Transformation Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Living From Your Essence

WHEN YOU’RE GOING THROUGH HELL, KEEP GOING

I wrote this piece to examine how we respond to traumatic, life-altering events—specifically, how we might remain engaged after irrevocable change disrupts our intended path, and whether such turning points are accidental or purposeful. I aim to explore how we maintain meaning and agency in the face of unforeseen upheaval.

The following discussion is limited in its exploration of these ideas, but it provides a starting point.

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If I do what I agreed to do (follow my soul’s intentions), will my life unfold smoothly?

This is not the astral plane where injury can’t happen. On the physical plane, your intentions often clash with others’, leading to conflict and even destruction. These obstacles don’t mean you’re on the wrong path; instead, they illustrate that purpose does not guarantee ease. The main question persists: how do we stay connected to our purpose when our path meets resistance? Stay committed to what you believe is your unique purpose, even in the face of external challenges.

In other words, following your intentions doesn’t mean you’re not going to have to work hard. When tracking your purpose, your choices and actions will align with your beliefs and goals, not with what others expect of you. When you are true to yourself, you gain clarity and the deep satisfaction that comes with being on the right path.

Your soul intentions will cause discomfort.

Indeed, following your soul’s intentions often brings discomfort, which is necessary for growth and change. Discomfort forces us to seek solutions and propels us from inertia. While seeking comfort won’t automatically lead to fulfillment, it can spur the necessary action. The essential argument: Creation and meaning arise from tension; discomfort reignites our engagement and creativity, demanding we actively shape our path even when security is lost.

What if my world explodes even though I’m doing what I agreed to do by following my soul’s intentions?

Now and then, life throws us serious curve balls—unexpected shifts that derail our plans. The 2000 film Cast Away, starring Tom Hanks, exemplifies this: Chuck Noland faces total upheaval after an airplane crash leaves him stranded. With his established life destroyed overnight, he is forced to confront whether and how he can rebuild his sense of meaning and agency. This story illustrates the fundamental question: how do we respond when our lives change in ways we did not choose?

A hypothetical exploration of Chuck’s soul choices.
Holding up a lens that looks at the events in a life as the direct result of soul choice, some questions (far from exhaustive) come to mind about Chuck’s life-transforming event:

1. Was he following his original soul’s agenda before he crashed into the ocean, and was the course of his life untimely ripped by an unforeseeable accident?
2. Was he forcefully reminded to return to his original intentions, and if so, what might those have been?
3. Or, was his ordeal on the island always meant to be the next phase in his unfolding life plan?

Before I proceed, I would like to clarify that I do not offer definitive answers, but rather ask these questions to illuminate how we can find meaning and agency in the aftermath of life-altering, unexpected events. The process of grappling with these questions may offer insight into how trauma helps us regain purpose and direction.

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Question 1: Was Chuck following his original soul’s agenda before he crashed into the ocean, and was the course of his life untimely ripped by an unforeseeable accident?

Scenario 1: As an employee of an international company, Chuck was doing what he came here to do. He was developing leadership skills, including those in managing others, time management, and relationship-building with coworkers, supervisees, friends, and intimates. He was successful at his job – he accomplished his goals, and he was competent, trustworthy, and reliable.

He planned to get married, have children, and support his family both emotionally and financially. He handled stress and responsibilities maturely. Conscious of time as a resource, he lived a deliberate life with clear plans.

Then his tightly crafted, intentionally designed life was completely derailed by a horrific accident.

The accident destroyed his old agreements. He had to reinvent his life, creating it one moment at a time. What did he bring to this sudden shift? Everything he knew and was capable of.

Chuck could have died in the ocean, but instead, his life raft drifted to an uninhabited island. Perhaps he was guided there, or maybe it was just luck.

If he were guided, there was a higher intention for his life to continue despite it being thrown so completely off course. If it was an accident that he landed on a shore, he was still faced with the choice to give up on his life or to do whatever he could to survive and find a way to return to the life that had been ripped from him.

Do we choose to give up or persevere?

Whether or not there was a higher force that guided Chuck to the island shore, he still had a choice to make. He could continue living or find a way to exit.

When stranded and isolated, we can either give up or surrender, or we can engage fully with the unknown. Isolation and scarce resources can break the faint-hearted or push you to find courage and embrace life, even with no idea what it may look like.

Although Chuck’s ordeal was unplanned, he had to decide what to do with it. Creating his life alone, he faced the challenge of building from scratch—drawing on his inner resources without support from others. He had to become the creator of his own survival.

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Question 2: Was Chuck reminded, by harsh intervention, to route back to the original intentions for his life? In which case, what might they have been?

Scenario II: Chuck wasn’t living his true purpose, just relying on existing skills. He was competent but not working on what he was meant to do. He had already mastered these skills and was avoiding the effort needed to grow in new ways.

Sometimes we ask for wake-up calls.

The truth was that Chuck had resisted taking on new skills and relationships in his previous incarnations, and now his resistance had come back to haunt him. In fact, he had asked that this time around, if he failed to track his original purpose, that he be reminded in no uncertain terms that a change of course was required. Enter a horrific accident. Now his tightly crafted life was completely and intentionally derailed – by his own design.

The accident ended his stale patterns. Forced to improvise and adapt, Chuck was pushed to develop new skills and a fresh mindset. Only by losing old comforts did he find the drive to evolve into who he needed to become.

Ultimately, the soul seeks not only survival but growth, meaning, and transformation. No matter how disruptive or unplanned the detours may be, it is through these challenges that we find both our resilience and our purpose. Our task is to keep moving forward, to reinvent ourselves if necessary, and to trust that even in times of upheaval, our lives can evolve into something meaningful. By embracing each twist in the journey, we discover new dimensions of ourselves and our path.

Who was this person that Chuck needed to become? It was the person his soul required him to become. The soul wants to be fully present and engaged. The soul needs to have experiences that challenge it to expand and develop new aspects of itself. It is inherent to the soul to be creative and to be dynamic. As sparks of God, we are each a god in our own right. God is the mastermind par excellence of Exploration and Creation. When his/her incarnational expression spends too much time going over the same lesson plan, the soul will endure boredom only so long.

What was included in Chuck’s new lesson plan?

Self-reliance.
The courage to persevere in the face of an unknown future
The courage to persevere without external aid from tools or others.
The courage to tend his own wounds.
Profound creativity in designing new applications for otherwise mundane objects.
Learning to deal with and accept severe restrictions and limitations.
Learning new skills.

What else did he learn? He came to know his heart’s desires. He understood what was truly meaningful to him now that he was removed from the din of his former noisy and hurried life. He came to be in far greater alignment with his soul.

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Question 3: Was the life-changing event of living on the island simply the next phase in the story of his unfolding life plan?

Scenario III: As an employee of an international company, Chuck was doing what he came here to do, but there was more he had agreed to. He was developing leadership skills, including those in managing others, time management, and relationship-building with coworkers, supervisees, friends, and intimates. He was successful at his job – he accomplished his goals, and he was competent, trustworthy, and reliable.

The truth was that Chuck had resisted taking on new skills and relationships in his previous incarnations, and he had asked for an intervention that would require him to make a radical departure from life circumstances that no longer offered his soul either challenge or excitement. However, he still wanted to polish his abilities to handle the challenges of high-level leadership demands, and so included those in the first part of his life. When the time came for him to achieve sufficient mastery, he wanted to be allowed to step up to new life skills. And so it came to pass.

When Chuck was finally returned to his former life, he had a medicine bag bursting with new skills and self-knowledge. With these hard-won and intrepid tools under his belt, his capacity to handle whatever life brought him had increased by magnitudes. Whether or not he had asked for training in new levels of mastery, he was nonetheless given a stark and unprecedented opportunity to do so.

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Additional Reflections
Sometimes life takes unexpected twists and turns, getting out of hand. Sometimes we don’t have much in the way of resources or know-how to deal with unknown territory. What can we do? We can find help where help is available – usually in unexpected places. We now have a genuine opportunity to reach deep within ourselves and beyond to seek solutions that will give us the momentum to move forward and escape from dark places. Not only do we seek solutions, but we also strive to find the courage to face our fears. We find hope in each breath, and we receive messages and guidance from sources that were previously hidden from us. In extremity, our senses intensify, giving us the ability to understand the language of signs and symbols that were previously invisible and incomprehensible.

Aligning with our Souls
There are some exquisite gifts to be attained in the process of standing for our lives. The more difficult the challenge, the more ferocious we must be in our resolve because that is what is required if we are going to live. The more difficult the challenge, the more determined we must be in our intentions to live the lives we have agreed to live. The more difficult the challenge, the greater the demand to find creative solutions that will get us clear of the breakers. And why should we live? We must live so that our souls can continue to experience more love, more beauty, more joy, more knowledge, more connection, more excitement, and more anticipation of what is yet to come and what we can yet become. There are some exquisite gifts to be attained in the process of standing for our lives. The biggest one is that we become more aligned with our own soul. And when we are aligned with our souls, we know intuitively what our right lives should look and feel like.

We often forget or fail to truly grasp the reasons behind life’s reversals. While we may have asked for intervention on behalf of our souls, it is also possible to be thrust helplessly into irrevocable life shifts that were not part of the original plan for our lives. Despite being cast away – whether or not of our own choice and design – we can still forge our way forward in reliance on the most powerful intrinsic attribute each one of us possesses. And that is our legacy, as chips off the old block that is God, to be the Creators of a new life.

When you express your unique piece of the Tao, your life will be a beautiful reflection of who you are, because you will be being who you came here to be and doing what you came here to do.

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GETTING BACK YOUR GRACE: CONNECTING TO YOUR ORIGINAL WHOLENESS DESPITE ACTS OF TERRORISM

Carry on my wayward son
There’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don’t you cry no more

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, nothing equals the splendor
The center lights around your vanity
But surely heaven waits for you
~ Kansas

You are already whole. The physical you, manifesting now, is a smaller but still beautiful version of your entire self. Whether you are thriving or struggling, remember: what you see is just one piece of the whole you.
No matter your situation, only a part of your spirit is present here. Your essence, or higher self, never incarnates but watches over your experiencing self and remains whole, no matter what happens.

You might question how wholeness is possible in a world filled with so much suffering and atrocity. How can we claim to be whole amid personal and collective pain? How can anyone believe wholeness or grace endures even in the presence of evil and suffering?

Let’s reflect on the human spirit, resilient and indomitable even amid unbearable circumstances. History holds many examples of such courage and resilience, including Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Mother Teresa. They did not surrender to despair but to their beliefs, pursuing truth despite overwhelming opposition and suffering.

How did they do this? What kept them going?

They believed in a cause greater than themselves, took action to change conditions, and remembered their original purpose, even if only as a deep compulsion for truth.

How do you keep going if it’s just you?

You cannot take on every cause. Follow your own guidance and stay on your path by living your unique soul purpose—your dharma. You aren’t expected to work alone. Seek organizations working for causes you care about, and find your mission mates there.

How do I discover my dharma?

What do you love? What do you care about? Look there for your dharma. Use your gifts for the benefit of everyone. You received these to help you fulfill your dharma. What calls you to bear witness or speak truth? There lies your dharma.

To strategize social justice work, regularly meet with a supportive community to uplift one another as channels for mutual support and grace. You can’t face evil alone; grace supports your spiritual immune system and acts through you when you respect your sacred mission.

It’s all an illusion anyway, isn’t it?

Since we are already whole, is it correct to conclude that the horrors of the world are an illusion? Some new age schools of thinking answer, “It’s all an illusion, anyway; everything is perfect as it is.” This prompts a difficult transition from personal and spiritual wholeness to confronting real suffering.

Tell that to the Syrians who are being turned out of their homes and massacred.
Tell that to the victims of Sandy Hook.
Tell that to the 27 million women and children who endure bestial treatment in the enforced slavery of sex trafficking.
Tell that to the victims of the Holocaust.
Tell that to the Vietnamese who were decimated by the murderous ideology of “Kill Anything that Moves.”
Tell that to the women of India, who have been raped and murdered, many generations over.
Tell that to the Native Americans.
Tell that to the Native Americans who walked the Trail of Tears.
Tell that to the slaves of African ancestry.
Tell that to the undocumented workers.
Tell that to women who have been subjected throughout history to violence against their gender.

It’s a worthless debate. This question becomes even more apparent when we consider what happens to our understanding of wholeness when we are the ones experiencing great suffering. Here, the philosophical notion of illusion clashes with lived human pain.

How can you be whole and maimed at the same time?

Your ultimate self is always whole. The part of you in this world may be wounded. Connect with your Spirit Body to heal your Physical, Emotional, and Mental Bodies. Remember your promise and why you came here. What contribution are you withholding by forgetting your courage?

You can use the tools that will bring heaven to your aid. You are already holding them. What are these tools?

Grace. Prayer. Community. Friendship. Self-reflection. Self-care. Connect with your heart. Remember. Bend, don’t break. Stay strong. With abundant energy, it’s easier to face adversity.

Grace compels us to live boldly, despite fear. Will Grace protect you? Not from every encounter, but enough to help achieve your soul’s intentions. The field of Grace is always present and active in the world. You are still here, aren’t you?

What if you’re too depressed to take further action? What if you’ve given up in overwhelm? How do you transform your condition?

At this point, the fundamental question shifts from personal pain to a broader consideration: how do we transform the darkness in the world?

Refuse to surrender to the belief that darkness is more powerful than light.
Refuse to surrender because you do not accept that darkness, no matter how powerful, how painful, or how savage, is the ultimate reality.
Refuse to believe that you have nothing of value to contribute.
Bear witness to your own suffering.
Continue to act on what you believe is the greater truth.
Connect to the eternal flame of the peace within, the peace that passes all understanding.
Stick to your dharma.

Know that your spirit has what it takes to be in this world. You would not have been put here otherwise.

Choose actions that serve humanity, as this aligns with your higher self. Setting intentions and following through allow you to realize your full potential. Develop your gifts to the fullest extent and utilize them for a meaningful contribution. You have the capacity to fulfill your purpose.

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NO INDIVIDUAL INSURANCE PLAN WILL COVER THIS KIND OF THING

The title of this article is inspired by a statement Liza Long made in her post of December 16, 2012, at Gawker.com: “I am Adam Lanza’s mother. No insurance plan will cover this kind of thing.” In a lyrical and riveting narrative on the troubling spectrum of her son’s behaviors, Ms Long writes about the December 14 tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Raising her brilliant and disturbed child was a profound challenge for her. She goes on to say, “This problem is too big for me to handle on my own. Sometimes there are no good options. So you pray for grace and trust that in hindsight, it will all make sense.”

On Sunday, December 16, in a presentation at an interfaith vigil in the town of Newtown, Connecticut, the President said, “These tragedies must end, and to end them, we must change. We will be told that the causes of such violence are complex, and it is true. No single law, no set of laws, can eliminate evil from the world or prevent every senseless act of violence in our society. But that can’t be an excuse for inaction. Surely we can do better than this.”

When Caroline Myss, a New York Times best-selling author and dynamic teacher of spiritual psychology, is asked for her insight on the cause of illness or the reason for tragedy, she admonishes that there is never any one cause that leads to a specific result. There are always many causes or reasons that are ultimately behind any situation or effect.

As long as we believe that others who are “high maintenance,” that is, the poor, the mentally ill, the homeless, the uneducated, the chronically depressed, the elderly, the jobless, the terminally ill (and the list goes on), are not deserving of compassionate and ongoing intervention and assistance (because they should somehow have done something to have helped themselves), we will only have inefficient and inadequate social programs to address these issues. And there will be no reason to have insurance plans that cover the gaps or pick up the slack of inadequate social programs – because we don’t think they’re necessary. As long as we believe that any underachiever, addict, or down-on-their-luck person needs to exercise more self-responsibility and all will be well, I assert that we also need to have programs and funds and housing and food and transportation and clothing to assist them with climbing out of their pit. Human beings cannot improve their lives and develop greater sufficiency without resources. Period. How long would any of us last in the desert without food, water, and a tent? Or how about just without our current utilities infrastructure? As long as we expect that the burden of care for the high maintenance among us must be borne solely by individuals and their families, whose tents are only so big, we will collectively continue to pay dearly. It’s worth stating here that any misconceptions, and even arrogance, we have regarding the “lessons” of those in trouble should consider that there is never a single cause for a single effect, and that we are all subject to the same physical laws.

Mental illness, like poverty and accidents, will likely always be with us. It is inherent in our lesser nature to default to an incomplete and imbalanced understanding of all the factors that create these conditions, and to understand justice through the lens of polarity rather than through the heart of compassion. When we understand and accept that we are all in life together, we realize that it is our divine obligation to care for those with whom we do not share familial DNA. We can build a vision of a collective family. From this vision, different structures, legal processes, and programs can emerge.

What can we do that is undoubtedly better than what we have done? We can create new systems, but to do so, we will need to step outside our known experiences. Perhaps what we need is to create new paradigms that take us to places in our consciousness that we have never been to before – to think way out of the box in the most extraordinary and exalted ways!

I believe it’s possible to call in a future that’s far more aligned with the real values many of us subscribe to. If we believe that everyone should have a roof over their heads and be able to pursue the education that will develop their innate talents and build their ability to contribute, then we find or create the means to make this happen. If we believe in universal health care, we envision the systems that will bring it into being. And while we do so, let us not ignore the organizations already in place, which depend heavily on donations. We can get these into the mainstream, making them an integral part of the culture. The shift here is that these organizations can be empowered to be far more than charities.

Let us put on our best strategic minds in service of a more beautiful and just world —one that engages our many different skills and talents. It is our collaborative and cooperative efforts that are the insurance plan that can cover many different kinds of claims. The vision and the value are this: each one of us has the right to claim, and indeed must claim, their highest and best expression. Imagine a community where everyone is contributing at their peak! In the meantime, we can continue supporting organizations that support others and continue reaching out to each other in humility and without judgment, as none of us has been deprived of the foundation of support that enables us to become who we are now.

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SPIRITUAL DNA: AN INTRODUCTION

I wrote this piece to explore Spiritual DNA. It was from the Creator that all things emerged, as s/he was the One who breathed into life innumerable aspects of his/her Divine Being. Our spiritual inheritance is older than the dust of ages. The term “Spiritual DNA” itself reveals an evolution in our understanding of the nature of the soul. This article reflects my personal thoughts and should not be considered a definitive understanding of Spiritual DNA or proof that it exists.~ Gloria

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What is Spiritual DNA?

Just as our biological DNA transmits physical traits to the body, spiritual DNA transmits certain essential elements of your Soul to your soul. Spiritual DNA is where our soul’s history is stored. It transfers its aspects to you, but it activates only some of those elements in each incarnation. These contain the gifts and purpose to carry out the intention for a particular life. Each life has a role in your evolving consciousness. The trajectory of your soul, that which is described by the journey of your incarnations, and how you have carried out your soul’s agenda, reveals your evolving consciousness.

Your spiritual DNA will ignite in you excitement and desire for specific experiences. This is your cue that you’re on the right track! The combination of soul traits and personality is unique to each lifetime because the purpose of each lifetime varies. Thus, you have the aspects of DNA that are optimal for carrying out that purpose. Your spiritual DNA is encoded with the information you need to live your best life.

We incorporate the experiences gathered from each lifetime into our ever-evolving consciousness. Each lifetime offers a unique education. For example, you might have the opportunity to understand what it is to be black, female, or gay in a time and place in history where these classifications are seen as inferior. How we interpret and receive the impact of our classroom time also informs our beliefs. We form beliefs around our experiences of rejection and hostility as well as acceptance and opportunity.

What is the mechanism of transfer of Spiritual DNA?

The Soul has its own genome; that is, it carries a template of traits of its unique identity. The Soul genome contains, in the form of quanta of energy, innumerable bytes of information. Spiritual DNA imprints itself onto physical DNA, imprinting those attributes necessary for the soul to fulfill its contract for an incarnation. These attributes guide the person via the steady influence they exert. We will be drawn to be and do those things that are encoded in our DNA, both physical and spiritual. The energetic forms and specific mechanisms of transfer of the Soul’s genome to the physical is unknown. It seems likely the substance is not material as we understand that; it is perhaps a biofield inherent to a Soul’s unique make-up.

Your Spiritual DNA compels you.

There’s a force inside you that compels you. Joseph Campbell said that we should follow our bliss. Following your bliss helps you find fulfillment. It is the force that compels you to seek your purpose, that is, your reason for being.

Why is exploring Spiritual DNA important?

Your spiritual DNA drives you. The more you understand what drives you, the greater your grasp of your special role in the history of consciousness. Your spiritual DNA is a vast living library of information about who you are, including where you’ve been and the impact you’ve had on others and your own evolution.

When you become aware that you carry within you, via your spiritual DNA, the answers to your questions, you become aware that your life has a specific design and purpose. Your soul’s intentions are encoded in your spiritual DNA.

Spiritual DNA does not have to be directly inherited.

Spiritual DNA is not solely inherited through your Soul’s genome. We may choose to associate with groups that are aligned with specific teachings and perspectives. Thus, spiritual DNA can be absorbed through immersion in other cultures. We also transmit spiritual DNA, in the form of ideas, values, and culture, to others when we educate, teach, and mentor them. Just as the biological components of genes are passed from body to body, understandings received through mentoring and group experiences can become encoded into spiritual DNA.

The consequences of accessing your Spiritual DNA.

It can be terrifying to realize that we have the power to create our lives. This power is encoded in us via our DNA. Caroline Myss says that every human being is terrified of becoming empowered. We fear this, she says, not because we fear success, but because in becoming more conscious of who we are, we will have to take responsibility for what we create. We will see more clearly what we are here to do, and realize that we can no longer hide our yearnings or pull the blinds down and say that what is happening outside is not our problem.

When you accept who you are and accept that it is you who manages your life, you will also be able to identify the agenda for your life. You will know what motivates you to get out of bed. When you become empowered, your relationship to life changes. You are now the one calling the shots.

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HOW MUCH IS YOUR SOUL WORTH?

This conversation is a continuation of a previous discussion titled Are You Living Life Too Small?. In that essay, I challenged the notion that living a “small” life means not living your purpose. In this reflection, I address the confusion many of us feel about the connection between the money we earn or have and how it is often held up as a mirror of our value.

There is an overwhelming cacophony of voices challenging us — almost accusingly — that we may be living small lives. These voices are most recently found in the superabundance of coaches and mentors to coaches. Their question, “Are you living your life too small?” seems to declare that if we are living a small life, we are not living our purpose. We are, they say, born to express our greatness. The obvious implication is that if a life is small, then we are not being all we can be. It is the life of “greatness” that we should pursue, and that is worth living. But what if you don’t have the desire to pursue greatness? Is it possible that a “small life” can be capable of giving expression to its dharma and expressing its greatness in that way? And how does a person measure whether or not they are living their life in just the right size? To begin answering this, it is helpful to consider what living one’s greatness might really mean.

Is it about living an exalted life, that is, one where you are famous and glamorous and impressive and influential and make lots of money? Or could it be about what your life looks like when you authentically follow your bliss?

Living your greatness may mean living a celebrity-style life. It may mean that you share your gifts in a very public arena. It may also mean that you share your gifts in smaller, simpler, quieter, and less visible ways. Maybe you do your best work as an anonymous guardian angel. Being human, we tend to be literal in how we evaluate acts of benevolence, measuring their greatness directly in proportion to their size. But consider how grateful we are when we are offered a glass of water when we are thirsty, or a piece of fruit when we are hungry. Think of the deep nurturing we experience when we are listened to and seen for who we are. Reflect on how important it was for you to be cared for as a child or when you were sick. Reflect on the fullness you feel when you nourish the grieving and hungry.

Could living your greatness be about carrying out your soul’s intentions, in other words, your soul’s purpose?

Everyone Has a Unique Purpose
Each person has a unique purpose that is encoded within them. Bear in mind that if what we do does not come from the heart, we can get hooked by our negative ego, which wants plenty of worldly recognition. As you know, purpose is not limited to what we do; purpose is also about being, about presence, and reflecting your light. We come in with different agendas – some large, some small. We will not have exalted agendas in every life. Some lives are meant to be quieter; some lives are lives of rest. Our work is to give our gifts to those who need them. Our specific gifts are inherent to our soul’s life purpose. Whatever our gifts, they will always improve another’s condition or situation. Living our lives in just the right size comes with the appropriate giving of our gifts. Spirit will take care of the size of the venue or arena in which you are to express and contribute your unique gifts.

Be the person that you were meant to be. You do this by paying attention to your desires. These desires hold the clue to your soul’s intentions. Fulfillment comes when you create from your heart. You will know your purpose when you experience a deep sense of personal fulfillment; you will know, from your sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, that this is what is right for you. Your soul intentions are not about a career; they are not about making lots of money or being famous. Your purpose is something you do whether you get paid for it or not. Your soul’s need to carry out its intentions is the motivation.

Your Soul Purpose is your True Calling
Your soul’s purpose is your true calling, and when you are aligned with that calling, you will find the level for its appropriate or natural expression. It’s mythical thinking that you can find your soul purpose by listening to other people’s ideas or opinions about what that should look like! Be wary of claims and suggestions that the VALUE of your soul’s work is directly tied to the amount of money you make.

Your Soul Has Its Own Signature
Everything has its own rhythm, and moves and breathes according to its own nature. Everything contains its own unique spiritual signature. You are unique. You come from the Tao; you are a unique aspect of the Tao. Now, what would you like to do as Tao? Do you want to rest? Do you want to sit in the garden? Do you want to make soup? Do you want to provide a home for a shelter dog or cat? Do you want to explore the mysteries of the quantum field? What do you, as the Tao, need to create to express your unique “greatness?”

You’re here to manifest your unique spiritual signature, whatever that is, whatever it looks like. To believe that you first have to be great or “live your greatness” before you can express your uniqueness can be confusing and misleading – not to mention, it can ultimately stop you dead in your tracks. Forget about being “great;” focus instead on getting in touch with your unique spiritual signature and then expressing it. When you are expressing your unique piece of the Tao, your life will be a beautiful reflection of who you are, and you will be living who you came here to be, and doing what you came here to do, and the “size” of that expression will be in sync with your soul’s intentions. That size could well change over time, but to attempt to create a size based on pressure from gurus who tell you that you are living your life too small, that living your soul purpose is directly tied to your income, and that the size of your income is a direct reflection of whether or not you’re living your purpose, is to ignore your own soul completely and to buy into a false understanding of what it means to live your greatness.

Assigning Value to a Soul
The notion that the size of your income is a direct reflection of being true to your soul’s intentions is based on assigning a VALUE to SOUL. Let’s go ahead and do that. What is the dollar amount your soul is worth when it is fully expressing? Is it $50 an hour? $450 an hour? Is it 400K a year? 5 million? Since we are pieces of God’s own Soul, perhaps it would help to consider the value of God’s handiwork. What is God’s value? How much is s/he worth? If God were to demand an annual salary for maintaining and sustaining the Universe, what would that come to? What amount should be awarded to God for having created the Universe? And since God has been working for an eternity, what is s/he retroactively owed, including interest and those well-deserved bonuses?

It’s impossible to answer these questions. We can see how ridiculous it is to try to assign value to your soul or its purpose. On the other hand, I believe that we can, with complete conviction, state that when we’re aligned with our soul intentions, we are as powerful as God. Because God is in all of us, we are all uniquely qualified to express his/her purpose. How we give expression to God-in-us is inevitably sacred and holy. How can we judge the value of what is sacred and divine? Acts of service to others are acts of service to God. And if these are all worthy before God, how do we begin to define what a life of greatness looks like?

Maybe your soul purpose is to make money, or maybe your soul purpose will have the outcome of making money, but don’t assume that making a buck is the soul’s primary purpose for being in a physical vehicle. What is most important is that you create a life that satisfies your soul, provides you with a sense of genuine accomplishment, and makes you happy. That life may be quiet and obscure or in front of thousands, or even millions. The goal is to allow your soul to step forth and express its uniqueness. That uniqueness includes the style, manner, and size with which it communicates. Soul intentions are not tied to the material world, though they will inevitably express themselves within it. The soul is not about hierarchy or ego or competition. The soul is about sharing, about giving and receiving. It is about coming from love and being fully present in love.

Be Present to the Moment
Focus on being present in the moment – to yourself, to your guides and Higher Self, to those around you, and to the Earth and all her inhabitants. When you are present, you are in tune with all that is, and can far more readily act in alignment with your dharma and be available to respond to the needs of the moment. When you are fully present, connected with your Higher Self, and consciously following your guidance, you are being true to your soul’s purpose. Deep satisfaction comes from the benefit to others of the natural flow of your gifts. When you are in flow, you can see your purpose in action. When you are expressing your soul, you have found your true identity, and there is no longer any reason to compare yourself to others or to pursue activities that do not fulfill you. At this point, you are present in your life and fully engaged, and your very presence uplifts others simply by being yourself.

Follow your true nature to find out what size life is right for you. Congruency is attained when who you are, what you say, and what you do are in alignment. When you are aligned in thought, word, and deed, you have mastered how you direct your energy. When you have mastered how you direct your energy, you can fully manifest who you are in the world. You are powerful.

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ARE YOU LIVING LIFE TOO SMALL?

These days I hear a great deal about living life too small. I have come across it again and again, mostly from the plethora of coaches and mentors for those seeking to find their purpose. The question, “Are you living your life too small?” has impressed me at times as almost accusatory, as if we may not be doing everything we can to be the best we can be, and perhaps even hints that if we are living a small life we are not living our purpose. The not-so-embedded implication is that if a life is small, then it has lesser value than a life that is big and attention-getting. It might also be implied that you are lazy or lack drive and focus. If we accept as a truth that life can be lived too small then we must find ways to make life bigger!

We live in a culture that values, with perhaps the exception of body size, more and bigger over lesser and smaller. Stronger and flashier is definitely better. Power over many is regarded highly, and revered – as well as – feared. Be that as it may, the word on the street is if you’re not making a six figure income from your God-given talents, then you may not be living your life purpose, and you’re likely living life too small.

A life lived small is conventionally characterized by its lack of notable achievement. A small life may (or may not) be dazzlingly creative or well-funded, and the thinking is that it probably doesn’t contribute much to the advancement of the person or society – because – well, it’s small. A big life is pretty much identified via status, visibility, ample financial resources and a significant following. It requires focus, drive, and continual marketing. While it may not be exactly restful, I’ve been told that living your life in this dynamic state is exciting and exhilarating. There will definitely be challenges along the way – issues of self-doubt will come up and those nagging false beliefs that you aren’t worthy — but if you can stay the course despite the challenges of seeking your greatness, then go for it.

On the other hand, you may not have any desire to pursue greatness. Then what? A question that comes to mind for me is – despite its bad press – is a small life nevertheless capable of giving expression to its dharma? And how does a person measure whether or not they are living their life in just the right size?

Perhaps the answer is found in the identification of your soul intentions. I believe that your yearnings assist with identifying your soul intentions. Some examples of yearnings include: a yearning for strength, a yearning for love, a yearning for beauty, a yearning for achievement, a yearning for creativity, a yearning for adventure, a yearning for structure, a yearning to fit in, a yearning to be different, a yearning to be of service, among so many other yearnings.

Your yearnings are very useful pieces of information. It’s important to know what will give you emotional satisfaction. If you want to be happy, you’ve got to tune into your yearnings and follow them. I believe that if you follow your yearnings and also allow for their expression, they will, because they demand a certain kind of focus and experience, lead directly to your appropriate way of being (or expressing) in the world. In fact, whether or not you are conscious that you carry an internal agenda for your life, you will connect more and more to your soul intentions as an inevitable act of following your yearnings (or bliss).

If you follow your yearnings, then you may find yourself shaping a right-sized life in sync with your soul intentions. When you follow your authentic yearnings, the shape and size of your life will gradually come into congruence with your soul intentions. The size of your life is completely unique to you and will be found by following your heart; in each moment act on what calls to you. As you consistently do what feels right, you will find that you are living out your soul intentions or your life purpose – in all its appropriate dimensions, and in all its greatness.

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SOUL INTENTIONS, PART II – A REFLECTION ON SOUL PROGRESSION

(This is a continuation of a discussion that began with Soul Intentions, Part I – A Reflection on Soul Purpose. Part I can be found in the November archives.)

What is Soul History? How Soul History and Soul Intentions create your Soul Trajectory

Soul History is the record of what you have been up to in each of your incarnations. Your Soul History also includes your role within your originating group and the groups your Soul has associated with over its many incarnations. These groups are formed around a larger vision that require everyone’s cooperation. That larger vision encompasses an aspect of Divine Evolutionary Intention that is beyond our ability to truly grasp. We can, nonetheless, try to guess at what that larger intention might be through the part we play in it. Soul groups themselves create trajectories for better or for worse, and your various incarnations will move between different groups, learning from the primary focus, or dharma, of each one.

Some groups focus on breaking down what no longer serves; others have agreed to create what sustains all, and yet others will preserve and protect what sustains all; others build bridges that connect cultures to each other. These are just some of the foci that groups rally behind; there are many more. Over time, soul group intentions (or their failed expressions) make their mark in history, and where they have failed, much work and attention is required to repair, reinvigorate, or even create new forms that will support the original intentions. These experiences inform and define your own trajectory.

A trajectory is the arc described by the progress of your soul as it creates, with each incarnation, its unique history across time and space. Your trajectory is characterized by how you have lived your life. If we were to assign a thick ribbon of light to a life well lived and a thinner ribbon to a life handled less well, a soul trajectory could show increasingly thick ribbons connected to thinner ribbons and then again to thicker ribbons, as it etches its record through time. Or, we could graph a trajectory using a 100-point system with the highest points given to lives well lived and fewer points for lives handled less well. The graphed trajectory for a life that went back and forth could show some dramatic rises and dips. We can do well in some lives and then find ourselves taking the proverbial two steps back in subsequent lives.

Of course, one could reasonably argue that if one does well in a life, overcoming desires for revenge, for example, and generally rising above most fears, the trajectory should improve, arcing higher with each life. In lives where the heart expanded with unconditional love and a person’s actions were informed by that expansion, the graph would spike. Or, using the ribbon of light analogy, the ribbons would increase markedly in thickness. It is true that some life circumstances will be far more challenging and require more “light” to manage, but over time your soul’s trajectory will reveal its unique pattern.

A trajectory is not created randomly. It is created by the Soul’s Intentions. Soul intentions are created for the purpose of fulfilling your agreements to your self and to others. These intentions compel us to take on incarnate form, for life is required to fulfill them. Their agenda is driven by what your soul desires to experience, and also what you may need to release or delete from a former life.

We do not always live out our Soul Intentions; there are many lives in which we become decoupled from them, in whole or in part. This can happen because we choose to “go our own way,” rather than follow the original life plan. It can also happen through interference from external factors. When we lose our connection to our Soul intentions, life can become more confusing and even difficult.

One Soul’s history and how that history demonstrates how a soul might seek to express its intentions

Now we will look at the trajectory of a young woman, Emily, who sought to understand the origin of the pain in her heart. Emily is seated before her Council of Elders. She is deep inside Spirit territory, in a regression process that has already taken her through a past life in which she died by her own hand. Emily tells the Council she is experiencing pain in her heart. She believes this pain is from her attachment to a man she loves. This man, Brian, is much older than she is, and he is also married. The Council is gathered in what appears to be a bright open meadow. Emily is feeling optimistic. She knows that she is going to get the answers she seeks.

Emily asks how she can let go of the powerful attachment she has to Brian, and how she can fulfill her highest purpose. The Council tells Emily that Brian is connected to her purpose, but she has to be patient. There are things yet to unfold. She asks again about the pain and wants to know – what did she agree to do with this life? First, the Council begins with a review of her past life connections to this man.

A Council Elder speaks: This soul is not a member of your originating soul group. He belongs to a “mate” soul group. You first met approximately 4,000 years ago. This took place in the desert; it looks like Saudi Arabia. You were a member of a nomadic tribe that lived in the desert, moving from time to time when the water sources dried up. The tribe had sheep and goats. You were a small girl when a group of marauders traveling on horseback raided the camp dwellings. Their way of life was to plunder and destroy, to take what they wanted of supplies, food, and women. The man you are currently involved with was a young teen then, and his heart did not truly embrace the violence of this way of life. Nevertheless, it provided him with survival, skills, and companions. The young teen intervened on your behalf, saving your life and henceforth, he cared for you. This was the beginning of the love that grew between you, although it was not an easy love. This young man did the best he could to raise you, but it was a hard life for a woman, and you died at an early age, still filled with grief. This is the originating source of the pain in your heart.

The next life where Emily and Brian meet is in Oregon, in the late 1700’s. They were siblings. She and her brother were very young. They were playing by a creek when they were shot with arrows by an Indian who was angry about the white “invaders” who were settling in Oregon in greater numbers. As the souls of Brian and Emily departed, they promised to be there for each other the next time they incarnated together.

Emily and Brian meet again in rural England, in the early 1800’s. Retaining the same gender as before, they marry and live out their lives on a small farm. They have two children – a boy and a girl. They live a happy, though hard life, caring for each other and their children, and they die in their 50’s. They had a strong and loyal connection, and supported each other in every way. The heart bond between them increases with each successive life they share.

The Elder shows Emily one more life where she and Brian again find each other, this time in London. Brian is well-off and entitled. Emily is poor, and lives outside the city. They occasionally see each other when Emily goes to the city to purchase supplies. When they first see each other on the streets, they experience a sense of familiarity and are drawn to each other, but do not act on this. Their interaction consists solely of glances. Emily, ten years younger, would love to approach Brian, but she cannot do this outside of an appropriate social context. And given that she is not his equal, the meeting will never happen. Not having much to do, Brian hangs out in the saloons, drinking and gambling. To Emily’s sorrow, Brian eventually marries someone of his social standing. He later dies in a saloon brawl, shot through the chest. Emily sees him in his last moments, as he lies dying in the streets. This life where each was forced to keep their distance, not able to explore their real connection, added to the pain in Emily’s heart.

Emily’s and Brian’s heart connections to each other were initially forged from circumstances that were deeply painful for her, while at the same time Brian experienced an opening to compassion despite his warrior-marauder perspective. The plight of the small girl whose parents were murdered offered him the opportunity to rise above the lawless, insensitive ways of his band. As the Elder revealed, Emily’s heart-pain around Brian had its origins in that life. After that life, the souls of Emily and Brian saw a spiritual opportunity to apply the lessons of the open heart and so made the decision to explore these through incarnating together. As we can see, the pain in Emily’s heart is complex. It began with great anger towards him for 1) what he did to her desert tribe so long ago, and is also complicated by her appreciation of his efforts at saving her life. In summary, Emily’s heart bonds to Brian further include: 2) her love for her little brother, 3) her love for her husband, 4) the unrequited love from the London life and 5) the current situation in which Brian is not available to live his life with her.

In this trajectory, successive incarnations between Emily and Brian do not necessarily create increasingly better connections – at least as we understand these from the level of personality and what most of us would like to see happen. There is a difficult beginning through forced contact where Emily learns to love her enemy and then a series of lives where there is familial bonding. However, in their most recent lives they are prevented from sharing the profound affection they genuinely have for each other. Personality would much prefer a story where the lovers are happily and permanently reunited each time, but the soul – like the heart – has its own logic and more importantly, its own higher purposes.

Now the Council is ready to answer Emily’s question about why she chose the current incarnation. Don’t you remember? You came here to be a peacemaker. We have formerly told you the best way to bring peace to this world is to help individuals find it inside themselves. You are going through this struggle with Brian so that you can learn peace in the midst of personal turmoil and uncertainty. The best thing you can do at this time is to stay connected to spirit, to trust the process, and to be joyful.

Emily is also told that each of their souls is working to manifest their individual purpose. She is told that the path of joy and love is the one that she needs to commit to. If she can do this, her attachment to Brian will diminish as her focus turns more and more to accomplishing her unique soul intentions. She is encouraged to pursue her studies in psychology and meditation. They tell her: Yours is a peace-making soul; it is also an illuminator for love. Healing vibrations for others emanate from your heart when it is open, and you are following your path. These soul gifts are able to be expressed through the venues you seek to study and work in. When Emily asks again about the possibility of a future with Brian, she is again reminded that it is the path of love and joy that she must pursue. It is best to understand that this is the highest approach to living your life. The path of heart is the path of wisdom. The future cannot be foretold; you make your destiny by the choices you make in each moment. The more your choices are informed by your soul’s intentions, the more joy and fulfillment you will have.

Through her incarnations, Emily’s soul was specializing in the path of the open heart. A heart that is open will be broken, but the power of a broken heart that is navigated well is its ability to create an expansiveness that can hold space for the brokenness of others. It also teaches by example that the gifts of an open heart lead to wisdom and compassion. The cumulative influence of her incarnations created a gentle, approachable personality that others find safe and welcoming, and her successful passage through some difficult experiences gave her the insights and tools for showing others how they can do the same for themselves.

Understand the ways in which we can recognize our soul intentions

Emily’s need to understand the purpose of her current life is indicative of her desire to align with her original soul intentions. Emily’s natural interests in meditation, psychology, reincarnation and harmonious connections with others have been persistent and strong this life. She received validation from her Council that these are areas where she could fruitfully focus her professional efforts, but they also observed that while these approaches to fulfilling her purpose are appropriate, there are other ways she could express her soul gifts, and suggested that she might want to further explore this. In other words, Emily should follow the general warp and weft of what she seeks to accomplish because this will allow her to discover additional ways her objectives can be satisfied. She will be surprised and delighted to find that the spiritual path she is committed to is richer than she realizes.

“What is it I need to do in order to fulfill the requirements of my intentions, and what is my next step to getting there?”

Pay attention to experiences with which you especially resonate as this will assist you to identify and remember what you agreed to show up for. Pay attention to your emotions as these will guide you. Letting go of the paths not taken and the roads not fully traveled, begin here: live each day as if it were your calling. Without excessive attention to detail and over-thinking, choose those activities that seem the most right or important. And instead of demanding immediate results, revel in the quietly unfolding intrigue of each moment. Take small steps, one at a time. There is no need to offer up arguments or resistance; simply do each step, improvising as you go. You do not need to know the next step or the next action – by responding to the choices that call to you, to those impulses that seek expression – your life plan and purpose will reveal itself.

As you faithfully listen to the call of your intuitive knowing, you will become more adept at discerning the next right action. You do not need to wait for inspiration. Simply take actions that reflect best what you know to be true for yourself, and you will steadily regain footing on your course as you remember your passions, which will re-connect you to your soul intentions.

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SOUL INTENTIONS, PART I – A REFLECTION ON SOUL PURPOSE

Soul intentions refer to plans you made before incarnating. These are created to fulfill agreements to yourself and others, rooted in your soul history. Their purpose is shaped by your past, not by whim or chance.

A soul intention is not about simply asking, “What would I like to do next?” or considering breakfast options. Soul intentions are driven by deep, inner directives to pursue specific goals. Notice which information resonates strongly with you; it can remind you what you agreed to do.

To help clarify your path, let us rephrase the crucial question: “What is it I need to do in order to fulfill the requirements of my intentions, and what is my next step to getting there?” Before discussing this further, it is important to consider the origins of soul intentions, which will provide helpful context for understanding the steps ahead.

Each time you incarnate you choose a series of tasks which are aligned with what you plan to accomplish for the life. How do you decide what you will focus on for a particular life? This is the million-dollar question, so to speak, but it is not actually that much of a mystery. Your life plans are based in what you have previously experienced and assimilated – as well as what you did not complete. Those experiences with which you feel complete – that is – those in which you mastered, for example, a certain skill, or where you came to know the painful limitations and joyous capacities of the body, and where you incontrovertibly understood the extent to which your assumptions expanded or contracted your opportunities and choices, etc., will not call to you in the same way they did when you were eager to test your mettle in these areas. Once you have gained depth knowledge in a curricula and the critical self-knowledge that comes with exploring the unknown, you are ready to move into a different arena.

At this juncture you will want to review the actions you took to master various skills and have certain experiences. On the way to mastery, actions are sometimes taken that are detrimental to another’s choices. As you can see, the purposes behind re-entry into the physical form of existence are complex. Let us examine an actual past life and review the original plan, the goals of the plan that were actually accomplished, the actions still needing to be taken because of lack of completion, and the desire to explore new territory.

PORTRAIT OF A SOUL

Here is a brief portrait of a young woman who lived in Kansas in the early 1900’s. As the scene to memory opens, Helen, about 31 and petite, is driving a buggy along a dirt road in the country. She is wearing a plain black dress and a white scarf. The horse is dark chestnut with red tones. The landscape is flat, but the surrounding fields abound with growing crops. A storm is coming; she hurries. She is carrying a small bottle of medicine. It is for her elderly father, who is ill. She drives past a round barn to the house, and is greeted by her teenage son Eli. Her father, Elijah, is in bed. She gives him several spoonfuls of the medicine.

Next we find Helen at her father’s burial, out on the farm. Several farmhands are assisting with lowering the casket into the ground. It is raining out, and the ground is extremely muddy. The farmhands’ clothes are soiled and worn. Eli is weeping. Helen does not seem to feel much of anything.

In the next scene, Helen is talking with a tall, gaunt man who appears to be a caricature of someone in the legal profession. He is formally dressed, and Helen is arguing with him about being forced out of her home. Apparently she is going to be turned out because of unpaid rent on the land. Despite what seems inevitable, Helen is arguing confidently and seemingly holding her own – for the moment.

Helen has taken residence in a boarding house where she works long hours at grueling labor to earn her keep. She spends her days washing, cooking, and cleaning. It is hard work, and though she is only 33, her body is breaking down. Her son attends a one-room school where she wishes she could teach.

Helen finds some peace through reading, and keeping a journal. Some of her journal entries comment on the lack of opportunities for women. Helen recalls her experiments with humane farming, and how her neighbors looked upon her and her family with suspicion. They kept to themselves as they did not resonate with the community. Helen also had an interest in astronomy and owned a telescope. She and her father were kindred spirits.

The boarding house is located in a town that is essentially lawless and dangerous. Men ogled her as she walked by, and they were base and ill-intentioned; an appropriate husband was not to be found among them; not that she sought one. She kept to herself, and her primary concern was caring for her son.

Her son is scapegoated and hung in public for a crime he did not commit. After, his corpse is tied to a horse and dragged through the town to hostile jeering. These were deeply disturbing brutal acts, and they drove Helen to suicide. The hostility of that lawless community was not surprising, given that she and her son were never accepted, again being seen as suspiciously eccentric.

** ** ** **

REFLECTIONS ON HELEN’S LIFE

In Helen’s original soul intentions for this life, an unusually active and inventive mind was integral to what she wanted to accomplish. This goal is also a carry-over from a previous life in which she, then male and an extremely talented musician, had planned to spend most of his time composing epic works for orchestra and piano. However, that goal was short-circuited when family business matters unexpectedly demanded that he take the lead in running them, effectively thwarting his intentions. In the life as Helen, she would apply her creativity to inventing useful objects that would have positive impact on her rural society. This setting would not support a musical life, but it offered sufficiently compelling components to make it a life worth living. She could, in another life, follow up on her intentions to compose. In reviewing her agenda with her guides for the Kansas life, it was additionally thought that a greater challenge would be had if this task was undertaken in the body of a woman. It was felt that, given Helen’s advanced soul level, she would benefit from the challenge. Helen was also to experience the lifelong love of her husband and son. Helen’s husband was to have lived a longer life and to have provided her with protection. She also did not plan to wear herself out in the dreary boardinghouse, nor was it in her plan to witness such a heinous end to her son’s life, another soul who had agreed to be in her support system.

The aspects of Helen’s life plan that were met, at least in part, involved the execution of some of her inventiveness. She was handy. She made lightning rods that were unique in design and highly ornamental. She designed humane environments for the farm animals and treated them well. She was also an accomplished, if unknown, amateur astronomer. The plans for this life were interrupted when her husband died, leaving her with fewer resources and without the protection he would have provided. Her son was brutally murdered, a karma-making act that would later need to be paid back to her and her son, and that also led to unbearable grief and the decision to take her own life – which was not part of Helen’s original soul intentions.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

As the intentions for this life were severely abbreviated, Helen’s essence will likely want to create another life in which there are opportunities for the experience of loving, lifelong relationships, a friendlier neighborhood, more time for creating, and a stronger probability for remaining in the home of her choosing. Other situations that now need to be worked into future life plans will involve the healing of severe emotional trauma. Some of the trauma will also be addressed in the between-life state. In fact, shortly after Helen’s arrival at the Gateway (immediately after her death), she was met by a Specialty Guide who showered her with healing light.

Prior to this life, Helen did agree to allow her creativity to be on open display in a society where intelligence from a woman was frowned on. It turned out poorly, and she will likely wait for a better setting before she again attempts to push this far into conservative mores. Helen also understood that part of the challenge of her life would be to offer her soul the opportunity to forge a path through obstacles, and despite them, find a way to navigate a course for the most positive outcome. Because there are no guarantees once we are in body, we are encouraged to flow with the unpredictability of the way a life can unfold, and to understand that the choices of others will also have an impact on our capacity to carry out our soul intentions. Much growth and wisdom can be gained from this, and will also subsequently inform the soul intentions that we create, as well as the circumstances we set up to support them. Please note that your plans are made not just for the next life, but for the current life in progress. It is not at all uncommon for a life to be lived in ad hoc fashion when the supporting structures you planned for have failed to materialize, or when you are (for a variety of reasons) cut off from them. Even when support systems are in place, it is often necessary to make adjustments on-the-fly to compensate for unplanned situations. This is the challenging, exciting, and sometimes hazardous nature of fulfilling soul intentions inside of palpable dimensionality – but where else to fulfill these? Most importantly, do not forget that you are never left without guidance for the shoals.

For her next life, Helen chose to surround herself with a loving family and with opportunities to allow the intrinsically inventive nature of her soul to express itself in a far less limiting environment. With the assistance of friendly souls with who she has a successful history, she was able to create a home with a higher probability of remaining there for the rest of the life. In this way, she was able to carry on her soul intentions. Helen had wanted to positively impact her society, and in the new life she has been able to do that by providing forums where many can meet to share ideas and information. In addition, while Helen’s soul was healing and planning the next life, she decided to expand her interests in creative writing and try her hand at novels that challenge prevailing mores with provocative and controversial leading edge themes. This time Helen returned as a male.

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** ** ** **

Next month, in SOUL INTENTIONS, PART II – A REFLECTION ON SOUL PROGRESSION, we will

• look at soul history and how history and intentions create soul trajectory;

• review another soul’s previous history and how that history illustrates how the soul expresses its intentions through a life;

• understand the ways in which we can recognize our soul intentions, and

• conclude with reflections on the query “What is it I need to do in order to fulfill the requirements of my intentions, and what is my next step to getting there?”

LOVE ASKS GREAT THINGS OF US

Love asks great things of us.
This is not so much about your willingness to sacrifice the ego’s demands
for certainty and reassurance, or

for validation of personal worthiness.
This is not really about giving up your shirt or sandwich, your plate of pasta, or even your bed.
It is about saying yes and stepping into the wilderness with open arms and
no guarantee.

Love asks us to show up and do what needs to be done. Spend more time with those we love. Listen to what others are asking of you. Pay attention to what others need. How can you be of service? Pay attention. The information is in the request. Pitch in at the homeless shelter or the humane society. Volunteer to deliver a meal. It doesn’t matter if you feel ready, or if you believe that you have prepared sufficiently. Your willingness to do what needs to be done, to be directed if and as necessary, to welcome the experience of a learning curve, and the courage to engage the curve, are some of what becoming an activist for love needs and requires.

Love asks us to show up and do what needs to be done. The Occupy Wall Street revolution in Zuccotti Park is a profound example of this. Love one another; Love thy neighbor as thyself; Do unto others as you would have others do to you, and Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me are some of the phrases that precisely describe the phenomena of love manifesting now in New York and as well in dozens of other cities across the United States. Thousands are showing up to do what needs to be done. And what needs to be done? We need to pick ourselves up from the floor of our despair and shake off the trance of powerlessness. We need to stand up to injustice and to those who have benefited from it. We need to organize around fairness. We need to be selfless, offering our skills and talents to each other. We need to share our shelter, and our food. We need to re-vision ourselves and our paradigms, not just for our sake, but for the sake of the world – our world. Personal sacrifices may be necessary to alleviate the tremendous injustices that are all around us, inside of every minute of every day, but with perseverance, we will succeed. Love is and always has been on our side.

For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.

Love demands courage. Love demands that we connect to each other. We are required to be brave in the face of uncertainty. When we give of ourselves, we do not know how we will be received. We do not know if the outcome we seek will come to pass. We do not engage out of love because we have a stake in glorious end-results; rather, we actively engage our minds, hearts, and bodies to the extent of what we have been called to do, using every ounce of our gifts, talents, and endurance to bring to bear what love requires. When love calls, you will not always feel ready. You may feel that your research is incomplete or that you have not spent enough time practicing. Sometimes we feel deficient; we are not quite up to the task. Sometimes we are literally deficient, but not necessarily in a way that would prevent us from showing up and participating.

Here is one example. At youtube you can find the story of a young Iraqi man, a hopeful singer, who was made an Australian citizen through adoption. He and his brother were found in a park, in a shoebox, by nuns who then delivered the babies to an orphanage not far from the war-ravaged area in which they had been found.

Neither of these infants had identification. Moreover, they were deformed and maimed, as both were missing substantial portions of their arms, and at least one of them was also crippled in both legs. Even so, because of the love of their adoptive mother, an Australian woman, they were nourished in both heart and body, and released to express the gifts of their souls. In the interview that precedes his audition, Emmanuel tells his story. When he speaks, his face is radiant. It is only as he walks the wings of the stage to center that the camera reveals the rest of his body. His arms are stumps, his legs are not the same length, and his walk is crooked.

It doesn’t matter. Emmanuel is filled with hope, with possibility, and with the love of his art. He has been immeasurably nurtured by the love of his mother. Though Emmanuel is physically not whole, love has made him whole. And here is the magic of love: showing up does not require that you arrive on the scene perfectly polished and complete. It is in the process of opening yourself to love that you are healed. Love itself heals you.

For his audition, Emmanuel chose John Lennon’s Imagine. This song expresses a vision for a world in which the circumstances of Emmanuel’s early life, the same circumstances that countless live in, cannot exist because the fear and greed that created them do not exist. A world in which there is nothing to kill or die for is a world that has been transformed by love. Emmanuel made of his personal story and condition of body a powerful and moving icon for the truth that love does not require our perfection, but only our willingness to show up on love’s behalf. I do not know if Emmanuel went on to win fame and fortune, but the brave work he did, of showing up as he was, no doubt inspired many to reach for their potential. This is what love, allowed to express through imperfection, can do.

The greatest thing that love asks of you and that you can do on behalf of love is to show up and participate. You don’t have to look good. You don’t have to be good. You do not have to be perfect in your delivery; you just need to show up. So you don’t achieve all your goals one day. So you didn’t execute perfectly. Don’t let that stop you. Don’t give up. Do not seek personal rewards. Do not look for pre-conceived results. Be patient with yourself and others. Be kind to yourself and others. Love is, after all, patient and kind. You will, through the humble act of opening your heart so that love can work through you, make the personal discovery that love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. You will find strength you did not know you had. Come as you are, and get ready to receive the blessings of love: when you open to love you reconnect to who you are, you are connected to others, and you will remember your purpose. Love asks great things of us but also gives them back.

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WHAT IS PAST LIFE REGRESSION?

I have been drawn to understand who I am through the journey of my own soul. I still vividly recall standing in front of a mirror when I was four and the awareness that took me by surprise that the little girl reflected there was a mere aspect of a much larger self. That was the beginning of my personal journey to uncover the mysteries that were hinted at in the mirror. As a result, I pursued formal and informal studies and systems which I hoped would give me information on who I was, what I was about and for, and how that person was connected to everything and everyone else. This was no small journey as you can imagine, and has ever been the underlying thread and motivation of my life, regardless of what I’ve needed to do to keep body and soul together, and has also influenced how I’ve conducted my relationships and the life choices I’ve made – particularly as I’ve grown older and gained greater insight.

Speaking as someone who has certified in Regression Therapy, I will begin with observing that the function of Past Life Regression (PLR) isn’t to find out if you were famous back when. Additionally, the role of the regressionist is not to tell you who you were. The regressionee does that, for himself or herself. The regressionist may or may not be a decent psychic, but feeding information to the regressionee about who they were is a completely different process and modality than PLR, and in my opinion, has NO place in it. Instead, the regressionist holds the space by creating a container of emotional and psychic safety, and then by guiding the regressionee’s journey with a meditation or induction and appropriately focused questions. The journey belongs to the person experiencing the PLR – no one else. The regressionist’s only motive and interest should be to provide the support and conditions for someone to be able to enter into past life recall. Most of the time regression journeys are sought to obtain additional insight and information about issues that are currently affecting the person. Students of the soul’s journey understand that our current incarnations often carry over themes from past lives that are seeking clarity and resolution, and that may require us to do more work in a certain area.

PLR allows a person to relax into their deeper self, which allows the life themes they are currently dealing with an opportunity to arise to conscious awareness, and as a result, to take on clarity. It assists us with getting in touch with what’s going on for us now, for what is asking for our attention. If those themes come through in a story about a life that may not be completely accurate in every detail, it doesn’t matter. The details don’t matter. Not that you would necessarily know if you were making it up, but that’s not the point. What is important is the emotional truth that we experience – the insights we receive about self. We inevitably get a sense of the bigger picture that we are always living from, and this helps to contextualize things for us – no small boon. If these insights come to us in the form of a myth or allegory or fairy tale, then we can consider ourselves blessed. In my experience, Spirit often speaks to us in symbols rather than literal pictures, as symbols are far richer in what they can convey, and are actually more in concert with our multi-dimensional makeup. The insights we receive via a PLR can help validate our taking a course of action that is appropriate for us now. Of course, in many, many cases, there is a strong sense that the memories are real, and we want to honor this as well.

Our historical trajectory is the story of the development of our soul, and taking the time to explore this history offers us tremendous opportunities to embrace and refine our life tasks for the current incarnation, and to get a sense of our broader overarching mission as the unique sparks of Tao that we are. This mission includes not just who we are individually, but who we are in the far larger context of everyone and everything else. Ultimately, these cannot be separated. Our actions and interactions are our contributions, for good or ill, to the course and development of humanity and I also believe, affect as well the course and development of other dimensional and non-dimensional worlds. For me, the aphorism that we are all in this together has a vastly encompassing reach.

In sum, I believe that the purpose and function of PLR has to do with attaining clarity about our life path through the insights and emotional truths we receive inside a journey, and from this, we are encouraged to take responsibility for not just the course of our lives, but for the universal impact that our choices and actions have on the flourishing of life and consciousness everywhere.

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THE LIVES OF GOOD AND BEAUTIFUL SOULS

The lives of good and beautiful souls, those who strive daily for authenticity, accountability, and integrity, are nevertheless peppered with disappointment and loss. A deeply developed capacity to integrate a broad spectrum of experience does not mean we won’t feel tremendous pain when our good intentions and open hearts are met with scathing and ridicule. But we understand that all is not as it seems. We know we are always inside a much larger context: that of our higher selves. Because of this, our resources are great.

Although this is a plane of illusion, we recognize that the illusion has an impact. Its power lies in its ability to create separation between persons, tribes, and nations. Its tools are the tools of the false ego and its false beliefs: beliefs that would have us bow down before the hierarchies of better than, smarter than, more beautiful than, richer than, and therefore, more deserving than those deemed ‘lesser’ in these and other categories. Once we give our allegiance to separation, we are forced to operate from the belief that there is only so much of—anything—to go around. Therefore, we cannot ever truly let our guard down. We cannot ever truly trust in life. Coming from a place of scarcity, it is hard to see our purpose for being here or our unique path to follow. The most debilitating separation that illusion creates is its capacity to separate us from our own souls.

Despite the pain living with an open heart can bring, we have no choice if we are to remain consciously evolving. We must fully express ourselves as embodied souls. We do not want to live from a place of limitation, believing we are only our bodies, our relationships, or our current life situation. There is much terror in holding a lens that equates what seems to be with what is, so we can have compassion for those who cannot see beyond it. It has been said that when we reach the end of our mind’s capacity to strategize our way out of a challenge, it is a prime opportunity to remember innocent curiosity and to expect miracles. From nothing, everything comes.

To take radical responsibility for our own transformation and healing, we must have compassion for those who choose to act from the weakest parts of themselves and for the pain they cause by doing so. We must have compassion for those perpetually stuck in dynamics that obstruct their ability to receive. As you know, we can only take responsibility for our own emotional responses and physical actions; there is nothing we can do to convince a closed heart to accept our desire for right relationship. We cannot control the choices other people make. Surrendering to the highest good will make us more spiritually powerful. Continue to honor who you are and why you are here so that your special light radiates love, joy, and compassion. These are the lives of good and beautiful souls.

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IMMIGRANT SOULS

Each of us began our immigration from places unknown, vaguely remembered at best. We may not recall our origins, but those beginnings follow us in dreams and imagination. They sometimes haunt us like a forgotten melody. They sometimes spur us to reach beyond the horizon. These experiences remind us that our search for identity and meaning is ongoing.

Just as the pulse of our first heartbeat continues to thrum its way through each of our incarnations, our beginnings are never separate from us. That long-ago first coming into consciousness propelled us unerringly forward into the exploration of myriad unknowns – beautiful and ugly, ecstatic and painful – all of which push us to define who we are. In this way, our journey becomes one of discovering, shaping, and naming our soul.

With our souls shaped by both memory and experience, questions naturally arise: What’s the next step? Where do we go from here, and who do we need to be to get there?

These questions are a constant for me – they have no end; only beginnings. As soon as I’ve rounded the corner of what was once teasingly distant and mysterious, the questions return afresh. No matter what I’ve learned or sought to overcome, there is always more unknown to explore – infinite, ever-revolving facets of self, soul, and consciousness. The universe is infinitely available to share its secrets as long as I am willing to continue this quest for personal growth and understanding, even in the face of fear. Facing the unknown allows me to develop the resources I need; I am equipped with the capacity for possibility and transformation.

The blueprint for our lives is not set in stone, and we are encouraged to re-create our irrepressible divinity as we go. At the heart of this is our central talent and birthright: to continually refine ourselves, evolve, and adapt as our journey unfolds, shaping who we will become.

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INDELIBLE MARKERS

The dominant cultural message tells us our worth is based on appearance, status, success, and recognition, making life harsh for many. This world is marked by limitation. Here, actions have consequences, and choices yield results; therefore, we naturally seek ways to gain positive recognition and security.

Physical life is enjoyable when our basic needs are met. When they aren’t, feelings of worthlessness arise, but facing these challenges may reveal the potential for inner fulfillment.

Some believe that life divides us into winners and losers, attributing success solely to individual choices and efforts. This mindset overlooks individual contexts and experiences.

Wait a minute. Are you suggesting that I must earn my worthiness or right to be here, and that the only way to do this is to attend the best schools, wear the finest clothes, possess an Ivy League degree, and have a substantial income? Are you saying that if I don’t have the right stuff, I might as well slide under a rock, curl up in a ball, and wait for death to take me?

Many accept their personal truths, but mine is different. My life, shaped by my unique path and purpose, diverges from the mainstream. I am not alone in this.

Everyone faces different limitations, which can create confusion and questions about survival and worth, urging us to rise or fall.

What appears true may not be; your experience, actions, and meaning-making define your life. Live with authenticity.

While we are connected, we are also diverse. We are none of us the same. We are profoundly unique and individual, and what we have to offer is exceptional as well.

We each have unique contributions. Not everyone is destined for conventional achievements; all are called to meaningful journeys that leave a lasting impact on others.

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HOW CAN I FIND MY SOUL’S PURPOSE?

I lived with this question for years, but I didn’t know I was asking it. Later, in my studies of transformational tools and principles, I was told that “Something unique wants to express itself through you – something that only you can give birth to.” I thought this was, at best, a nice sentiment. It was very egalitarian as it left no one out, and it even made everyone special. But I had also heard the phrase often enough, expressed somewhat less loftily: You are special. There is no one like you. By the time I heard it again, I was already seriously inured to it and perhaps even somewhat cynical. Of course, we’re unique; who isn’t? And that’s where, for me, the whole concept of personal uniqueness distilled itself to not having any significant meaning.

So, for quite a while, I succumbed to the enervating perception that uniqueness in and of itself is not unique. Since we are all uniquely distinguished from each other, what’s the big deal? You’re tall; I’m short. You’re muscular; I lack definition. You have red hair; I have black hair. Your eyes are green, and mine are brown. You excel in tennis, but I can sing. You’re great at math, and I write more clearly than you. What’s to get excited about? Now, if you’re handy, I’m feeling a bit of excitement. But I digress.

At some point, it occurred to me that I was looking in the wrong direction, on the incorrect concept, and that I was stubbornly myopic. I decided to challenge my habitual perception of uniqueness by changing my stance that uniqueness is a common attribute with no benefits. In a departure from my earlier state of jadedness, I asked: What exactly is it that makes each of us unique? In no time, a realization asserted itself with incontrovertible clarity: It is our soul’s longing and the agenda contained in that longing that leads us to our purpose. Our specific longings show us the paths we need to take and who we can become. So what makes us unique? What makes us who we are?

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad IV. 4.5 tells us that it is our deep, driving desire:

You are what your deep, driving desire is.
As your desire is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed.
As your deed is, so is your destiny.

Here is the beginning of discovering your soul’s purpose: identifying your more profound truths through your deepest desires. Our uniqueness and destiny lie in our desires and in what awakens our passion. When we act on these unique desires, we are compelled to seek what is right for us, which in turn nourishes us. Following true desires attracts what we need to become who we are meant to be. Ultimately, by honoring our soul’s longing, we express our purpose and find fulfillment.

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HOW TO NAVIGATE THE PAIN OF DEEP DISAPPOINTMENT, LOSS, AND BETRAYAL

No matter how much we strive to live with integrity, we will inevitably face challenges and setbacks. Even if we become fully self-actualized and have various tools to help us regain our balance, we will still experience pain from time to time. It’s simply a part of life that we cannot avoid. To address this, I have developed a process for navigating through pain, and I hope you find it helpful.

* * * * * * *

While we recognize that our ability to empower ourselves and undergo transformation stems from truly loving ourselves and establishing healthy boundaries, merely standing up for our right to exist and to co-create with all of life won’t eliminate life’s painful experiences or quickly resolve the pain we inevitably have to process afterwards. Here are some suggestions for navigating the intense emotional pain that will occasionally invite itself into our lives for an often unpredictable duration:

• Stand before the pain; see it and feel it without resistance, and create a container that is deeper and wider than the pain itself so that you encompass it. From here, embrace it, pulling it deeply into yourself. Allow yourself to experience the pain fully.

• Acknowledge pain as a distinct entity, separate from yourself, possessing its own vital, energetic existence, purpose, and evolutionary process.

• Do not judge the pain; have compassion for it, if you can. If you can, express love to it.

• Do not judge yourself for having the experience of deep, and seemingly endless, pain.

• Recognize that pain serves a purpose greater than itself and beyond your individual experience.

• Anticipate discovering valuable insights by embracing and acknowledging your pain.

• Trust that Divine Grace can encompass all of you and your pain.

• Embrace the creative opportunities that can arise from profound disappointment.

• Trust that life is on your side and that creation loves you. From here, gently anchor yourself in the belief of a bright and happy future.

You are encouraged

- To develop a self strong enough to hold your pain, try expanding your personal energy field to the boundaries of the room you’re in, and even beyond, into the world, as much as you feel comfortable doing so. Your energy field can stretch as far as you allow it to. There are no limits in this process.
- Make a profound connection to the Source — Mother/Father/God who created you — can begin with prayer. Talk to God/Tao/Highest Source. Open the line of communication through an audible conversation, which is easier than quieting the mind.
- Connect to your Divinity.
- Discover how expansive and big you really are inside the context of your past, present, and future.
- Realize your connection to all of life.
- Acknowledge your unique place in the web of life.
- Develop a deepening sense of the fragility, tenderness, and profound beauty of life.
- See your connection to the remarkable capacity of life to remake itself and to transform any experience into something more/ higher.
- Develop a capacity to see pain as the spice among the many ingredients of which the delicious soup of your life is made.
- See your capacity to see the fruits that can be harvested from the pain.
- Develop the skills and capacities that will keep your life aligned with your North Star (that is, your highest, overarching intention for love and service).
- Find your capacity to be still and to be silent.

It is also important to talk to your trusted friends. They see you and love you, and they will witness your pain with you.

You might consider engaging a professional counselor, therapist, or coach.

Be aware that devas, elementals, and spirit guides are available to assist you. They are masters of energy and can help transmute it. Allow them to aid in your transformation with their specialized knowledge. You can speak to them out loud, expressing your gratitude and sharing your concerns. Ask for their help and let them know how you would like to utilize their unique resources. After that, pay attention to your intuition and be on the lookout for signs and messages. These can come from various sources, often in unexpected ways.

Soul retrieval can help recover fragmented pieces of yourself. If you do not know how to journey, it’s recommended that you have a Shaman do it for you.

Energy work (chi gong, Reiki, massage, etc.) can break the stagnation of stuck energy; movement and flow will restore happiness.

Focus on creating happy experiences—spending time with those who see and love you; doing things that bring you joy, such as your personal forms of creative expression, your fun activities, and your service to others.

Repeat this healing HO’OPONOPONO mantra:

I’m sorry, [your name] Please forgive me
Thank you
I love you

AND

I’m sorry, [the name of another person, others, or situation] Please forgive me
Thank you
I love you

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