McLaughlin: What I see is that each of us has an “inner compass,” if you will, an inner spiritual Source, which we can turn to for comfort, support, and inspiration, and which we can also call upon for guidance. Regardless of the particular religious upbringing we’ve had, or our current beliefs or practices, we can each be guided and tap into our source of inner wisdom. When we ask for help we can be guided. Through an inner intuition, or perhaps hearing a voice, or seeing a vision, or just an inner knowing or sense of direction, we can find ourselves in the right place at the right time to get the help we need, or to be of help to others in the world. That’s been my experience over and over. In our research, my husband and I found that the some of the most powerful and effective of the world’s leaders have often credited spiritual help for their victories or accomplishments. And spiritual help has definitely been involved in our own life’s work.
For example, my husband and I were guided to start a spiritual community in 1978. We co-founded a pioneering sustainable community called Sirius, which is still going strong thirty-five years later, with organic gardens, solar- and wind-powered buildings, straw bale construction, composting toilets, and many innovative permaculture approaches. All of this resulted from our inner guidance to buy this land, when at the time we had no money, nor a previous plan to do such a thing. But we both had this deep inner knowing that it was our next step, the next contribution we could make to the world. We had been living at the Findhorn community in Scotland, an international community that has impacted thousands, if not millions, of people all over the world since it was started fifty years ago. My husband and I met there and had a very clear, strong experience of following our inner guidance simply by regular commitment to meditation—sitting silently and asking for help from our Higher Self or soul. The opportunity and support to buy the land and create Sirius grew out of that practice.
In 1994, I was a volunteer with White House Health Care Task Force with Hilary Clinton. I was very interested in getting a job with the President’s Council on Sustainable Development, which I was later able to do, and I wanted to meet Katie McGinty, the new director of the Environmental Policy Office, (who is now running for Governor of Pennsylvania). She had just been appointed and I was told that it would be impossible to get a meeting with her as she was so busy. One afternoon, however, my inner guidance directed me to walk down the hall to her office and see if I could set up an appointment. My timing was perfect. Just as I walked into her office, she came out of a meeting and said, “I’ve got a little time between meetings, so why don’t you come in right now?” None of my friends could believe that I’d gotten in. I was able to tell her about the sustainable communities like ours at Sirius that were growing around the country, which she was interested in hearing about . I’ve had many examples of being guided like this throughout my life.
The MOON: You also talk about a divine purpose behind human evolution, “the invisible government,” and the divine hand in human affairs—even as you confirm that humans have free will. Please elaborate!
McLaughlin: Again, what I see is that behind the scenes there is a lot of spiritual help available. History’s great leaders have often confirmed this, although they often don’t talk about it. Yes, we have free will, which means we can choose to collaborate with a Higher Purpose—our own, or a Higher Purpose for our nation or world. I like to talk about finding the intersection between your own Higher Purpose, your skill set, and the needs in the world—that’s where your greatest service to the world will be–where all three meet.
In all spiritual traditions there’s an emphasis on bringing more compassion into the world, more courage, more support for those who need it, finding effective ways to create a good and happy life for everyone. That’s what governments are supposed to do, yet so often they’re ineffective and simply cause more problems. The same is true for the private and nonprofit sectors. They’re ostensibly organized to solve problems, but they often create more problems than they solve. My approach in my current work is to try to get all three sectors—government, private, and nonprofit—to collaborate together. When each individual finds his or her own Higher Purpose, then it’s possible to connect with the Higher Purpose, or evolutionary plan, for the whole, for humanity, for all of life. When we tune into that, our life goes much more smoothly and effectively. When we resist it, we have more problems.
We are here on this Earth to have a happy, fulfilled life and to give back to others in some way. We’re happiest when we can be of service to others. So that’s what I see as the Higher Purpose that runs through all of life. I give a lot of examples in Spiritual Politics. For example, in the creation of the United States—and in the founding of other nations, as well—our founding fathers and mothers were guided by this Higher Purpose. There are amazing stories of leaders like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin giving credence to the hidden hand behind world events. Many of them are recounted in our book.
For example, George Washington, in his first inaugural address, said, “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which we have advanced to the character of an independent nation has been distinguished by some token of Providential agency.” Sojourner Truth, the former slave, was guided by an inner voice to preach both the emancipation of slaves and the rights of women all over the American North during the Civil War. Even though she was illiterate, she was a powerful orator. Harriet Beecher Stowe saw a vision of an old black slave being flogged to death, which became the basis of her famous book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. There are many examples of a deeper metaphysical stream running through world events.
There are also many examples from World War II. I’m thinking of Winston Churchill and the British people’s resolve to withstand the Nazis. Later, Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat had a vision of Mohammad, who told him to create peace in the Middle East, which is why he went to Israel. So you see, everyone is guided in the context of their own lives, situations, and beliefs. And many who don’t have a traditional religion, nevertheless find deep spiritual guidance when they ask for it.
The MOON: Why? Why would spiritual forces be concerned with the affairs of humanity? What is their purpose or agenda here?
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