The answer is beautifully simple: "Lightworker" is a conscious title that can only be claimed by your own personal choice. Many people find their way to our sanctuary instinctively resonating with this word. We use it not because we own it, but because it perfectly states our collective intent to carry and spread light on planet Earth.

If you feel drawn to this energy, there are no prerequisites—only your willingness to shine.

During a recent channeling, The Group of 9 expanded on this truth:

"We are deeply honored to address you as Lightworkers. This is a chosen title, reflecting a willingness to consciously carry light to planet Earth. We ask you to always look at the love content of any message and use your own discernment. This is the greatest expression of the God within each of you. We use this title not to place ourselves on an imaginary ladder, but as a pure affirmation of our intent. We invite you to do the same."

We invite you to claim this title for yourself today, step into your inner authority, and re-member who you really are.

The Group of 9 is a loving collective of cosmic beings who offer timeless information for self-empowerment and practical techniques to awaken the divine power already within you. They are here to support anyone choosing to step into their joy and create their own version of Heaven right here on Earth.

When Steve first began receiving these messages, the process felt incredibly natural—like an art of deep listening. When he eventually asked them who they were, they laughed lovingly and told him the answer was threefold:

1. It’s none of your business,

2. It’s none of your business, and

3. It’s none of your business.

While that initial anonymity brought up natural questions, The Group explained their beautiful reasoning:

“We wish you to discern the messages for the love content alone. This is exercising your own power through discernment instead of determining value because of a label placed on it. Discernment is the greatest expression of the God within you. If a message pulls at your heartstrings, take it as your own. If there is anything less, leave it without judgment, for it was simply placed there for another.”

They embody this vital lesson of discernment in their very name. Eventually, they agreed to be called simply “The Group.” They operate as a collective of nine, where each has a specific field of expertise, and Steve’s role is translating that wisdom directly to the human heart. They love to laugh, they teach with absolute humility, and they share their monthly guidance freely through our Beacons of Light Reminders from Home.

Steve Rother is an internationally renowned spiritual teacher, author, and speaker who has spent nearly three decades bridging Spirit and humanity. As the channel for The Group of 9, Steve delivers grounded, practical wisdom to help individuals awaken their inner sovereignty during this pivotal density shift on Earth.

The journey began as a profound spiritual awakening in the 1990s. At the time a general contractor, Steve began naturally receiving messages full of love and empowerment. Together with his high school sweetheart, wife, and divine partner, Barbara, they began sharing these transmissions on the early internet.

For 15 years, Steve and Barbara traveled the globe as a team, presenting interactive seminars in 26 countries. Barbara beautifully graduated from this Earth and returned Home in May of 2021 after 48 years of marriage, and Steve proudly continues their sacred mission to this day.

Over nearly 30 years of global service, their milestones include:

• Presentations at the United Nations: Invited five times across two continents (Vienna, Austria and New York HQ), teaching what is believed to be the only channeling class ever hosted at the UN.

• International Authorship: Steve has authored eight books translated into 18 languages, including Re-member: A Handbook for Human Evolution and Spiritual Psychology.

• Decades of Continuous Guidance: The monthly Beacons of Light reminders have been published in the prestigious Sedona Journal of Emergence every month for over 20 years.

The Evolution of Espavo

The word Espavo came through a live channel in 1998 as an ancient Lemurian greeting meaning, "Thank you for taking your power." Today, the ESPAVO organization is a leading-edge, 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation dedicated to spreading light on planet Earth. Operating from his studio in Las Vegas, Nevada, Steve combines his spiritual service with a love for technology, custom-building computers and digital tools to host live monthly seminars, virtual global broadcasts, and independent masterclasses for lightworkers worldwide.

Whether explaining complex cosmic concepts with his signature warmth and humor or mapping out deep energetic alignments, Steve’s work remains focused on one simple mission: helping you find clarity, purpose, and the strength to co-create a new Earth.

At Espavo, our foundation is built on timeless, universal truths designed to support your spiritual sovereignty. Here is the core philosophy that guides everything we do:

• Our True Nature: We believe that we are spirits playing a game in a human body. While the nature of life on Earth forces us to pretend we are separate from one another, we are actually deeply connected—we are all a part of each other.

• The New Evolution: We are currently in a rapid state of cosmic evolution unmatched in all of eternity. We believe we are evolving, not to ascend off the Earth, but to remain on it in a higher vibrational form.

• The Power of Creation: We believe in the infinite creative ability of the human spirit. As humanity takes these giant steps forward, holding your true power as a creator in human form is more important than ever before.

• Power & Responsibility: We believe that responsibility is the perfect balance to power. Finding ways to increase your responsibility in any area inherently increases your power of creation there. Being responsible for your own happiness is the very first step.

• The Web of Love: Love is the highest expression of our true essence. We believe in the Web of Love—a heart-centered grid that connects us on all dimensional levels, strengthening our bond and allowing us to communicate as one global family. We warmly invite you to connect to this web.

• Passion, Joy, and Human Angels: We believe we reach our highest use to the Universe when we actively experience passion and joy in our daily lives. We commit ourselves to stepping into our role as Human Angels—choosing to touch other lives with our divinity whenever golden opportunities arise.

We believe in Magic. Above all, we believe in the Magic in You.

Literally translated from an ancient Lemurian language, Espavo means:

“Thank you for taking your power.”

It was used in the ancient days of Mu (Lemuria) as a sacred greeting for both hello and goodbye. The Group of 9 brought this word back into our modern consciousness to help humanity re-member our true place in the Universe as sovereign creators.

The Story of Amor & Etu

The word was first introduced by The Group during a live channeling in Baltimore, Maryland, in March of 1998, through the Story of Amor.

The story begins in Lemuria with a twelve-year-old boy named Amor during his "Walk into Life"—a sacred custom where young people declared their commitment to becoming responsible adults. As part of this custom, Amor chose an older linguist named Etu (pronounced Atoo) to form a sacred contract, promising to help him transition when it was time to cross the veil.

Years later, when Etu’s time came to depart the Earth, Amor faithfully came to his side to provide love, permission, and guidance for his transition. In his final hours, Etu pulled Amor close to give him a parting gift: a single, forgotten word from the ancient days. That word was ESPAVO. Etu explained that the time of human evolution would soon near, and the world would desperately need this word again to remind people to step into their divine authority.

A Modern Seed Planted

When Steve first searched for the word in 1998, the internet yielded zero listings. Today, if you search the word "Espavo," you will find thousands of listings worldwide. It has been adopted globally by lightworkers for businesses, music, and creative expressions.

While the ESPAVO non-profit corporation holds the official trademark for the word within spiritual teachings and broadcasting, The Group and Steve warmly invite everyone to use this ancient greeting freely in daily life. It is a profound tool to remind ourselves, and one another, to take and hold our own power.

The time is now. Espavo.

"The Game of Hide and Seek" is the beautiful, foundational story shared by The Group of 9 to answer humanity’s ultimate question: “Why are we here?” It serves as the baseline for all the teachings found within the Beacons of Light and Steve’s very first book, Re-member.

According to The Group, life on Earth is a brave cosmic game that we voluntarily chose to play.

The Journey Into the Veil

Imagine all of us gathered in a beautiful meadow at the base of a mountain. We are Home, playing together in perfect, unconditional love. A dear brother approaches the collective and asks: “Would anyone here like to play a new Game?”

He explains that this will be an elaborate game of illusions, unlike anything we have ever done before:

• The Disguises: We will wear deep veils so that we can no longer see or re-member our true divine nature, our creative powers, or even Home itself. We will pass each other on Earth, look into each other’s eyes, and temporarily not recognize one another.

• The Reminders: Before entering the gameboard, we are allowed to plant as many signs, syncronicities, and reminders as we wish to help us awaken. We are advised to leave many, as the human mind will easily rationalize them away.

• Humor & Free Choice: Humor is one of the few frequencies that passes completely unchecked through the veil. If we get too serious, Spirit will tickle our funny bone to remind us it is just a game. Above all, Free Choice governs the board at all times. You can choose to hide, or you can choose to seek.

• The Polarity: The gameboard operates on contrast—Up or Down, Light or Dark, Good or Bad, Love or Fear. While these feel real to the human body, they are simply the necessary mechanics of the board to provide perspective.

The Ultimate Goal

We have purposely left the highest aspects of ourselves in a sacred place for the duration of the Game so it wouldn't be too easy.

The entire goal of the Game is to see if we can awaken while under the veil, remember who we are, reclaim our innate powers of creation, and ultimately re-create Home right here on the physical Earth.

The game is currently in motion. And before we began, you looked around the meadow, smiled, and said yes.

Your Original Spiritual Family consists of the souls who stood closest to you in the very beginning, before we ever stepped onto the Earth gameboard. They are the beings who deeply re-member who you really are, even when you might temporarily forget.

You know you have crossed paths with a member of your spiritual family when you meet them for the first time and know them instantly.

The Shift from Karma to Blending

When the Game first began, we incarnated together time after time in tight soul groups to work through karma. We returned to the same places, with the same souls, to complete our sacred contracts. Over many lifetimes, as we cleared those karmic ties, we began to naturally blend with other families—emulating the true flowing energy of the Universe.

Now, the old Game of karma has come to an end. We are moving into a "Second Wave of Empowerment," shifting from a paradigm of follow the leader to a new paradigm of follow yourself.

The Purpose of Meeting Them Today

As we step into this higher frequency, reconnecting with your original spiritual family is one of the most powerful catalysts for your personal evolution.

• Soul Reminders: These people are strangely and beautifully finding their way into your life right now—whether at a spiritual gathering or down the aisle of a hardware store.

• Temporary Catalysts: By the nature of these contracts, many of these souls will enter your life for just a short season. They are meant to touch your very soul with the light of Home, permanently change the way you see yourself, and then move on. (Though because Free Choice is our only absolute rule, you can always choose to co-create long-term relationships with them!)

How to Find Your Spiritual Family

To connect with them, you simply need to put yourself in spaces with people of a matching vibration. Look for meditation circles, heart-centered groups, or spiritual seminars.

We warmly invite you to start right here within the Espavo global community. By setting your intentional focus and making space in your life for your family to find you, you open the door for the magic to begin.

Shortly after The Group began delivering their messages, Steve asked them for personal guidance to help him stay anchored on his path. This daily alignment is the exact guide they gave him. Steve uses it every single morning immediately following his personal 26-second morning focus.

He shares it here as a living tool for your own morning ritual:

On This Day, I Will Re-member

I ask that Spirit walk with me this day and that I have the courage to carry this truth within me in all that I do. To fully stand in my own truth and power is to honor the spirit within.

• On Identity: Help me today to re-member both who I am and who I am not. Who I am is magnificent, yet carrying a facade of who I am not only detracts from that magnificence.

• On Vulnerability: To accept the truth of my own limitations clears the path to carrying my true power. I know that holding my power is only possible when I am not afraid of being vulnerable.

• On the Ego: This day, I will balance my ego by checking it often to see my true motivations. I accept the power that is rightfully mine and will use it to create Home on this side of the veil.

• On Being a Mirror:  I ask that I may allow Spirit to emanate from me to all who choose to look upon me, that I may be a perfect mirror so that they may see the God within themselves. Help me to touch their hearts with my love and allow them to re-member Home and who they really are, as I re-m ember who I  am. 

• On Gratitude: As Spirit walks with me this day, I remember to give thanks for the gift of Spirit on my shoulder. May I always use it to the highest good of all concerned.

• On Joy: I vow to enjoy this day to its fullest and to laugh at every opportunity.

This day, I will play the wonderful Game, and I will carry the vibrations of Home in every move on the gameboard. This day, I will Re-member.

When Steve first began public channeling work, he asked The Group of 9 for guidance on how to be successful and avoid the common pitfalls of this sacred calling. Rather than rigid rules, they offered a message of absolute empowerment and common-sense suggestions.

They reminded him that there is ultimately only one cosmic truth, and we are simply different, beautiful "flavors" of that same truth. At Espavo, we believe that the more places we create for the Light to shine, the more Light there is for all of us.

The Group defines a healer with absolute simplicity:

“One who creates space for other people to feel comfortable enough to heal themselves.”

To support healers, lightworkers, and facilitators navigating the higher vibrations of the New Earth, The Group offers these 12 Paradigms for Facilitators:

• 1. Preserve Their Power: True healing can only take place when an individual holds their own power. Your primary intent should always be to facilitate others without taking their sovereignty away from them.

• 2. Facilitate Only by Request: In the New Energy, it is no longer effective or appropriate to facilitate or send healing to another without their explicit, conscious request.

• 3. Walk with Highest Intent: Re-member that on the New Earth, there are no more secrets. Allow your motivations and your heart to be seen freely by those you serve.

• 4. Redefine Illness: Illness is not always a sign of something going wrong; often, it is a sacred catalyst facilitating necessary soul change. Your role is to support that transition and work with all states of health.

• 5. Honor All Flavors of Truth: Speak your truth clearly, but know that truth is always an evolving work in progress. Speak it in a way that allows others to stand in theirs without feeling threatened. Competition is merely an illusion of polarity.

• 6. Balance Your Ego: Check your ego often and examine your true motivations. If your ego grows too big, it cuts you off from Source; if it is too small, you will never step forward to take your place as a healer.

• 7. Practice Discernment Without Judgment: Carefully choose what and who enters your energetic field. Choose only ideas and vibrations that complement your own, and release everything else without negative judgment.

• 8. Embrace Humility: Understand that some of the wisest, most empowering words a spiritual facilitator can use are simply: “I do not know.”

• 9. Find Strength in Vulnerability: Your true strength as a healer lies in your willingness to be vulnerable. It is your humanness that makes you special. Share your mistakes openly; your perceived weaknesses will soon become your greatest strengths.

• 10. Master Your Mind: You may not always have control over the automatic thoughts that enter your head, but you have complete control over which ones stay there. Take responsibility for your thoughts and model this for your clients.

• 11. Remember Our Shared Motivation: Humanity is much like a group of children in a dark room, all searching for the door back into the light. The easiest way to find it without hurting one another is simply to hold hands.

• 12. Release Responsibility for Outcomes: It is impossible to directly heal another person on the gameboard. You can only offer the sacred space for them to heal themselves, if they so choose. Help them hold their own responsibility so they can hold their true power.

“Treat each other with respect, nurture one another, and play well together.” — The Group

The phrase Human Angel has lived in literature for thousands of years, but The Group began mapping out this specific evolutionary step in 1999. They explain that just as the highest purpose of Angels in Heaven is to reflect the magnificence of humans, our own evolutionary journey is leading us to mirror that sacred role for one another.

The definition of a Human Angel is beautifully grounded:

“A person who makes a commitment to be placed by Spirit at exactly the right juncture of time and space to make a positive contribution in the life of another human.”

The Group reminds us that this path requires immense spiritual maturity. You will rarely get to see the harvest of the seeds you plant, and you must empower others without accidentally taking away their responsibility or their own power. Furthermore, this role is a beautiful cosmic training ground—preparing those who choose it to eventually act as guiding angels for the Second Planet of Free Choice.

If you feel called to this sacred role, The Group asks that you ponder The Three Questions asked of all Human Angels:

• 1. Are you willing to place yourself first? Placing yourself first in all things is the only way to do the work of a Human Angel while keeping your balance. If you are not fully centered in your own energy, attempting to help another will drain you and accidentally enable poor habits in the person you want to save. Have the courage to anchor your own energy first.

• 2. Do you choose to make a commitment to be a Human Angel? This is your formal contract with Spirit, declaring that you will allow yourself to be positioned at the perfect crossroads of time and space to alter someone's life for the better. Once you make this commitment, you must understand that the events taking place in your life can no longer be taken personally—Spirit is actively moving you into position. Your highest intent becomes planting seeds of empowerment.

• 3. Will you promise to walk in Grace whenever possible? Walking in Grace means taking every step in your life in full, conscious connection with all things around you. While the illusion of polarity makes us feel separate, walking in Grace is the active, living expression of Unity Consciousness in your everyday reality.

Please take these three questions in the Light, rather than lightly.

Self-empowerment is the foundational process of gaining confidence, strength, and conscious control over your own life. It is the practical application of our central greeting, Espavo (Thank you for taking your power). It involves recognizing and harnessing your inherent divinity and potential to fulfill your true soul desires.

When you truly awaken to your full potential, you become beautifully unstoppable. This deep self-awareness brings clarity, focus, and a profound sense of purpose. It enables you to break free from limiting beliefs and societal expectations, allowing you to take charge of your destiny and create a life that perfectly reflects your inner aspirations and values.

When an individual steps into this level of sovereignty, the possibilities are limitless:

• Personal & Professional Growth: You begin to achieve remarkable feats in your personal development, relationships, and professional calling.

• The Ripple Effect: You naturally begin to inspire and uplift everyone around you. Your journey becomes a beacon of hope and motivation, demonstrating the incredible power of self-belief and determination.

In essence, knowing and embracing your full potential transforms ordinary human lives into extraordinary expressions of Spirit, fostering a beautiful ripple effect of positive change throughout our world.