. You know that many have written about the disappearance of the honey bees and the shooting at Virginia Tech—which would you like to talk about first?

MATTHEW: Dear soul, let us speak about Virginia Tech. Because that is my sister’s alma mater, to you this personal connection with our family made the senseless killing seem even more a tragic event. Your first thought at seeing the TV newscast was that the shooter was acting out of mind-controlled programming, and I shall tell readers what I told you: No, he was not—he is a dramatic example of what I have explained about the higher energies on Earth magnifying all human characteristics and feelings. He was a desperately tormented young man who felt that no one cared about him and he harbored tendencies toward violence. As his feelings and those tendencies kept intensifying along with the energy magnification, he reached the point where he lost all sense of reason and value of any life, especially his own, and that is when he planned the massacre at the school. This is part of the background in that happening.

Another part is my reply when you asked me at that time: Why did all those promising young lives have to end? and I told you it was in accordance with their soul contracts. Just as I left at a young age because my Earth lifetime missions had been completed, so had theirs. At soul level they knew that their physical deaths, like many other young lives seemingly cut short, will reverberate with lasting and profound goodness that collectively will evoke in humankind greater sensitivity and caring. The same is true about the professors who died—they, too, had completed their chosen missions, and their inspiring influence on many people did not end with their physical lifetimes.

I have told you that pre-birth agreements are designed for the spiritual growth of all involved, and it is no different in this violent ending of all those lives, including Cho’s. He agreed to fill the role that would assist the others to leave when they had fulfilled their chosen experiencing, and of all the souls who moved forward that day, his entire Earth lifetime was the most difficult to endure. This is a related aspect of that happening, why Cho was so psychologically unstable: He also agreed to take on part of the psychic traumas that several weaker personages in the cumulative soul chose to experience but were not sufficiently inured to the hardships of third density to complete them in one physical lifetime. By sharing their chosen lessons, Cho helped those personages attain the degree of experiencing their cumulative soul needed for overall balance. This allowance is a form of divine grace that you could think of as similar to your “buddy system” in diving, and it is offered to souls in this unprecedented era of opportunity for rapid completion of third density experiencing. It is the same in soul clusters, where the stronger, more experienced souls share the hardest physical or emotional lessons that the weaker, less experienced souls need for balance and choose to learn. Please do not think this arrangement is unfair to the strong souls or that the ones who receive help with their lessons did not actually learn them—there is an energetic leveling that provides spiritual growth for all in these shared experiences. None of the people involved are consciously aware of the cooperative effort, but when they return to spirit life where all is known, they feel elation for successfully winding up third density karmic lessons and gratitude to all the souls who assisted them attain their goal.

S: Matthew, there’s so much I don’t understand about all the personages living simultaneously in the continuum and how they cooperate to benefit the cumulative souls and the soul clusters.

MATTHEW: We know, Mother, and you are not alone in this. There is no way to understand something that you cannot consciously relate to, but the understanding will come when Earth reaches the vibrations where there is no barrier between consciousness and soul, where the Oneness of All is known; and if contracts call for souls to enter their next spirit lifetime prior to Earth reaching her destination, they will understand even sooner.

S: Either way is fine with me—I just want to understand! Matthew, how much of the violence in our world is a result of the higher energies?

MATTHEW: I cannot give you a percentage of the violence or numbers of deaths due specifically to this, but I can tell you that the opposite effect—the light generated by increasingly positive characteristics and loving feelings—far exceeds negative results. What happened at Virginia Tech is a much more dramatic example of how the energies are working than say, situations between mates or working colleagues, a teacher and a student, friends. Yet all in these relationships are affected by the energies that, depending upon each individual’s reaction, are either strengthening or diminishing the value of the associations.

Furthermore, this magnification of energy forces is “separating the wheat from the chaff” insofar as people’s intentions—it is forcing them to choose between the light and the dark. Everything in your world is in accelerated motion during this unique time in your planet’s long history, and what I explained about balance’s need for “heavy” roles notwithstanding, there can be no more fence-straddling. The infusion of light is fortifying conscience and heightening sensitivities, and those who resist and stubbornly cling to attitudes and actions that cause suffering for others are thereby choosing not to accompany Earth into fifth density. Their bodies will die because their lifetime energy registration—the composite of every thought, feeling, motive and action—is not compatible with the higher vibrations of Earth’s ascension pathway.

How can you know who doesn’t go along with her because of that universal law about energy and who is leaving in accordance with soul contracts? How they ultimately are remembered. It doesn’t matter if persons are international figures or are known only within their circle of family and friends, whether their lives affected world events or only the people close to them, they are remembered in accordance with how they treated others. The lives touched by the light-filled souls are enriched and there will be widespread relief when tyrants die and no longer oppress nations. I emphasized “ultimately” remembered because you must realize that everything in your world that is considered unconscionable and divisive has been necessary for balanced experiencing. For millennia all of you have played “good guy” and “bad guy” multiple times to achieve balance yourselves and help other souls do the same. You don’t consciously know if “that bad guy” is helping one or many “good guys” achieve balance—this is why we have urged you not to judge anyone! Now, in this extraordinary era of winding up third density karmic lessons, the extremes between “good” and “bad” no longer are needed and the intensifying light is reconciling those opposites into itself—remember, in light there is balance. And when you and Earth are in the vibrations where consciousness and soul merge, the full panorama of what now is known only at soul level will unfold.

S: There’s a question that I think is appropriate here: By bringing light to smaller situations, like families and communities, wouldn’t that expand and transform the darkness everywhere, like running clean water through a clogged pipe—eventually the water coming out is clean?

MATTHEW: That excellent analogy would be even better if it stated that transformation begins within each individual and flows out purely, cleanly, into families, communities and onward. Many souls are feeling that they should be doing something meaningful on a grander scale, but because they don’t know their pre-birth missions and feel no strong direction to follow, they feel disquieted and helpless to make a difference. Each of you is a brilliant spark of god/goddess-ness, a powerhouse of energy with unlimited potential, but it is not necessary for all to perform profound acts! Only a comparative few of Earth’s population need to be national leaders or hold other influential positions; to assist the light, the vast majority need only to kindly and generously share their knowledge, talents, time and resources with those who are in need. Helping others brings balance to you and to them, and the light this generates flows outward to benefit all. Please let this knowledge end your “stewing” about what more you can do and replace that unsettling feeling with the contentment that your balanced BEing is an invaluable contribution to spreading love, peace and harmony throughout your world.

Mother, recently you responded to a reader who was asking about balance, and later she wrote that you answered all her questions. I think your succinct, yet deeper explanation than what I just said can be helpful to others too, so please insert her note and your reply.

Matthew has stated that the elite were given the enormous power they possess via an agreement in order to create balance. Is it possible to get a more detailed explanation of the concept of "balance", in both general and planetary terms? Also, has that balance been attained yet?

What you wrote—"the elite were given the enormous power they possess via an agreement in order to create balance" and "the concept of balance"—is a misinterpretation of what Matthew has said. First, balance isn't a concept—it's the universe in constant motion. In balance there is light, which is the same energy as love, simply expressed differently; this light/love energy is the total essence of Creator, and the goal of all souls is to return to their origin in Creator. (Because I don't know if you're familiar with all of Matthew's messages or the books, I'll attach material in Revelations for a New Era that explains the difference between Creator and God.)

The aim of souls' multiple lifetimes is to fill gaps in experiencing or to master "godly" characteristics so that overall, balance can be attained. Karma, unlike what some think of as "reward or punishment," is the opportunity to practice those characteristics or to experience the opposite of the previous lifetime(s). In the latter case, for instance, someone who killed needs to know what it feels like to be killed; someone who was wealthy needs to live in impoverished circumstances; someone who was a tyrannical leader needs to experience what it's like to be oppressed. The result of balanced experiencing is spiritual growth, or soul evolution, the incremental steps in remembering our origins in Creator and returning to that perfection.

Prior to birth, a soul reviews its cumulative lifetimes and chooses specific genetic and environmental circumstances that will provide the opportunity to achieve balance, to grow spiritually. The pre-birth agreements made by each soul and all principals who are affected by that soul's life are designed for the spiritual growth of all, and what is chosen by each is that individual soul's contract. The souls who choose the "harsh" experiencing of deprivation and hardships need other souls to provide those kinds of situations, and the latter souls also benefit, balance-wise, from playing out their "heavy" roles. However, many millennia ago in our linear time concept (and linear time is only a concept) this "win-win" arrangement got out of hand because after birth, we don't consciously know what our souls chose and we make free will choices that aren't in our contracts, so we need more and more lifetimes to balance the previous ones. Life on Earth became like a merry-go-round that kept spiraling downward until it reached the lowest part of third density.

Earth is a highly evolved soul with a planetary body, and her karma is the collective karma of all her human residents. Throughout the millennia that they kept treating each other and the animal and plant kingdoms brutally, thus continually incurring the need for more opportunities to overcome their imbalance, Earth's body became correspondingly imbalanced. Her soul always was in the higher vibrations as her body descended deeply into third density where negativity—"darkness"—thrives. She gave her light to sustain all of her life forms until her body was nearly depleted and so out of balance that her orbit became dangerously unstable; she had to decide whether to let her body die or ask for help. She asked for help, and God authorized spiritually, intellectually and technologically advanced civilizations to respond to her request.

That brings us up to what's been happening for the past 60-some years—those civilizations' infusion of "light" saved Earth's planetary life and now is exposing and transmuting the negativity—"darkness"—that so long had prevailed. Individuals who absorbed the light started generating their own, thus the light on the planet has been intensifying for over six decades. In this unique time on Earth—in the universe!—some souls agreed to fill the "dark" roles that would conclude all third density karmic experiencing. They also agreed that at a certain point, they would join the light (remember, in light there is balance, the "win-win"); however, some of them became so entrenched in their power and greed, that they knowingly and willingly reneged on their agreement to join the light.

These "dark" ones are being exposed and their power is increasingly diminishing, but balance—the reconciliation of the dark and the light, or, the positive and negative extremes of polarity—hasn't yet been achieved as evident by the deception and corruption still "coming to light" and the continued wars and other violence as well as the unconscionable disparity between the "haves" and "have nots." But this reconciliation—balance—is happening as Earth is ascending into the higher densities where the light is so intense that darkness cannot co-exist.

MATTHEW: Thank you, Mother. Now let us talk about the honey bees.

S: Fine! Most people just asked why so many have disappeared, but some are wondering if this is linked to cell phone usage or chemtrails, and a few want to know what will happen to food production without the bees.

MATTHEW: Like all other life forms in your world, bees have been adversely affected by the various sources of pollution, but the “last straw” is the proliferation of electromagnetic waves from the increased numbers and usage of wireless communication instruments. Bees are strong in will and dedicated to their pollinating mission as they understand their important role in food production. They resisted leaving as long as they could, but ultimately their bodies became too fragile to continue viability against the onslaught of currents that are in conflict with their own energy systems.

The bees still flourishing where there are no, or many fewer, overhead electrical wires or cell phone towers eventually will instinctively populate in great numbers and many will migrate to other fertile areas when all pollutants on the planet have been eradicated. In the meantime, the Devic kingdom is helping to fill the cross-pollination gap by stepping up their interaction with the plant and animal kingdoms. Although fairies and leprechauns are the most popularly known, albeit mainly in fantasy stories, the beloved Devic kingdom is teeming with various-sized unseen life forms that fill myriad essential roles that help Mother Nature thrive. Some of them are so tiny that they wouldn’t be noticed, but others are the size of domestic cats or even larger, and their high vibrational levels afford the security they need in a world where far too often animal and plant souls still are treated as if they are merely things without intelligent consciousness and a spectrum of feelings. Although on occasion some Devas may be seen by especially energy-sensitive folks, at this juncture, their safety lies in their invisibility to most eyes.

S: The symbiotic aspects of all life forms on Earth are really amazing! So the Devas filling in for the bees means that there won’t be the dire food shortages that some are expecting?

MATTHEW: Not from lack of pollination, Mother, but until all the greed and wasteful and hoarding inclinations in humankind no longer are part of the make-up, millions will continue to die from starvation and disease due to malnutrition. But that is coming to an end too, along with all the other grievous circumstance still affecting and ending so many, many lives.

S: This reassurance is important, Mash. I’m hearing from many light workers who are being besieged with serious health, financial and relationship situations that make it more difficult to see the terrible things continuing. Do you know what’s going to happen in Iraq since Bush vetoed the budget because of the timeline for US troop withdrawal?

MATTHEW: No, not in the immediate days or weeks. Even though the Congress was expecting that development, there are no viable contingency plans that will satisfy the majority of citizens’ desire to end the war and also produce a bill that the president will sign. Please remember that although he does agree with the veto, taking that nationally, even internationally, unpopular stance was not his decision—he is following orders dictated by the peak Illuminati members of the faction that he and his family are part of. They will not voluntarily relinquish occupation of a land that long ago was planned as a major step in their intent to control the entire Mideast. The US embassy compound that blatantly exceeds all embassy requirements is being constructed according to Illuminati plans as it is to be their Mideast headquarters. It is also imperative to them that Bush retain his “wartime presidency” status, which entitles him to sign whatever executive orders he wishes and institute repressive policies without congressional approval—financially and politically enslaving US citizens also is part of their long-range plans. It is as I have stated before, these dark ones have lost all connection with reality—they still believe that with time and violent perseverance, their multistage plan to control the world will succeed. Even as members are defecting along with people formerly influenced heavily by the Illuminati, the most powerful in this disparate group cannot accept that already they have failed.

At this point we see the end of the war as a “fizzling out” rather than some formal declaration of peace. This isn’t a case of two countries at war with each other, so there can no peace accord, only the withdrawal of foreign troops from a country whose people want to govern themselves. What once was an even war vs. peace energetic situation in Earth’s field of potential has become so lopsided in favor of peace that the momentum for ending the war is steamrolling the wisps of opposing energy. Some of this is due to unpublicized pressure on the Bush administration by strong countries, some is the growing outrage of US citizens toward their government that is ignoring their desire for peace and the great need for improved national situations, and some is the few members of Congress whose indefatigable efforts to end the war are gathering support of colleagues. Yes, some of these new supporters are acting on self-interest—being reelected next year—but by election time, those who are self-serving will be publicly known, and regardless of their motives, their support to withdraw the troops is part of the anti-war energy surge.

What we see coming in the months ahead is the departure of mercenaries in the CIA’s “black-ops” activities and other civilians employed in various roles to keep the warfront fueled because of increased danger of injury or death, and in some instances, nonpayment for services. More top military will speak out in opposition to continuing a futile war; not only casualties, but fatigue and discouragement about prolonged duty tours are weakening the fighting force, and field commanders will press for the troops’ return home. Now that the shameful neglect of seriously wounded and traumatized military men and women is out in the open, they will receive the proper care and financial assistance that has been largely denied them.

As for Iraq, the stabilization that Bush must keep insisting requires our troops’ presence will not begin until all foreign troops have left. There will be a period of chaos and secular killings before the light is intense enough to uplift the masses living with grief and fear, and to end the physical life of the radicals whose hearts could not be softened. Those who have fled will return and there will be unity of spirit and respect of different views as the Iraqis join together harmoniously to rebuild their ravaged country, an incremental process over the next few years.

S: Thank you, dear—many prayers are going out to those people who are living with grief and fear and hatred. A different source of fear is that the FDA is going to take control of nutritional supplements that are helping many people to stay healthy. A lot of writers hope you can say something encouraging about this.

MATTHEW: I wish I could say that all who benefit from the many natural products will continue to have unlimited access to them, but at this point I can’t. There is encouragement, however. If those products do come under FDA control, it would be for the short term as all darkly devised strategies and laws that harm or hinder your well being will be ending. Also reason for feeling encouraged is that the energy of the light grid is reducing and will eliminate the dark use of electromagnetic waves, thus ending the distressing physical and emotional anomalies due to that cause; and bodies that absorb the light will have increased self-healing ability without supplemental means.

And please do not forget that what you believe about your health condition is paramount! I am not overlooking soul contracts that include physical sickness, pain and debilitation to balance other lifetimes; in those cases, the souls chose to rise above self-pity, attempt to overcome disablement, and see the blessings in their lives; and at the same time their caretakers are balancing their previous experiencing. But far more of you chose physically sound bodies, and in health matters as in all other facets of life, fear is your worst enemy! It causes illness, and because fear energy forms a formidable barrier in your system, your bodies’ self-healing mechanisms cannot operate effectively. Fear clouds your thoughts with negativity and causes preoccupation with “what if’s” that not only permeate your outlook on life, but also affect those dear to you.

Mother, rather than my “preaching,” I ask that you to insert my recent short message to Jean Hudon about fear and also what he received that prompted his request—just the first few lines of the note from someone who was referring to what an acquaintance had seen in remote viewing, please.

Yes, Jean, I think it's time to let a Doomsday focus for all that [sic] coming in. There's a reason for it. Personally I feel it coming too and the different insights that are coming in are very helpful for all of us to decide what is the right course of action to take during this year.

Jean, my respected and beloved friend, I am not here to tell you that what this remote viewer has seen in her endeavors is not accurate, but rather I come with the reminder that with one exception, nothing of potential dire nature is cast in marble. What IS cast in marble is that, by Creator's decree and by means of the advanced technology of our space family, there will be NO nuclear war; other than that, what individuals will experience will be the result of their beliefs and focus. The more fearful the elements interjected into the consciousness mainstream, the more fearful the happenings the individuals' collective energy will manifest. Our intent in continuously beaming massive light to Earth is to reduce and preferably eliminate the fear energy that is keeping many souls from awakening into their god/goddess selves and being spiritually prepared to successfully navigate the transitional bumps in the road as Earth continues on her ascension pathway to the Golden Age. We see that some souls will not choose to make that full journey and we honor that, but the pathway will be smoother for those who do choose to physically accompany Earth if the fewest possible “doomsday” or Armageddon thoughts go shooting out into the universe where they will attract “like” thought forms and bring those types of experiences back to your planet.

MATTHEW: Thank you, Mother. I believe that is enough, so please type the next question.

S: Sweetheart, do you know that May 1 was Global Love Day?

MATTHEW: Yes indeed, I know!

S: Good, then I don’t have to explain that. The question is: Did “Love Day” make any difference in the world or only to the people who know about it?

MATTHEW: Mother, dear soul, Global Love Day is self-descriptive! We rejoiced in seeing the profusion of golden-white light streaming around your world as people in many countries celebrated love in their respective ways, and what could be better than LOVE to honor with its special day! It makes no difference that many on Earth do not know about this day. The magic of love is, it’s not confined to the heart—it flows outward and touches every life near the loving person, and from those people to all lives they touch, and so on throughout the world. I have told you that the ripple effect of a smile is incalculable—can you imagine the magnificence of LOVE streamers circling and circling Earth!

I am grateful for the Love Day question—it reminds me that I omitted an essential aspect of the souls who help other souls in pre-birth agreements, within the cumulative soul and in soul clusters: ALL of this cooperation—that which seems antagonistic or impeding or even is lethal, is based in UNCONDITIONAL LOVE! At soul level this is known. It is understood by all that the “heavy roles” are accepted because of those souls’ love for the ones they are agreeing to cause pain, and it is equally understood and immensely appreciated by those whose spiritual growth is enhanced by the ones who inflict the pain.

Giving and receiving love is the ultimate expression of souls one to another. And FEELING love is so simple! I know your thought, Mother, that space limitations have been reached, so I won’t ask you to insert “What Is Love?” here, but if you will please, reference the message that includes it. [This is in the November 9, 2006 message—the chapter “Light and Love in Action” from Illuminations for a New Era, and the part Matthew is referring to begins “So, then, what is love?”]

Thank you, Mother, and now in my farewell to you and all readers, I say that each of you is unconditionally loved by souls throughout this universe.

(NOTE: Robert Schwartz, author of Courageous Souls: Do We Plan Our Life Challenges before Birth? (www.CourageousSouls.com) will be guest on “Matthew and Friends” May 16th Internet Radio show (www.BBSRADIO.com). May 17, Robert Chapman, global economist, will be guest on “We the People” teleconference; June 7, Stanton Friedman, writer and speaker about UFOs, will be guest; more information about our guests, time and telephone number is on www.awakenedhearts.com