Sometimes we think that in order to be perfect, we have to make some dramatic change of our natural character, and give-up our individuality. You only need to give up one thing— your sense of separateness from God.

 In Messages from Jesus, I said to Jesus,  "I wish I could say that I am perfect in my love for all. I have such wonderful revelations given to me and wonderful experiences, and yet I still get upset, angry, and don't always control my emotions well. Is it possible to be perfect?"

He answered, "It is difficult for most people to recognize perfection within their imperfections. Can you get past your perceived imperfections and let go of them and go on? You are perfect."

Sacredness is in the midst of life. Jesus also said, “It is doubly-important for spiritually-minded people to be connected and grounded to Mother Earth. You cannot progress with your head in the clouds and all things spiritual. You must be balanced with the oneness of reality and spirit to grow. You still have to live in your environment and support yourselves. Actions are as important as meditation.”

In my book Messages from Jesus, God relayed to me, "Whatever you do, do it with love."
As you allow love to fill more aspects of your life, your God-self will become more evident to you.

From That Heaven, my new book:  "The more non-judgmental and loving we are, the more we are aware of God as love and light within us. Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves, for giving and receiving are reciprocal. And each person’s happiness is important to everyone else, for we are all one in Spirit and share the same collective experience."

One who is aware of his God Self or true self recognizes it in all.We have all seen people full of love and compassion. They radiate a powerful energy of love and joy. This energy is the light of God within them. The more forgiving and loving you are, the more you shine; and the more love, light, and joy you have in your life, the more you touch others.

For instance: I was walking through a huge mall one fine spring day with my daughter. Within the oncoming crowd I saw one such person. She did not stand out because of her hair or clothing. She was simply one of many. I could feel her energy 100 feet away. Her eyes met mine, and the closer we came toward one another, the stronger the energy was. We were both smiling, full of joy, as we passed each other and went our way—no words were spoken, no words were needed.

Following is dialogue between myself and Jesus taken from my book Messages from Jesus,

"One day, I was driving home from a visit with family, through an area where part of the forest was being cleared for a new section of freeway. I came over a hill and saw the clearing. It was as if a giant sickle had been wielded through the forest, taking with it everything in sight—a swath of devastation of the green, for miles. I gasped and had to catch my breath. Immediate sadness came over me. All this for safer travel in this rapidly-growing population, at the expense of Mother Earth."

"Human life is important. It is the growing affluent and materialistic society of today that demands safer travel. If it is done with honor and without malice and intent to harm Mother Earth, it is acceptable. If it is done for excessive monetary profit, it is not acceptable. Mother Earth suffers either way. The devastation to all of nature on and in Mother Earth is evident in war-torn places, forest clearings, diverting of waterways, raping the land of minerals, oil and gas, pollution to the environment and even waste from your households. All of this and more has been as detrimental to Mother Earth and her inhabitants as is the taking of human lives.

"You cannot just take from Mother Earth. You must realize you are taking away from future generations—your children, grandchildren and theirs. If you take a tree, you must plant a tree.

"Be aware of what you are purchasing and throwing away. How much waste are you accountable for? Do you recycle? Do you pollute? Do you have more than you need? You are like the child in the store crying loudly, 'I want . . .' when in fact you do not need.

"I tell you, Mother Earth is more powerful than all your weapons set off at once. Do you not realize that you are working in parallel with Mother Earth. As you advance, so does she. As you become imbalanced, so does she."

"Is this why there is so much drought in some areas and floods in other areas. . .?"

". . . And seasonal disruptions and melting of polar ice and strange behaviors of animals and people—often caused by man's ignorance.

"Some of the devastation is from Mother Earth's natural cleansing cycles and maintaining equilibrium. And Mother Earth needs more and more cleansing now as human population grows and devastation to humanity and nature increases. Mother Earth does not do harm intentionally. It is in the cleansing process that people get in the way.

"Many humans don't understand that Mother Earth is a part of the whole, just as important as you and I. It is all one."

"Some time ago, I was visiting a sick friend, who was in a great deal of pain and wanted some healing energy work for himself. We went into his bedroom and he lay down on the bed. One of his two great danes came and stood alongside of me. I had to brace myself because the dog put his body right up against mine and pushed against me. This dog was nearly as tall as I am and he was sitting! The other great dane did not interfere. I started to bring my hands across my friend's body to try to determine where his aura needed work. The dog would push my hands, with his nose, into areas where he thought I should be working. Here was a healer dog!

"When the dog and I finished with the energy work, my friend and I decided to go outside and lie in the sun. We proceeded to lie down on lounge chairs. The two great danes lay down near us. It was a beautiful, sunny day. I noticed many flies in the area and I did some heart talk with them and said, 'I am honored to be in your presence, but I would like to be able to lie in the sun. I would appreciate it if you would let me rest here for a little while, and when I am done, you can have your space back.' . . . No bugs bothered me. After about five more minutes, my friend jumped up and emphatically said, 'I can't stand these flies. I need to get some spray and spray them.'

"I was very upset, first of all, because I had not spoken for him in the beginning and, second, because he wanted to kill them with spray. He went inside to get the spray. I attempted to talk the flies into leaving. In the meantime, I didn't want to stick around for the kill. So . . . I looked at the great danes, and in silent heart talk, I asked them, 'Would you like to show me your yard and what you do here?' They immediately jumped up and walked off about ten feet, turned around, and looked at me as if to say, 'Well, are you coming or aren't you.' So I got up and followed them. First they took me to one area of the tall stockade fence, which was needed to keep them in the big yard. They barked, and from the other side of the fence another dog barked back. I felt as if I had been introduced to the neighbor dog. Then I followed them down a trail leading through some trees and they showed me where they lie out of the sun. They took me to the fish pond and some other areas also. By then my friend had done his deed, so I thanked the dogs and left them on their own."

Taken from Messages from Jesus, Third edition, pp. 97-99.

I learned a wonderful lesson from a dog some time ago. I was working in New Mexico and my assistant occupational/therapist and friend told me her dog was to have surgery soon, and she wondered if it would be all right if she brought the dog into the rehabilitation area, in a cage, during recovery. Well, the day arrived and so did she and the dog.First she carried in a large cage and then she went out to carry in the dog. He was quite a big dog and was heavy for her to carry and put in the cage. He was still under the effects of the anesthesia. We went about our work and, when things slowed down, I said to her, 'How would you like me to do energy work on your dog?'

"The words just spilled out of my mouth.I had never worked with animals before and wasn't even sure if they had auras! She opened the cage and pulled the dog out. The dog was so out of it from the anesthesia that he did not make any signs of awareness. I proceeded to say a prayer and then, very slowly, I scanned for his aura. Immediately, I felt it and then smoothed his aura out! She rolled him over and, again, I slowly smoothed out his aura on the other side. I also worked on healing the incision.After we were finished, she put him back in the cage.

"A few weeks later, we had a terrible ice storm. I was afraid to venture out to go home after work. My friend offered to let me spend the night in her nearby home, and I was very happy to do so. We arrived at her home and walked in. The dog I had, two weeks earlier, given energy work to was on the other side of the room as we entered. He spied me and ran to me and lay at my feet. Over and over, I slowly smoothed out his aura on one side, and then he rolled over for me to do the other side. It was a joyful, happy reunion. In the morning, as soon as he heard me up, he ran to me and again lay at my feet for more.

"This was a new revelation for me. First of all, that animals have auras. Second, that animals are so remarkable that they can be aware of their surroundings even while anesthetized. Third,that this dog remembered me and my energy. I loved all of it.

"Given that I had chosen not to study or read or listen to anything about healing at that time, because I wanted it to come straight from God, I was unaware of the energy of animals. This was a first for me and God provided the lesson through Mother Nature. I was ready for it. All lessons seemed to come when I needed to know something, often through another person, plant, or animal.

"My friend tried to pay me for helping her dog, with money, food and so forth. I realized it was important for her to be able to give me something. I finally accepted a feather, which is still hanging from a planter in my healing room."

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”  --Matthew 24:29-30

In his book The Second Coming of Christ, Paramahansa Yogananda interprets the above passage as referring to Jesus appearing to individuals in a spiritual form, not in a physical body (Volume II, pp. 1312-1314). However, he does not consider this to be “the Second Coming of Christ”. Yogananda regards the Second Coming of Christ as the awakening of each individual soul, in the course of its spiritual development, to unity with the Christ Consciousness – God as the omnipresent, guiding intelligence in creation. First, one experiences the Christ Consciousness; then one can merge with it. Thereafter, the soul is able to ascend to oneness with God as the Supreme Being, the ultimate Source of all that ever was and will be.

    Biblical passages about the “only begotten Son of God” and Christ’s words, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life….” have led many Christians to conclude that Jesus is the only Son of God and that Christianity is the only true religion. But these passages refer to the inner Christ – Christ Consciousness – which manifests in all beings who become truly enlightened, or God-realized. Christ Consciousness is not limited to Jesus, but is available to everyone. This loving intelligence and oneness, which permeates and connects everything in the universe, is an extension of God and is the very essence of our nature as spiritual beings, created in the image and likeness of God. The great yogi and God-realized master Paramahansa Yogananda explains in his writings that Jesus often spoke of himself as the Son of God because he regarded himself as one with the universal Christ Consciousness – the spiritual emanation (Son) of the Father. For Jesus identified with his spiritual nature, not his physical body.

   In Messages from Jesus by Mary Ann Johnston, Jesus says, “The term ‘Christ Consciousness’ is more recent than of old and yet is a good expression of the meaning of ‘the only begotten Son of God.’

   “The term ‘Christ’ goes back farther than biblical times. Krishna, as a Christ, lived three thousand of earth’s years before me. There were others before and since, all highly evolved, fully realized beings. Dogma has distorted the true meaning of Christ, limiting God, once again, to only one Christ. God cannot be limited.” (Third Edition, 2009, p. 33)

Taken from Messages from Jesus,  p. 277

I asked Jesus, "What about those who commit suicide?"

Jesus replied, . . . "They reincarnate to work off that karma. All is not lost."

This has been good news for many people, thinking that their loved ones who chose suicide were going to go to hell.
I thought about suicide when I had my heart attack and visited heaven. Momentarily I thought it would take me back to God. I wanted desperately to return to Heaven. What stopped me was remembering Jesus' words that I would simply reincarnate and start over to work off that karma.  I surely did not want to start over.  I simply wanted to go back to God, never to return. It isn't that easy.  Starting over sounds very difficult.
Thus, I am still here doing what I am meant to do. Apparently I wasn't finished with the task, for God did not keep me.
—Mary Ann

Following is my conversation with Jesus about abortion. You can find it in my book, Messages from Jesus, p. 277+

"What about those who have or perform abortions?"
 Jesus answered:

"There are so many individual situations that warrant or censure abortion. Even the fetus has his or her own karma, or is sent to intervene in the karma of the people involved, in ways unfathomable by the human mind. You cannot kill what cannot die. The soul lives on, life after life. Therefore, it is not for me to say to one, it is right, and to another, it is wrong. It is not for me nor you to judge. And, even when God intervenes, it is with love and guidance, without judgment. Life is precious, before birth and after birth. Life is precious, before war and after war.

"Do you condemn those who send your youth to die in war? Within your dualistic world, you perceive circumstances that warrant war, even as you perceive circumstances that warrant abortion. Therefore, I simply ask that whatever you do, do it with love.

"God loves everyone, not just the saintly. It saddens God and I that some of you who are or have been involved in abortion have feelings of guilt that affects your lives. You bury parts of the memory within layers of veil, and wonder why you experience stresses. Memories continue to surface, reminding you of the experience and of your feelings of guilt. I say to you, wrap your self with the love of God, forgive your self and others, come to terms with your feelings, and go on.

"If you aren't able to allow yourself to feel the love of God, I offer myself for you. I love you. I am here to bear your burdens, your sadness, and your feelings of guilt. Unburden your self onto me; then live and heal in each present moment, with love and with no concern over the past."

There was a slight hesitation of time within a beautiful, sweet moment of bliss. It brought me to tears thinking of Jesus relieving everyone of their burdens, if only they would go to Him. It lifted my love for Him to ever-new heights.

—Mary Ann

First there is hugging, and then there is hugging. The hugging I want to address today, is a greeting hug found in people of like mind, gathered for spiritual reasons;  not with amorous intentions.

At Song of the Morning Retreat, hugging is something most of us do in greeting another person. This past weekend, a young man was at the retreat for the first time. When he hugged me, he took every ounce of breath I had in me and out it came in one big WHOOSH! I was breathless and gasped for air. Nothing hurt, but I was overwhelmed.

Later, he came with a group of people to our home in the retreat community, and this time I shook his hand. Then in front of God and everyone, making it fun, I taught him how to hug elderly; gently and meaningfully. For truly, loving energy can be exchanged with even the slightest hug.

I have experienced hugs from people who want the hug but are afraid of contact and separate themselves bodily. So it is a reaching hug, or a side way hug. I can certainly understand how they might feel. It is best to approach these people in the manner that they lead. For you can readily tell, with their body language, what they can tolerate or not tolerate. Just the fact that they want a hug is good.

For some it is near a full body contact hug with only the best of intentions. One friend of mine exchanges hugs with me that seem to go on forever. We energize each other as if we have been together for eons and then were lost to each other and were finally reunited. Each week, we look forward to our reciprocal hug. When we miss a week, we both realize the loss.

Someone once warned me that I should not hug everyone and give away my energy. I felt sorry for this person. I never give away all of my energy, for it comes from God and is abundant and overflowing. I can tell when a persons auric energy is low or negative, and each time, I attempt to lighten their burden, by giving love, yet protecting myself by receiving their negativity and giving it to God.

I realize there might come a day when hugging will be questioned. It already is; what with pandemics etc. It will be a sad day when we have to stop and think first of the consequences of hugging and exchange of germs etc, instead of letting go and letting God be in charge. I believe that the loving light energy that is exchanged in hugging is germ free. It can be done with a mask on, hands off, visualized, from the heart, and from a distance.

For those of you who just can't bring yourself to receive or give hugs, I find nothing wrong with that except that you are missing out in life. I once had a beauty salon and some women came in weekly for a hair-do. Several of them said, "No one touches me from the time I leave here until my appointment next week." They would always say this with sadness. What you give you receive. You get out of a relationship what you put into it. I have no idea how many of these women gave to others what they so desired.  Even a pat on the back or a smile, is an exchange of love and a part of hugging. 

In my Messages from Jesus book p.83,  in conversation with Jesus, He said,

"I am being serious. You shine. Everyone shines their light, some brighter than others. How do you think it is that you can send others light if you didn't have it inside of yourself?"

"I never thought of that. People often ask me how to shine light on others. It is difficult to explain."

"One simple way to explain it would be to tell people to smile on self and others."

"Wow, what a pleasant thought." I hesitated, smiling to myself, before going on. "Sitting here, smiling, I can't help but think loving, happy thoughts."

I find when I put  thoughts of need out into the universe, or to God. I follow Jesus' words to do so. First I acknowledge and praise the supreme absolute, then I turn my needs over to God and ask for what I want, all in the twinkingly of an eye. Then I let go and let God. Before I know it, my petition is met.

I think the trick is "faith". With faith it is easy to let go and let God.  Jesus revealed the following to me in a conversation on prayer, in my chapter on "Words". ...

"When you get past your doubts and open your will to God, you find that God provides an answer for all of your needs. You have to be alert and ready to hear and see the help He sends. As you live prayerfully, and grow in oneness with all the universe, you will increasingly be able to manifest all you might ever want and need.

"Needs are highly overrated. Materialism is rampant in your world. Clear yourself of all of this excess baggage and your burdens will be lighter."

Taken from Messages from Jesus pp. 213-214 —Mary Ann

"Why doesn't love prevail, if God is love and God is in everything?"

"With the free will of man, the veiled human condition does not allow for love and joy to be fully perceived by all, even when it does exist everywhere and in everyone."

"Ah . . . the veil."

"All are born with a thin veil gently protecting you from the rapture of God. Seeing through the veil, as into a mirror dimly, you see vague memories of God slowly becoming mysteries. Still, you are fully understood by God, and you are never separate from God's love. Even though the veil diffused your memory of knowing God, there was enough remembering so that, as a child, you laughed and cried and played and lived in the present moment. You were able to access your true, creative inner child in loving joy, as your veil was much thinner then.

"For some of you, as you grew older, you conformed into someone others wanted you to be. You became a different person wanting to please everyone and be accepted. In the process, you lost much of your true, joyous, child-like self. You gained fear. For some, there might have been a conflict between whom you projected yourselves as to the world, and whom you really saw yourself as. Sometimes there was such a big difference that you found it very difficult to adapt.

"To protect your inner child from others, in an attempt to hide under a facade, you added layer upon layer of veil, and, in the process, enmeshed into the veil all your perceived fears and anger. And your awareness of God's love dimmed even more.

"You are still hiding under that veil. Your own true self, as spirit and as an inner child full of love and joy, is still very much alive underneath the veil."

"Once you learn to realize and find comfort in God, your fears slowly subside. As you learn to forgive self and others, and love unconditionally, you begin to access your true inner self. You begin to remember your truth as love and joy. Increasingly, you grow in spiritual awareness of the unity of all, and the veil becomes thinner and thinner and your creativity begins to reawaken within you and your world is brighter. New revelations are opened up to you, leading you to ever-more spiritual experiences for the growth of the soul. Finally, after peeling off layers of the veil, you will find you, the loving, joyful, creative inner child. For as such is the kingdom of God."

Taken from Messages from Jesus, pp.60-63. —Mary Ann

   In trying to decide what to write about today,  I  remembered that during the writing of Messages from Jesus, I had asked Jesus, “Why did God create pain?”  I remember that visit with Jesus vividly.  By the time He finished speaking, I had experienced a wide range of emotions, for He spoke of his suffering and then of His joy. 

   He said: “God did not create pain or suffering. God created your physical body, with a sensory system to alert you of bodily injury, ill health, and outside influences, for your own physical safety and health.

  “Even more so, the original intent for the sensory system was to provide you experiences of God in the beauty, life, and the intelligence of nature as one.

  “Then mankind began to be influenced by dualities within the earth plane and, instead of remembering the oneness of pain, pleasure, joy and all there is, mankind accepted pain and suffering as separate. This inability to be at one with all aspects of creation led to a perceived separation from, and diminished ability to commune with, The Divine. And the chasm grew ever wider. . . .”

 —© Mary Ann Johnston  (taken from Messages from Jesus, p. 166-167)                

   Consider this: Happiness is not found in the mere possession of wealth.   Happiness lies in how you benefit others in the creative effort to attain it, in the joy of the achievement, and in sharing it with others, all while in close communion with God.  

   I once had a patient for whom I had to create a care-plan for the nursing staff to follow for his physical comfort.  As an occupational therapist I was to determine how he should be moved in passive exercise and how he should be transferred or repositioned. This frail man was tube fed, unable to move on his own. I wondered how he was even holding on. 

   One day he attempted to whisper to me, with great determination and effort, “I ... think... I have it ...all figured ...out.”  I said to him, “What is it that you have figured out?”  He said, “Why I am ... still alive.”  I asked him, “And what conclusion have you come to?” And he said, “Maybe...” (He was running out of energy ... and I waited for the answer),  “it is ... simply ... to say ... some kind word ... to a nurse aide ... to make ... her day.” With that, he smiled, and I felt and saw the radiance of happiness.

    I think he stayed alive long enough to tell me this, for I have used him as an example for so many others who think there is nothing for them to do and want to give up. It helps them to realize there is something they can still do. Spreading happiness is important for our world. Don't give up on it.

—© Mary Ann Johnston (taken from Messages from Jesus)

   When you want to get something across to others you might sometimes whisper so they perk up and listen.  In my dialogue with Jesus, He would do that to me every once in a while. And He would whisper to me very quietly. But it was a different kind of whisper. It was a very powerful whisper as if a powerful wind being held at bay, wanting to pour forth and only letting out a little at a time. He wanted me to understand and pay attention.

   At one of those times, when I was having great doubts about sharing, He whispered to me “Don’t hide your light under a bushel basket.” He knew I was trying to justify sharing His words with others.

—Mary Ann

When I give homilies, workshops or counseling, I see people from various paths, religions and levels of spiritual progression. Your spiritual path or journey is truly, uniquely your own; there is no one to imitate. But, even though we are all on different pathways, there is a common goal—God realization. Gandhi said, “There are as many religions as there are people on the face of the earth.”  Gandhi knew we all have different paths, and he also knew that we all have a common goal—God realization—enlightenment. So there should be no distinction here—no judging of another’s path—between individuals or between nations.

Religion has played its part in controlling the way people relate to God and each other, sometimes through fanatic, rigidly-held beliefs. But how much structure do we need in our lives?  Surely there is a lot to be said for religious doctrine but there also needs to be room for choices and change.

You might ask where you should find your pathway to God. Through a pathway of service, or a pathway of  dedication to a specific religion, or a pathway of meditation? It depends on the individual; perhaps through all three.  In the Bible, James 1:27,  we read that pure religion is to visit the afflicted and to keep oneself unstained from the world. There is hardly any other mention of religion in the Bible.  So you might determine that religion is love in action.

Jesus said to me in  Sustained by Faith  pg. 157, "Let your religion be love."

Our life on earth has endless opportunities for growing spiritually if we are open and loving. The essence of a Godly life lies in the everyday living of life—how you live your life.   —Mary Ann Johnston

I have been contemplating ... “What is the purpose of writing my books, "Sustained by Faith" & "Messages from Jesus" and who is my audience.”  It is hard to promote Spiritual/Inspirational books. They run the risk of not getting noticed unless you are a big name with major promotion & marketing backing you.

When I thought about their purpose, assumptions waved before me like waves on an ocean. I finally concluded that the purpose of the books is not wholly mine to determine, but that of Jesus with his messages for today's world and what the writings will do for the reader, one by one.

I could say, I hope the books expand the love of Sweet Jesus in each reader, and make known that God is present in all aspects of life.

The audience is easier to determine. The books are for those who love Jesus, those who are looking for answers, those who have been abused, those who have given up, those who need healing, those who have lost faith in God or need encouragement on their spiritual path, those who have no one, those who are searching for more meaning in their lives, and the many, many people who would experience a growing love for God and Jesus in their hearts and a greater awareness that God is present in all aspects of live.

—Mary Ann Johnston

Nature's Wintry Song
Taken from Messages from Jesus, p.247.