacredness of your planet lies within those who walk on it, not in the buildings with all the spires.” Violet moved over to the chart she had pulled down earlier. “You think that your holy Scriptures are sacred? Take a look at this.” She pointed to the cryptic writing on the chart. “This is the akashic record of humanity. It contains the records of your lives and of your potential contracts.” She paused in reverence. “Michael, this is the most sacred writing in the Universe, and it was written and executed by those who decided to take the journey as HUMANS!”
She looked directly at Michael for the first time in many moments. The message was not lost on him. Suddenly, he realized that her posture showed her respect for him—spiritual respect! The role reversal was surprising and uncomfortable for Mike. He wanted to know more, and she gave it to him.
The next few days in the House of Responsibility were awesome in the profundity of the message of life and humanity. Mike not only learned more about who he was, but who he had been. It all came together like a puzzle of immense proportions. Violet showed him the records and contracts of his parents and of others in his life so far. There was nothing inappropriate given, and he didn’t get to see anything that would change what was to come, but the larger picture of his existence was beginning to take shape.
The most amazing information? That humans were actually pieces of God, walking the planet with no concept of that fact in order to achieve a learning process that somehow changed the spiritual asp
ects and vibration of Earth itself! Violet continually referred to humans as “the exalted ones.” Humans were somehow entities that would change the very fabric of reality; they would change what happened on a very large scale, and it was all centered in the lessons learned on Earth—lessons that they all planned together!
Finally, it was time to go. Mike felt as if he were a new creature. His knowledge had increased a hundredfold about how things actually worked. He had retained everything and felt as if he had been empowered with truth. As he put on his battle gear to begin the journey to the next house, the words of Orange rang in his ears. The sword of truth...the shield of knowledge...the armor of wisdom. Things were beginning to come together in a way that was making a great deal of spiritual sense. He recognized that the weapons were ceremonial and had intent. Much of the language was being repeated, explained, and was finally being understood.
Violet led Michael to the front door of the violet house.
“Michael Thomas of Pure Intent, I will miss you.”
“Violet, I feel like I’m leaving home, not going to it!” Mike had felt cared for here, and Violet had become like a parental family member. So far he had met three fine brother angels and now a mother angel. What is next? he wondered.
“More family, Michael,” Violet answered Mike’s thoughts.
At the door, Mike noticed his shoes right where he had left them. He also remembered the unanswered question regarding them. He looked at the shoes and then back to Violet.
“There is unfinished business here, Violet,” Mike said, wanting to know the answer to the question of why he’d been asked to remove his shoes.
“Yes, Michael. I remember. Now YOU can tell me why,” she smiled at him and waited patiently for the answer. Mike knew, but he was embarrassed to verbalize it. It seemed so grandiose—so self-serving.
“Say it, Michael.” Violet was the teacher again.
“Because the human is sacred.” There, he had said it. He continued, “And because this house is where humans walk in a high vibration.”
Violet sighed and was visibly moved. “I could not have wished for a finer answer, Michael Thomas of Pure intent,” she said. “It is indeed the presence of the human, and not the angel, that makes this place sacred. Michael, you are indeed a special human being. I honor God within you! Now, I have a question for you.” Mike knew the question, but allowed Violet to ask it anyway. “Michael, do you love God?”
“Yes, Violet. I do.” Mike was beginning to tear up. He wasn’t afraid to let Violet know of his emotional state. He was sorry to leave this place of violet color, where he had met an energy he thought he had lost so long ago when his parents died. Mike turned and walked a few steps, then turned around again. “I’ll miss you, too, Violet, but you’ll remain in my heart.” Mike started down the path to the next house, then again turned back to say one more thing to the watching angel.
“Violet, watch me!”
With theatrical style and childlike motions, Michael Thomas left the path with great flare and struck out over the lush, grassy plain. He looked back and shouted at her.
“Look at me! I’ve decided to make my own path!” Mike laughed at the metaphor he was creating. He skipped and flailed along the uncharted topography until he could no longer see the violet house.
Violet stood and watched Michael until he was out of sight. Like a mother, she was proud indeed of this great entity called Michael Thomas. Then she went back inside and closed the door. She returned to her natural form, which was not humanlike, but magnificent, nonetheless. She spoke to the others.
“If this is an example of the new breed of human, we are in for a wild spiritual ride indeed!
A QUARTER MILE UP the path, a sickening creature had positioned itself in wait. IT had carefully prepared the trap, and IT felt there was no way that Michael Thomas could penetrate the deception. IT knew that Mike was out of the house now and traveling again. IT could feel it. IT was excited!
Not long now, IT thought. While Michael Thomas is looking behind him for me, I’ll attack from the front. He won’t know what hit him! The disgusting entity chuckled at how clever IT was becoming in this fairyland. Any moment now...
IT had a long wait. Michael Thomas had left the path.
CHAPTER NINE
The Fifth House
It didn’t take Mike long to realize that being off the path had its challenges. He had to constantly check the position of the sun to align his direction. In addition, he continually checked his map so that he wouldn’t accidentally miss the house by going past it. It was also a slower journey due to the uncertainties of footing.
Even with all these challenges, Mike realized that, at least this time, the journey was fun. He was fulfilling a wish to make Violet proud of him. He was also doing it for himself—to show that he could rebel against any form of the ordinary—even in a spiritual land. He was also beginning to feel that once was enough, and that as soon as he had found the next house, he would probably go back to using the path for the following ones. It was easier and didn’t compromise any of his choices. In fact, now he felt more than ever that his choice to stay on the path in the future was validated by the fact that he knew what it was like not to! Now that he had done both, he felt that he could choose wisely which to do, instead of feeling forced by protocol to stay on the trail given to him.
Mike also realized that the feeling of being watched was gone. Had he broken the spell of his following nemesis? Had the dark and ominous thing that seemed to follow him on this journey simply gone away? No. Mike was wise. Rightly, he guessed that his change in habit regarding traveling on the path had simply confused the vile thing that had been dogging him from the beginning. No doubt IT would realize what had happened and go looking for Mike. This meant the Mike had to be wary and alert for surprises ahead of him as well as behind.
About four hours into his travels over the plain, the skies began to darken. Mike had no illusions about what this meant. Another of those weird, frightening, and violent weather anomalies was about to strike this place, and he’d better check for shelter immediately. He remembered that the last time this had happened, within ten minutes he was prone on the ground in a horrendous howling wind, praying for his very life.
Mike took out the map again and looked to see what was immediately around him. True to form, the map had the red dot showing only what was currently around Mike. The map showed that he had just passed an outcropping that contained a cavelike shelter. Mike remembered having passed it recently, but he hadn’t passed on the side that would have revealed the cave. Mike stuffed the map in his pouch and retraced his steps until the indicated rocks again came into view.
Even in the few minutes it had taken to navigate back to the potential shelter, the storm had developed in an ominous way. The skies were blackening, and the gale-force winds were starting to howl. Rain was being added to the mix when Mike saw the opening and picked up his pace. Just as Mike passed into the mouth of the cavern, nature seemed to go wild again. Mike had to stand well back in the cave to avoid getting wet or being sucked into the uproar that raged outside. He again marveled at the ferocity of the event, and also whispered a thank you to Blue for the map that had removed him from harm, seemingly at the last possible moment. The “currentness” of the map had again aligned with his need.
Mike continued watching the spectacle from inside the cave, never taking his eyes off the constantly changing program of wailing mayhem. It was amazing! He was so glad that he wasn’t out in it.
“Why are these storms allowed in such a sacred place as this?” he wondered aloud. Blue’s voice sounded...in his head?
“Michael Thomas, there are no storms in this land unless a human is on the journey of lesson.”
“You mean if I were not here, there would be no storm?”
“Yes,” replied the voice of Blue.
“But I’m not in it. It’s not affecting me.”
“Exactly!” laughed Blue. “You have learned to use th
e map! Believe it or not, there have been humans like you on this journey who discarded the map early, feeling that it was some kind of joke. You saw what it was, and the currentness of it has become your way of life. You have one foot in the spiritual ‘now’ time frame, but you are also learning to weigh linear time against it as you move through your trip here. Therefore, when the lesson of the storm comes into view, you escape it entirely and sit it out in peace. Michael, you are dearly loved!”
Mike smiled at the thought. It was all for him! All this energy—all this planning! He looked outside and yelled at the wind.
“You can stop now. I’m safe!” Mike laughed and laughed.
The storm lasted about two hours, beginning to clear about dusk. He didn’t know if there was time to reach the next house, and without the sun, he didn’t know if he could even find it. Regardless, Mike also felt safe and able to defend himself if needed. He left the cave, observed for the last time the direction of the sunset, and again headed in a direction he knew to be north.
It was slow going as it got darker, and Mike began to realize that he had never been out at night in this land before. Would there be stars or a moon? He quickly found out. There was neither. When the last vestiges of twilight had bid farewell to the horizon, Mike was completely in the dark. And, oh, what a darkness! Without any light whatsoever, Mike couldn’t even see his map. He knew he should have stayed in the cave. He was not prepared for this kind of blackness! He sat down, not wanting to stumble on something unseen in his pathway.
It took about an hour sitting in the dark for Mike to realize that his eyes were working in an odd manner—either that or something strange was occurring. Earlier, the sun had set firmly in the west where he had expected it to. Based on that, he had taken note of where north was and had also aligned the tip of a hill with that perception so that he would have a marker to aim at even in the moonlight. When neither moonlight nor starlight materialized, the marker was also lost—until now. Dimly, to the north, he saw the faint outline of the marker. The same red glow from the setting sun was now extending north, in a manner that illuminated the very marker that Mike had observed. Something was over there giving off light!
