A Medical Doctor

"I am not an Elephant! I am a Human Being!"

A Medical Doctor, played by Anthony Hopkins, comes upon a very strange being, whose English name is John Merrick (exquisitely played by John Hurt). When they meet, Merrick is part of a freak show in a traveling carnival, under the care of a despicable fellow, named Bytes.

Seeing the man's highly abnormal physical condition, Dr. Treves (Hopkins) decides to take Mr. Merrick on as a patient at London Hospital. What follows is a many-faceted, heart-wrenching, heart-warming portrayal of the old saying: "Never judge a book by it's cover."

This picture truly is a mind-expander. Also featured is a wonderfully benevolent Anne Bancroft, as a famous actress with a queen-sized heart. In one beautiful scene, John Merrick begins reading out of a Shakespeare Anthology that the actress has given him as a gift. He is brilliant, sensitive, and fully aware--inside a body that has been ridiculed and demeaned for his entire life. She is wise enough to see beneath that "costume," as his innocent mind begins reciting lines of dialogue, which have been very familiar to us, but which he has never read. He speaks of the "holy kiss".....reciting lines that Romeo says to Juliet. Reverently, she begins responding back as Juliet. He speaks the lines......"Then let lips do what hands do......." (a scene where they kiss) She leans down and kisses his cheek, and says to his tear-filled eyes........."

"Oh, Mr. Merrick. You're not an elephant man at all. You're Romeo............"

DID YOU EVER FEEL LIKE AN ALIEN IN YOUR WORLD?

One of the most commonly shared experiences that is mentioned, by those who grew up on a transformational track, is the feeling of being an "alien" in their world. Talking with the family, going to school, playing in the neighborhood, and otherwise attempting to fit into society was always colored by the sense that "I am different than they are." Some people even imagine that the stork made a mistake when delivering them, and the records need to be reviewed and corrected!

If you look on the bookshelf of any "transitional" being, you're going to find a whole host of books that deal with self-esteem, socialization skills, gaining and receiving love, and how to be successful as a person. I laughingly refer to these as "head books." We collect them because, deep down, we have a pervasive sense that what is happening in us does not happen to everyone. For most of our lives, this has been a "thorn" in the flesh---a continual irritation, and something that we have desperately wanted to change.

Now Spirit comes to us as though we are Abraham, about to plunge the knife into Isaac's sacrificial heart, as he lay upon that famous altar. We are told: "Wait! Don't change that. Leave yourself be! Don't touch that dial!!!"

The Guides tell us:

"The feelings which you hold (or rather, the feelings which hold onto you).........are put there for a reason. They were, early on, interpreted in such a way that they tended to limit you. And that was well and good. But now, in your latter days of awareness, what once limited you can now be a means of personal liberation and expansion.

Your feelings of personal "alien-ation" (so to speak) were designed to be INPUT MODEMS for contact with those who live in other places, other times. They are RESONANT RECEPTORS for those who would seek to merge with human consciousness, mid-stream."

And let's face it, shall we? If you enter a dinner party that is already in progress, looking for a friend, are you going to immediately walk over to the guy who is the center of attention, telling all the jokes? Or are you going to scan the room, checking for someone who seems a bit ill at ease? Someone who looks sharp, but has nothing to distract them, and might be open for conversation with another shy newcomer?

No one reading these transmissions is stupid. But many of us have been made to feel that way. The world seems to (outwardly) work one way, while we (inwardly) seem to operate in an entirely different way.

That can be frustrating, can't it?

And, my friends, I can tell you that Spirit............and all the "alien" energies...........are eagerly scanning this Earthly "Party" for those who seem a bit withdrawn, a bit intimidated...........and whose innards are "wired" in just such a way that they have no problem (and no objection) with connecting to another "alien" who might want to come and join the party. Once again.......I call your attention to little "Elliott" in the movie "ET.....the Extraterrestrial." He was a bit of a loner, a recluse. He felt weird and alone in his world, and uncomfortable in his skin. And yet, in the end, he was the one who was flying across the clouds, calling out: "He came to ME! He came to ME!"

As we reach for the stars, we must rejoice, and give thanks for our scars. Those things about ourselves that we've been most ashamed even to speak about, let alone accept. The little "quirks" that make us feel "inhuman" or "weird." Are we brave enough to do this? Only the Shadow knows! I look forward to sharing more about this, as the process continues.........Where no man has gone before.

OUR SCARS ARE OUR STARS!

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"Beneath the social mask we wear every day, we all have a hidden shadow side: an impulsive, wounded, sad, or isolated part that we generally try to ignore. The Shadow can be a source of emotional richness and vitality, and acknowledging it can be a pathway to healing and an authentic life. We meet our dark side, accept it for what it is, and we learn to use its powerful energies in productive ways. The Shadow knows why good people sometimes do "bad" things. Romancing the Shadow and learning to read the messages it encodes in daily life can deepen your consciousness, imagination, and soul."

from "Romancing the Shadow," by Connie Zwieg, PhD., and Steve Wolf, PhD.

Daniel Jacob