What's the difference? How are we supposed to tell the difference between the real healers and those who are selling snake oil? It's a big seller to claim that your work is divinely inspired. Even better, tell them you've gazed into the eyes of God and come back to tell the tales. Tell them that in Ireland the wee folk are still spotted on occasion. It's far off and exotic. They'll believe you. Oh, how we love such tales. Those who have never touched the magic will always hunger for stories to tell them what it's like. How do you know who's stories to believe and who's just spinning yarns?

The answer lies in how the divine has affected them. Everyone who truly experiences the sacred is changed forever. For the sake of peace I'll not argue over whether it's God or Buddha or Mohamed or angels or fairies or Mother Nature or the Light or whatever name you give that source of divinity. For the sake of my poor fingers typing, I'll shorten the concept to Heaven and I don't mean pearly gates and streets of gold. I mean the truly divine force behind life, creativity, and magic itself. Everyone who has ever had a real one on one relationship with Heaven has come back with what I call the Joan of Arc Complex. It's that save the world, help the needy, heal the sick, clean up the pollution, free Tibet type mentality.

It has nothing whatsoever to do with any one religion either. Mother Theresa had it. Gandhi had it. Einstein had it. Jesus had it. Buddha had it. The Dali Lama has it. Many of you reading this have it. It's not about being famous or important although that does sometimes occur as a result. None of these people care about being famous or acquiring wealth. From the time that they were touched by Heaven, they saw a vision and a spiritual purpose that they recognized as being bigger then themselves. They were all merely servants of a divine spirituality. Every single one of the people suffering from the Joan of Arc Complex feels a deep spiritual calling, an obligation to help his fellow man. They were all peacekeepers. They did not require war and battle to change others or to prove themselves. With a quiet calm incredible self-assuredness, they rolled up their sleeves and did the work that was spiritually asked of them without concern for their own personal egos. They all have a magical mysterious magnetism about them. They are doing the work of Heaven and they do not shy away from saying so.

I've met plenty of real life people that no matter what they're religious beliefs before it happens, once they connect to the divinity of Heaven, they see a unity of all religions. They are no longer judgmental of such things. They truly understand the oneness of all living creatures. They all see how interconnected everything and everyone is. They see how every thought and emotion effects the plants and animals as much as it effects our attitudes towards each other. They say things like, "It's all God, it's all good." Or they'll say, "I see the Christ light in you." They all have an open-minded loving nature that transcends everything they do. They have a lightness of spirit about them that makes you want

You cannot look into the face of God or converse with angels and not be changed forever. Once you get beyond the craziness of the idea that you're actually in contact with something divine, you settle down into something cosmic and beautiful. You are truly one with the Force and are able to flow with it instead of fighting and struggling against life. It's not something that can be taught in church or read in an inspirational article. You have to experience it. You have to know Buddha as your personal friend and to see Jesus as his twin teaching the same lessons. Until you know what it means to be the electrical life force that is true love, you won't ever really understand this. You might be able to ask to be connected and shown or maybe you have to wait and it comes to find you.... I'm not sure. I just know that when it happens, you are never able to stop being an angel in a human's body. You become holy and sacred but still flawed and human. It's a life-changing shift that cannot be faked.

If you see someone puffing up like a peacock because they've got a personal hotline to God's ear or they've gone to the holy school of spiritual egotism, you'll be able to tell if they're really spiritual or not by their ego. The truly spiritual don't stand on their tiptoes crowing on and on about how spiritual they are. They are much too busy being spiritual to have time to broadcast it. Some are sent to spread a spiritual message but they won't claim that they themselves are to be worshipped or admired for being the messenger. Heaven won't demand that they be given a Rolex. Is there a deep loving twinkle in their eyes? Are they peaceful when presenting their opinions? Are they obsessive about a humanitarian cause? Are they working diligently to save the planet? Are they really working or just talking about how cool they are for getting a peak at the Heavens?

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow's Edge

Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow's Edge, an Internet leader in inspiring leaps of faith. She became a writer in 1999 after twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology, personal growth, motivation, soulmates, and parenting. Her books and articles have inspired people of all ages and faiths to recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness. After years of high heels and business clothes, she is currently enjoying working from home in her pajamas. To read more of her articles, sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, and get free previews of her books go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net.

Skye@TomorrowsEdge.net