On Being Human
By Summer Bacon
It was the funniest thing. After my last Open Session, someone came up to my boyfriend, Don, and said, "Those people were plants." What this woman meant was, she believed we planted people in the audience to ask the questions, and that somehow I had rehearsed the answers. "How else would Dr. Peebles know those things about those people?" she protested.
Really, although her comments made me laugh, her skepticism and questioning is healthy. I even tell people at my Open Sessions that I am not there to prove anything to anyone. Nor am I there to proselytize about God and Spirit. I will share my teachings, and Dr. Peebles will share his teachings. It is up the individual to decide whether or not they believe it, or derive anything of value from those teachings. If someone attends my sessions as a skeptic, and leaves feeling even more skeptical, well, then, they know more about who THEY are. That's their journey, not mine. I know who I am, what I am about, and any question of my integrity is between me and God. I can assure you, when I'm even tempted to step out of integrity in my life, God kicks my ass. I can't even get away with driving 6mph over the speed limit. A cop always magically appears, and I have to slow down again. I can tell you this: when it comes to channeling, I sleep with a clear conscience at night.
And, even more truthfully, I couldn't possibly rehearse the things that Dr. Peebles shares with the audience, or the things he shares in a private session. First of all, I don't enjoy channeling that much. Okay, I frankly don't enjoy channeling at all. What I do enjoy is the fact that I have the great joy of awakening in the morning to do a job that I know has literally saved lives, repaired fractured relationships, brought hope, and peace, and love, and purpose into people's lives, and has helped people MAKE SENSE OF LIFE when at times it seems to be completely devoid of all purpose and meaning.
There. I said it. Surprised? I am no different than anyone else. There are some days that I just flat out hate my job, because I'm grumpy and tired, and playing the victim, whining the mantra, "What about me!" The real reason I channel is because it's something that I sought for my own personal growth. I needed to feel that connection with God and spirit. I needed to have proof beyond a shadow of a doubt that God and spirit were real. And, when my mentor, Thomas Jacobson, quit channeling, I had to find Dr. Peebles again. I did not want to live without that relationship in my life. So, what I have done as a trance medium has been for me first. What I discovered, however, is that this channeling stuff is not something to be done lightly. There is a responsibility that comes with channeling that can weigh heavily on the heart, knowing at times that someone's spiritual, physical or emotional life is at stake. And, if I were to quit, I know it would be devastating to many people who find sanctuary and hope in Dr. Peebles' words. My clients are the ones who keep me getting up in the morning, and drag my weary ass to my channeling chair, and knock me in the chin with the message, "Get over yourself, Summer." It is because of YOU that I do what I do. It is ultimately because of love, and I thank you for being my greatest teachers.
Sometimes we just gotta do the things we don't want to do, because we know it's the RIGHT thing to do, and because ultimately we know it's not a punishment, it's a privilege. I'm not saying I'm Jesus Christ, but I do get the point of the message Dr. Peebles shared about Him. The cross wasn't a punishment. It was a privilege to be the One who could share such an intense and memorable message of love with the world. It was a privilege to live in that place of enlightenment.
I hope to live in that place of enlightenment someday myself. Meanwhile, I'm just Summer Bacon. I go into trance, and Dr. Peebles speaks. It's a privilege to be an instrument for his messages to be shared with the world. It doesn't mean I'm enlightened. I'm just learning and growing like you are. But, I can honestly say, I don't rehearse his messages, and I don't plant actors in my audience. What in the world would be the point of that? That would be no fun at all. It would be an awful lot of work. Can you imagine how much effort that would be? Gadzooks! That kind of life is not for me. I spend my free time recovering from my sessions, playing squash, hiking, talking to Don, playing with my cats, working on my website, watching the Food Network, trying new recipes, and (here's another surprise) watching ultimate fighting.
Yup, I'm just profoundly human. A great privilege in and of itself, don't you think?