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Book: Mutant Message from Forever
Author: Marlo Morgan
Year: 1998

The Book, The Author

In 1990 Marlo Morgan wrote her first book "Mutant Message Down Under". Eight years later she published her second book "Mutant Message from Forever: A Novel of Aboriginal Wisom". Both books have a similar title and at a very high, abstract level similar content: They are both about Aboriginal life style and spirituality.

There was and is a lot of controversy about these books, especially the first one. While the second book was clearly labeled fictional the author made claims about the involvement of Aborigines in writing of this book that are challenged and considered lies by many Aborigines. Even the content is offensive to some Aborigines. Read this article to inform yourself about the controversy.

I personally dislike the author. I believe that it is despising to publish a book as "real and factual account" when in reality it is fictional as she did with her first book. She breaks her own rules (see Guideline #4: "Do not lie"). While I think poorly of the author one can still find her books interesting and rewarding.

Review

"Message from Forever" tells the fictional story of two Aboriginal children born in the outback, taken from there parents at birth and follows their childhood and adulthood in Australia and the USA. The twins are separated at birth not only from their mother but also from each other. The book is set in the beginning and mid 20th century. She is raised as an unhappy child in a religious and abusive orphanage and then works as a maid in a small hotel in the city. She loves to read and her desire to find out more about her culture and race is slowly growing inside her. As the hotel where she works suddenly falls victim to a fire, she uses the opportunity to just walk off, walk off in the search of her culture and herself. She walks north and works a few more years in a store on the northern terrerories before she meets up with a true Aborigine. She leaves the world of the white behind and joins an Aboriginal tribe. She spends decades with them and learns from them the Aboriginal culture, their beliefs, their skills, their simple and down-to-earth life style. She finds fulfillment and satisfaction in the bush as a member of the tribe.

Meanwhile, her brother was adopted by religious farmers and spent carefree years as a small child on a farm. The boy -- at an early age -- was then given to a visiting priest from the US for adoption. Days later he finds himself in a new country, the US, and an environment where he has no friends and no love. As an adult he runs away and after alcohol misuse and petty crimes he soon is no stranger to the police. One day he wakes up from a strong case of alcohol intoxication, lying on the street, his shirt smeared with blood and not far from him a dead body, stabbed. He ends up on death row and spends decades in prison.

After this long period with the tribe in the bush his sister eventually feels the calling to visit the white civilization again and act as an embassador between the cultures. She wants to help the Aborigines based on her experiences with them and her knowledge of the white world. She finds ways to help her race and amongst other things starts a program to try to bring Aborigines from abroad back to Austrialia, for US Aboriginal prisoners to be brought back to Austrialia and judged by an Austrialian tribal court. At this moment the circle closes.

Spiritual Message

The female figure in this fictional book expresses the Aboriginal philosophy and spirituality learned during the decades of living with the tribe with the following 10 guidelines.

1. Express you individual creativity

   Everyone has a special, personal gift or talent (E.g. story telling, listening, caring, writing, compassion, etc.). It is our job to find it and develop it.

2. Be aware of your responsibility

   You are a guest on this planet. Leave it as you found it. You are responsible for all living beings (nature, etc.), your promises, the results of your actions, your body, as well as the results of your sexual acts.

3. Before you were born you promised to help the others

   The human experience is not the journey of a sole individual. We are expected to help and support each other. Aone of our key thoughta should be "What action would benefit the total of all beings"? All beings form a team.

4. Pursue emotional maturity

   We are able to express a wide range of emotions (from negative to positive). We should be disciplined and chose our emotions. This is similar to the motto: "We are as happy as we allow ourselves to be". Everything in life goes in circles. If we chose our emotions positively we can close all the circles without dangling threads, i.e. without negative effects. Negative emotions are good to have in the early years of our life so we know what they are, how they feel, to make us understand better, and to avoid them in the future.

   Emotions effect our physical state. Examples could be that "happiness or laughter can make us healthy" or "anger gives us headache or stomach ulcers". Behind the physical is the meta-physical -- the spiritual, the consciousness. We are encouraged to ask ourselves what meta-physical cause is behind the physical problem: E.g. if your back hurts, ask what spiritual problems you have in your life, ask what you can learn from this situation.

   Happiness and laughter/smile are important for well-being. We are encouraged to proactively look for motives to feel happy.

   We should be truthful [read "no lying"] at all moments.

5. You should entertain (yourself as well as others)

   Don't be a spectator all the time. Entertain others too!

6. Learn to use and administer your energy

   We can't create or destroy energy. We can just use, mold and redistribute energy. Every word we say or act we do has energy. Use words in a positive way.

7. Be revitalized through music

   Music can be part of the individual creativity. But music is so important that it is made a separate rule. Music can heal our mind and bodies. Music is the language of our soul.

8. Reach the wisdom

   Wisdom and knowledge is quite distinct. Intelligence and wisdom are also different. Wisdom takes into consideration the well-being of all involved parts. Wisdom furthermore takes into consideration that we are all one team, that we are guest on Mother Earth and that we are one with the creator.

9. Learn to self-discipline yourself

   Do this to assure a peaceful live and for the good of the planet. Self-discipline can help us to keep negative emotions at bay and to reach wisdom. It is necessary to control the emotions to be able to listen to the communication between body and soul.

   Learn to distinguish what says your mind and what says your soul. The voice of the brain is a product of society while the voice of your soul is a message from the eternity.

   [==> Compare this to the message from "The Power of Now" where the thoughts (brain-talk) should be surpressed to hear the inner voice, the eternal being.]

10. Observe without judging

    Observe and don't judge! Some refer to it also as "unconditional love". We are all created from the same Source/Creator and we are all created (spiritually) perfect.

    You should not judge people even if they perform actions that do not conform with your believes. If there is something that you dislike simply do not channel energy (words, actions, thoughts) into it, don't make it part of your way. If you judge, also learn how to forgive (yourself, the others, the situation). All that exists is part of the Divine Order, and is born perfect. Sometimes however we chose to live below our capabilities. If we work hard day-by-day to reach our full potential we will make the world a better place. If we follow this path our life will reach the closing of a golden circle.

    [==> Compare this to "The Power of Now" where we are also taught to "just be", that we should not think/judge and that there is neither good nor bad; that we should just accept the Now.]

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