Play of Mirrors Part 2 - Life is a Paradox | Recreating Balance

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Play of Mirrors Part 2 - Life is a Paradox| Recreating Balance

Existence is always based on a seeming paradox, that we are One and also appearing separate.
Our analytical mental logical capacity is based on having knowledge of facts, which can only
be done by isolating things from a certain point of view, to look at an object or a situation or a being as its own individual thing rather than a part of a whole. At the same time, existence, the whole of creation, is One, one organism, one body. We are cells in the One creation just like the cells and organs in a human body. Therefore logic in itself, if genuinely pursued all the way, always ends up in contradiction, the contradiction of Oneness and seeming separation. We can not come in touch with life by mentally understanding its parts. The seeking for a logical answer, for an analytical meaning and understanding of life, is always vain and can never be satisfied.

This is related to my previous post 'Play of Mirrors', in which I was mentioning that from the highest point of view, our Higher Self is One organism, one and the same for all beings and all creation, and symbolically it can be viewed like a Sun, and we as lower selves are all sunrays emanating from it. In truth, the Sun and its rays of Light are One. Another way to symbolically describe this is that the lower self is a reflection of the Higher Self seen in a mirror.

http://recreatingbalance1.blogspot.com/2017/10/play-of-mirrors.html

"Everywhere we look around in the physical, emotional and mental worlds,
we see only reflections, as all other people, places, objects, also are only reflections of their own higher selves. As mere reflections who have forgotten the real self, there has often been this feeling of being incomplete, that our identity is not validated, which is coming from losing sight of the real/higher self. And in this forgetfulness, there has been a widespread tendency to look for that sense of completion in the world of reflections. So people hope to be completed and validate their identity by looking for positive opinions of other people, by hoping that positive experiences and achievements will finally validate their identity, and finally the reflection will not be blur anymore. But this is absolutely vain, as completion can never come from the world of reflections,
but only from reconnection with one's own higher, real self.

Seeking completion in the world of reflections is like placing two mirrors in front of each other,
the reflections reflect each other endlessly. This world where the higher self has been forgotten
is a maze of opposing mirrors where it is not possible to understand what is real.

Therefore, for real spiritual breakthroughs to occur, one must unconditionally renounce
all hope for validation and completion in the opinions of other people, in one's own achievements,
or in any other circumstance from this world of reflections in these lower planes"

The Higher Self, the field and embrace of Oneness, the Light of Source, the One organism which all of existence is, all of these are different words to describe the same thing, and this is who and what we really are. We are cells in this One organism, ripples in the Ocean of life. This presence is eternal and unconditional, it can never be affected, lowered, changed. It is beyond conditions. Therefore it is not something to seek out there, it is not something to achieve, to work towards in a future, it is always there and has always been there and we can never be truly disconnected from it because there is nothing outside of the One, it is only the individual awareness which may forget temporarily,
which may then experience the illusion of being disconnected, while the
One presence is always there, and truly all there is to do is to relax into it.

To relax into it means that we see this Highest Light as ourselves and as all others and as all situations, always, unconditionally, no matter what is happening in the conditions. To truly see it, automatically we will bring it into the situation, and we will experience it.

To create attachments and investments in scenarios, in expecting or believing that things should be a certain way, automatically hooks the energy in the conditions in the lower self, brings identification with the lower self, because it is an expectation that the lower appearance could complete us, and actually the One Presence that we truly are is always there, everywhere,
in every moment, always complete.

And at the same time, the lower self often has accumulated a lot of programs, distortions, all of which are based on the illusion of feeling separate, dislocated. This creates an experience of various pains, especially physically and emotionally, which are always illusions no matter how real they may seem. An enlightened being could stand in an explosion unharmed, get shot by a firearm and just let the bullet go back out of the body unharmed, simply because he or she firmly knows that conditions are always illusions, a play of mirrors, and the One unconditional Presence is always here,
always complete to provide unconditional health and wholeness.

At the same time, it can be a journey to regain this full awareness, this full enlightenment, and this has to be acknowledged too. In full enlightenment, there is absolutely no need of anything whatsoever, because our Higher Self presence is always complete and pure Oneness Light and Love, it can not be affected by any of the lower conditions, and in truth the Higher and lower self are One, so the lower self has the destiny to fully embody the Higher and all of its unconditional qualities, and therefore to not be affected by circumstances and always be pure Light.


When this full awareness has not been regained yet, the lower self has many needs, or in other words many addictions, it needs/is addicted to drinking water, breathing air, sunlight, eating food, having meaningful human connections, etc. And here is the paradox, that from a certain perspective and at certain stages of evolution we truly need all of this, and at the same time as the One unconditional presence we truly don't need them.

The journey is to resolve this paradox by addressing all needs and desires, and there is no generic straightforward answer for this. Either they have to be renounced or they have to be experienced and played out, until the lower self is in full awareness of its unconditional Presence of the One, and the Soul has completed its journey in incarnation and has no desire or reason to incarnate anymore. This is dependant on the Divine Plan of the One : certain desires are distorted, for example we don't really need junk food and this can usually be renounced easily. If we believe that we need something then we will experience that need. For example we have genes to make vitamin C, but they are usually turned off because we believe we need to eat it, but they can be turned back on
by our awareness that we can make our own vitamin C.

However some desires are reflections of Divine Plan for unfolding of creation, and our Soul may not renounce them for some time but instead it will send the impulse to create that experience in the best way possible, for example the desire to experience Soul family reunion. Here it is important to remember that the Divine Plan is fluid, it changes, it is not something we can tune into with mental planning and beliefs, so we have to release attachments to a specific scenario. We can only tune into Divine Plan in the moment, by living and expressing each moment one by one fully, then the journey unfolds, life is able to build upon each previous moment only if it was lived fully which means that we see the One Presence of Highest Light in each moment, no matter what is happening. These desires, this inner guidance moment by moment, is the fabric
that weaves all life into a field of Oneness.


As this journey unfolds, we progressively regain full awareness of our unconditional Presence of the One, and the paradox is reconciled, as Oneness is realized all the way into all degrees of density and separation, then all beings, all cells of the One organism, are fully embraced together in the awareness of Oneness, and life remains a mystery to be experienced, not as something to be attained because there is nothing outside of life itself, but as the expression of the joy of simply existing. This is something which is always there for us to access at any time anywhere, in fact it can only be accessed when we relax into the present moment.





🌟💖 Love to All 🐬🌟

Publié par untwine à 12:08 PM

Sarah Varcus: 15th February 2018: Solar eclipse in 28th degree of Aquarius at 8:52 p.m. UT | Awakenings Intuitive Astrology

Sarah Varcus has long been one of my favorite Astrologers. I found her on twitter years ago, before her heart attack, and resurgence after healing. So far this article is only on FB but links to her website are at the bottom of the post. ~PB



Awakenings Intuitive Astrology

Yesterday at 2:00am ·

15th February 2018: Solar eclipse in 28th degree of Aquarius
at 8:52 p.m. UT
by Sarah Varcus




A solar eclipse occurs at a new moon and sees the light of the sun obscured by the moon. Astrologically, the sun reflects our core will and essence. It reveals the qualities that we manifest as we mature (giving it a future-oriented quality) and the path we must walk to step into an independent, unique expression of our being. As such it is the organising force of the psyche through which is filtered all experience, both internal and external. The sun relates to consciousness and in growing increasingly conscious of ourselves and our motivation we step more deeply into its life-giving energy.


The moon, on the other hand, is our instinctive and feeling self. A part of us so deep within and close to our very core that we barely know it consciously, instead expressing it as readily but unconsciously as we draw breath. Reflecting both subconscious and unconscious forces in the psyche, the moon reveals our emotional habits and our default orientation towards life. Where the sun is conscious and radiant, the moon is unconscious and deceptively influential. Born of our innate subjectivity and yet all encompassing, it both constrains us within our individual world view and connects us with the collective consciousness from which we all draw breath.


Because the light of the Sun (the life-force expressed as will) is blocked by the physicality of the Moon (the life force expressed as instinct) the shape of our life at a solar eclipse often reveals the consequences of past actions and reactions. How we manage our emotions and feelings, how we respond to those of others, the stories we tell ourselves about the ‘who, what, where and how’ of our existence, all have consequences which a solar eclipse can bring into sharp relief. If we find ourselves challenged by unexpected disruption now, honest and open reflection may reveal our part in current events no matter how randomly beyond our control they at first appear. Identifying the present consequences of past actions and omissions, denials and assertions, will assist us greatly in moving forward with deeper wisdom that supports a more awakened responsiveness in future. Such a process allows for humility, not despair, to arise in the face of challenge. It asserts authority over victimhood and reminds us that everything we do has consequences, many of which are out of our grasp as soon as we’ve acted. Whilst life does indeed deal unexpected cards and everyone is blindsided sometimes, being able to trace our own footsteps and fingerprints among what may at first look like a pile of rubble enables us to take stock, ‘cowboy up’ and get back in the saddle!


Nonetheless, we may be tempted into victim mentality at this time, convinced we are being punished or scapegoated, unfairly treated or powerless to effect change in our lives. But we are only victims if we allow something or someone to dictate our state of mind and heart, instead of rising up, sovereign even in the face of our greatest challenge. To do the latter we must understand how our mind and heart work: what triggers our own personal spiral into despair or hopelessness, anger or confusion.
There’s simply no time to wait for feelings to change of their own accord now. We must be masters of our destiny and agents of necessary change. Within the darkness of a solar eclipse we need to hold our centre and stand firm, allowing whatever occurs to penetrate us to our deepest core and speak its wisdom. We may not want to hear this particular piece of wisdom right away, of course, but the least we can do is write it down and return to it later, because we can rest assured it will be central to our lives and how we live them before too long.


Like the obscured light of the sun, our capacity to take effective action may seem blocked at a solar eclipse, but not for want of trying! These eclipses tend to have a mind of their own, shaping events and emotions according to their own often difficult to comprehend priorities. They disrupt our malaise and act to insert new experience into our personal timeline. Events associated with solar eclipses can be shocking by nature and wholly unexpected. Just when we thought life was taking us in one direction we are turned to face a different one and must forge a new path ahead. Aspects of our life which we assumed were unassailable can be thrown into disarray and we must pick up the pieces, like it or not. Alternatively, a solar eclipse may bring an unexpected and often inexplicable stroke of good luck which changes our life for the better in ways we couldn’t possibly have imagined. But adjustment will still be necessary and we may at first discover we’re a lot more scared of positive change and progress than we previously anticipated!


An interesting paradox exists within every solar eclipse, for whilst they augur a time of high energy and often radical experiences, they occur at a new moon which is a time of retreat, low energy, introspection and inner illumination. So a solar eclipse is akin to driving a car with one foot on the accelerator and the other on the brake! We must decide which foot to move in response to the road ahead. Do we release the break and progress at increasing speed, or do we release the accelerator and rest for a while? Either choice is fine, as long as it’s the right one! If we need to slow down and rest we won’t miss the boat. It’ll wait because our resting is all part of the process towards the next step. But if we need to keep going on a wave of high energy, that’s all good too. We can rest another time. So choose wisely when the sun is eclipsed. Don’t push yourself if you know it’s time to step back, because stepping back at the right moment is equally important as stepping forward, and both contribute to the potential of an eclipse well-lived.


Despite the intense nature of a solar eclipse its fruits may take the following six months to ripen, fertilised by our energy during the two or three days either side of the actual event. It is therefore especially important to attend to the quality of our thoughts, emotions and behaviour at this time. A solar eclipse reminds us we are both sovereign over our life and subject to forces beyond our control. Playing our part as well as possible, with integrity, awareness and grace, ensures our power is used to the fullest and greatest effect. The rest we must leave to chance and embrace when it arrives!


So we could say a solar eclipse is a brush with destiny, but not in the ‘pre-ordained there’s no avoiding it’ kind of way. We are our own destiny, a fact which may become startlingly apparent at this time. The events of our lives, their twists and turns, challenges and triumphs, reflect our deepest essence and unique presence in this world. We are force-fields of energy and intent, interacting with the unified field of being woven through all things. The causative factors of events in our lives are many and varied, but we are the common denominator and it is through self-knowledge and self-acceptance that we can more fully live, whatever life (and a solar eclipse!) throws our way.


If you want to understand how a particular solar eclipse impacts you more personally, look to the house where it falls in your birth chart. Here you will experience its direct impact as the affairs and issues of that house are subject to disruptive or unexpected forces which may feel beyond your control. Previous activity or achievement in the eclipse house may be undermined and new plans or efforts required. You may have to think on your feet for a while if you want to make up lost ground. Alternatively, it may make more sense to let go of previous goals and reconsider the shape of things to come in this area of your life.


Any aspects the eclipse makes to natal planets, or conjunctions to the Ascendant, Descendant, Midheaven or Imum Coeli, will also influence how its energies are experienced. Look especially to the personal planets (Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars and sometimes Jupiter) and to conjunctions, squares and oppositions, which will be most acutely felt.


Look also to the position and condition (aspects and strength etc.) of your natal sun, whose impact upon your life will be emphasised during a solar eclipse. You may find that the issues your natal sun reflects in your chart are particularly brought to bear in the house where the eclipse occurs. For example, if your natal sun is in your 10th house of career and public life and the eclipse is in your 4th house of home and family, you may find that work issues and demands from the outside world greatly impact your home life, and your work/personal life balance requires some skillful attention.


It’s also worth considering the house ruled by the sun in your natal chart: that is the house with Leo on its cusp. Here you will also feel the impact from a solar eclipse, but often more in the long-term than at the actual time of the eclipse. Once the eclipse season has passed and things begin to settle you may see a gradual change in this area over the following few months, as events and changes associated with the eclipse ‘bed in’ to your life. Your decision-making abilities and sense of sovereignty in this area of your life will mature as a result of the eclipse and you will gain a broader and wiser perspective upon the affairs of this house and how best to take them forward.


For info about the astrology of 2018 go here:
http://astro-awakenings.co.uk/2018astrology


To learn astrology go here: http://tinyurl.com/j3l7oya


Sarah Varcas

Fear freezes, it misdirects, and it confuses. 07/30/2014 by John Smallman

Fear freezes, it misdirects, and it confuses.
07/30/2014 by John Smallman

"Here in the spiritual realms – the numerous levels or areas beyond your illusory 3D environment – we are very busy preparing for your awakening and adding the finishing touches to the great celebration that has been prepared to welcome you Home.  And yes of course celebrations have often been talked about in reference to humanity’s awakening, so your interest now is undoubtedly in the actualization of those celebrations, in fact: WHEN!?  We try to suggest time lines bearing in mind that time is of the illusion, but time is what you experience and the seemingly endless waiting is very stressful, tiring, and disappointing for you.

The awakening will happen soon, and in reality it has already happened, because you never went to sleep for more than the briefest instant, but it still seems to you, caught up in the apparent reality of the illusion, that you have been kept interminably waiting for this wondrous event.  And we work hard to help you keep your spirits up while you wait by encouraging you to focus on its inevitability and its imminence.  Deep within you, and for the most part barely accessible to you, you do know that awakening is imminent and inevitable but, as you struggle with daily life and the hope and intense desire to awaken, that waiting can be exhausting, debilitating, and extremely frustrating.  That is why it is so extremely important to visit your inner and sacred sanctuary daily, and remain there until you feel a sense of relief, a strengthening of your faith, the warmth of our love for you, and even a sense of amusement as you consider that when you have awakened, and the illusion is gone, you will be absolutely overflowing with delight and merriment.

To remain focused on the inevitability of humanity’s awakening is essential, do not be distracted by the depressing bad news events on which the media and indeed the general populace place almost their entire attention.  As you go within, feel the Love, feel the intense inner knowing that the divine plan is unfolding just as divinely intended, and remind yourselves that the Will of God, the Will of the One, your will is always achieved.

We know how difficult it is for you to detach from the unreality of the illusion because your physical bodies are anchored there, and you are apparently anchored and constrained within them, experiencing all the physical sensations on which they depend for feedback so that they can remain strong and healthy . It is indeed confusing and unsettling for you, and even more so when you suffer illness or injury and the further restrictions those conditions impose on you.  For you it is an enormous paradox, an incomprehensible state of affairs, over which it seems that you have almost no control, especially as part of the experience of being embodied is to learn to control the body and have it behave as you desire.  We do understand, and we are deluging you with spiritual assistance in every moment.  To which you no doubt feel like replying: “Well how about some physical assistance that we can feel and enjoy?”

And you of course then answer that question immediately by reminding yourselves that you do feel assisted when you go quietly within and allow the distractions that plague you to fade away for a moment or two.  We are constantly with you, supporting and encouraging you, and we will never leave you on your own, even for an instant, because it is our lovingly assigned duty and a great honor to be with you while you work so diligently to bring humanity back to wakefulness.

You have all adopted the intent to awaken, you did it before you incarnated to experience this lifetime, and although you often forget your spiritual purpose as you go about the daily business of just being human, the intent remains firmly established within you.  It is an intent that will not be overridden.  The fact that you forget you made it, feel that you are not competent for the task you have undertaken, and doubt your ability to actualize it cannot in any way interfere with the divinely guaranteed outcome.  All will awaken!

Think of all those you know and love in this lifetime, remind yourselves how dear they are to you, bask in the feelings of warmth those thoughts of them bring to you.  When you do this the flow of divine Love through you, as a channel or conduit to humanity and to Gaia, strengthens and intensifies.  This was the vision that you embraced prior to incarnating, You, an unobstructed gateway into the illusion, through whom Love flows continuously, like a vast snow melt, as frozen hearts soften, dissolve, mix, and integrate into that wondrous all pervasive Tsunami of Love, the One, of which you are all essential aspects.

You are bringing humanity to wakefulness.  It is apparent everywhere when you open your eyes to see, instead of allowing yourselves be numbed into a state of severe depression and hopelessness by the outpourings of doom and gloom with which the mainstream media attempt to force feed you daily.  Prove it to yourselves by going on-line and just searching out some good news to counteract the depressive effects of the media’s never ending flow of misery that they would have you believe is the overall state of affairs planet-wide.

Yes, there is misery in many places, all of which can be remedied, and to be aware that this is so and to send Love to those who are suffering is a major part of your work on Earth.  BUT the good, the inspiring, and the uplifting happenings far outweigh, by an order of magnitude, what those who pull the strings on the world stage and in the mainstream media wish to direct and focus your attention on in order to keep you in fear.  Fear freezes, it misdirects, and it confuses.  Just look at some of the political discussions and arguments that are reported by the media.  They frequently do not address the real issues, just the symptoms, which are then dealt with at length and with little if any wisdom.

Love is your nature, humanity’s nature, and It will always be your nature.  Its apparent lack in the illusion is only apparent.  You see It flowing freely in areas where natural disasters occur, even if only fleetingly in the immediate aftermath.  Then fear is allowed back in as shortage of the necessities of life encourages people to fight for them.  But truly there are no real shortages, Gaia provides amply and abundantly for all on the planet. Shortages are constructed to enable the “authorities” to regain control.

You have all seen this happen.  And yet there are millions of kind and generous souls spending their lives far from home and loved ones to relieve these unreal shortages and support those in need.  They experience severe frustrations with the inadequacies of the systems, meant to assist them, that prevent them from doing their jobs properly.  The will to good is there, as is the Love to support it and ensure that it is achieved.  You see this happening after floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions as neighbor helps neighbor and even the military cooperate.  Then very quickly the “authorities” take control and the freely flowing kindness, compassion, and cooperation cease as agencies argue with one another over who is in charge.

When Love flows no one is in charge, there is no need because all can see what needs to be done and each does what is required and what her competence enables her to do, and a synergistic and cooperative flow ensues in which all are most effectively engaged.  Love is always the answer, whatever the situation, the problem, or the issue that needs to be attended to.  So continue to be loving, to extend love to all with whom you relate or with whom you interact, AND to those who appear to be causing the problems and the suffering that plagues the world, and by doing so awaken humanity.  That is why you incarnated, and I assure you that you are totally capable of achieving what you set out to do.

With so very much love, Saul."

Everything is as it should be, or is it? ~ a message from Pamela Kribbe

Great article in which she examines the seeming paradox between events that cause us to suffer, and having that labeled as "meant to be". -PB


Everything is as it should be, or is it?
a message from Pamela Kribbe
Tuesday, 10 June, 2014

"This was meant to be", "there must be a higher purpose behind it", "everything is exactly as it is supposed to be". Remarks easily made among the spiritually inclined. Often, statements like these are made in the face of situations or events that seem meaningless, tragic or cruel. Accidents, diseases, grave setbacks put our sense of justice to the test. Why does this happen to me, why did this have to happen? The notion that behind everything that occurs there is a higher order, a divine hand that means well, is reassuring. But is it true?

The idea that everything happens as it should, is a deterministic notion: it states that there is a higher power who predetermines what is going to happen in our earthly lives. This higher power may be God, or your soul or higher self. Whatever it is, the creative power does not belong to you, but to this higher source. The idea that we as human beings have free will and can make free choices is thereby severely affected.


Thus, a paradox arises: starting from a spiritual worldview, most people consider their power to make choices and take responsibility for their life to be essential to who they are. If it weren't for that power, the whole notion of inner growth and transformation would become obsolete. At the same time, there's the statement, often sounding like an invocation, that "everything is as it should be", or as others put it, "everything is in divine order".

This "glad tiding" that everything is really going as it is supposed to, both amazes and annoys me. First of all, there is massive suffering on earth, which is obvious from glancing through a random newspaper on any day. There is intense suffering on physical, emotional and spiritual levels in many, many human beings, as well as in nature. So how's everything exactly as it should be?! Second, there is the above mentioned paradox that free will and predestination do not sit well together. This is a point worthy of consideration when you bring up the idea that all is well and in divine order. Third, I have noticed that putting forward this message often goes together with a typical note of pity, a kind of spiritual condescension, conveying something like: "Ah, child, I see you do not yet understand, caught as you are in your all-too-human doubts and moods and emotions, but there is indeed a higher meaning behind all that's happening, and one day you too will witness it." People often mean well, I am sure, but still…

When I had just healed from a severe depression with psychotic episodes in 2010, and was still struggling to come to terms with this horrific experience, someone said to me: "it is pretty clear that you had to go through this, and that the purpose of it was that it has enabled you to now help people with similar afflictions". I could not respond to this suggestion as I was gasping for breath, but later on I realised that there were in fact three implicit suggestions being made: 1. The depression was predetermined and I could not have prevented it, 2. It happened for my own good even though it felt terrible, and 3. The spiritual purpose behind it all was that it would make me a better teacher and healer for other people. The latter suggestion instantly promoted me to martyrdom. What really happened was that I had sacrificed myself and had gone through hell for the salvation of others. Oh my. Kind of flattering to be put on a pedestal like that; but I suspect one has a shaky balance up there.

What stands out about all three suggestions is the big gap between the way I felt about what had happened and the "actual" spiritual truth. What felt succinctly bad to me was "really" a good thing, what I had wanted to prevent most of all had "really" been predetermined and what I experienced as my personal trial during the depression was "really" something I took upon myself in order to become a better teacher for others. The anger, sadness and dismay I felt afterwards about what had happened to me, were simply the ramblings of my ego which could not surrender to the higher order of things. This example shows a general line of reasoning which can be applied to many different situations. The general tendency is to look at an event or situation which at first sight seems terrible, tragic or absurd, and then smooth it down with the help of the spiritual tenet that "things are always exactly as they should be" or "there's a divine order governing events so at a deeper level all is well".

What to do with this typical smoothing down approach? The notion that everything is predetermined and proceeds according to divine will, cannot be refuted on logical grounds. It is an irrefutable metaphysical claim, which cannot be falsified (or confirmed!) by empirical evidence. However, it does conflict with our deeply felt sense that we are able to influence our lives, that we have free will and the power to choose. The notion that "all is well as it is" or "all is as it is supposed to be" is in conflict with how we feel in everyday life. Whenever a spiritual tenet is flagrantly at odds with common sense, with our everyday gut feelings, this raises a red flag for me. I believe that true spirituality is quite compatible with our natural instincts and intuitions. Even more, I believe that it is through our feeling nature that we can connect with our souls. More than the mind and the ideologies it makes up, it is the heart, the locus of our feelings and intuitions, that forms the gateway to spiritual truth. Whenever there is a big gap between what feels genuinely good and true to you and what a spiritual teaching professes to be good and true, I would always choose in favor of human feeling as the proper touchstone. The air of complacent superiority with which counterintuitive spiritual claims are often made doesn't help either.

But what then? If things are not predetermined, if there is no higher meaning behind all that happens, is life then a mere play of coincidence? Is there no bigger story, no purpose to it all? And if it is all free and open, and you still believe in God, why does God allow so much pain and suffering; what would be the explanation of that? I would like to argue that there are spiritually meaningful reasons why things happen as they do, but that does not mean that what happens is good and right. There is a reason for everything, but that does not imply that it should have happened. My claim is that there is a difference between acknowledging a spiritual logic behind events that occur, and believing in predestination. There are indeed spiritual laws at work in our lives, but they are not at odds with our free will.

To clarify what I mean let's apply it to the example above. My depression was clearly caused by fears and negative beliefs inside of me. I believe it belongs to my soul's purpose to bring these fears and negative beliefs to the surface of my awareness at some point, so that they may be healed. But that does not mean things had to happen exactly in the way they did, or that I had no choice about what transpired in my life. I remember clearly that before the depression really took hold (and I had to be hospitalized), I received several signals, especially from my body, that showed me I was very stressed and should apply the brakes. I failed to really do that, and that was not predetermined. There is an explanation for the fact that I did not act upon my intuitive hunches and body signals: I was afraid to fail, afraid to say 'no' to people, because I valued their recognition and feared rejection. This explains why I did not apply the brakes in time; however, even though there were definite reasons in place, it was still my choice. The very fact that I was aware of those signals and hunches, shows that there was room for choice.

So, in hindsight I made some poor choices. Now, there's not much use in blaming oneself endlessly about the less than fortunate choices one has made in the past. Reproaching oneself in a harsh manner gives rise to feelings of guilt which are destructive and counterproductive (I speak from personal experience here). To pass judgment on oneself is not very useful. However, to say that I could not help any of it because it was supposed to happen is like going to the other extreme; this is pure denial. There is no getting around the fact that I could have made other choices. The best way of looking back on this is with an eye of compassion and mildness. By being compassionate toward yourself, you acknowledge that you are a fallible human being, and it actually becomes easier to learn from your mistakes. If you are able to forgive yourself, you can see the pitfalls of the past as meaningful lessons which have enabled you to gain insight and make better choices in the future. In that way, tragic situations may become purposeful and meaningful, not because they are intrinsically good or desirable (they often aren't), but because you are prepared to learn from them and even be transformed by them. Thus, whether something is spiritually meaningful is not determined by the objective events themselves, but by the way you experience and interpret them.

In this way, free will and a certain degree of predetermination can be reconciled. Imagine that your soul wanted to live through certain experiences in this lifetime. That is why your soul chose to be confronted with certain challenges, which were kind of pre-programmed into your life. Certain people you encounter, different opportunities or setbacks that come your way, may indeed be fixed beforehand. The pivotal question, however, is how you, the human you with free choice, will respond to these encounters and situations, and to what degree you can detect purpose and meaning in what happens to you. This is not fixed, and it is your soul's ultimate purpose to embrace the lessons inherent in the challenges with love and acceptance. That way, you will make different choices in the future and attract more positive encounters and situations in your life, eliminating the need to face the same challenge time and again.

It is often very hard to respond to life's gravest challenges with trust and acceptance. That's why I say it is your soul's ultimate goal. It is often a huge struggle to recognise the value of deep experiences of loss or pain or rejection. Resistance and despair are normal, and very human. Yet I do believe this is our soul's deepest invitation to us: to embrace even the darkest part of our lives and of ourselves with understanding and warmth, not because it is "good as it is", but because accepting and working with it is the only way out. It is the only way into the light.

When I was in the middle of my psychotic depression, I did not experience any meaning or sense in what I was going through. For my loved ones, it was a nightmare, too. I was eventually taken to the psychiatric ward of the hospital against my will. My recovery started there. After I recovered, I found out what it is like when deep suffering bears fruit. As soon as I turned toward the light and wanted to live again, I experienced deep joy and took note of the abundance in my life as never before. What was taken for granted before, became a source of wonder and profound gratitude. I would sometimes stop in front of my house, returning with groceries, and just marvel at the fact that there was a place for me on earth, where I could live with the two people I love most, my husband and daughter. I was amazed at the genuine care and support given to me by people around me; what were acquaintances before, now became intimate friends. Not only did the complete breakdown that psychosis brings give me a new appreciation of what I took for granted before, it also gave me some lasting insights which now help me live my life with less fear and more fulfilment. A few years later, I wrote a book about my dark night of the soul, which helped me integrate the whole experience more fully and with the benefit of hindsight. After publishing this book (in Dutch - hope to publish it in English end of this year) I received letters from people who recognised themselves in my story and felt supported and comforted by it. Thus, my dark night of the soul gained in meaning. Gradually, this horrific experience appears in a different light, the light of healing and meaningfulness. However, this does not mean it was "supposed to happen" or that it was "really" a good thing.

Is everything as it should be? Is all well as it is? No! There is much suffering and tragedy on earth. I do believe we attract some negative situations in our lives to become aware of the negativity inside of us (anger, fear, distrust). These situations may in part be pre-arranged. But the purpose behind those challenges is that we make different choices in the future so that we can let go of the negativity and stop attracting it into our lives. A painful or tragic event is not intrinsically good or valuable; it will become that only when humans have the courage and clarity of mind to find meaning in it and be transformed by it. We have a choice in how we respond to "what is". We have the potential to transform negativity and pain by our inner attitude, and to make life more light and joyful for ourselves and others. This is the true purpose of spirituality. The higher order which we so desperately seek behind the external events in our lives, does not lie outside of us. We need to create it ourselves: that is our mission as free children of God."



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Copyright © Pamela Kribbe - Permission is granted to copy and redistribute this article on the condition that the URL www.jeshua.net is included as the resource and that it is distributed freely. E-mail: aurelia@jeshua.net

This message was originally posted here
http://www.jeshua.net/articles/article4.htm

Pamela Kribbe

Pamela Rose Kribbe works as a psychic reader and healer in her own practice in Tilburg, the Netherlands. She obtained her doctorate in the philosophy of science in 1997, after having studied philosophy at the universities of Leiden, Nijmegen and Harvard (U.S.).

The Jeshua channelings by Pamela Kribbe are a series of inspired or channeled messages about the transformation of consciousness in the present era. Humanity is growing towards a heart based consciousness, acknowledging the oneness of all that lives and letting go of fear based ways of living and thinking.

Jeshua is the Aramaic name for Jesus. He prefers this name, as it better conveys his humanness and kinship to us. In these channelings, Jeshua presents himself as our brother and friend.

Jeshua’s messages shed light on our soul history and destination and they also deal with everyday issues such as relationships, health, work, and more.

The Jeshua channelings have been published in book form. Click here for more information or to order on line.