To be concerned with the goodness of humanity is synonymous with the goodness of ourselves. We all have a responsibility to boldly confront the dark energy that manifests itself as racism in this country. Willfully ignoring what we know to be right is what divides us. Being born here in bodies covered in different skin colors may present different challenges on an individual level, but it is all by Divine design. To believe otherwise would mean that there's an independent force in operation outside of God, thus making the concept of the all-powerful God false. If God is love and all of His creations come from Him, wouldn't that mean that all human beings (brown and white alike) are created in love?

Some souls have come into this life with a personal mission to develop a higher level of feeling and compassion for others, while some are here to experience those same feelings of compassion and connectivity from others. Perceived differences don't mean that we should be divided; it means that we will always have reasons to see each other for who we are, beyond the surface level. Perceived differences are perfect opportunities to explore connections based on the soul of the person and not their looks. And together, we create an exemplary ideal for the rest of the world's benefit.

Racism is our greatest challenge in America. It is time we stopped denying it. Denial doesn't make things untrue (never has); it does much worse. It creates confusion, an illusion of separation that eventually morphs into full-blown internal warfare. The Higher Self sees a connection to all of humanity. We want to be concerned with the well-being of all others (not just some), we are aware of the vulnerable and compelled to act on their behalf, but the act of denial is what robs us of these opportunities.

The Higher Self is the energy center where all of our God-like attributes reside. The only thing that can separate us is our willful denial of what we know to be right.

I believe that we are all created in God's image. We are truly at our best when we can see through the illusions that divide us (skin color, class, material "possessions," race identity, etc.) and readily identify the divine presence present within all things—keeping in mind that even though we are Divine-like, we are not the Divine source, which speaks to exactly what we are here on earth. Equal.

The Bible's stories have exemplified equality and the benefits of harmonious living from the very beginning.

The point of the metaphysical story of Adam and Eve was not a punishment for disobedience; the point is, the Creator, judged them both because they attempted to be gods themselves. The tree was a necessary boundary, put in place to ensure that man would never experience judgment at that level, for himself or others. The energy was so pure before the judgment that the couple had not even realized that they were naked. That one decision to ignore what they knew to be good and right introduced them to the same energy of judgment, lack, shame, and deception rampant in our society today. Prior to that, they'd existed in peace, as the highest, purest versions of themselves.

Their animal nature wasn't empowered until they fed it.

The idea that we are separate is the serpent-energy, and that idea repeatedly manifests itself in our world through the thoughts and deeds of man. There are many lessons to be learned from the creation story. For me, the chief experience was how one decision could change the course of an entire life, and everything connected to it, and that to deny what is right and good is the root of all separation.

We can not be neutral in matters of injustice. The quality of our future and that of our children is dependent on the side we choose today.