Monday, August 17, 2009

Death is never an end but always a beginning

It is my perception that many of us are still inwardly discouraged from contemplating the esoteric meaning of death, unless death arrives on our own doorstep on the doorstep of someone close to us. Even then, our deepest thoughts and feelings may be suppressed for fear of reprimand from those around us, or not fitting into culturally and socially acceptable behaviour.

We are allowed to say our cultural prayers, hold the departed "in the light", acknowledge they are in "heaven", wherever that is, but we must not consider our own mortality, or immortality. We must not stop to ask demanding questions such as, "what is consciousness?", or "do I exist outside of this body-mind?"

If we were to ask, the illusion could not continue... reality would change! How we interact with our world would change, and it would change sooner, rather than later.

Asking deep questions is not a morbid fascination with death but a Soul Level perspective that acknowledges the body as a vehicle for experience, creation and transformation.

We all know that we come into the world for a short time, to experience the joy and wonder of creating and experiencing through a physical body, knowing that we will, ultimately, choose to leave once again.

Let us remember that we entered this world by choice, that we chose our planet and dimension, our country, our parents and genetic heritage because we knew these ingredients would provide us with the exact circumstances we needed to learn and grow. We also chose to forget our connection to our Spiritual Source, which has served us for a time, until now, a period of monumental change.

This forgetfulness must now come to an end because we are, quite literally, on the brink of self-destruction.

For those amongst us who believe that consciousness ends when the physical body dies, what of the Near Death Experiences (NDEs) recounted by thousands of individuals whose lives were changed forever by those experiences?

Many of those people did not believe in life after death and, yet, they were forced to acknowledge that their perception of reality had changed. And they could not continue to live their lives in the same way as they had before.

Joyce Hawkes was one such person who embraced the gifting of the NDE and all that it had to offer her. A biophysicist and cell biologist by training, she changed careers in 1984 after a NDE and embarked on extensive exploration of indigenous spiritual and healing traditions, which she incorporated in her book "Cell-Level Healing: The Bridge from Soul to Cell."

The NDE forever changed her life, as well as her view of science. "I think that part of me — that my spirit, my soul — left my body and went to another reality," she said. "It just was not part of the paradigm in which I lived as a scientist," Hawkes recalled. "It was a big surprise to me to have this sense of something different than the body — a consciousness different than the body — and to be in this wonderfully healing, peaceful, nurturing place."

"I think what I learned was that there truly is no death, that there is a change in state from a physical form to a spirit form, and that there's nothing to fear about that passage".

The Baha'i writings liken the body to a cage and the soul to a bird. When the cage breaks, the bird can escape unharmed, and is finally free. Baha'u'llah, founder of the Baha’i faith calls death a messenger of joy:

“I have made death a messenger of joy to thee. Wherefore dost thou grieve?” – Bahá'u'lláh

Even for those who believe that reincarnation is a false doctrine, the evidence is overwhelming that we have all lived before in another time, place, and body. There are countless books of research and anecdotes of people, young children even, who have recalled one or more prior lives, with astounding accuracy. People, places, circumstances and events that they could never have known otherwise.

My work as a Spiritual Response Therapy Consultant and Teacher has tirelessly demonstrated to me that Past Lives have a great effect on the people living in this time-space reality. Over 95% of SRT research deals with Past Lives. By clearing the negative energies stored in the Akashic Records of the Soul, often astounding changes can occur, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically.

Yet, this truth is uncomfortable for most. And will continue to be, until a clear choice is made to look beyond the "safe" and yet limiting boundaries we have collectively imposed on ourselves.

The truth seems to be only comforting to those who do not wish to ignore it; then it is not only comforting, but inspiring! It is a reflection of our current world state that most of us are excellent at denying what is right in front of us and demand proof, even when the proof is staring us in the face.

Over the last two months in particular, I have been reminded that life and death are both tremendous gifts. Deaths near and far have caused me to remember and compelled me to share this remembrance with you.

On a massive scale, the death of music legend Michael Jackson deeply touched many hearts all over the world, and helped send a timely message about how short our time here on Earth really is.

Society's misunderstandings about death, and about life, are greatly responsible for the fragmented lives that we lead and we are currently facing some of the greatest economic, ecological and social challenges ever because of our failure to embrace the greatest part of ourselves, to stop seeing ourselves as separate from each other, and to remember that life continues after death.

Indeed, every physical death is pre-planned by the soul.

"No experience is visited upon any soul against the soul's will. That is, by definition, not possible, since the soul is creating every experience." Conversations With God, Book 3

As well as Michael Jackson's death, a death nearer to home also touched me just a few weeks later.

My eldest paternal aunt had already suffered two strokes within a short space of time and my parents had called me about a month before to say that she was on life support, completely unable to communicate with anyone or anything. For many days, my cousins had sat around her hospital bed, praying for her to go peacefully and yet, not wanting her to leave them.

I had intended to visit but many things had sprung up which had prevented me from attending the hospital in person.. However, the day before her death, I suddenly "knew" that she would be leaving this world and I also had a strong feeling that it was necessary for me to visit her.

High Self revealed that she would pass away within twenty-four hours and that her soul had already left the body, so I rang my parents to compassionately share this information with them, even if they did not fully understand it.

When I arrived at the hospital it was approximately 2.15pm and, strangely, the room was empty apart from her older brother who had flown in from Canada. I greeted him and expressed my sympathy, giving him a warm hug.

He looked like he needed a break and so he went outside to stretch his legs, leaving me alone with my aunt. I noticed that her body was just a shell, the life force barely sustaining it.

I linked into my High Self and from that connection I gave immediate permission for her Soul to leave as it is my understanding that souls will often not depart whilst close family members are present because of the emotional attachment. We must remember that whilst the body may be unconscious, the soul is fully aware of the whole picture, including the feelings of those present.

As I held her frail hand, I felt Reiki flow into her energy body and within a few moments she stopped breathing. I can only describe it as a peaceful and blessed release, and I felt greatly honoured to be there with her at the time of her passing. The doctor later confirmed that a physical death had occurred.

When we look deeply at something, we begin to see through the illusion. To contemplate something deeply is to see right through it. Then the illusion ceases to exist.

"Death should teach you that what is real is life. And life teaches you that what is unavoidable is not death, but impermanence. Impermanence is the only truth." Conversations With God, Book 2

Death takes many forms, not just the physical death we are acutely aware of. The loss of a job, moving to a new town, city or even country, the end of a great concert, the end of a day, all represent a death. We all perceive the loss and the gift that accompanies it, but we often choose to ignore it.

And yet the transient nature of each moment signals a glorious opportunity for rebirth, awakening to a new moment, a new experience. Nothing is permanent, everything is changing in every holy instant.

One experience must end for another to take its place. We must let go of the old, to embrace the new. Life cannot reveal itself to us fully without us fully embracing death.

Let us remember the truth then.

That death is never an end but always a beginning. Nothing will be painful again when we realise that nothing is real. We are constantly re-creating ourselves anew in each moment. External conditions, circumstances and events are actually projections from our own deepest consciousness.

Whenever we die, we are reborn in that holy instant.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Manifestation Principle #1 - Creating with the Soul

"If all you desired is what your Soul desired, everything would be simple. If you listened to the part of you which is pure Spirit, all your decisions would be easy, and all the outcomes joyous. That is because the choices of Spirit are always the highest choices." Conversations With God, Book 3

When we put Spirit first, all else follows. This is the Central Sun of our being, always illuminating the path ahead, willing to guide our every step. And yet, so many of us choose the path of darkness, stumbling along the way, sometimes falling.

We must first begin to listen, and trust, our inner wisdom. We must listen to the small voice within that encourages us to see the bigger picture, to stand back, to let go of the personal drama. Our intuitive voice is one that we are all born with and have immediate access to. Begin now to trust that voice again.

Because we have forgotten who we are, we must begin to learn to use our gifts again. The more we marry our intellect with our innate wisdom, the better our choices will be, the higher our outcomes in all areas of our lives. The highest choice blesses all.

We are constantly creating through body, mind and spirit, whether we are aware of it or not. Yet, when the tri-part being is not acting in unison, mixed results occur and we adamantly say that the Universe does not grant us, or is incapable of bringing us, our desires.

We must remember that the Universe is constantly listening to our desires because we are One in Truth, and it has no choice but to fulfill the essence of our request. It is a choiceless choice!

If the totality of our being is in harmony - with Self, SPIRIT and all of life - then our choices become unified and miracles can occur. The miracle IS that our thoughts naturally follow our beliefs, perceptions and judgements about life, and create our experience of life.

The evolution of a society can be measured by its choices, in whether it follows the urges of the body, the thoughts that rise up in the mind, or the inner promptings of the Soul. It is not wrong to follow the choices of the body but merely following the body's wants, or the mind's desires, without fully integrating the Soul Aspect of our being, will not lead us to the most beneficial outcomes.

Today, we are seeing exactly where we are in the scale of things, through the immediate and obvious crises of the planet.

Most of us understand that we have a mind and that it determines, more often than not, how we feel about life and, therefore, what we experience in our lives.

The mind lives throughout the body, in every cell, and the Soul encapsulates everything within, through and around the physical body. We are made up of 99% empty space!

With regard to the mind, it would be useful to explore the sublevels to better understand how we create. Indeed, we create from at least three interior levels, but we also have access to a fourth. The first three are logic, intuition and emotion. Logic stems from our conscious, rational mind, emotions stem from our subsconscious mind programming, and intuition is borne of the Higher Self. The fourth, which practically none of us use at the present time, is SPIRIT. This fourth level is pure thought, pure consciousness. My High Self tells me that at this time in my own evolution I only access it about 0.5% of the time.

For those who consider themselves firmly on the path to Self-Mastery, and who are consistenly working with their High Self and Spiritual Committees, my High Self says that we must continuously ask for healing by the Father, Mother and Grandfather of the Oversoul to access and create from pure consciousness.

To recap then, body, mind and Spirit must be in unity, and all levels of the inner mind must also be in unity to create the highest and grandest vision we have for ourselves. All levels of our inner mind must be in harmony for a successful outcome or outpicturing of our desire.

If you want to achieve something effortlessly, you will need to understand that you are a triune being and create from that understanding. It takes practice, patience and perseverence. Ultimately, it means listening to your Higher Self and to SPIRIT.

To help, you can build a logic statement around what you wish to achieve. If you can find just one other person in the world who is doing it, or something similar, then it is possible for you.

Secondly, you must intuitively feel it is the right step for you. Listen carefully to your inner voice. It is a nurturing, supportive voice. It is not a voice that says you "should" do this, or "should" do that. It is not a voice that will place you in danger or harm's way.

Thirdly, get excited about the possibilities and let the Universe bring it to you through Divine Manifestation. Emotions are extremely powerful, moving energy through, within and around the body-mind. Desire and excitement are key ingredients, without which nothing happens!

Lastly, when creating anything, be mindful of whether you are coming from love or fear. This is the great polarity, the primal duality. Both are creative, yet one brings the highest outcomes and the other the lowest. All thoughts, ideas, concepts, understandings, decisions, choices, and actions are based in one of those. Of course, if you are really listening to your intuition, the voice of the Higher Self, then you will be coming from Love. Negative Ego's constructions are based in fear, thoughts of not-enoughness, of separation, of victor or victim consciousness. Creating from SPIRIT creates win/win situations that bless all forms of life.

As you endeavour to align the trinity of body, mind and spirit, you may find challenges suddenly appear. These are the gifts to work on, or work through. There is a period of mind purification that follows a clear intention to follow SPIRIT, and create from that place.

It is of the utmost importance that you own your personal power, and be responsible for your self. If you don't own your personal power, you can be run by almost anything in the Universe, including discarnate spirits, negative ego, the weather or your addictions.

Do not fall into victim consciousness and blame outer circumstances! The outer world is a perfect reflection of your consciousness. Pratice forgiveness of self, others and all situations that are bothering you! If you would be free, let go of the old, forgive, and move on!

"The extended use of power is self-control. You will not progress far on the spiritual path without personal power and self-discipline. Also, truthfulness to Self and others is of the utmost importance." Soul Psychology, Joshua David Stone

Finally, this is a work in progress, so be loving with yourself and appreciate yourself no matter where you are in this process of understanding. Remember that all of this "work" is done through love, not judgement or self-punishment.