August 10 through August 25, 2012
Beloved, I’ve been fascinated by the word transcend and all its derivatives for the past week.
Why? It seems like kind of an odd fascination to have, doesn’t it? [Michael giggles.]
Yeah, I thought the same thing. And when I don’t understand why some idea … or song … has a grip on me, I usually attribute it to an inspiration from you … or concerning you. I don’t know what it is about this word that has me so captivated. Perhaps, it’s the fact that I’ve never taken the time to really dive into its meaning before … to understand it from the inside out, so to speak … experientially as opposed to intellectually.
I’ve heard the word used often and thought I knew what it meant … at least, generally … but I’ve been contemplating it for the past week or so and realized that my understanding was imperfect, at best. I have gained some insights, I think, that I never really had before. I think it’s kinda like the word ‘vast’ that you did such an excellent and graphic explanation for in Installment #40. Do you mind if we talk about the word ‘transcend’ in this conversation?
No, I don’t mind. Maybe we can figure out why it’s got you “tripping on me.”
Thank you. The word, itself, can be used correctly to describe a wide range of thought … from the very mundane, earthbound, material, physical sphere … to the highly philosophical, metaphysical, esoteric and spiritual. And, in my opinion, every one of the definitions (with the possible exception of the Mathematical references) can, by no stretch of the imagination, be properly and correctly used to describe you.
As a matter of fact, Dear One, your life is an absolutely clear and shining exemplification of the words transcend, transcendent, transcendence and transcendental. Not being a mathematician, I will leave those references to those who understand such things; I am a total alien when it comes to concepts that involve numbers and absolutely no interest in changing that, thank you very much.
Ha! I thought that we might be developing those muscles and talents next! [Michael chuckles again.] I mean first and foremost, it was … and is … the writing. Then, it was dancing. Now, you have a pencil in your hand ninety percent of the time. What’s going to be next? Didn’t you used to say the same thing about drawing?
Yeah, but math is a whole other concept here, Sweet King! Believe me, let’s not go there.
We’ll see. You can never tell where we are going to end up. These installments are unpredictable. Most of the time, we end up talking about things that we didn’t know we were going to be talking about when we began the conversation. That’s what makes them so unique … and spontaneous … you don’t really have a plan or an outline that you feel we have to stick to. You’re open to the unexpected. So, let’s talk about ‘transcend.’
Okay, well, first of all, I think it would be appropriate for us to look at the definitions as outlined in the Miriam Webster Dictionary (online). I guess this is the ‘nuts and bolts’ part of this dialog.
TRANSCEND
1a : to rise above or go beyond the limits of
b : to triumph over the negative or restrictive aspects of : overcome
c : to be prior to, beyond, and above (the universe or material existence)
2: to outstrip or outdo in some attribute, quality, or power
intransitive verb: to rise above or extend notably beyond ordinary limits
TRANSCENDENT
1a : exceeding usual limits : surpassing
b : extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience
c in Kantian philosophy : being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge
2: being beyond comprehension
3: transcending the universe or material existence — compare immanent 2
4: universally applicable or significant <the antislavery movement…recognized the transcendent importance of liberty — L. H. Tribe>
TRANSCENDENCE:
the quality or state of being transcendent
TRANSCENDENTAL
adjective
1. transcendent, surpassing, or superior.
2. being beyond ordinary or common experience, thought, or belief; supernatural.
3. abstract or metaphysical.
4. idealistic, lofty, or extravagant.
In the most purely physical and material meanings listed above (generally listed under the number 1, but also number 2 in transcend and number 4 in transcendent), we have spent a lot of time in these conversations defining the many ways you overcame or surpassed the many boundaries, restrictions and challenges by which so much of the world tried to define you.
First, you rose above a difficult, painful childhood and the many fears and obstacles it represented to attain a level of professional, spiritual and emotional wholeness beyond what anyone could have expected … or the world is accustomed to understanding. You surpassed every other artist on the planet in the music, film and performance fields, redefining our understanding of the word ‘impossible’ with many of those achievements. You exceeded the usual limits in absolutely everything you undertook, including work ethic, becoming the pre-eminent artist of the 20th and 21st Centuries (because no one will ever surpass your significant accomplishments or cultural impact), going far beyond ordinary or common experience, thought or belief. In addition, those achievements made you a universally-recognized, globally-celebrated contributor to the human race’s cultural narrative, regardless of whether the analyst is standing in the middle of Times Square or the Ivory Coast in Africa or Papua, New Guinea or St. Petersburg, Russia.
Berry Gordy referred to these achievements at your Memorial Service with the words, “He raised the bar; then, he broke the bar.” And, “He went into orbit and never came down.” The Rev. Al Sharpton used the phrase, “Michael Jackson never gave up. Just when you thought he was out, he came back in.” And, “Thank you, Michael, for never being separated from your dreams.” And, “Michael never stopped. Michael never stopped. Michael never stopped.”
You transcended the barriers and divisions that separated us by nation, creed, age, race, ethnic origin and ideological allegiance and integrated us all into a community, dancing and singing and clapping along loud enough to raise the roof (if any of those stadiums had had roofs.) That integration extended from all those venues, jammed with seething hordes numbering in the hundreds of thousands, and into hospital rooms and orphanages and slums and barrios around the world.
However, what was more important than your own individual transcendence of those barriers and divisions (and I will never understand how you did this so consistently) was the fact that you brought all of us into that transcendent state with you.
Well, of course! What fun would it be for me to go there alone? That was the whole point! [Michael giggles.]
When I was up there on that stage performing, the barriers between us … both real and imagined … just disintegrated; there were no more walls or windows separating us. My isolation and loneliness were shattered … your separateness and the barriers that caused it disappeared like magic. In those moments, we are ONE.
The illusion of separation (which we all think of as an impenetrable, opaque wall) that holds the human race in its restrictive prison of ‘apartness’ is proven to be transparent and easily breached. The Magician lifts the veil on the illusion, showing us how the trick is accomplished. With our ‘transcendence’ over that impermeable belief, our reality changes and we become more open to the ONENESS of which we are all an integral and important part.
It is in those moments that the Master reveals the beauty and drama and pathos of His Symphony in the Key of Love that we have spoken of so often. He plays each and every one of us … both all of you and I … like the most accomplished and skillful of musicians. And it is only when we release our belief in the illusion and allow ourselves to become lost completely in the joy of that experience that we fully realize our truth and are driven to express that truth in all of our relationships and experiences.
You and I were never separate
It’s just an illusion
Wrought by the magical lens
Of Perception
Exactly, Dear One … that quote from Heaven is Here is taking on more and more meanings as these dialogs continue. And these lines, too, hold more meaning for me as I gain insights along the way.
Don’t be afraid
To know who you are
You are much more
Than you ever imagined
In these dialogs, you keep repeating that we are engaged in ‘stretching the limits of a pop song’ and ‘reaching higher,’ ‘imagining BIGGER’ … always pushing the envelope, extending and expanding our preconceived notions of what is possible for us … as individuals … and as a collective impacting our world. This applies very directly to the definition under transcend shown as intransitive verb: to rise above or extend notably beyond ordinary limits. And, while I can’t speak with any authority about my readers, in my life, this extension and expansion is a small miracle for which I am eternally grateful. I have, personally, accomplished that which I had always thought was impossible; the fulfillment of dreams which had always been ‘like a perfect flower just beyond my reach’ has blessed my life so richly.
And that brings us to the more highly philosophical, metaphysical, esoteric and spiritual definitions of the word we are examining. Most of the definitions above transfer easily from the purely mundane to the most sublimely esoteric.
The best words usually do … because the two (highly philosophical and sublimely esoteric) are meant to be fully integrated and balanced to produce wholeness. As we’ve spoken about before it is not either/or … it is both at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive. As a matter of fact they are most fully experienced when they are together. You are most fully human when your humanity is informed and supported by spirit; you are most fully spiritual when your spirituality is experienced in your humanity.
Problems, complications and accusations
Dividing the nations and races of empty faces
A war is taking place.
No substitution for restitution, the only solution for peace
Is increasing the height of your spirituality.
Masses of minds are shrouded, clouded visions
Deceptions and indecision, no faith or religion, how we’re living.
The clock is ticking, the end is coming, there’ll be no warning,
But will we live to see the dawn?
How can we preach, when all we make this world to be
Is a living hell torturing our minds.
We all must unite, to turn darkness to light,
And the love in our hearts will shine.
You are a spiritual being having a human experience. You are not a human being seeking some kind of impossible attainment labeled ‘spiritual enlightenment,’ as your religious leaders would like you to believe because they get to hold the keys … and thereby have the power to grant … that ‘spiritual enlightenment’ for which you long.
In addition, the words ‘spiritual enlightenment’ are defined differently according to your geographical location or your cultural background or religious affiliation, meaning vastly different things … and even contradictory things … in varying places or times. These differences contribute to the perception of ‘difference.’ So, when one culture defines ‘enlightenment’ as a ‘release from Maya (the material world)’ another defines it as ‘success’ or ‘material wealth,’ which is just another term for ‘Maya.’ How confusing is that?
It doesn’t have to be confusing. The important thing to remember is: you don’t need a ‘gatekeeper’ to control or confirm, approve or sanctify your admission into your Highest, most expanded self. As we’ve spoken about before, the spiritual realm is your home … your natural state. God doesn’t lock the door when you assume a human body to experience a more expanded version of self. You don’t need a key … or an institution … to tell you how to approach it; there is no password or prerequisite for you to experience yourself in your highest state. All you need is a firm, unshakable knowledge that the state exists, the confidence that you are welcome to discover, explore and remember it and your willingness and openness to that experience.
So, Keep the Faith
Don’t’ let no one turn you round
You’ve got to know when it’s good to go
To get your feet up off the ground
Keep the Faith
Because it’s just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out
Believe in yourself no matter what it’s gonna take
You can be a winner
But you gotta Keep the Faith
God bless you, Michael!
God bless you more!
You know, Wayne W. Dyer spoke about you shortly after The Day The Earth Stood Still.
[Michael laughs.] The Day The Earth Stood Still! I love that!
Yeah, well, in that interview he spoke of his friendship with you and his visit to Neverland with his family. He was upset at some of the rumors and speculations that were being broadcast at the time and talked about how he had dedicated his book Real Magic to you in honor of your many contributions to the world. At the end of his interview, he said, “This was a transcendent being.” I heard the twelve or thirteen-minute interview … as well as the last five words in it … but didn’t really take the time to acquire an in-depth understanding of what he meant.
I think I have a better grip on the word now. Your transcendence of the obstacles, challenges and roadblocks placed in your path … both material and philosophical … is your definitive bequest to the world because it proves that if one man can do it, all of us, too, can transcend the limitations which have barred our evolution and kept us imprisoned in our own mediocrity.
You overcame the difficulties presented to a member of a racial minority in the 1970s … the challenges symbolized by your less than ideal youth … the stumbling blocks of fame at a very young age … the obstacles of two confusing and potentially debilitating physical diagnoses … the impediments inherent in a corrupt, dissolute industry intent on keeping you in your place … the hurdles you set yourself in your strides toward perfection … the ever-present and increasingly-intrusive media barrages … a trial on trumped up charges … misrepresentation on a massive, global scale … and you never gave up. The fact that you rose above all of them with love … not criticism or violence or manipulation … but with love … and more love … makes your achievement even more worthy of admiration and emulation.
Aw! God bless you! I love you much, much more, you know.
Michael Bearden wrote the following in a comment on his page in 2010
MJ and I never talked about [his favorite number, 777] specifically, but we did talk about the concept surrounded by its significance, if you follow me … I think I shared one conversation on the DVD he and I had about the meaning of our name, “Michael.” Here’s what I think 777 meant to MJ. There are many, many interpretations of the number 7 and what it means, but for MJ, and I’m only guessing per our conversations, 777 is the number of God, just as our name translates to one who is most like God. Did MJ think he was God? NO! But he did accept his mission on the planet as an archangel of sorts … one who was responsible for the ascension of the soul through the physical body, to help shine light on what man must one day realize. God is love, love is real, God is within us! He used his power of music to convey this message … Music is the most powerful language available to us on the planet…[…] This is what 777 means […]…Me and MJ talked a lot about these kinds of concepts […]
In this quote, Michael Bearden talks about ‘But he did accept his mission on the planet as an archangel of sorts … one who was responsible for the ascension of the soul through the physical body, to help shine light on what man must one day realize.” While not actually using the word, itself, he is talking, here, about transcendence.
“Michael understood the fundamental laws of quantum physics, which say we are all interconnected in the Universe. Through many of his lyrics, Michael reminds us to see the magic of God in everything (…). Michael understood and conveyed to us that it is possible to direct this powerful energy with our thoughts and emotions. He used to say: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – “You become what you think.” […] Michael had a holistic approach to human beings. He understood the human being is a whole, encompassing body, mind, emotions and spirit or soul…The word “holistic” comes from the Greek “holos” which means Union, Whole. The human species is divided into races, nations, political ideas, social classes and religions. Holism emphasizes the need that every individual must make an inner change to achieve a global transformation. Michael knew this, and above all, he knew that the ultimate healing energy is Love.” Liz Johnson
Liz Johnson, in the quote about, while not actually using the word, is talking about transcendence.
As a matter of fact, I believe I could fill an entire book with references from those who know you both during the physical side of your life … and those who know you only in the eternal side of your life … to your transcendence.
Okay … let’s work on that one next!
[Jan laughs out loud.] Baby! Slow down! I’ve only got ten fingers!
Jan – August 24, 2012
Jan, This is so amazing and the timing in which i found it! It just happened to be everything my friend Tina and i needed to hear, We read it together and were making spectulation and questioning and commenting through out each time we joined the script. Michael answered our questions, Always a step ahead of us, but then you would know all about that.
Thank you for placing this in our hands and our hearts.
We love you Michael,
Gods continual blessing, much L.O.V.E. Sunshanna
I found this absolutely amazing and very intersting all viewpoints made were so valuable. I love the way all things seem to interlock with the other …fanatastic …..would read again and again
Great reflection, Jan! Thank you for posting!
Dear Michael, we love you so much!! Happy birthday, with all our love S2 S2 S2
Hi Jan! First of all, I’d like to thank you for quoting me in this excellent post.
Do we know each other? I guess you took this paragraph from the excerpts I shared last year in my group “Dear Michael, Messenger of Love”. I’d appreciate it if you could confirm this or tell me where you took it from.
I’d also like to share with you and your friends here that my book has already been published -in Spanish for the time being. The English version will be out by May/Jun 2013, God willing. Here’s some links where you can check it!
Thanks a lot again for finding my refelctions interesting.
God bless you all,
Liz Johnson
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dear-Michael-Mensajero-de-Amor-por-Liz-Johnson/408824382491159?ref=hl
http://www.elaleph.com/libro/Dear-Michael-Mensajero-de-Amor-de-Elizabeth-Johnson/312706/
Hi, Liz! Thanks for coming by With a Child’s Heart. I don’t believe I got that quote from your group but it’s possible it was shared on one of the grpups I belong to. I wish I could remember exactly where I got it, but I’m sorry, I can’t. I hope I credited you correctly. I look forward to reading the English version of ypur book. Have you read my book, Conversatiins? The link is on the main page. God bless you for stopping by.
Yes, Jan, you’ve credited me perfectly. I haven’t read your book, yet. In fact, I’m starting to browse your blog just now.
Sorry for my English. Sometimes it’s not very accurate. :S
Look forward to being in contact. We have a special LOVE to share!
Thank you again!
Winged hugs!