Silver Birch is liked by Victor and Wendy Zammit, with frequent quotes in their weekly newsletters, and by others I know - including an early teacher of mine, from the mid-80s or thereabouts.
That particular person is useful to raise now, as their experience with BPM Guides raises an important consideration: that of the image presented by any particular Guide. That teacher had experienced quite a bit of severity from nuns while growing up, and - as with many others I know with similar lived experience - had no positive associations with nuns (even if they had not experienced sexual abuse). So . . . when that person started getting images of an astral nun, the image was rejected . . . and that Guide subsequently adopted an image of a Native American - a very stereotypical image, but it "worked" in that the person concerned accepted it as a "calling card" for that Guide, and started listening.
In part, it worked because the person had experienced a past life in that culture, and - unlike the nun - had positive associations with their recollections of it, and thus would listen.
So a Guide presenting as a Native American is not necessarily a cultural lesson, it is about establishing a connection. The image and what is commented about that culture is probably not (archaeologically / historically) accurate, based on what I've seen: it is about making a general spiritual point or two.
In my case, I have one Guide who presents in the (Native American) image of a brother I had in the US north east / Canada (well before the white invasion), a brother who I failed to speak out for, and was thus unjustly killed. The "message" of that image was about responsibility, courage, and acting - including speaking up (generally by writing): it had nothing specific to that culture, only my mistakes in that lifetime.
That's fortunate, as the phrasing and general spiritual approach of Silver Birch has more to do with western spirituality (particularly "New Thought") that what is known of Native American spirituality - it is, effectively, an example of cultural misappropriation, of using a false stereotype as if it were real.
This book, which I liked when I read it, has also been criticised for its inaccuracy. In fact, if I want accuracy, I would turn to YouTube channels like https://www.youtube.com/user/AnasaziFoundation and https://www.youtube.com/c/NavajoTraditionalTeachings/videos, but my spirituality is NOT a Native American path (which should be obvious, I hope!), so I use those channels to increase my general awareness and knowledge - including countering the limitations of the racist society I grew up in. (There is a similar richness of Indigenous spirituality in Australia, but that also is not my path, and it is not my place to try to comment on that.)
The phrase that particularly annoys me - because of its racist overtones - is the use of "Great White Spirit", rather than "Great Spirit", which is similar to the error many westerners make when they use "white light" instead of "CLEAR light" (which can be any colour) in Tibetan Buddhist contexts.
However, the biggest problem I have with what is being taught is that it is - effectively - politically right wing / conservative: it is based on the notion that the world either cannot or should not be changed, and people should focus on coping with ("overcoming", or "rising above") their lot. This is tantamount to victim blaming, and is the sort of backward thinking that would have women still barefoot, pregnant, and in the kitchen, slavery not abolished, and the Divine Right of Kings still holding sway over notions of democracy, freedom, liberty, and equality - and is an active propagation of the evil human rights crime known as "poverty".
Am I exaggerating? A little, but I consider that necessary to shock those who are naïve, complacent, or unthinkingly accepting of the message of enduring rather than changing (as was the case for me with the associations of my Guide using the [coincidentally Native American] image of a past life when he was my brother who died by my inaction).
The good news is that sources such as Silver Birch contain one of the key essences of what is necessary in order to achieve change: love.
Other characteristics are necessary as well, including matters that Silver Birch covers, such as perception, determination, balance, and so on (not necessarily in those words).
In fact, there is a fair argument that the main problem is whether one uses such messages for enduring what is, or an informed, aware, and intelligent application of the "serenity prayer":
Give us courage to change what must be altered,
Serenity to accept what cannot be helped,
and the Insight to know the one from the other.
My counter argument to that argument is in two parts:
- yes, we should have an informed, aware, and intelligent application of the principles of the "serenity prayer"; but
- as part of that awareness, we should also be aware of aspects of "spirituality" and/or religion that can be criticised (ignoring the simplistic Marxist rubbish on the topic) for impeding the work of those who are seeking to make the world a better place in ALL ways.
Having covered all that, I also have to say the wording of Silver Birch's messages is lovely, and they can be reassuring and inspiring in times of personal stress and doubt - which may well be what they are intended for.
