Attunement
The same medium that provided the knowledge and information to enable me to write “This Life on Earth with Angels” opens occasionally to allow me brief dialogue with famous people who have died. The opening of this channel is usually energised by an anniversary such as a birthday or the day on which they died. The most recent example resulted in the following interview with George Washington.
George Washington (February 22 1732 – December 14 1799)
George Washington, universally regarded as the "Father of his country," was the first President of the United States of America. He was voted in unanimously and served from 1789 to 1797. He presided over the writing and introduction of the American Constitution and oversaw the creation of a strong, well-financed national government that sought to preserve liberty, promote commerce, reduce regional tensions and promote a spirit of American nationalism. In doing so he won acceptance among Americans of all types (Washington was not a member of any political party and as President he officially saluted 22 religious groups). Before becoming President he completed a distinguished military career by leading his country to victory over Great Britain in the American Revolution (1775-1787) against taxation and colonial control. On his death in 1799, the boy born into a wealthy family who owned plantations in Virginia, was hailed as: "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."
GW: Hello William, GW here, I know you are a bit overawed at speaking with me. Feel no such humility I beg you. I am a man same as you, no more, no less.
WG: And very much your own man by all accounts in terms of your thinking, courage and ability to lead others.
GW: Thank you. It’s true I was not someone who felt the need to be a part of the system in terms of politics or religion. I appreciated the beliefs of various parties but stood for my own standards of good or bad whether in matters of God or matters of state.
WG: It is a good stance to take George but not all are – or were - as privileged as you.
GW: I know that William. Knowledge is the key to putting the world right. Put yourself in no man’s pocket. Some might have more money than you; some might own more than you; some might even look better than you. But you are your own man when you can stand up and say no.
WG: As you did to the British?
GW: This time it’s not a fight against Colonialism, it’s a fight for the survival of man in this time of greed and selfishness and overall lack of moral fibre.
WG: Is that how you see USA today?
GW: I see a country that owes money. I see a country that is not free to put it’s own house in order. I see people who put themselves ahead of others. I see people in power whose main aim is to stay in power. I see a land of opportunity not fulfilling itself. I am not seeing people who put their trust in their work to provide a living for themselves. I am not seeing people who are proud to be American.
WG: I can see all that too George. But, with respect, it was a bit simpler for you. You had a young, victorious and plentiful country. You had a unanimous following and a completely clean start with the Constitution to plan for a better future. Plus, of course, the knowledge, experience, and gifted ability not only to write that plan but the self-belief and strength to see it through.
GW: History is full of men like me William.
WG:Maybe George, but you remained true to yourself and your values. For example, it became quite the fashion for the upper classes of society in your day to over-indulge at parties and functions but you were known for your moderation. What was/is your stance on alcohol?
GW: Alcohol is not demonic as some would have it. Alcohol is a poison. It rots the guts, it rots the brain. You might think you are stronger with it inside you but this is the trick of it William. Your senses are dulled so your perceptions are altered towards less questions about things. You feel less threatened and liberated from worry.
WG: But you were a social drinker George.
GW: Yes I was William. I knew the trick of alcohol and used it to placate myself sometimes.
WG: But how did you know when, where and how much?
GW: I knew when because my quest would be to relax. I knew where because it should only be in a situation where my strength of mind was not particularly important. I knew how much because I would feel this pitiful urge to continue even though I was no longer in full control of my words or actions.
WG: But you occasionally succumbed to that urge?
GW: Yes, of course I did but I always did it when it was totally acceptable to do so, such as when I was with trusted friends or family.
WG: Were you always aware of the moment of this ‘pitiful urge’? What is you advice on this to others?
GW: I always knew William. As do you, as does everyone. Students of alcohol all know this moment. Put yourself in another’s shoes at this moment and ask; “Does that guy need another drink or would he be better off stopping now?” It is not always easy when surrounded by others and sometimes you will not get it right but for the most part try to think of yourself and what is best for you. Each time you do this you will strengthen your resolve so even an occasional slip-up will not knock your will to put alcohol in its place.
WG: You were known as the Father of USA for all you did for your country and rightly so. You also made sure your slaves would be set free and looked after as part of your will. Nevertheless, you did ‘own’ these people and had them working on your plantations all your life. What do you have to say about that?
GW: In our time it was normal to own slaves. I am not saying it was right, I am saying it was part of everyday life in America. My parents always taught me to respect all people, black or white. Unfortunately, not all plantation owners treated their slaves well. All I can say is this: black people came to the USA as slaves but won freedom through their battle for equality, not by fighting white Americans but by instigating knowledge in them about the right of every man and woman to be accepted for who they are and not what they are.
WG: The first black President of the United States is a measure of how much progress has been made on integration. As the first President of all, what would you say to President Obama to put your country, his country, back on track?
GW: Put it this way William. I am not him and he is not me. He must find his own way – as I did – and stick to it.
WG: OK but what should those ways, those policies and ideals, include?
GW: Same as always William. No-one follows you without a reason. Give people your study. Find out what they want, what they need. Then find a way to put it in front of them without harming others. Continue to do this and you will lead them back to a United States that is once again without debt, beyond the control of other nations and in which they can take pride as Americans, only this time not as a super power but a super place to live and be part of.
WG: Ok, now for the final question. What was the greatest lesson you learned from your time on Earth?
GW: I had only one life on Earth and in general had few regrets. If I had to put one piece of advice on the table I would say this:
“Put yourself in a good family if it’s possible. I don’t mean a wealthy family I mean one that is full of love. If you are not in such a family start a new one with you at the centre. Build from this until you have a family who loves you as you as much as you love them. Then your time on Earth will have been well spent.”
WG: Thank you George, from the reference to your ‘one life’ I take it you are in Heaven?
GW: Yes, I am in Heaven with students who have lived once like me or who have completed the journey to the Father over several lifetimes. Together we are one with all who have lived, are now living, or who will live in the future.
Thank you for talking to me William.
I love you all,
Your student in time,
George Washington
Previous Attunements
Eleanor Roosevelt
Mother Teresa
Sir Walter Raleigh
Louis Armstrong (Satchmo)
St Frances Xavier Cabrini
Julius Caesar
Pontius Pilatus
Princess Diana
Eleanor Roosevelt (11 October 1884 – 7 November 1962)
Even without her marriage to Franklin D. Roosevelt, through whose presidency she revolutionized the position of First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt would still, in all likelihood, have become one of the greatest women of the 20th Century. She stood tall (five feet eleven) and came from the ‘swells’ of New York’s high society but was not blessed with good looks. Aged 14 she wrote: "no matter how plain a woman may be if truth and loyalty are stamped upon her face all will be attracted to her." She suffered the trauma of her husband’s crippling disease, unfaithfulness and accusations of affairs of her own but remained by his side until his death as the longest serving First Lady (twelve years, one month, one week and one day). Of her White House years she said: “All human beings have failings, all human beings have needs and temptations and stresses. Men and women who live together through long years get to know one another's failings; but they also come to know what is worthy of respect and admiration. He might have been happier with a wife who was completely uncritical. That I was never able to be, and he had to find it in other people.”A week after her husband's funeral in April 1945, she told reporters "the story is over," assuming her words and opinions would no longer be of interest. She could not have been more wrong. As an accomplished author, broadcaster, public figure and campaigner on the international stage her influence and stature continued to provide a powerful inspiration to both the civil rights and women's movements. Indeed, in tribute to her achievements President Truman called Eleanor Roosevelt the ‘First Lady of the World’.
WG: Hi Eleanor, I loved working on your biography and think - in a good way - I might have a tough time with you!
ER: Put aside your worries William, I was a pussycat.
WG: With claws no doubt?
ER: I could scratch out my story, yes.
WG: Then let's scratch it out together. What should I call you?
ER: Historians say I was called Ellie but I preferred Ellen.
WG: You obviously had a privileged background Ellen. Do you think that helped, or hindered you in the search for truth?
ER: It automatically gave me a voice William but it also put me in a pretty stilted arena that was full of women speaking as if God gave man all the glory for everything.
WG: But I read of you attending finishing school in London. In those days did they not teach you to know your place?
ER: This is what you would expect and for most of the girls that was the message but there were leading lights among the tutors even then. They recognized those of us who knew there was more to women and openly encouraged that.
WG: Would you describe yourself as a feminist Ellen?
ER: No, I don’t think so. Put it this way, would you describe yourself as a ‘manist’ just because you have views of your own that are unswayed by gender, colour or creed?
WG: OK, you know where I am going with this: you had ‘associations’ with ladies later in life that were commented upon, shall I say, unfavourably.
ER: I know exactly where you are coming from with this William. More to the point you want to know who I was coming with!
WG: Ok, let’s get this sexuality stuff out of the way because it is only a miniscule part of what is a magnificent story.
ER: Thank you my friend, but it needs telling.
WG: OK Ellen, then tell it – for me, for homophobes, for confused people facing such decisions.
ER: It’s a big call William but I will try to produce an answer to suit all parties. You are born into a body that operates within a certain scope. Then you find that scope is no longer the only area of sexuality you wish to follow. You know what is expected of you and you also want to explore. I suppressed it for the love of my husband.
WG: And when you found out he was unfaithful?
ER: I suppressed it no longer.
WG: Who could blame you? And what (sorry, I’m being a typical bloke now) was your eventual preference?
ER: Yes, you are wise but you are still a knob sometimes William! I learned to put love before sexuality. I know you would not go that way but you should try to understand others who don’t feel so defined as you in their sexuality.
WG: OK Ellen, point taken. Now, what about the rest of your life? You were married to a President, who was also a cripple. Where did that put you?
ER: It put me in a place where the supposedly most powerful man on the planet needed me to get him out of bed in a morning. I was torn between stating my love for him and admitting he was no longer as strong as he made out to be.
WG: How did that colour your view of other world leaders?
ER: It’s the same now as then William. Most of them get there by chance yet we trust them to rule the world. It’s this notion that needs your support. Give the people the knowledge that will help them to rule themselves. As you say in your book most politicians, even if they start with good intentions, are swallowed up by greed and the need to stay in power, whatever the cost to the electorate. As you also say we need politicians but we need to take interest ourselves and not just surrender the rite of questioning.
WG: Thanks for the plug Ellen but don’t we need to know more about your life?
ER: Not really William, between us we have stated what I stood for. I am not in a position to change things but you and your students can spread this knowledge that will ultimately lead to a better mankind.
WG: Thank you Ellen, it’s been beautiful talking to you. Can I end with a sign-off from you that people will recognise?
ER: Just write this William:
"I knew my place."
- Eleanor Roosevelt
Mother Teresa (26 August 1910 – 5 September 1997)
Mother Teresa, born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian birth and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta in 1950. For over 45 years she ministered in her own way to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying, while guiding the Missionaries of Charity's expansion, first throughout India and then in other countries. Following her death she was beatified by Pope John Paul II and and given the title ‘Blessed Teresa of Calcutta’. In the 1970s, she became well-known internationally for her humanitarian work. Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity continued to grow during her life-time and at the time of her death they had 610 missions in 123 countries, including hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children's and family counselling programs, orphanages, and schools. Governments, charity organisations and prominent individuals have been inspired by her work. She received numerous awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979. Mother Teresa also received criticism for attempting to convert people to Catholicism and single-mindedness towards contraception and abortion.
MT: Hello William, Mother Teresa here.
WG: Hello Mother, is that how I should address you?
MT: I know you will not know my real name so you can call me Teresa.
WG: I looked up your real name (Agnes). Is that what your friends called you?
MT: My students called me Mother and my friends called me Aggie. You think of me as Teresa so please use that.
WG: OK Teresa I will. At what age were you when you decided you would give your life to God and helping people?
MT: I know when to the moment. I was in my street in Skopje (Macedonia) when I met a nun from the local convent. The look on her face was one of peace and love. From that moment I knew I would be a nun.
WG: Did the decision go down well with your family?
MT: It was a bit of a joke at first. I was only 12. But this did not stop me from giving it my all.
WG: So you were forceful even then?
MT: I know I seem like a powerful figure but it was not my way. I had God’s love inside me. It was all I ever wished for William.
WG: You mean you never wished for any of the normal things a young girl might think about – pretty clothes, romance, children of your own?
MT: No, I knew from the start that I would not have children of my own but I wanted to mother those children who had nothing or were sick. I knew that it would ultimately more satisfy my maternal instincts.
WG: How did you first become a nun?
MT: I joined a convent in Ireland for studying when I was 18 then went to India to teach with my Catholic sisters. I taught there for 17 years before asking if I could go outside to help the poor and sick of all ages and faiths.
WG: When did you first sense that you were starting something that would grow and grow?
MT: I just worked from this time on as a lover of mankind. I had no personal ambitions.
WG: But you must have realised as your missionaries grew that you had power and influence?
MT: I knew that if I said something many would listen which is why I didn’t say very much in public.
WG: But you still had your critics?
MT: Of course I did. I knew right from wrong and I opposed anything different to my beliefs. I couldn't condone such things I considered to sinful such as contraception and abortion. I considered such things to be against God’s teachings.
WG: God’s teachings or the Catholic Church’s teachings? You must have been heavily indoctrinated by the Catholic sisters in Ireland…
MT: I know where you are going with this William and I am happy to answer you. God’s teachings are simple: ‘give unto others as you would have them give unto you’. I accept the Catholic Church has surrounded this simple notion with pomp and diatribe but it’s still the basis of its teachings.
WG: You were not associated with pomp and diatribe Teresa – far from it – but you were accused of using your influence to convert people to Catholicism. Do you accept that charge?
MT: I know this to be true. I believed in it so I was happy to share my beliefs with others.
WG: How did you feel about being in the world spotlight - for such as the Nobel Peace Prize – mass television coverage and meeting world leaders?
MT: I knew it was my story rather than me as a person they were interested in and by sharing this story I was gaining recognition for sick and poor people everywhere. I knew also that I was still the same person underneath.
WG: I think people could see that Teresa. There was an inner strength, a simplicity that shone through.
MT: Thank you William. I accept it as a compliment but I was not trying to portray that.
WG: Do you have any regrets from your life on Earth?
MT: No, I did what I could and loved it.
WG: And now, do you feel the same? Was your love of God rewarded with a place in Heaven?
MT: I know what I believed in to be true. I am now with Our Father in Heaven.
WG: I am happy for Teresa. Do you have a final message for us?
MT: Yes I do.
"It’s not what you are that matters in life, it’s what you do in life. Give love in abundance to everyone, even your enemies and you will know each day to be a good one."
I love you
Mother Teresa
PS. Please post this message on 5 September, the day of my death. It was the best day of my life.
Sir Walter Raleigh 1552-1618 English explorer, courtier to Queen Elizabeth I, author.
Walter Raleigh was born into wealth in Devon around 1552. He attended Oxford University, fought with the Huguenots in France and later studied law in London. In 1578, Raleigh sailed to America with explorer Sir Humphrey Gilbert, his half brother, and in 1585, he sponsored the first English colony in America on Roanoke Island (now North Carolina). The colony failed and another attempt at colonisation also failed in 1587. Raleigh first came to the attention of Elizabeth I in 1580, when he went to Ireland to help suppress an uprising in Munster. He soon became a favourite and was knighted and appointed captain of the Queen's Guard (1587). He became a member of parliament in 1584 and received extensive estates in Ireland. In 1592, the queen discovered Raleigh's secret marriage to one of her maids of honour. This discovery threw Elizabeth into a jealous rage and Raleigh and his wife were imprisoned in the Tower. On his release, in an attempt to regain favour with the queen, he set off on an unsuccessful expedition to find El Dorado, the fabled 'Golden Land', rumoured to be somewhere in Venezuela. Elizabeth's successor, James I, disliked Raleigh, and in 1603 he was accused of plotting against the king and sentenced to death. This was reduced to life imprisonment and Raleigh spent the next 12 years in the Tower of London, where he wrote the first volume of his 'History of the World'. In 1616, Raleigh was released and led another unsuccessful expedition in search for El Dorado during which he also defied the king's instructions by attacking Spanish ships. On his return to England, the death sentence was reinstated and Raleigh's execution took place on 29 October 1618.
SWR: Good day William. I know it’s not my birthday but I would like to speak to you.
WG: My pleasure Sir Walter. Some historians say your birthday is 22nd January 1552 but others suggest a date in 1554, when was it?
SWR: Historians know little of my life early or late. I was born on 1st June 1552, exactly 401 years before you William.
WG: I must admit that I too know little of your life Sir Walter. I remember learning as a child of your chivalry in laying your cloak over a puddle so that the queen would not muddy her shoes. Was that a myth?
SWR: It’s a true account of an otherwise tedious story that was my life William.
WG: You have been described as an adventurer, courtier, navigator, author and poet. Plus, of course, you were knighted. It doesn’t sound like a tedious story to me.
SWR: I loved Elizabeth as a woman not a queen but I also knew it would not be permitted. Question – are you still not sure I am who I say I am?
WG: Why should I doubt you? Why would anyone else want to be you?
SWR: Gifted answer William, most amusing.
WG: Thank you. So tell me: how would you describe your life?
SWR: I know it’s no excuse but I lived with no respect for people who led a normal life. I loved to be amongst only those I considered my equal.
WG: In doing so I am sure you lost out on many treasures in life. Howevr, you were born into the upper classes, maybe you didn’t know any different?
SWR: I knew God didn’t prosper in such circumstances but I mistook power for strength. Yes, I went on to become a powerful man but ultimately I was powerless to protect my own wife from jail and humility. A simple man of the field would have proved to be a stronger spouse.
WG: Did you marry secretly the queen’s ‘maid of honour’ just to spite her or was it love?
SWR: I knew the queen would not let me marry another. I also knew she would not marry me because I was not of royal blood. I hoped it would test her love for me but it just parted us fully. The ‘Virgin Queen’ lost out too. I know she loved me.
WG: When released from the Tower you set sail to find El Dorado. Did you really believe there was such a place?
SWR: I hoped God existed in a place where I could find Him and talk to Him.
WG: And even after failing once - and many more years in jail to speculate - you still sailed off in search of it again?
SWR: I believed I was a prophet like those in the scriptures and that I could study with Heaven’s Angels.
WG: But you didn’t need a knighthood or power, or a ship to navigate your way to God. He was there all the time. In your soul. In the soul of the man in the field. In everyone.
SWR: Which is why my story was truly tedious and why I have asked to speak with you William.
WG: Then pray tell me how I can help Sir Walter.
SWR: I pray you will help me to find Him for I am still a lost soul William.
WG: Father, your son Walter sailed far and wide and saw more things that simpler and less powerful men would ever see and yet he never had the foresight to look within himself and put his trust in you. Guide him into the harbour of perpetual calm that is Heaven so that his soul may be lost no more.
SWR: I know why you were chosen William. I am now in Heaven. I am now in a place where everyone is powerful and our strength is our unity with God.
I love you,
Sir Walter Raleigh
Louis Armstrong (Satchmo)
(August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971),nicknamed ‘Satchmo’, was an American jazz icon with a raspy singing voice whose stage personality matched his flashy cornet and trumpet playing. He grew up in dire poverty in New Orleans, Louisiana, and as a child worked at odd jobs and sang in a boys' quartet. In 1913 he was sent to the Colored Waifs Home as a juvenile delinquent, where he learned to play the cornet. Music quickly became a passion. Satchmo came to prominence in the 1920s as an "inventive" cornet and trumpet player and became a foundational influence in jazz, shifting the music's focus from collective improvisation to solo performance. Indeed, such was his charismatic stage presence that by the end of his career in the 1960s, he was also an accomplished actor and a profound influence on popular music in general. As such he was one of the first truly popular African-American entertainers to "cross over," whose skin-color was secondary to his amazing talent in an America that was severely racially divided. It allowed him socially acceptable access to the upper echelons of American society that were highly restricted for a person of color.
LA: Hi William it’s Satchmo. You can call me Satch. You will make me happy if it’s me and not my color you wish to talk about.
WG: That’s up to you Satch but I think it needs a mention of some sorts. Up to you how you do it.
LA: OK, put it like this: I was born black and became white in the eyes of people who understood my music. I felt, as a black man, I would not be heard unless I adopted a comedic pose. Give it some thought William, I know you will not let me down.
WG: OK Satch, I’ll give it a go. You were a young boy, born in poverty, who could have ‘gone wrong’ but you were saved by your gift of music. The colour issue made it more difficult so you chose to ignore it, smile and be yourself.
LA: Bapaloopa, it’s cool man, you’ve got it William. I was never that interested in being black or not being black. I was tuned in on being different with a trumpet, or singing, or acting.
WG: Well you certainly did that. How did you find the courage to play beyond the safe style that would still have provided a living?
LA: I guess I had no fear when I was up there. I was playing it for me first and as others got to like it I could push the boundaries further.
WG: Is that a lesson for us all?
LA: Gifts are from God. If you’re lucky enough to have one – and know that you have one – you should enjoy it to the full.
WG: But did you know at the time that your gift was from God? How was your view of religion?
LA: I didn’t know it was from God but I did know it wasn’t just me. I was tuned in on a love for whoever was guiding me in my music. I knew it was a Divine source but I didn’t need a label on it – such as Baptist or Judaism or any other religion – to pray and give thanks.
WG: So you didn’t pray in a conventional sense?
LA: No, I prayed the way I played, from the soul. I used my own words to pray William just as you do. And also like you I had no children so my music is my legacy as yours is the book.
WG: Thanks Satch. I appreciate that. Looking back on your life I have to ask (and sorry for being ‘cheesey’) did it come from the soul when you sang ‘It’s a Wonderful World’ ?
LA: Ha ha, I knew that was coming! It was a truly wonderful world William – and it still is. I know it’s a lyric but it stands the test of time…..
I see trees of green, red roses too
I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
I see skies of blue and clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky
Are also on the faces of people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do
They're really saying I love you.
I hear babies cry, I watch them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll never know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself what a wonderful world.
Oh yeah!
LA: I just wish I could still see it now William.
WG: I don’t understand?
LA: I am not in Heaven. Please pray for me.
WG: OK, a pleasure Satch. Father, you gave the gift of music to Louis. He used it well, to please millions, to please you. Welcome him into your house so he can play some more.
LA: I know now why you were chosen. I know I am in Heaven because my world is now perfect. Hit it!
I love you William and thanks.
From your soul mate in Heaven,
Satch
St Frances Xavier Cabrini (born July 15, 1850)
Italian-born U.S. missionary and the first U.S. citizen to be canonized by the Roman Catholic church. Francesca Cabrini was determined from childhood to become a missionary, and she took her vows in 1877, adding the name Xavier to her name to honor the Jesuit saint Francis Xavier. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1880, and in 1889 Pope Leo X111 sent her to the U.S. to work among Italian immigrants. She lived in New York City and Chicago but travelled in the Americas and Europe to found 67 houses of her order. Mother Cabrini died of complications from dysentery at age 67 in Columbus Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, on December 22, 1917 while preparing Christmas candy for the local children. Cabrini was beatified on November 13, 1938, and canonized on July 7, 1946, by Pope Pius X11. St. Frances Xavier Cabrini is the patron saint of immigrants. Her beatification miracle involved the restoration of sight to a child who had been blinded by excess silver nitrate in the child's eyes. Her canonization miracle involved the healing of a terminally ill nun.
FX: Hello William It’s Frances. I’m happy to meet you.
WG: Happy to meet you too Frances. Did you decide at an early age to give yourself to God or to helping people?
FX: From the age of ten I wished to give my life to God. It was my choice. My family did not push me into it.
WG: But at such a young age did you really know enough about life to know how much you were giving up?
FX: Well, I knew enough to put others before me. I knew this would guide me to God.
WG: Had you lived before, a past life, so you could go without the normal aspects and experiences of adulthood?
FX: I know now that I had but I did not know then. My question to you William: put yourself aside for a minute, which is easier: to risk loss of love or to risk loss of life as you think it to be?
WG :I don’t know Frances, it must have been a truly great love?
FX: The greatest love of all. I knew I had it. I could forego all else.
WG: You must have had hard times in your work – and you were of fragile health – did you ever have doubts?
FX: If we don’t have doubts we are not human William. My body was weak but my mind was strong.
WG: Did you get strength from your namesake St Francis Xavier?
FX: He helped me to put myself aside and follow his path. I put my trust in his teachings and it served me well. His message was: “Look not to yourself but to others to find out who you really are and trust in that person, the true you.”
WG: What did you think of being sent to USA?
FX: It didn’t matter where I was, my studies were the same. In USA I understood that poverty and homelessness were the same as in any country – a vulnerable child has no sense of nationality.
WG: History says you were preparing Christmas candy for children when you died. Is this true?
FX: Yes, I died as I lived, full of love.
WG: How did you feel about being beatified, the miracle quoted for it was you restoring the sight of a child?
FX: I am not a miracle worker William. The gift was already inside that child. Maybe, through praying together, I helped to get it out.
WG: And the same with canonisation – the miracle of you healing a terminally ill woman?
FX: Exactly the same. I am not, nor never was, in a position to extend life. That is between God and the individual.
WG: So what do you think of being America’s first saint and the patron saint of immigrants?
FX: I was one of many who gave up their lives for God. The Catholic church chose me as a role model - as St Francis Xavier inspired me.
WG: Do you think of yourself as a saint?
FX: No I don’t. If people choose to follow my ways then that is up to them but if they put me on a pedestal to enshrine me I am not happy with it.
“People should pray to God and God alone.” – Mother Cabrini
Julius Caesar
100 BC Gaius Julius Caesar, Roman military and political leader (d. 44 BC) (born either July 12 or July 13) who played a major role in the transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. Ironically, it was the loss of his priesthood early in his life that moved Julius Caesar towards a military career that would change history. His conquest of Gaul extended Rome’s territory to the English Channel and the Rhine. He became the first Roman general to cross both when he built a bridge across the Rhine and conducted the first invasion of Britain. Caesar marched from Gaul back to Italy with his legions to contest a civil war in 49 BC from which he emerged as the unrivalled leader of the Roman world. The Dictator, who had many titles bestowed upon him, (perhaps ominously including ‘Father of the Fatherland’) was assassinated on the ‘Ides of March’ (15th) in 44 BC. He was stabbed 23 times by a group of conspirators at a session of the Senate.
WG: History is unclear whether you were born today or tomorrow. Which is it?
Caesar: I was born on this day,12 July, 100 BC.
WG: What kind of childhood did you have?
Caesar: A happy one. My parents had power and wealth. We had everything we wanted. It all changed when my father died and I became head of the family. I was only 16, my childhood was over.
WG: The following year you became a priest, how did that happen?
Caesar: I became a high priest. It was not some kind of spiritual calling. It was more of a political role and provided for the family. Very soon after it was taken away from me along with our wealth. We had nothing.
WG: Did that make you feel bitter?
Caesar: Of course it did but it also fired up my determination to be in control of my own destiny and in the military I had the perfect vehicle to achieve that.
WG: Did you face death in battle?
Caesar: Many times but I knew that I was destined to be great.
WG: Was it a ‘message from the Gods’?
Caesar: I thought of it as that but it was a message from deep down inside me, an intuition that grew stronger with victories over my enemies.
WG: You did many bloody deeds. Did you consider yourself cruel?
Caesar: I know I was cruel. I did not value the life of anyone who did not have power or wealth.
WG: Well, you lived by such a sword and died by it. Did you know that you would be assassinated?
Caesar: No, I thought I was invincible.
WG: What were your thoughts when you knew you were dying at the hands of hatred?
Caesar: Hatred and fear – I knew my time was up. Question not why I died like that; question why I lived like that.
WG: And the answer Caesar?
Caesar: Because I was too blind to see the power of love.
WG: Did you see the power of love among ‘ordinary’ people?
Caesar: Yes, it was ultimately far greater than the power of fear I created among them.
WG: Why did you not seek to find out more about the power of love?
Caesar: I was afraid of it. You can overcome fear – as shown by my assassins – but you can’t overcome love.
“When your enemies love you rather than fight you they will eventually render you powerless.”
WG: Is this your final message for posting?
Caesar: Yes, I love it.
Pontius Pilatus
Pontius Pilate was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judea from AD 26 to AD 36. He is remembered for being the judge at the trial of Jesus and reluctantly authorising His crucifixion.
WG: When and where were you born?
PP: I was born on this day (July 8th) in Rome. I was 40 when I became Prefect of Judea in AD26.
WG: According to history you served in that role for 10 years, what happened after that?
PP: I was called back to Rome because I studied with Pharisees. I was taken to prison and later died there. I was 52.
WG: Did Jesus change your way of thinking?
PP: Very much so. He was a man who commanded thousands with His words. We commanded by fear. He gave love to all, even those who sought to kill Him.
WG: Did you really wash your hands of condemning Him?
PP: Yes, His trial was carried out to discredit Him but His innocence shone through. I could not give a guilty verdict of His being against Rome, or against anyone.
WG: What did He say to you when sentenced?
PP: He looked into my soul and found it to be very sad. He gave me His blessing and asked me to pray for Him. His expression did not change throughout. He radiated love and understanding.
WG: How did you feel afterwards?
PP: I knew His way was the true way for people to live in peace and harmony. I tried to put some of it into practice in the way I presided over people but Rome saw it as a weakness.
WG: What did you know of the Crucifixion and Resurrection?
PP: I know He died filled with love for those who executed Him. It filled us with sorrow, not for Him us but for ourselves. I heard stories of His disappearance afterwards but assumed His followers had taken the body.
WG: And now that you know the full story?
PP: I knew the answer all along deep down in my soul.
WG: Do you have a final message?
PP: Write this on your post (Twitter/Facebook) for today:
“Give me your ears and I will give you the true story of Pontius Pilatus and his trial of Jesus.”
- Pontius Pilatus
Princess Diana
July 1st 1961 - August 31st 1997
Born at Sandringham, England, Lady Diana Spencer married Charles, the Prince of Wales in 1981, and had two sons, Prince William (1982) and Prince Harry (1984). The royal couple divorced in 1996 but Princess Diana continued to attract vast worldwide media attention with her mixed-up personal life. The ‘People’s Princess’ died in a car accident in Paris in 1997 with Egyptian film producer boyfriend Dodi Al-Fayed.
July 1st 2011 (which would have been Diana’s 50th birthday)
Diana: Hi William, allay your fears of offending me. I am truly pleased to study with you.
WG: I don’t want to be too intrusive.
Diana: Don’t worry, it’s ok.
WG: Ok, did you enjoy your life in the spotlight?
Diana: Not really. It was fun at first but then it got ugly.
WG: Were you finding happiness at the time of your death?
Diana: Not really. I loved many things, mostly my boys, but I still sought fulfilment.
WG: Now the big question, was your death an accident?
Diana: I know this is dangerous for you William so I will not say. Cars don’t lend themselves to safety at such speeds, but why were we running away? Is this ok? No more on that please.
WG: Ok, on a brighter note, how did you enjoy Prince William’s wedding and what do you think of his bride?
Diana: Family stuff William. I am not prepared to comment
on it.
WG: But surely your lack of comment will say something?
Diana: Then history will know I am not against or for this marriage.
WG: Ok, thank you for your life. You meant a lot to the people not only in the UK but throughout the world. Thank you for your smile. Do you have a message for us?
Diana: Yes, put it on your ‘TwitFace’ post for today. Write this:
“Love fills those who trust in tears and rejoice in heartbreak.”
- Princess Diana
Previous Attunements
Eleanor Roosevelt
Mother Teresa
Sir Walter Raleigh
Louis Armstrong (Satchmo)
St Frances Xavier Cabrini
Julius Caesar
Pontius Pilatus
Princess Diana