From Childhood to Christhood: A Journey into Universal Divine Consciousness

Copyright © 2006 by Jocelyne Ranucci

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Contents

AUTHOR’S NOTE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

Chapter One

Chapter Two FAITH AND DIVINE PERFECTION

Chapter Three FORGIVENESS AND COMPASSION

Chapter Four THE LAW OF AFFINITY

Chapter Five THE SPIRITUAL PATH

Chapter Six THE ASCENDED MASTERS

Chapter Seven THE WAY TO PEACE

Chapter Eight THE DIVINE RAYS

Chapter Nine MEDITATION

Chapter Ten THE SPOKEN WORD

Chapter Eleven DIVINE TEACHING

Chapter Twelve CONSCIOUSNESS

Chapter Thirteen THE ONENESS OF LIFE

Chapter Fourteen PURITY

Chapter Fifteen DIVINE WILL

Chapter Sixteen THE SOURCE OF LOVE

Chapter Seventeen THE DIVINE HEART

Chapter Eighteen CHRISTHOOD

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Christhood, a word I believe to have somewhat made up, means the attainment of Christ consciousness. Christ consciousness is not about Christianity, but rather a natural spiritual evolvement of human consciousness, the awakening of a sense of unity with life, in its many forms, and oneness between the human and the divine. Christ consciousness is the acknowledgement that life is love. Not the egocentric love born of our human nature, but the all-loving, all-knowing and all-powerful love of our divine nature. Once we reach this understanding and exemplify it in our daily life, we live in Christ consciousness. You may choose to call it by a different name, as for example Buddha consciousness, Atman or The Great I Am.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

My love and gratitude to my friend Tricia Dillon for her unfaltering support throughout the writing of this book.

PREFACE

It is my experience that people do not listen. They hear but don’t listen. What is the point of being able to hear, if it is not to listen? In order to listen, one must still oneself. If, when someone speaks to us we let our mind wander or are thinking about our response, our next appointment or what we will be wearing to the movies that night, we will not know what the person is truly saying. We are going to base our understanding on the few words we picked up here and there, and we usually hear only what is agreeable to us. This lack of attention will come back to haunt us. For instance, when we feel attracted to someone, our desire for that person often over takes our reason and we stop listening. We do not pay attention to what the person is trying to tell us and our superficial understanding of the other prevents us from developing a truthful relationship with him or her. When someone leaves a relationship, be it romantic or professional, often the abandoned person claims to have had no clue that the relationship was in trouble. Yet there are always plenty of clues if we are listening for them. When we are caught by surprise, it is because we have not been paying attention. We tend to distort reality to fit our personal needs. How many times does a mother tell her child to behave or he will be punished? Mothers always give plenty of warnings, because they truly do not want to have to punish their children. However, when a child does not listen, the parent has no choice but to teach the child that there is a consequence to every action. Like a loving mother, life constantly guides us and sends us messages. This information comes to us all the time, often through the most unlikely person, in the most unlikely circumstance. Life may speak to us through anyone, anything, at any time, so I strongly advise that we start listening.

Of course, we must learn to discriminate and not be overly attentive to people who are constantly speaking just for the pleasure of hearing their own voice. However, in the same manner we must avoid listening to nonsense, we must also recognize that some people know more than others. It is in our best interest to be open to the experience certain people have gained through time and hard work. It is a mystery to me, why we would not take advantage of such gifts. Why do we want to repeat our own mistakes time and time again? I feel that it is important to be grateful to those who have gone before us to open a path of enlightenment. Following this path, we avoid obstacles and therefore gain knowledge and power more quickly. Then, it becomes our turn to clear the path for those coming behind us, and in turn, so will those following us clear the path for the ones behind them, and on and on, until the entire human race reaches more enlightened levels of existence.

Since the beginning of time, many spiritual masters have come to earth to help humankind awaken to certain divine truths. These masters gave this loving service with great sacrifice for, even though they were pure beings prepared for their destiny, they were not, at birth, given a manual with all the answers. They had to go deep within their hearts and souls to find truth. They had to reconnect with the source of life and knowledge and re-unite in consciousness with the divine. Only then, the reality of their true purpose was clear to them, and they were able to embody certain divine truths and impart to others the spiritual riches they had come to recognize. They each spoke about different aspects of the same divine truth, in different terms and according to the evolution of humankind at the time and place of their sojourn on earth, and they each left us with a richer spiritual heritage. How did they come to perceive these truths? They listened. They constantly listened with great attentiveness and, through the hubbub of human consciousness they heard the voice of divinity. So can we.

We do not listen because subconsciously we know that if we were to listen we would undoubtedly come to acquire knowledge and we fear that with knowledge comes responsibility. Since many of us are not willing to assume responsibility, we prefer ignorance. However, the spark of truth within ourselves constantly tries to steer us into the right direction, and we know subliminally when things are right and when they are not. How many times, after something bad happens, have we not said, if only I had listened! We wrongly think that ignorance will protect us, but we are not really ignorant; we are only inattentive and careless. Life, expressing itself through the spark of light within us, no matter how tiny this spark may be, ceaselessly murmurs guidance or warning. We simply do not listen and therefore, we keep on creating more and more problems and suffering for ourselves and for our world.

I was born with a strong desire to know truth. A soul desire was pushing me ahead by keeping me thirsty for understanding. No matter what sorry state of self-pity I may have found myself in, I was constantly propelled forward, never allowed to dwell on my misery for too long. From an early age, I knew to observe life and to listen. I did not always hear correctly or abide by the counsel, and for this, I suffered greatly! However, in the end divine truth won over the inadequacies of my human personality, and what I came to know filled my entire being with peace and my life with harmony. I am so grateful to be able to experience life from such a magnificent place that I want to share some of my journey with you. It is my hope that learning how I found my way will assist you in your personal divine pilgrimage and help you find the stillness to listen, for listening will greatly enrich your life.

The journey toward self-transformation is not an easy journey. It encompasses many aspects of divine truth and therefore, it is sometimes necessary that a previously mentioned explanation be repeated and reinforced. What you may sense as an overlapping of information is meant to allow you to pass from one level of awareness to another. Furthermore, to illustrate my journey I reveal certain personal circumstances and feelings that may shock some of you. I wish to emphasize that this is not a current reflection of my feelings or relationships. I am only sharing them with you to show that no matter how difficult our life may be, every one of us has the potential and power to make extraordinary positive changes, and to journey from From Childhood to Christhood.

INTRODUCTION

A short while ago, my aunt died. She had fallen sick seven months prior, and even though we played with the hope that she would get better, we knew that her time with us was limited. The idea of losing her hit me in a way that I did not expect, and nothing prepared me for the profound grief I felt at her passing. After all, I know that death is a transitional state, and a welcome one at that, when the body, mind or heart is suffering, or when we have accomplished our earthly destiny. Although I understand that emotional attachment saddens the heart of those losing the physical presence of a loved one, I see death as the beginning of a new journey; I feel that it should be honored and celebrated and therefore I was surprised by my response to my aunt’s death. In between tears, I knew that I was not really the one experiencing such sorrow and sense of loss, and so I asked if not I, who? I soon realized that it was a reminiscence of the lost little girl I used to be, and who had found, in the persona of my aunt, an emotional haven that had just crumbled down. The little girl felt all alone, she was scared and she was crying over her own despair. Once I realized what was happening, I immediately released the memory of this emotional attachment, and regained my inner peace. The hurt little girl was no more. I was then able lovingly and peacefully to let my aunt go on her new journey.

The child I was had to create an illusion of love, recognition and acceptance, because it was not given to her. This imaginary maternal cocoon gave me a sense of normalcy; it was a lifeline I held on to. But the passing of my aunt signified the end of the illusion. I had finally filled my heart with enough self-love so that the memory of the hurt little girl could leave my consciousness and not cause me pain any longer. To be free from the negative emotional ties that hold us down is a tremendous victory. The child I was was not properly cared for; she was only conveniently loved. She never truly mattered enough to a family that kept her at a distance. Every one, at one time or another, closed his or her eyes to her pain and needs, and from a tender age, she was left to fend for herself (emotionally, materially and spiritually). Nevertheless, the child I was took on life valiantly, unaware that I would repeat in all my future relationships the negative emotional responses that had been shown in my formative years. It is the alienation and suffering that ensued that brought me on a journey toward self-transformation and inner peace.

This journey started in France the 28 of July 1954, when I was born to a mother who had an agenda different from motherhood. My parents were not married at the time of my birth, and since my father died shortly afterwards, my mother was left to raise me alone. Thankfully, she did not sever the ties with my father’s family because I had a wonderful grandmother, whom I absolutely adored. She died when I was seven or eight years old, but the affection she showed me (which I later transferred to my aunt) provided me with the roots I needed not to succumb to the emotional vacuum my life became. My grandmother and aunt spoke of my father often, perhaps embellishing the truth about him a little, and I found comfort in knowing that he had loved me, even if only for a very short time. Life with my mother was very difficult because in her world, there was only room for herself. Therefore, the more I became visible, the more she attempted to eradicate me. She may have not consciously meant to destroy me, but nevertheless she slowly and consistently stripped me of any sense of self-worth and belonging. The ridicule, disrespect, and betrayal I was subjected to damaged me profoundly. My life became a dedication, first unconsciously and later consciously, to overcoming my emotional pain and regaining my worth, my spirit and my power. My journey led me to many lands and at nineteen I left France to come to the United States, New York City in particular, where I made my home for fourteen years. I also went to Mexico, where I lived for six years in a small village by the sea. It took many years to break the umbilical cord with France. I tried to move back a few times, but never successfully. There came a time when I had to come to terms with the fact that I would never be the prodigal daughter, and move on, fully embracing what I made of myself and my life. About ten years ago, I moved to Sag Harbor, Long Island, where I finally put down some roots and created my first home. Not leading a conventional life, I tackled many different careers, and this time I had to re-invent myself once again. In order to sustain myself, I put together a French Club, organizing gatherings and teaching French and a Project Management and Goal Planning Service. But most importantly, I decided to write this book and made this project my absolute priority.

It is important for me to share with others that no special requirements are necessary for self-transformation. If, with all my dysfunctions, I have been able to rise from the deep dark hole of my heart and find contentment and inner peace, so can everyone else. Furthermore, as I was searching for answers, I noticed that many of the books I read did not connect at a deeper level with the reader for various reasons. Sometimes because the teaching was simply too advanced and, even if we could understand it, we could not live it because we were not ready. These books were frequently written by self-realized masters or spiritual/religious people who lead a different life than ours, and this in itself is a disconnection. Even though their teachings certainly plant a seed of knowledge in our being, they are often not of great use to us, because we cannot make our truth out of something we cannot experience for ourselves.

Another type of spiritual or self-help books were written by professionals, the PhDs, often more likely to be based on concepts rather than personal experience. They were usually extremely interesting but mostly directed at our intellect. Therefore these teachings rarely touch me deeply. There were also multitudes of books that either promise easy success or guarantee to reveal the absolute truth ... and as far as I know, neither of these claims can be true! One of the things I found out is that the more I advance on the path of knowledge the less I know, because realization changes within consciousness. What is real and true today might not be tomorrow when we have climbed into a new level of consciousness. What is important, I feel, is what we do with what we accept as truth today.

I do not have the answers to the fundamental questions of life, but I know that I have made conscious choices that led me to an awareness that turned my pain into love and my despair into peace. I am not a self-realized master, I am not a PhD, I am not better or different than anyone, I am just like you! I wrote this book to tell you that what I made possible

for myself is possible for you. I wanted to tell you how I did it, so that it may point you in the right direction. This book describes the first leg of my spiritual journey. I invite you to share it with me.

Chapter One

REINCARNATION, KARMA AND THE LAW OF CAUSE AND EFFECT

I

For as far back as I can remember my view on life was that it really did not make much sense. None of the ideas that society tried to instill in me seemed logical or worth pursuing. Everything came nicely packaged with a that’s the way things are label and, although I felt that this was not true, I had no evidence to the contrary. Everyone else seemed quite settled in their expectations, and so I wondered what my tortured soul was searching for. I certainly had no idea and was left with no choice but to become a part of what I perceived to be a satire of life, played out in a hypocritical, selfish and unjust world.

Born and raised Catholic, my religious education did not introduce me to the principle of reincarnation. Catholicism taught me to fear God, to confess to sins I was not sure I had committed, and to be ashamed of my human nature. None of this sounded right to me, but then again, I had no point of reference nor proof that it was not so. Consequently, for many years I believed that life was nothing more than a short lapse of time divided between birth and death, with the chance of perhaps ending up in paradise or more likely, hell. It felt limited, particularly considering that life seemed to generate more suffering and sorrow than joy and well-being. It took many years before I was able to let go of the idea of a tyrannical God who kept on punishing everyone, including me. However, there came a time when I became able to turn my attention away from this dreadful image. I transformed the image of God, the judging patriarch, into a higher power, an energetic power that was the earth’s life force. It is most probable that I did not really comprehend the concept of energy, but this did not matter, for what was important was that I had opened myself to a new point of view. I had become free enough to look at God from a different angle, a place where He did not sit in eternal judgment. This was a strong departure from my Catholic beliefs.

I do not recall any particular event in my childhood that triggered my determination to understand life, human behavior and to know God. Even though I was not raised in a religious household, I always felt a connection to divine figures, particularly Jesus and Saint Therese, with whom I spoke freely in the secret of my mind. I was a sensitive child easily upset by the thoughtlessness I witnessed in others, whether it was directed at me or at someone else. Unfortunately, I was not born into nurturing arms and my sensitivity was not appreciated or encouraged. Left to my own devices, I found refuge in my imagination. I read and wrote, but most importantly, I observed people’s responses to one another and reflected upon them. Regrettably, with time (and because I was feeling emotionally starved), my heartfelt reflections became analytical and my mind the controlling force of my personality. Since I was not able to experience life, I dissected it instead. Little by little, the clarity I was seeking ended up obstructed by the valid or invalid mass of information generated by my overworked mind, and I knew no peace. It was the constant dualism between my outer (mental) and inner (spiritual) knowledge that led me to challenge the orthodox image of God and open myself to the reality of a new one. This spiritual transition happened when I was in my early twenties. By that time, even though I was still not acquainted with the meaning of reincarnation, and very probably not even prepared to accept it yet, I had already concluded that death was not the end of existence. I thought that after death, our energy became a part of a universal energetic force that contributed to the sustenance of life on earth. This made me feel more comfortable about life for it gave it a higher purpose and a sense of continuance.

Without realizing it, I was on my way to finding my truth; I was on a journey that would prove to be long, lonely and harsh. By then, the circumstances of my life had led me to be excessively alone. I was in my late teens/early twenties, living in New York by myself and not receiving support from anyone, be it emotional, spiritual or financial. Actually, I received very little assistance from my family during my youth and throughout my life. As a child, I was alternatively a cute puppet or an encumbrance for my mother. Prisoner of her own emotional inadequacies, my mother did not know how to love me and, with time, I experienced increased emotional abuse. She was not able to give me any roots upon which to build a sense of self, not even academically since she took me out of school when I turned sixteen, the legally required age. This happened because I asked not to go back to boarding school, where I had spent all my schooling since the age of eight, but instead attend the high school close to my home. The choice my mother gave me was either to go back