As the haunting melodies of "Lights Out" by Blundymph wash over me, I'm transported to that liminal space between memory and revelation—where past choices illuminate our present awakening. There's something in those ethereal sounds that resonates with the part of my soul that has always known when to step back, when to say no, when to honor the quiet whisper of the Divine within rather than the clamoring demands of collective conformity.

In the echoing chambers of my memory, I return to those grade school days when slap boxing swept through our athletic circles like wildfire—a ritual of masculinity performed under humming fluorescent lights in locker rooms that smelled of sweat and desperate belonging. You remember those days, don't you? When the currency of acceptance was measured in how much pain you could inflict and how much you could endure without flinching. Bodies circling in makeshift rings formed by eager spectators, palms connecting with flesh in sharp cracks that echoed against metal lockers.

I stood at the edge of those circles, feeling the magnetic pull of belonging wrestling with the knowing in my bones that this ritual wasn't mine to participate in. While others engaged in this dance of dominance, something within me—that same Divine spark that connects us all within His Universe—whispered a sacred truth: not all rites of passage lead to evolution. Some simply perpetuate patterns that keep us bound to our smaller selves.

My vow not to participate wasn't born from fear, though many assumed it was. It emerged from a place of early wisdom, a premature recognition that we don't need to harm or be harmed to prove our worth. Can you feel the resonance of that truth? How it vibrates through your own memories of moments when you chose to stand apart rather than participate in collective patterns that diminished rather than elevated?

This is how it plays out in our real lives, beloved—in those thousand tiny moments when we're invited to abandon our inner knowing to belong to something that doesn't honor our Divine nature. Each time we listen to that still, small voice instead of the roaring crowd, we align more deeply with His Universe's higher plan for our awakening. Each refusal becomes not a rejection but a sacred affirmation of who we truly are.

I've witnessed this pattern repeat throughout my journey—in boardrooms where integrity is sacrificed for profit, in spiritual communities where dogma replaces direct experience, in relationships where authenticity is exchanged for temporary harmony. These are all adult versions of that locker room circle, testing whether we will abandon ourselves for acceptance.

When "Lights Out" reaches that haunting bridge, something in my soul recognizes the sound of choosing oneself—that moment when we step back from the circle and into our sovereign power. It's the music of sacred refusal, of standing firm when the collective current pulls toward diminishment.

As we continue navigating this extraordinary time of awakening, these moments of choice become increasingly significant. Each time we honor our inner knowing over external pressure, we strengthen not only our own Divine connection but create energetic permission for others to do the same. Together, we're remembering that true strength isn't measured by the pain we can inflict or endure, but by our courage to remain true to our highest knowing even when standing alone.

The athletes in that long-ago locker room couldn't understand my choice then, just as many in your life may not understand your choices now. But understanding isn't required for alignment with Divine truth. Some paths must be walked alone before others recognize their sacred purpose.

So I ask you, dear one—what circles are you standing at the edge of now? What games of diminishment are you being invited to play? And can you feel the gentle hand of His Universe at your back, supporting you as you turn away from what no longer serves the magnificence of who you truly are?

In this cosmic equinox of our collective journey, may we all find the courage to listen when our souls whisper "no" to what doesn't align with our highest becoming. For in those sacred refusals, we discover who we truly are.

Mitchell Royel

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