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Conversations with Chief Joseph

from the January 2007 Star Beacon

Shadows on the Wall

by Chief Joseph and John Cali

Do you ever wonder what’s “real” and what isn’t?
I sometimes do. How do we tell the difference?

John Cali
          Many years ago when I was in college, part of our required curriculum was philosophy. Four years of it! It often practically put me to sleep. But there were parts of it I found fascinating. One of those was Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.
          I’m sure most of you have heard of Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher. His teacher was another Greek philosopher, Socrates, who, many of you will remember, was put to death for his teachings.
          Here’s how part of the allegory goes:
          Deep inside a huge, dark cave are prisoners who’ve been chained there most of their lives. The chains force them to look only at the wall in front of them. They cannot turn their heads to see anything behind them.
There’s a big fire blazing behind the prisoners. Between the fire and the prisoners is a walkway over which various objects are carried, thus casting shadows on the wall in front of the prisoners. This is the prisoners’ only reality, and they believe it’s all there is.
          There’s more to the story, of course, but that’s all we need for today.

          Here’s Chief Joseph.

Chief Joseph
           Your lives on Earth are the shadows on the wall of your cave. Are the shadows real?
          Yes.
          But they are only a part of all that is. And you, the “prisoners” in your human bodies, are only a part of those grander selves who live beyond time and space.
          You often believe your physical bodies and experiences are all you will ever have or be. You define yourselves by the shadows you see on the wall.
          Those shadows are just that — shadows, a tiny, minute aspect of the glorious, greater reality of who you really are.
          Do you know what your earthly experiences, your physical bodies are? In a very real sense, they are figments of your imagination.
          You have created, with your consciousness, everything and everybody and every experience you have ever known on Planet Earth.
          You created it all. And none of it is very “solid.” Even your scientists, like Einstein, a most wise old soul, will tell you nothing is solid.           It’s all energy, vibration. It appears solid because you, in your human bodies, are operating at a low vibration. And you cannot easily perceive the higher vibrations, unless you have trained yourselves to do it.
          The more you raise your vibration — through meditation, prayer, whatever — the less solid your “reality” becomes. The more you align yourselves with your higher selves, the less solid and more fluid and flowing your entire world becomes.
          We are in no way diminishing the importance and sacredness of your earthly lives. We are simply saying do not define or limit yourselves and your value by what you see “out there” in your physical world.
          Your physical world, your physical bodies are your shadows on the wall. They are real. But they are not all that is. They are not all you are.
          They are simply a place on your path to fully remembering those grand and glorious beings of light you all are.

FREE BOOK!
          The Book of Joy: How to Live Every Day of Your Life Happily Ever After.
          Get Chief Joseph’s wise advice and guidance on how to live your life exactly the way you want to, and how to do it with deep joy. Surf to: http://www.greatwesternpublishing.org/boj.html

Email: john@greatwesternpublishing.org
Website: http://www.greatwesternpublishing.org
Free newsletter: chiefjoseph-on@mail-list.com
Private readings with Chief Joseph: readings@greatwesternpublishing.org
Directory of Products & Services: catalog@greatwesternpublishing.org

Copyright © 2007 Earth Star Publications
For permission to reprint articles or use graphics, e-mail earthstar@tripod.net.