The Cost of Silence

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” - Haile Selassie

Evil can be defined as anything that stops the progression of Humankind.  The mind may jump to examples of genocide, war, or murder.  But what of the examples of evil in our everyday lives?  Judging others…spreading lies and rumors…equivocating opinions as facts…fueling drama, divisiveness, and negativity…serving cruelty rather than justice…just to name a few. 

It’s not unusual for people to think that these aren’t that big of a deal compared to genocide, war, and murder. But I will go on record to say that they are.  Because they’re the foundation upon which the horrors and atrocities of the former examples are made possible.

Where is all this coming from, Jonathan?  I’ll be transparent, I don’t usually write about these topics, you’re right.  And I wonder, is it because I would rather write about other topics?  Or is it because I would rather not write about topics like this?  Even just sitting at my desk to organize my thoughts felt strange and uncomfortable.  The very idea of writing this was intimidating and confronted me with a lot of inner questions! But if there’s anything I know, it’s that finding myself outside my comfort zone is most often a sign that I’m headed in the direction of growth.  And so I put my pen down and closed my eyes. I tapped into stillness and turned the volume down on my mind and turned the volume up on my heart. And I surrendered and listened.

 I am writing this in response to a recent article about the Modern Mystery School, “exposing” the school as a cult and implicating its male leadership of sexual misconduct, financial impropriety, and taking advantage of students, particularly female students, searching for spiritual advancement.  Reading the article from my perspective, it was outlandish.  As a student of the school since 2015, my own personal experiences did not align with what was being reported.  I know each of the implicated individuals personally, and the light in which they were portrayed did not ring true for me at all – in fact, it felt like the opposite of what I know.  And what lingered with me after I finished reading the article was primarily sadness at the twisting of words, the encouragement of victimhood, and the undisguised lack of respect & reverence for the Sacred and Divine (particularly the Divine Feminine).

Now that was from my own perspective, as someone who is a current student in the school, who finds great value and fulfillment in pursuing further education, training, and apprenticeship, who believes in magick, believes in God, and has countless positive experiences of the leadership and the school that empower me to discern what is true and what is false in the article. My perspective also includes my belief that when naysayers, critics, and trolls come for you, it means your light is shining just a little too bright for their comfort…so stay the course. All part and parcel with being a leader.

So what of the individual who hasn’t had that experience? Who doesn’t have that belief? 

Who doesn’t know the individuals named in the article or other students in the school? 

Who is spiritually awakening and reads the article at face value and makes choices that impact their entire progression? 

It is for them that I write this. 

And while I can’t make anyone believe or not believe something (nor would I want to), what I can do is share my own experience and journey of becoming a student with the Modern Mystery School.  To use my voice and offer a different perspective that may bring Light, rather than shadows, to what is true.

Heading into 2015, I found myself at a crossroads. 

At the time, I was living what could be perceived as a “successful” life that ticked all the boxes.  But year in and year out, I began to feel like I was just living different versions of the same life.  And after experiencing the passing of my grandmother, an unexpected breakup, and a head on collision that totaled my car, I was shaken, but shaken in the way that snapped me into reality.  Like a message shouting, “Wake up!  It’s time to live your life, Jonathan!” 

And quite significantly for me, it felt like a response from the Universe and God to my yearning to be free and discover & experience the more of life.  To return to the knowing that I had a child, but had since forgotten. To find a teacher that could help me master my gifts and use them for good. And so I began searching.

That search, very serendipitously, led to receiving the Life Activation.  Energy healing and spirituality were still very new to me, and I didn’t necessarily understand what the Life Activation was or what it was supposed to do.  But what I did understand was my gut feeling – perhaps one of the strongest gut feelings I had ever had.  So despite doubts and thoughts that all of this was too strange and weird, I followed my intuition.

My experience of the Life Activation itself was, indeed, strange and weird, but in the way where something you thought was impossible suddenly becomes possible.  My mind was filled with fantastical visions and then a visit from my grandmother, who had just passed, along with ancestors going back thousands of years lining up to hug me and thank me for reaching this point – letting me know that now they can rest, knowing that I’m on my way.  I thought I was making it all up, but then Vanessa, the practitioner administering my Life Activation began to describe what I had seen in my mind!  And afterwards, as I stepped outside, there was the largest rainbow I had ever seen filling the sky. It lasted for almost an hour.  I was amazed and in awe, wondering if all this was really real.

And in the weeks to follow, I felt my life changing from the inside out, like a seed getting ready to sprout.  Making decisions became easier.  I began putting myself first without guilt and I focused less on what others thought or said about me.  I smiled, not as a performance, but as an authentic expression.  And my perception of the future changed from feeling daunting, scary, and filled with booby traps to exciting, hopeful, and filled with possibilities! 

Which led me to the next step of attending Empower Thyself and receiving the 1st initiation.  While I still felt very new to all of it and still had my fair share of doubts and questions, the common thread running through it all was my gut feeling.  I couldn’t deny that it felt right.  And more than right, it felt like I was finally in the right place at the right time. And experiencing the 2 days of Empower Thyself and receiving that initiation only deepened and accelerated the transformation that began with the Life Activation.  It was a catalyst for becoming who I was destined to be and shedding the negativity that was weighing me down and holding me back from my purpose. And opposed to learning who I am and why I’m here, I began to remember. And from that point onwards (all the way until now), my life began taking shape in unexpected and exciting ways.

At the start of 2015, my life felt stuck on repeat and I couldn’t wrap my head around anyone being a “healer” or meditation instructor. How do people sit for more than 5 minutes and meditate?

And by the end of it, I had graduated from Healers Academy 1, was certified as a Life Activation Practitioner and Max Meditation System™ instructor, had left my job of the last 8 years, and was co-opening a 2,200 sq. ft.  healing center!  And it felt like the most natural thing to do.  Like, of course, this is what I was born to do!  And in the years to come, I would embrace these roles and responsibilities and go on to serve hundreds of clients and students all over the country with Life Activation, healing, meditation, & initiation - empowering them to transform their lives and align with their life’s purpose. Paying it forward!

To this day, I continue to have my mind blown daily with groundbreaking a-ha moments. 

Every time I think I’ve surely reached the limit of everything I can overcome and heal, a new level opens up to me, inviting me to go deeper.  And the teachers and leaders in the school are instrumental in this, on both the Healer and Ritual Master path.  Supporting me through the growing pains and empowering me to continually own & honor my strength and power.  Which, at times, they do through caring and nurturing and, at other times, they do through holding the line and offering me tough love.  But I have always felt, and experienced, that they have my Highest Good in mind.

I experience the Modern Mystery School – whether in Toronto, Austin, Boston, Minnesota, London, Brazil, or Japan - as a haven.  A sacred place for me to receive the esoteric teachings and metaphysical tools that can bring more healing, hope, and meaning to my life and to our World.  A safe place to gather a global community of Lightworkers and Lightleaders committed to shifting the collective consciousness and restoring Peace & Unity on Earth for All!

And as such, when evil is directed towards the school, its leadership, its student body, and its mission – intending to create fear, shame, confusion, and divisiveness to block Humanity’s progression - it is my responsibility to stand and say, “No!”  To hold the line and enforce the boundary that declares that evil is not acceptable. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.

Sure, I could stand by and remain silent, trusting that karma will take its course…keeping the peace, right?  But what of my karma?  My accountability for what I didn’t do and didn’t say?  And the damage and harm I am complicit in by allowing articles and accusations like this to stop another’s progression and delay, or even negate, all the good things they were destined to bring to this world? All of the lives they were meant to impact? The light they were born to shine? What of all those?

I choose to not bear the cost of silence, which more often than not is more costly than the price of speaking out. A cost that isn’t isolated to any individual, contrary to what we may believe. But rather is billed to all of us as a debt we share collectively. And if we don’t pay the debt in our lifetimes, is inherited by those who come after us. So consider that every time you choose to speak out to serve the Higher Good of All (emphasis on ALL), we all reap the benefits, and every time you stifle your own voice in spite of the Higher Good of All, we all incur the cost.

So what is the true cost of silence when it is right to speak out?

I care about Humanity.  I care about our World.  I care about each and every one of us living our lives with more freedom, peace, and purpose. I care about those who will follow in the footsteps we’re creating now. And so I do my best to walk the walk and show it through my actions, my words, and taking responsibility for doing everything in my power to stop evil in all its forms from growing and spreading. And if there’s just one individual who reads this and it helps them follow their intuition, progress their life in a positive direction, and have hope for healing and breaking free, then my work is done.

So if you’re curious about Life Activation, Empower Thyself, Max Meditation System™, or exploring the many other healing modalities and classes offered through the Modern Mystery School in the lineage of King Salomon, my invitation to you is to experience it for yourself. Release your expectations and enter with curiosity.  Ask questions and receive answers with a clean slate. Listen to your heart and honor your gut feeling, regardless of what your mind or journalists or friends & family may be telling you.  And use your own lived experience as your own means of discerning what is right, what is true, and what is of the Light for you uniquely.