***NEW August 30, 2011 — The Final FTG Event — Nov. 11, 2011***
***NEW March 17, 2009 — Fire the Grid Update #2***
If you participated in the Fire the Grid (FTG) meditation as I did back on July 17, 2007 (exactly eight months ago), you are likely aware of the fact that ever since this event transpired, there have been no updates posted to the FTG website nor has there been any news about Shelley Yates. Consequently, many FTG participants have been left to wonder, “Did our actions make a difference?” “Will there be more meditations?” “What is happening with Project Cause?” “And why have there been no updates?” I know I wondered — which is precisely what led me to sit down with Shelley for a face to face interview on February 2, 2008.
PLEASE NOTE: Although I have been friends with Shelley Yates since October of 2006, (as well as with Bradfield and Annie), this post is by no means an official update to Fire The Grid or Project Cause.
As Shelley settled into her couch, I asked her to tell me about her life since July 17th and to explain why there hadn’t been any updates to the FTG website. “Ever since Fire the Grid,” she began, “I’ve been very focused on my health. I’ve been going to the gym and exercising and I’ve lost sixty pounds. I’ve also been diligently working at refocusing my mind and creating a healthy environment for my children, and in order to do this I had to take the entire spiritual world and set it to the side. I can’t be good to anyone if I’m no good to myself. So I’ve been concentrating on making myself healthy and happy and balanced. And when I finally step into that balance, I know I will be able to do anything. But right now, walking the path is a challenge and I’m like everybody else. I’m trying to meet the challenge head on and be the best person I can be. But it’s not easy.”
As much as I was (and still am) sympathetic to Shelley’s struggles (and impressed with her physical transformation), I was feeling unsettled and perhaps somewhat agitated by the fact that no follow-up information had been posted to the FTG website since July 17th. Was there anything Shelley wished to say about this I asked? “One thing I’d like to say,” she replied, “is that just because someone has had a spiritual experience, it doesn’t mean they suddenly have it all together. That’s certainly not the case with me. You know, I have a real degree of respect for someone who’s walking the spiritual path without any real experience to hold onto. I mean, I’ve had tons of experiences – tons of tangible spiritual moments that I can go back to in my mind and go ‘Wow. That was incredible.’ And yet, the path is still a challenge to walk because I’m a really stubborn human and a really stubborn survivor. And trying to get my human to trust Source rather than allowing it to rely on its usual survival tactics, that’s where the greatest challenge lies. And I’d lay ten to one that for most human beings who want to be better people, the challenge lies there for them too. Because to surrender and say to Source energy, ‘I know that I am being led to the place I need to be right now,’ and to do so with faith and trust, that’s very challenging. And that’s why the walk is so hard.”
I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that several weeks prior to this interview, I was blessed to experience an unexpected surge of inspiration and excitement when I was granted access to the many thousands of comments that were privately posted to the FTG site in the days that followed July 17th. What an inspiration! In fact, I was so genuinely moved, I asked and received permission from Shelley (and Bradfield and Annie) to organize and prepare the comments for posting on the FTG site (minus full names and/or other personal information). Anyway, I did my part, however, as for when the comments will be posted, I honestly don’t know — I would only like to say that I hope it happens very soon because for anyone who might be uncertain as to whether we actually did a good thing by Firing the Grid, all they would have to do is read a few of the FTG comments to realize that something extraordinary and unprecedented happened that day. [Note: The comments have since been posted.]
Incidentally, given Shelley’s state of mind since FTG, it should come as no surprise that she has not yet been able to read, let alone respond to any of the comments. In our interview, I asked her if there was anything she wanted to say to the many people who had left questions on the FTG site and of course, hadn’t yet heard from her. “Only that my inability to respond,” she said, “hasn’t been out of lack of respect for people’s experiences or for their ideas or their thoughts.” (For purposes of edification, it was clear to me that she was making reference to the fact that by focusing on her health and family, she had literally no time or energy left for anything else. Also, strangely enough, ever since July 17th, Shelley has struggled to write — even emails have been next to impossible for her — thus, to write an update for the FTG website, or to respond to participant’s questions — it was (and still is) something she is incapable of doing).
Of course, Shelley’s meditations and/or communications with the Light Beings also weren’t without difficulty after July 17. In fact, Shelley told me that on the several occasions that she attempted to meditate, her attempts were mostly unsuccessful. As for her meditation on July 17th, Shelley had this to say about the experience:
“When the time for Fire the Grid came, I actually had to do what other people were doing which was to go back and find my simple joy. All I could think of was my children’s faces and their sweet little bodies, and just being near them and hugging them and kissing them and that’s what I spent my time thinking about during my meditation. I felt thankful and blessed that my baby boy was back in my arms, that my baby girl had me back, and that we were, you know, together. And that’s where I found my joy that day and I was able to say thank you. And at the end of the meditation, there’s this long tone [at the end of the “Light & Love” CD], and all I heard was ‘thank you.’ That’s what I heard. There was no download of information, there was no skies opening or turning pink. There was nothing but a simple ‘thank you.’ I think these Beings knew I had been through the ringer, and they were like I think we better leave her alone. She’s burned out. As soon as it was over, I went home and slept. That’s what I did.”
As for Project Cause, I tried to engage Shelley in conversation, however, she was nowhere near the right frame of mind to think about it. Consequently, I was left with a very clear impression that until Shelley is a hundred percent, or until there is a mechanism in place (a new and free social network perhaps?) that allows all of us who participated in FTG to find each other and to communicate with one other, Project Cause should (sadly and for the time being) be referred to as Project Pause.
As for future FTG events, all I would like to say at this point is that Bradfield and Annie do have information about a second global meditation (in summer, 2009) and hopefully they will make it official very soon — perhaps when they publish all the comments? As for Shelley, whether or not she recovers soon enough to promote the event remains to be seen. Nevertheless, having experienced this once already, I’m sure those of us who participated in the first meditation are more than capable of doing it again — whether Shelley is positioned out front as the spokesperson or not. [Note: The second FTG global meditation took place on July 28, 2009. Testimonials are posted here.]
As for the question, “Did our actions (on July 17th) make a difference?” As I said earlier, for anyone who is unsure in their heart, the FTG comments speak volumes. However, until those comments are made available for all to see, for those who are scientifically minded, I have posted (below) the summary results of Princeton’s Global Consciousness Project (GCP) as it relates specifically to FTG. Although GCP is very much a study in progress, I found the results very exciting. Furthermore, for those who are interested in subjective experiences, on August 2, 2007, Dr. Meg Blackburn Losey posted a very interesting FTG follow-up on her website. I have taken the liberty of reposting it following the GCP material.
By the way, if you are interested to know how many people participated in FTG on July 17th, although there is no way of definitively confirming the exact number, based on the number of “hits” and “visitors” to the FTG website over the 45 day period immediately preceding July 17th, and based on the membership of the organizations that actively promoted FTG, it would appear that the number is somewhere between 6.5 and 22 million people. (I think 6.5 million, Bradfield thinks 10 million, Annie thinks 22 million!) Either way, a staggering number of people when you consider that three people organized and promoted this event with no money and no advertising!
Finally, in defense of Shelley and her actions (or inactions after July 17th), I would just like to say that Shelley is truly doing the best she can to deal with her life and to find balance. And whether or not she finds the strength and the inspiration to continue the work she started with FTG, in my opinion, she (and Bradfield and Annie) truly did a remarkable service for the world in bringing together the millions of people that they did. Furthermore, just to set the record straight, Shelley has never profited from FTG, nor was it ever her intention (or that of the Light Beings) to do so. “Billboards for the Cause” (the t-shirts and novelties offered for sale through the FTG website) was something that was implemented well after the launch of the FTG website on the suggestion of a FTG team leader who was looking for a simple way to promote awareness. And even though some profits were generated, those profits, along with a portion of the sales of the “Light & Love” CD, were exclusively used to cover the fixed costs of the website as well as to cover some FTG travel expenses.
PLEASE NOTE: The following report has been copied in its entirety from The Global Consciousness Project:
Fire The Grid
The “Fire The Grid” event set for July 17 2007 brought a huge number, perhaps 10 times as many as for similar events, of notes from around the world, interested in notifying me of it and asking whether we would look at it as a GCP event. We decided early that it would be included in the formal series, and specified exactly the time defined by Shelley Yates in her presentation and descriptions. Here is an example email, which has the necessary information and some interpretations that help explain how the event is of importance:
Some of you may have heard of this, some may not. But it is simply this:
On July 17, at 11:11 Greenwich mean time (7:11 EST) there will be thousands, perhaps millions of people who will attempt to heal the planet by raising their own energy vibrations and sending them out to connect with those of others.
To join, you don’t have to pray or meditate (although if that’s what makes you happy, bring it on…:-) Simply engage in anything that brings you joy: listen to your favourite music, hug your children, walk your dogs and let the joy of life fill you up. Thank the universe for this special moment and imagine yourself spilling over with a brilliant light that you send out to connect with that of others.
The idea is this: Everything in the universe has a vibration. When you feel down and depressed, your vibrations are low. With all the problems that are facing us, humanity and our environment, we have all become preoccupied with our difficulties and their associated fears. Slowly, our own and our planet’s vibrations have become depleted.
If we can all raise our vibrations at the same time, we can raise those of the Earth and start the healing process. Give it a shot! You’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain.
To raise your vibrations on a daily basis do this:
– Be in the moment For instance, we all have put food in our mouths while being distracted. Taste it, feel it filling you up and savour the sensation. Do this with all things as often as possible.
– Give thanks to the universe, even if it’s just for a great parking spot
– Love and forgive yourself.
– Live your life to enrich that of others
To learn more about Fire the Grid, you can watch here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqUAluDvuU4
Or visit:
http://www.firethegrid.com/eng/home-fr-eng.htm
The formal event was defined as the one hour period from 11:11 to 12:11 GMT on July 17. The Chisquare is 3731.7 on 3600 df, for p=0.062 and Z=1.542. This is in accord with the prediction, and is marginally significant.
Below, we provide exploratory analyses that give some context for the formal analysis, since so many people are interested. It is important, however to understand that single events are not expected to answer the subtle questions we ask in the GCP. Because the average effect size is small (Z ~ 0.3) we cannot generally interpret single events with reliability; we need repeated tests of the same type of hypothesis. That having been said, we see that the Fire the Grid event has a positive outcome, consistent with the prediction, and indeed shows a larger deviation than the average.
I encourage people interested in this and other occasions that bring us together to meditate or pray for a better future to trust your/our feelings and direct perceptions of the effects. The GCP analyses are a very interesting adjunct, but they should not be seen as a test of the intent or success of the gathering of minds for good purpose.
The full day of July 17 (UTC) is shown in the next graph, with the hour-long Fire the Grid (FTG) event marked. While the cautions about interpretation of single analyses apply here also, it is interesting to note that the FTG presents a notable “spike” of positive trend on a rather consistent day-long background trend that is negative. For a larger context it is instructive to look at a long term trend analysis that shows some suggestive correlation with polling data that in turn may reflect our communal state of mind. Here too we see a general trend that if regarded as the “true” expectation would make positive deviations more impressive.
Again, we do not believe it is appropriate to interpret single events even though it is tempting to do so when the “picture” looks good. The signal to noise ratio is way too small, and to make claims based on any single experiment in this domain is potentially misleading. It happens in this case that the FTG event is one in a decent size collection we have assembled over the years, and it is consistent with the general outcome. Good stuff, but just the beginning of learning about the stuff.
Numbers Engaged
We have modestly persuasive evidence that the effects in GCP data are a function of the numbers of people engaged. When millions are likely aware of an event and likely participatory in some sense, the effects are larger and more reliable. We don’t have an objective count and have to rely on estimates and best guesses for the most part. The Fire the Grid event provided an opportunity to look at web-based counts, as a step toward a useful measure of N. Here is what Google and YouTube looked like over the time around the FTG event.
PLEASE NOTE: The following article has been reprinted in its entirety as it was originally posted on Dr. Meg Blackburn Losey’s website Spirit Light Resources :
August 2, 2007
Greetings to each of you! Much has transpired since our last transmission! First of all, the most asked question that I have had since July 17th is DID WE FIRE THE GRID?? The answer, unequivocally is YES!!! So what happened? What continues to happen? Ok, here goes ~ As we all came together to Fire the Grid on July 17th, the intensity on Universal levels was amazing. If you could hear it (which I could) our Oneness sounded like a huge humming that had a pulsing rhythm. We were not only addressing the earth grid, but the Universal consciousness as well. As the humming intensified, the fabric of creation slowly rose, like a huge wave. The wave changed frequencies, changing to higher and higher vibrations as it rose. At about the 45 minute mark, the wave collapsed from a convex rise to a concave trench-like form. Next, I watched as the convex format began to shift and change, the frequencies continuing to rise. And then it all smoothed out like calm waters. This was one of the most powerful events that I have ever witnessed. We unified the earth grid with the universal mass consciousness, something that has been lacking for eons. And as we did, the earth grid had its own reaction. Many described seeing or feeling blue lights that went on one right after the other. Every sector of the earth grid that wasn’t working, that wasn’t lit, awoke. The field of blue energy that occurred (which by the way is a very healing set of frequencies) expanded and then the entire grid glowed golden. That’s right. We brought the frequencies of our very source to the earth grid. We are powerful in our being and even more powerful when we unify for the greater good. We did this with intention, with passion, and with Grace. So now what??? I know that many who participated may have expected immediate results. In many ways we are seeing those. The earth has begun to rebalance. If you watch the earthquake patterns regularly (which I do) you would notice that the pattern has shifted slightly and that there is movement in areas that we don’t normally see. The intensity of the pacific ring of fire has changed as the ring has shifted slightly as well. The intensity of lightening has become greater, with huge lightening storms occurring as the grid balances. There have been great releases of the electromagnetic energies from within the earth. This is a sign of shifting and changing. In fact, these releases have been so prevalent that most of the people I have shared healing sessions with of late have partial or full reversal of their chakra systems. This has been consistent across the board. Before we fired the grid, I was only seeing this in the earthquake zones. And then there are the space time relationships. How many of you are seeing things? They are there, then they are not? People, animals, indescribables? The dimensional barriers have thinned even more, and there are communications going on that are easier to relate. And the elementals have been hugely active. Have you seen the little squiggly patterns in the air? Little spirals covering your entire field of vision? Those are the basic elementals and they are alive, awake and active in the way that they were when our original root races existed on our planet. And in the news, politicians exposed, injustices being made right or at least challenged. And this is just the beginning. Energetically, we have experienced many changes. Our overall frequencies have been amped up considerably. And we have been refined. Many of you might have noticed how much more sensitive you are to things. That is because you are more accessible. When we fired the grid, we experienced a major cleansing. Our particulates have a different mathematic ratio than they did before the event. The very fabric of our manifested selves in relation to all creation is now spread farther apart, allowing information to flow through us more freely, uninterrupted (unless of course we are kicking and screaming, resistant to the very changes we intended!). And speaking of energetics, remember that this kind of work always has a trickle down effect. As the energies of what we have done reach our earth and therefore our experiences, the effect will grow and grow, becoming more and more sound and obvious. Don’t think for one moment that you didn’t make a difference. That we didn’t make a difference. All I can say is I am honored and privileged to belong to the One of which all of you are a part. The most important part of this entire event was the unification of peoples across the globe for the intention of love. As we united, there were no boundaries, no differences, no fear or defenses, only LOVE. And that is huge. It is the beginning of the unification of humanity for the greater good of all. And what better service is there than to intentionally change the experience of every being in our world and beyond. We are Blessed.
Thank you Mathew! Irene
Thank you for the update!
Blessings
You’re welcome! Thanks for dropping by!
Namaste
I wondered what happened and why there was nothing else to relate to, no updates or instructions on project cause? Thank You so much for the much needed information. My heart goes out to Shelley Yates, I send her my love and prayers that she finds in this life what she is looking for, so thankful for her and the message she was able to bring to us through such dramatic experiences. I have noticed the changes in this world and I look forward to the transformation of us all for the greater benifits of our souls. Alaine
Google is promoting a contest to help promote ideas to make the world a better place. http://www.project10tothe100.com/
This is the place where Shelly needs to go with Project Cause. Google can help her and us make it a reality.
Hi Libby,
Thanks for raising awareness for Google’s “10 to the 100 project.” I hadn’t heard of it ’til you mentioned it — so I checked it out and unfortunately, in so far as this round goes, unless Project Cause has already been submitted, the Google project is now closed to new submissions. (They received over 100,000 submissions, and voting begins on January 27, 2009!)If Project Cause was submitted, I hope you’ll post something to let us know, otherwise, guess we’ll have to wait until Google does this again!
Namaste,
Mathew
I think it was worth just to get people’s mind open about the spiritual perspective of life on earth and how each one of us are integral part/ participants in it. To ask whether the world had changed after the FTG event is up to each of us, as our journey continue, and day by day making conscious choices to be good to ourselves, to others and to the earth.
It is not fair to put too much on Ms. Yates’ shoulder as she fulfilled her role as a carrier of the message. I hope she considers herself to have done the job well, and treasures the special experiences she had with the spiritual beings.
Whether we did fire the grid or not, or to wonder if firing the grid event did anything good to the planet — these questions reflect our human weakness as wanting to see before believing. Didn’t Jesus said something like blessed are people who believe without seeing (forgotten the exact wording as it’s being a long time)?
I didn’t feel anything special that day but still believed in the good that must have come out of it. I saw so many people, who would otherwise not talk about spiritual “stuff”, talking about FTG. That’s was good enough for me to see as the positive outcome of this whole thing.
I wish Ms. Yates the best, and hope that she wouldn’t push herself more than what gives her joy and peace.
I am glad I found this unofficial "update" to Fire The Grid. I participated and found it very precious. I am grateful to Shelley Yates for the opportunity for the connectedness of so many at once, and I respect her belief system and send light & love to her in finding her inner peace. However I find her statement "to set aside the spiritual world" interesting to say the least. I would suggest to her to read "The Prophet" from Kahlil Gibran who so beautifully wrote, "Who can spread his hours before him, saying,'This for God and this for myself; this for my soul, and this other for my body?' All your hours are wings that beat through space from self to self. And he who defines his conduct by ethics imprisons his song-bird in a cage. Your daily life is your temple and your religion. Whenever you enter into it take with you your all." I found it unfortunate that she was incapable of responding to the many souls who lovingly participated in her dream.
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. And thanks for the beautiful quote by Kahlil Gibran. In my opinion, it takes a heart full of understanding and forgiveness to reach the stage that Kahlil speaks of, where ethics are not the invisible motivating factor behind conduct. In Shelley’s case, extreme burnout might have been significantly tempered had Shelley’s motivations not been largely tainted by (an ethical sense of) duty and responsibility, as well as an extra large spoonful of underlying guilt Nevertheless, FTG was a significant and beautiful accomplishment.
Namaste,
Mathew
Just ran into this post now. Thanks for that. We had several large groups here, had several personal conversations with Shelley, and were wondering what happened. Glad to see she’s fine and just finding her feet. Her life was changed dramatically in any number of ways and once it was done, she clearly needed to step out of that role.
Glad to see one day that the comments may be posted. Thanks for your efforts on that. “Earth Responds” is coming this year, however you may be looking…
Hi Davidya,
Thanks for your comments and for the info on “Earth Responds”. (Hopefully you’ll come back and finish your message, as it was cut off — sorry!) As for Fire the Grid, today is March 3, 2009, and with any luck, there should be some official news about Shelley and FTG2 posted on the FTG website within the next few weeks! Namaste
Hi Mathew
Don’t recall what else I said, but I blogged on the subject.
“And now, the followup is approaching. July 28, 2009 @ 19:19 Brazilian time (-2 hrs GMT) she said would be when the earth would respond, from Corcovado Mountain, under the statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.”
I also noted that the site is considered one of the earths chakras (the 6th, third eye) and that like FTG, its a couple of months after the next Mayan mid-day.
In another article, I touch on how a few commentators are suggesting the epic tale The Ramayana is now playing out on the global stage. We live in remarkable times.
Thanks for your further comments, Davidya. With respect to July 28, 2009 — it is precisely this info that will be officially released on the FTG site very soon! And yes, I wholeheartedly concur — we do indeed live in remarkable times!
I have been following the FTG website and Shelley for years. It’s been a while but I just went in to check in on the website and discovered it is gone, both the .org and .com. Does anyone know what is going on right now with Shelley? Did she do the Cause Project or did someone else do it? What’s new?
Hi Lisa,
Shelley dropped out of the public eye for several years, but I suspect she will be making a comeback very soon. Yes, unfortunately the FTG websites were taken down. But the Facebook groups (Fire the Grid, Lutaria) are still up and maintained by Shelley’s dear friend, Annie. Project Cause has not happened as of yet. I will be seeing Shelley next week for the first time in several years. Hopefully, I can post a new update after.
Mathew xo
I recently met Shelley Yates, or Samoyia as she wants to be called. I can’t help but be somewhat hesitant to believe her 100%. I spend an entire weekend supporting her. Whenever someone else asked a question it’s always about her experience and she always pulls all attention immediately back onto her and whatever the light beings are telling her. She says that all information comes from them and nothing she talks about comes from books. Though everything she talks about has been known for a long time by many people and authors. I am sceptical about her real truth, especially since there are contradictions between the story she tells in 2002 and the story she tells now. For ex. The light beings were 7 foot tall, and now they are 10 feet tall?
Another thing I don’t understand that if there are thousands of people invested in a goal, you simply don’t disappear from all they have done for you, to make an excuse that simply life took over.
She has many excuses but it’s never her fault,…
To say if she tells the truth or not is her business. But if you have a message for humanity, please have some integrity and respect for all those who helped you along the way.
Hi Anne Marie, Thanks so much for your comment. I have known Shelley since 2005, and count her as one of my closest friends. I’m sorry you feel disappointed and let down by the way Shelley steps into the public eye and then retreats. She is a complicated person with a complicated life, and no shortage of drama. That said, I don’t feel the same way that you do with respect to the meditation/gratitude events Shelley helped to facilitate over the years. My participation was never for Shelley. It was inspired by Shelley, but was always done for the betterment of the world, or in the hopes of a better world. Therefore, I never felt that Shelley owed me (or anyone) anything. No one paid her for her services. She gave freely, and people participated freely. Nevertheless, I do understand how it’s possible to become attached to the comforting words and ideas that people or spirit may give us, and how an unexpected end of that source of comfort can be upsetting. In reading your words, I feel that this may be the very thing that happened with you. If I’m wrong about that, I apologize, and invite you to respond. Otherwise, to address your other comments, I’m not sure what your exchange was with Shelley and why you felt unheard. Over the years she has become very skilled at talking about her experiences as most people come to see her for that very purpose, although I do realize, by sharing her experiences as she does, it invites others to want to share similar experiences. It’s great to feel validated by sharing like experiences!. All I can say to that is that when not in a public setting, Shelley is a good listener, can engage in a two-way conversation, and shows interest in other people’s experiences and stories. So, perhaps your negative experience had something to do with the time and place. Of course, we are all human, and subject to good and bad days and good and bad moods! So, that could have been a factor too. Last, I’m not an expert on memory, but I do know that it is natural for people to recount things that happened to them differently over time. So, if Shelley said the Beings she saw were 7 feet tall in one instance, and 10 feet tall in another, my takeaway would be that these Beings were extremely tall, and not that she’s lying or prone to lying. But that’s just me. Thanks again for taking the time to comment! Sending all good wishes and lots of Love your way.