Maintaining A Spiritual Connection In A Pandemic With Bob Cross
The pandemic has pushed people to isolation for longer than anyone ever expected. How do we maintain our spiritual connections not only to ourselves but to the world around us? Bob Cross invites Susan Norton to his home for a conversation on spirituality and how to keep your heart open amidst uncertainty. It’s not all about rituals. Bob shares how he’s been coping away from the world and methods he’s using to stay connected with others. Stay tuned!
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Maintaining A Spiritual Connection In A Pandemic With Bob Cross
Discover Ways For You Of Connecting To Spirit
Here, you will discover ways for you of connecting to Spirit. These are true stories. Welcome.
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I can't believe I'm here in the middle of COVID-19 in Ithaca, New York. I'm actually in somebody's house, with an actual human being. This happens to be a gentleman and a friend that I've worked with for years. His name is Bob Cross. An extraordinary human. I admire him very much. When we had our fires live, he was a firekeeper and I also consider him a wisdom keeper. He's humble and shy and I thought, “I'm going to ask him some questions while we have this time together because God knows when I'll be with a human being again during this COVID season.” It happens to be February 6, 2021. Bob, how are you doing? How is the COVID affecting you? Has it changed your life at all? Are you still able to do any spirit activities or see your power animals?
It has gifted me the opportunity to be more spiritual. I'm doing a lot of reading and praying. I can't physically do as much for other people but I've found out that on the internet, I can make donations. I supportPlaying For Change and make little donations around the world safely. I can't count on physical distractions like I can't go to Wegmans four nights a week or go here and there.
I sit here with spirit and I'm reading a lot on different spiritual paths and experimenting. I’m trying to channel positive energy out into the world that I believe it needs. I don't feel that isolated, it feels like I'd become more useful through channeling and being in touch with spirit and seeing these little ways that I can participate in.
You can't do some of the physical things that you did before. Would you say there are any gifts in that? I’m just curious.
One of the things I miss the most that I’m a handshaker, hugger and a shoulder patter. That was really how I felt that I was being comforted to other people. Except for three nurses, I haven't had any physical contact until last March 2020. I've had to rely on prayer on the times that I'm out and about. I go occasionally to stores to make eye contact with people.
It's amazing how you communicate with just the eyes and see people that need that eye contact sometimes or kind words that I can use here on the phone. I do some texting with people that need to be texted like other people aren't in contact with that much. I'm finding other ways and it's amazing how we can adapt if we look.
Once you accept pain in your life, it loses power.
I haven't seen you for a couple of months but I saw you a while ago on the back porch of my house. I must say that you are looking pretty good. Your hair is long, which is so groovy. I'm just wondering if because of the prayers and the work that you're doing, maybe you don't see it but you have a nice glow. I was surprised to see that.
It seems that when people are spiritual and caring people, they become more beautiful and radiant and when we think of others like you are. When we're in that place, you're in that place or different people like Wayne Dyer come to mind and I see that in you so it's really beautiful to physically be here in the same beautiful setting.
Your home or your little nest is glorious. I've never been in here. This is a treat. There are gifts in all this and if you can find the gifts then you're rocking life. It's amazing how many lives we touched we don't even know. Do you see or sense any guides or helpers with you? How do you know you're doing the work? I’m just curious.
You re-introduced me to a black jaguar. I met him years before I met you. I went out of mind and then I don't know why the first time that we talked, you said you saw him in my life so he's there and he's a great guy. He took me to visit him in the Amazon. I've been in his body, I've been out and he's, he's great and then that friend that we talked about is a coyote. I thank coyote for being the greatest teacher that I've got because he's the trickster and he makes life interesting. When I accept him and I welcome him into my day every morning, he makes this life interesting.
I make plans and they blow up so that's part of the plan. There's always another option or another plan that I can take. I like that playful part. From my experience, he ate two of my cats when I lived in Spencer but that's what coyote does. They run around the hills and they eat cats. He also allows me to go into a lot of different directions because he blows up the ones that I head into that are important.
They blew up and I found some great options to those over the years and I'm not frustrated. It's a lot of teachings. Once you accept pain in your life, it loses its power. Once I accept frustrations into my life, they lose their power. It doesn't mean the sun's not going to rise and that I'm a total screw up, it just means that's life and that's okay.
It’s because you're more inward, you're doing readings and studies that you haven't had time before so that's a gift. Has anything come out of your reading or your studies? Was there anything new that you've glistened to from this?
I have a strong Christian base as far as following Christ and I liked one of his teachings when he first started teaching. He went after the educators, teachers, the ones before him and he says, “You're all ritual. There is no spirit,” and he taught spirit. That to me is the most important thing. Rituals some people need them. They're nice for some people. I want the coyote, “Give them a spiritual.” You taught me, Susan, to listen over your shoulder to spirit. That's what I need. Rituals are nice but rituals fail me. It's like walking around the block. I can't do that anymore so what's the option? Sit here and be grateful for what I can do. That counts in the adaptability of listening to the spirit.
A ritual might be attending and saying systematic prayers or doing repetitive actions but without meaning.
I don't have to do the certain action for God, spirit, Allah and Krishna to like and accept me. I don't have to earn their love. It's to open my heart and listen but that’s just me.
It’s like direct access. It’s open.
A lot of people find comfort in rituals. That's good for them but I don't want to get the feeling that I have to do this to get spirit’s or God’s love or acceptance.
There’s a new way. You don't have to earn it. You don’t have to do ten certain prayers or kneel for an hour on a hard surface.
You can’t listen to the spirit if your ego is roaring.
I like the word, “Grace, unearned and undeserved gift.” My life is unearned and undeserved. It is a gift.
If there were any people out there feeling disconnected, alone, unloved, abandoned or maybe they're so stuck in their darkness that they can't find a way out is there anything you would tell them or let them know that they might be reading now?
To me, it's a spirit that connects us. The spirit within our heart, within your heart, the spirit above, below and all around us. That to me is the connection. That's love. Spirit is pure love and unconditional. If I opened my heart and my mind to spirit, it connects us. We've got that in common. I can throw it away if I choose to but I don't choose to do it as often as I used to.
Even if they’ve thrown it away or even if I've thrown it away, it will take me back. I can be welcomed back.
I will push spirit away. Spirit doesn't push me away. I will shut the door.
How do you open it again if you remember? I know you're really in the spirit. I can see that.
Opening up in sweet surrender. I was using that short prayer, “Ego, leave. Spirit, come in.”
How was that practice? What did you do? You breathed in and breathed out. How did you do that? Just so you guys know, we were making some recordings and he closed his eyes and did something. All of a sudden, the words that came out were spot on so I'm going to ask him, what was it? I don't know what he was doing. Do you remember? Can you describe it? It’s maybe something we can try.
That's the most incredible and useful gift that you taught me and that's to listen to spirit. I can't listen to spirit if my ego's roaring.
You have a little mantra like ego out, not kicking it out but just pause for a minute, ego and then spirit in. With your intention is that what you were doing when you closed your eyes and the beautiful words came out. In case you were ever wondering about that beautiful voice for episodes twelve and later, this is the guy that did the outro, “This has been the Connecting 2 Spirit show.”
He’s been an amazing individual. He's one of these people who will always be helping from this realm, any realm, pre-realm, post-realm and all the realms. God in his eyes. We're riffing now but thank you. Bob Cross, thank you so much for taking the time to meet with us and share so openly. We honor you.
Thank you back.
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