HOW REINCARNATION PLAYS OUT IN LIFE
How Reincarnation Plays Out In Life
Nancy B. Detweiler, M.Ed., M.Div.
Several years ago, I had a regular 2-3 minute segment on a radio talk show called SOUL TALK, based on questions submitted by our listeners. SOUL TALK is based on a recognition of reincarnation as a means of advancing on the spiritual path. Questions relating to personal experiences are an excellent avenue for revealing how reincarnation plays out in our earth plane lives. With this understanding, we can make more enlightened decisions about how we want to live our lives and how to go about assisting others.
I am supplying some of the actual questions with SOUL TALK’s answers.
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SOUL TALK #22:
Q: Please explain the concept of “karma.”
A: Karma is the basis for reincarnation on the physical plane. It represents the positive and negative energy we create by the way in which we live our lives. In biblical terms, “we reap what we sow.”
In very simplistic terms, humanity has forgotten that, in actuality, we live and move and have our being within the energy of God. Instead, we believe ourselves to be separate from God. We have also forgotten all the powers that are ours as god beings.
Reincarnation offers us repeated opportunities to recall all that we have forgotten. However, until we fully recall our true identities, we make mistakes. We create negative energy fields within our being that must be transmuted and transformed into the positive. We create this negative energy in a vast number of ways, such as through hating, abusing, or harming another member of the human family. The higher we climb on the spiritual evolutionary spiral, the more subtle the ways become of creating negativity within our energy fields. For example: the commandment “do not kill” can operate on multiple levels. One level can be the physical act of killing an individual; another level can create the same amount or more negative karma through the psychological killing of another person by repeatedly thinking, not even verbalizing, negative thoughts about the other. The more spiritually awakened we are, the more responsibility we have for our negative thoughts and actions. Why? Because we know better.
During our cycle of physical incarnations, we also create positive karma in myriad ways, such as: through the use of our talents and skills in service to others and the planet, our efforts to grow spiritually, the unconditional love we give to others, listening to and empathizing with others, and through living out the Truth that we are all members of the family of God.
The goal of reincarnation is to transmute the negative karma to such a degree that we can ascend in our knowledge of union with God and step off the wheel of rebirth. We, thereby, become Christed beings.
SOUL TALK # 12
Q: How does SOUL TALK respond to the level of violence we are seeing among our youth?
A: The basis for violence among youth lies in humanity’s misunderstanding of self and our spiritual blindness to who we truly are: spirit beings temporarily inhabiting a physical body for the purpose of education and spiritual evolution. As a result of this spiritual blindness, our view of life is distorted by our misconceptions.
Physical incarnation, as viewed from the soul level, is to be characterized by the recognition that each of us is a unique human being, possessing talents and abilities that our souls have chosen to develop. We did not take on a physical body so we could be cast into a standard mold and be like everyone else. Parents and teachers need to realize this fact and strive to assist every child to develop his/her own special identity. It is when the child feels inhibited from expressing this uniqueness and ignored for who he is that we find him responding with violence. The child is expressing frustration, feelings of powerlessness, and an inability to get anyone to relate to him as a unique human being. He is screaming to be seen as who he—alone—is.
In addition to providing the basic necessities of life, parenting needs to focus upon getting to know the child as different from all other human beings. This individual uniqueness needs to be appreciated and developed. Parenting and teaching must be based upon the belief that every individual has a unique role to play in the unfolding of the Divine Plan for humanity. There are no superfluous human beings. All have a role to play. All are individual threads to be used in weaving the tapestry of God’s plan for our planet Earth. The child growing up in this type of environment will have an understanding of individual differences and recognize the value of them. He will have a positive self-esteem with no need for violent behavior in order to be noticed, admired, and empowered to make his contribution to our world.
We set the stage for violence by placing the emphasis upon uniformity rather than uniqueness. We can overcome violence by respecting every child’s unique combination of talents and needs and, by striving to assist him in achieving his soul’s purpose for incarnating on the physical plane. In this New Aquarian Age, education will become just that: assisting each child to develop along the lines of his soul’s design for this sojourn on Earth. Then, we will see children blossom, like fragrant roses, into all they incarnated to be!
SOUL TALK # 19
Q: We are seeing so much devastation on our planet. What soul purpose is served by the destruction of property and the loss of lives?
A: First, recall our true identities: spirit beings temporarily inhabiting physical bodies. Our souls have chosen to incarnate on earth plane in order to evolve through experiencing the life situations to be found here. The goal of all spiritual evolution is to remember who we are, where we came from, and what mighty powers we possess.
Second, there are no accidents. Prior to physical incarnation, our souls chose the family-of-origin, geographical locale, and the ethnic and religious groups into which we were born. Our choices are influenced by the lessons we desire to learn while living on earth plane. For example: a soul desiring to learn that God is sufficient for all our needs may choose to incarnate into a geographical locale where devastation via earthquakes is known to occur. We choose to incarnate into a group of people who also plan to use the earthquakes as a learning tool. Within the group, some souls will use the earthquake to learn how to care for others, some to experience being rescued from a life-threatening situation by an individual toward whom they are intolerant, and others to be torn away from all material concerns in order to realize that family and friends are their most precious possessions. Still others have chosen to use the earthquakes as their means of leaving the physical body and returning to spirit. Those whose souls plan to exit earth plane will find themselves located where the opportunity to leave will be presented. Those whose souls plan to survive will do so, even if it means being thrown into the safety of a tree: an example that actually happened to a toddler during a tornado in the Midwest. The toddler was unharmed.
For those who remain on earth plane, the so-called death of loved ones is painful, yet offers even more learning opportunities; such as, developing the ability to function independently. Each person experiences the earthquake according to the soul’s intentions.
No event is without soul meaning; no circumstance is without purpose. And through it all, a God of love allows us to learn at our own pace and in our own way.
SOUL TALK # 33
Q: What can we do to assist in bringing order out of the chaotic conditions on our planet?
A: Chaos has a constructive purpose; it can be a force for healing and transformation. As we seek to re-create order out of this chaos, we have the opportunity to establish a better world.
The most valuable contribution any of us can make is to remember who we are and where we came from. We are spirit beings temporarily inhabiting a physical body. Eons ago, we came from the heart of God as individualized parts of the Whole. In the truest sense, we are beings of Light and Love. As more and more of us remember who we are and live our lives as Light and Love, we contribute to what is called the “critical mass.” When a “critical mass” of Light and Love is achieved, the consciousness of our entire planet will be lifted. We will overcome fear with love. We will replace violence with the realization that we are one human family.
It is essential that we learn to supervise our feelings and thoughts because they are the energy of creation. We are what we think and feel. Now that the intensity of Earth’s magnetic field is decreasing, our feelings and thoughts are manifested more rapidly; thus, the increased number of synchronicities we are experiencing in our lives. As we develop the self-discipline to monitor our feelings and thoughts and to consciously convert them from fear to love, we are literally creating order out of chaos.
Jesus taught, “You are the light of the world.” As the light of the world, we are also the means through which peace and harmony can be established on our planet. As we focus our minds and hearts on peace and love, our energy field radiates that peace and love out to the world. All of us possess the capacity to help in healing our planet; we all have our role to play. Some of us will be the leaders and the workers. Others will support those who lead and work by concentrating our thoughts and feelings on love, light, and peace. Together all of us, young or elderly, rich or poor, healthy or sick, can transform our chaotic world into one of peace with justice for all. Together, we can create a new and much better world!
SOUL TALK # 21
Q: If a recognition of reincarnation is so valuable for the soul’s growth, why do we witness such abject poverty in countries that have embraced this concept for centuries?
A: The large scale planetary problems, such as poverty and starvation, are indicative of the degree of spiritual blindness still present within the whole of humanity. We, as a whole, have not perceived the Truth that we are One Family—God’s Family. We refuse to recognize that planet Earth is capable of supporting all of its inhabitants, IF we share its resources. We, in the West, have been taught to believe in the “survival of the fittest,” and can, therefore, very easily look into the eyes of one in poverty and convince ourselves it is natural and okay.
Reincarnation’s companion concept is that “we reap what we sow.” It is all too easy to look upon the poor and say, “They are reaping what they sowed.” This may be true; however, it does not relieve us of the responsibility to help overcome the fact of poverty on our planet. When we look the other way, we are sowing the seeds of unconcern that we will reap from others in the future. One of the chief ways by which we incur karmic debt is the refusal to assist those less fortunate than we are. Conversely, service to others is a major means by which we pay off karmic debt.
There can be many reasons why souls choose to incarnate into poverty. Some reasons may surprise us. For example: All souls play a vital role in the unfolding of divine order on a planetary basis. In order for the human family to learn ways to share the planet’s resources with all its members, large numbers of souls must volunteer to incarnate into poverty, thereby presenting to others the motivation to create a means of sharing. As these volunteers live in poverty, they not only assist their planetary family, but also pay off karmic debt through their service.
An individual soul may incarnate into poverty in order to develop empathy and the skills to manifest a better life for self and, in turn, for others. All life situations have within them an upward spiral of possibilities and positive spiritual evolution. It is up to the individual soul to use every condition of life as a means of constructive growth, both for self and for others.
SOUL TALK # 17
Q: Fear is rampant on the planet. How can we ease this fear?
A: The root cause of fear is that we humans have forgotten who we are—spirit beings temporarily inhabiting a physical body. As long as we believe that we are solely the physical body, we are vulnerable to fears of deprivation, ill health, violence, old age, and death. We fear because we believe ourselves to be powerless and separated from God. Many of us have been taught that God is to be feared, that God is vengeful and might punish us with an eternity in hell. When we cannot be absolutely sure what God will do—send us to heaven or hell—the foundation on which we build our lives is based on fear. If we do not trust our Creator to love us unconditionally, who can we trust?
It is time to wake up to our true identities. For thousands of years, the mystics in all major world religions have recognized that God dwells within all human beings. God is the center of our being. It is impossible to be separated from God. Consider how different our planet would be if all persons perceived this spark of divinity within themselves and others.
Instead of pursuing external ways to express power over others, we could be secure as we allow the God within to manifest through us in powerful ways and, to do so in accordance with our soul’s goals for this incarnation. Instead of submitting to what we have been taught is the inevitability of ill health and aging, we could rest assured that God expresses through us as perfection. God does not get sick; God does not grow old. Instead of seeking ways to prolong our physical plane lives, we could find peace in the knowledge that our souls will simply leave the physical body at one of two times: when its allotted amount of physical energy has been expended – or – when the soul’s mission has been completed and it chooses to return to spirit.
In actuality, the only thing to fear is allowing fear to creep into our lives. The negative energy of fear attracts fearful situations. On the other hand, the positive energy of trust and surrender to the God within attracts positive circumstances.
To learn more about our true identities, go to my web site: www.pathwaytoascension.com and click on the “Your Divine Self” in the left hand column of the home page. I highly recommend ordering a wallet size copy of Elizabeth Claire Prophet’s Divine Self chart and the booklet entitled Accessing the Power of Your Higher Self. These two meditation tools hold the potential to change your life forever.
SOUL TALK # 82
Q: I like to think of myself as a “good person”; however, there have been times in my life when I behaved, especially within relationships, in ways that now make me feel guilty. How can I learn to forgive myself?
A: Forgiving self is one of our most difficult challenges. Jesus taught us to pray: “Our Father, who art in heaven …. forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” This prayer appears, on the surface, to teach us to seek forgiveness from God for our own trespasses and to forgive those who trespass against us. But what about forgiving self?
In order to forgive self, we must remember our true identity. We are beloved Sons & Daughters of our Father/Mother God. Eons ago, we made the freewill choice to experience life on the plane of duality. Thus, our spiritual evolutionary path entails a knowledge of life in which we are aware of both good and evil. Good is living life in attunement to God; evil is living with our backs to God. We evolve spiritually when we make the conscious choice to attune with Good. We make mistakes and suffer the consequences when we choose to experience—even a portion of our lives—with our backs turned to God. Thus life, for us, is an experiment in learning to choose consistently the Good. Along the way, we do make mistakes, just as we make mistakes on a class examination. It isn’t that we intend to make the mistake; we do so out of ignorance or error thinking. We do the best we can with our limited amount of conscious knowledge.
The secret in the Lord’s Prayer is that “Our Father, who art in heaven” is the Divine Part of ourselves, the I AM Presence. Like Jesus, our elder brother, we are both human and divine. The divine part of ourselves is our guiding Light, as we seek to evolve through our human experiences on the plane of duality. When we pray—for forgiveness of our trespasses—to our Father (or I AM Presence), it is the human part of us admitting a mistake to the divine part of us.
Think of “our Father” as being our professor in the physical plane classroom. The mistakes we make in our learning process may result in temporary painful consequences, but have no lasting impact as long as we strive to correct them. So forgiveness of self involves a conscious effort to score higher on our next human examination. Forgiveness of self means we use our mistakes to compel us forward on our spiritual journey. Forgiveness of self is learning from our mistakes. We take forgiveness of self a step farther when we intentionally contribute Good in honor of the person with whom we made the mistake. This act of service to others may transmute any negative karma (or energy) resulting from our mistakes. We help no one when we simply choose to wallow in regret. Positive action for Good allows our divinity to manifest within our human classroom. We forgive ourselves as we surrender to “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done” in our human experience, as it is in the heaven of our I AM Presence.
SOUL TALK # 25
Q: How can we distinguish between selfishness and self-love?
A: Selfishness indicates a lack of self-love. It is egocentric and stems from a gnawing inner sensation that whispers, “I am not okay.” The selfish person looks outside of self to satisfy feelings of lack: lack of power, lack of self-love, lack of self-esteem. The motivational basis for selfishness is a belief in separation that says, “If I don’t look out for myself, no one else will.”
Self-love is a recognition of one’s true identity as a worthwhile and beloved member of God’s family. The motivational basis for self-love is a knowledge of self as a valuable being, who resides on the planet in order to fulfill a specific role within the divine plan. Self-love stems from an awareness that you are a temple for the Divine Spirit dwelling within and seeking expression through you. Though, at times, you may feel alone, there is an inner knowing that you are not separated from the Source of all life.
Self-love means having a sense of personal identity and purpose that underlies all decisions. For example: When confronted with a decision as to whether or not to go along with your peer group, the person who loves self will have the courage to say “no” to self-destructive behavior. Self-love does not make choices based on the desire to convince someone else to like you. Instead, love of self grants an intuitive knowing as to which person and what environment is good for you. Self-love feels no need to rescue or to be a martyr; in fact, both patterns of behavior can stem from an unconscious and selfish focus on the psychological needs of self.
The person who loves self possesses the capacity to love others unconditionally. Self-love is not selfish; instead, it is the prerequisite for all other expressions of love.
