| Touching Your Heart An Edge Life Expo Preview: An Interview with Rev. Michael Underwood by Tim Miejan Rev. Michael Underwood, a minister for the Lake Harriet Spiritual Community, is a multidimensional being who wears many hats in the world and still knows where to go when he comes home to himself. He is a spiritual teacher, healer, psychic/clairvoyant and a professional musician. Educated with a master's degree in Therapeutic Counseling Through Alternative methods, he conducts individual and group sessions on how to balance themselves and use physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual principles. He is speaking publicly on spiritual principles and positive motivation. He is the author of many published articles (some published in the EDGE) and creator of multiple meditation tapes. His current book "Making Life Simple" will be published in 2004. He also teaches at Open U and in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, offering such titles as Workshops on Meditation, Using Intuition and Spirituality in Business, Spiritual Enlightenment, Hands-on Healing, Chakras and Energy Movement, Reincarnation and Past Life Regression, Angels and Guides, Developing Intuitive and Psychic Abilities, Healing after Relationships and Learning How to Love, and Techniques for Stress Management and Positive Motivation. Along with Insiah Vawda-Beckman, Rev. Underwood will present a lecture and experiential session on how to achieve balance and connection with mind and soul, and how to connect to Universal Cosmic Energy, from 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, to open up Edge Life Expo 2003 at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Music will be performed by Hanakia Zedik. Rev. Underwood spoke with The EDGE by phone from his office about the upcoming talk and his choices in life. You and Insiah Vawda-Beckman are speaking on the topic of "Making Life Simple By Connecting Mind and Soul With Universal Cosmic Energy." What is it that you want everyone to know about that topic? Rev. Michael Underwood: First of all, the piece of making life simple is realizing that we basically live life on several different levels: the physical, the energy level, emotional level, subconsciousness level, intellectual or conscious level, the superconscious or intuitive level, and the spiritual level where we work with higher powers. Realizing how all those different levels connect and affect each other makes it easier to deal with things that come up in our lives. An example is knowing that the mind and what goes on in the mind -- your thinking creates your emotions and your emotions create things that go on with your body and your energy. So by changing your thinking, you can help change your emotions and you can help change your energy in your body. Another example is realizing that your intuition is on a higher level than the mind for tapping into a higher source. When things happen to us that go beyond what our minds can conceive, our minds may shut down, then having faith in a higher power or a higher purpose helps us to survive that. So by learning how these different levels depend on each other helps to make life much simpler. Then when you get to the place where you can balance these levels, it's easier to tap into a universal, cosmic energy to feel what is going on in a mass consciousness level. Insiah is very connected to that mass consciousness level. And from there, you can move forward, you can help change the world and the universe. Of all the things you have done up to this point, which one are you most thankful for having had the opportunity to do? Rev. Underwood: I am most thankful for having been put in positions to help other people and touch their hearts. I know I have gone through so many tough places -- depression, dark night of the soul -- that have allowed me the opportunity to know and feel what other people are feeling when they are in those places. When I was there, I had no one to help me and no place to go. Through a lot of research and work, it has helped me to discover tools and put me in the position to touch these people's hearts and help them go to the next step. Who do you look up to as a role model or source of inspiration? Rev. Underwood: I would say my highest, greatest role model in my life ever since I was a child has been Jesus Christ. The reason for that was the way he lived his life. He was very strong, he was very solid and he was very firm in where he was at and what he was teaching. Yet, he was very kind, gentle, loving and caring. And to me, that role model of having the strength and yet having the compassion and kindness and the balance between the two is the place I try so hard to achieve in my life. What book have you read or movie have you seen that has meant something to you? Rev. Underwood: One of the most beautiful movies I have seen was Braveheart. Of course it was a violent movie, but I think what grabbed me more than anything was his persistence, his courage, and his yearning to be committed to freedom. The freedom to be who you are -- and to not let anyone stifle that freedom to be who you are. Whatever your belief may be, whatever your path may be, whether it's negativity or positivity or whatever it may be, you stick to your persistence and move forward and know it is your freedom to make that choice and also to have the courage to stand up for that choice no matter how other people may see it. How would you describe your purpose or reason for being here now? Rev. Underwood: That one I wrestle with a lot, because I do so many different things. I talked to a supposed guru one time and asked, "Once you reach the point of enlightenment, what do you do?" And he turned around and said, "It looks like you have reached that point. You just be." I said, "Just be what?" And he said, "You just be. You just be you. You connect with your soul and you just allow your soul to express itself and what it is." I think even Deepak Chopra said one time to his kids that your mission here in life is to discover what your unique, special gift is and then learn how to share it with humanity. So I feel my purpose is to just be me. Part of that is wearing many different hats: doing a business piece, a corporate piece, a spiritual piece, a ministerial piece, a psychological piece -- just being who I am. Was there a single, defining moment that caused you to devote your life toward your purpose? Rev. Underwood: Yes, I did go through a dark night of the soul when I first moved here to Minnesota in 1990. I'm originally from Chicago, but I moved up here from Kansas, where I had been for 13 years. I went through a very difficult time, through depression, panic attacks, fear. I was a very religious-based person raised as a child in the Baptist religion, which was a very beautiful gift to me. But at that time, going through the dark night of the soul put me on the real search for truth, for love, for understanding. Sometimes, I think we have to be knocked down pretty hard to open up to enlightenment. Someone once said that what you do does not define who you are, but how you pick yourself up after you fall does. That made a big difference to me when I heard that. That was the toughest time in my life, but it was the point that started me on my journey. When you find yourself in a negative state of mind, how do you return to balance? Rev. Underwood: The first thing I do is be in it, just be in that negative state of mind. I don't jump in and try to fix it and I don't jump in and try to change it. First of all, I just stop and feel it and experience it and know what it is. I feel it in my body. I program my cells to know what it feels like. And then, when I'm ready, when I've wallowed around the mud enough and sucked it up my nose and got all dirty with it and know what the mud or negativity is all about, then I move forward with positive affirmations and trying to change my thinking. I go back in my life and ask myself, "What kind of programming or belief systems were created for me that caused me to think that way." What daily practice that you follow has the most meaning for you? Rev. Underwood: The number one thing that has helped me to move forward or that has helped to enhance my life has been meditation -- taking that quiet time. When I say meditation, I mean sitting down and thinking of absolutely nothing. It involves focusing on your breathing, your mantra, or whatever you choose. It's totally shutting your mind down and letting yourself be in the moment -- or in the Now. Of all the places you have been, which one would you choose to return to daily if you could? Rev. Underwood: There are just so many beautiful places to go on this Earth, but I think when I get into that meditative state, there is a place or a connection that I go to that puts me in a sense of total peace, a feeling like there is nothing that can come upon me that I can't find a way to resolve or find an answer for. It's like being totally connected to the cosmic energy. That, to me, is a place I can find no matter where on the Earth I am. Why would you encourage someone who has not attended Edge Life Expo to do so? Rev. Underwood: The Edge Life Expo offers so many seeds or methods of healing that you may not have tried that can enhance your life in a way that you've never dreamed. By having a very open mind on those seven levels, such as we talked about, the Edge Life Expo has people who touch upon all of those levels in many different ways. There are many different roads to God, just like there are many different roads to the Minneapolis Convention Center. Your mission is to ultimately get there. These people offer their teachings, products or services that can help you as you go along that road to get you over any bumps or hurdles that may be causing you to get stuck and help you to move forward. That's the beautiful thing about good psychics. They're there to help you get un-stuck -- not to just sit there and say this will happen or this won't happen. These people offer a lot to help you get unstuck if you're stuck, or just enhance the life you are living. Tickets to Rev. Michael Underwood's appearance from 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Edge Life Expo 2003 are available through Nov. 13 for $8, and at the door they cost $10. For advanced tickets, go to www.uptowntix.com or call (612) 604-4466. For more details on Edge Life Expo 2003, visit www.edgenews.com/expo or call (612) 590-1609. Copyright © 2003 Tim Miejan |
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