Mind-Body-Spirit Connection
Posted by Trey Abernerthy on November 21, 2009 at 6:48pm in Past Life Exploration
This is the 2nd in a series of articles on past lifes, here is a link to the
1st. It would help put this article in better perspective by reading the other
one first.
http://unitedstarseeds.ning.com/group/pastlifeexploration/forum/top...
We
are at once a combination of mind,body,and spirit. There exists withen these
three interactive parts, however, a logical chain of command in which the body
is subservient to the mind, and both the mind and body are subservient to the
spirit. We've probably all experienced at one time or another those spiritually
enlightening moments that remind us of the preeminence of the spirit over the
mind and body. Among the many examples are the potentially empowering sights and
sounds of our natural surroundings- a magnificent sunset, a moonlit landscape, a
powerful waterfall, an ocean view, birds in flight, the starry heavens- each can
balance and attune us in an instant to the wondrous power of the universe.
Because the mind,body,and spirit are interactive by nature, separating their
functions into discreet categories is a very difficult needle to thread. Until
now, the conventional scientific approach to resolve this dilemma has been to
simply reduce the equation to mental and physical components only. According to
this approach, mental or physical behavior can be observed or inferred,
therefore measured, quantified, and scientifically studied. The spiritual
component, on the other hand, was seen as too slippery and illusory, thus not
conducive to conventional scientific investigation. When considered at all,
spiritual variables were usually subsumed under the category of either mental or
physical.
At long last, conventional science has edged closer to
recognizing the totality of the mind,body, and spirit interaction and the
importance of each component and how it interacts with the others. We now know
that to isolate or omit any one of these three variables would artificially
modify the equation and limit our interpretation of the interaction.
Furthermore, it would preclude any effort to promote mental,physical, and
spiritual balance which is also essential to our growth and
self-fulfillment.
The focus here is on the spiritual, with emphasis on
the spirit as the critical factor in the mind-body-spirit interaction. At an
individual level, it is the human spirit that energizes the mind and body. At a
collective and more idealistic level, each soul being, while retaining its
unique identity, unites with all others in absolute love to become the perfect
supreme force, or as Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, the "Oversoul" which animates
the Universe and embraces the Earth in its bosom.
From a spiritual
perspective, all our experiences of each lifetime- past,present,and future- must
be eventually integrated into our soul being to facilitate our spiritual
evolution. It is through that integrated process that we learn spiritual lessons
which could be difficult if not impossible to learn in a discarnate state.
That's the major reason why we are here- to learn and grow spiritually, while at
the same time contributing to the spiritual evolution of others.
When we
link human consciousness and experience exclusively to the brain, they become
the sole property of the physical body, an illusory source. Awareness, perception,
reasoning, emotions, memory, problem solving, attitudes, beliefs, an other mental functions
become physically based and thus dependent on the survival (and well being) of the
physical body. Such a limited perspective fails to recognize that our present life
experiences are always woven into the fabric of our non-biological or spiritual being where they
join all the experiences of our past-life as enduring growth resources. Together
they become endless components in our on-going spiritual unfoldment.
We
know that mental and physical functions fail, and the body eventually wears out.
Only the spiritual is forever. Given the permanence of the spirit and the
temporal nature of the body, it follows that our spiritual evolution could
require more than one lifetime, with each lifetime offering a new physical body
and a dynamic re-embodiment of the spirit to result in totally new growth
possibilities.
But how can we explain the temporal nature of the physical
versus the permanent nature of the spirit? Only that which has no beginning can
be endless. All things physical, including the biological body, have a beginning
and therefor an ending; all things spiritual, including the soul, have no
beginning and therefor no ending.
Put the permanence of the spirit can be
more fully explained from a perspective that recognizes the basic biological and
spiritual framework within which we all exist. We know that, by nature, we have
a genetic makeup called the genotype which provides the unique biological
framework for our growth and development. It is temporal and therefor flawed.
It ends with the physical body at death. Each new lifetime, consequently,
requires a new body with a new genotype as the physical framework for growth and
development.
Paralleling our physical genotype is a spiritual genotype
which provides the spiritual framework for our growth and development. While the
physical genotype ensures our uniqueness as a temporal biological being, the
spiritual genotype ensures our uniqueness as a non-temporal spiritual being.
Because it is non-physical, our spiritual genotype is forever- it is without
either beginning or end. It is both spiritual and without flaw. It remains
unbroken constant lifetime to lifetime. It therefor ensures our perpetual
survival as a unique spiritual being. Simply put, the spiritual genotype is the
perpetual framework in which the soul evolves.
From this perspective, the
soul can be defined as that unique, immortal life-force essence without which we
would not exist. The soul is not something I possess; it is that which I am
forever. Rather than a physical body with a soul, I am a soul with a physical
body. Each lifetime offers new opportunities to interact as a soul with a new
biological counterpart and a new environment to maximize whatever growth
potentials that are afforded in that lifetime.
It is important to again
emphasize that because the soul's basic framework is spiritual rather than
physical, each soul by nature is perfect and indestructible. Souls evolve, but
they cannot be damaged or broken. You are a soul being of perfection withen an
eternal reality. You existed as a soul before your first lifetime and you will
exist as a soul beyond your last. In each lifetime, you existed as a soul in
embodied form that energized your physical body. You existed as a soul between
lifetimes in disembodied form, thus providing a continuation of consciousness
independent of physiology. The soul is, however, more than a state of
consciousness- it is a state of spiritual being characterized by free will and
self-determination.
Although identical biological genotypes are known to
occur in instances of identical multiple births, there is absolutely no evidence
suggesting the existence of identical spiritual genotypes. Among the billions of
souls, each is unique, markedly different from others. As souls, we have no
carbon copies. Although you may have a close "soul mate" with who you experience
a special affinity,similarity, or connection, soul mates are distinctively
independent entities, each with uniquely different spiritual
genotypes.
The matter of "twin flames" is a whole other subject in
itself, but your twin flame is still an independent soul with their own
evolutionary path, even if it does intertwine with yours. Obviously we are all
connected through consciousness and source, but even after giving up embodiment
and merging with the source, you still retain a sense of
self. Jesus,Buddha,Mother Mary, and all the Ascended Masters may not need to
take a physical body anymore yet they retain a sense of self.
While
dramatic advances in biological cloning have been seen in recent years, there
exists at present no shred of evidence suggesting even the remotest possibility
of spiritual cloning. Furthermore, while mutations are common in biological
evolution, there exists absolutely no evidence suggesting any instance of
mutation in the evolution of souls.
The possibilities for differences in
both biological and spiritual genotypes among individuals are endless. But
unlike your biological makeup which changes from lifetime to lifetime, it must
be again emphasized that the basic spiritual design of each soul exists forever
in unaltered form. It is from everlasting to everlasting. Whether before your
first incarnation or beyond your last, your identifying spiritual genotype as a
soul is fixed. It is your permanent spiritual fingerprint, unlike that of any
other soul. It provides the eternal framework withen which you grow and develop
as an immortal life-force entity.
From your existence before your first
incarnation, which we would call your preexistence, to the present and beyond,
your potential as a living soul for growth,empowerment,and knowledge has no
constricting boundaries. While the soul's genotype provides the framework for
spiritual development, it prescribes absolutely no limits. Like your soul span,
your growth span as a soul is from everlasting to everlasting, time without
end.
Our existence as souls is trans-universal. In the embodied state,
the soul is united with a physical body in a temporal space or physical reality
which includes the planet Earth and the physical universe as we know it. Its
possible that your evolution of a soul includes embodiment in another part of
the universe, or for that matter in another universe- possibly one that no
longer exists. As we know, all things physical will eventually end; even the
known universe which some scientists believe is already in the process of
extinction.
While even universes may come and go, the soul is forever- it
does not depend on the existence of physical reality. In the disembodied state,
the soul exists in a spiritual environment or soul space which has no limits.
Because the principles of linear time no longer apply, our existence in that
space is both timeless and endless. Although some souls may have lived many
lifetimes on Earth whereas others may not have lived on Earth at all, there are
no age differences in soul space- souls are neither young nor old.They are
instead forever ageless.
Implied in the word "soul" are suggestions of
vitality,life,and of course, spirit. The soul is the very essence of your
existence as a conscious, self-transcendent spiritual entity- alive, unique, and
imperishable. Without the soul, you would not exist at all, but as the soul, you
are alive forever. As a living soul (there is, in fact, no dead soul) your
existence does not depend on this temporal,physical reality. Because you are
spiritual, your exit from this life at death is but a transition, a crossing
over to a higher state of being. Simply put, the soul manifest the
preexistent,immortal nature of your existence as a conscious spiritual
being.
Our existence as souls encompasses a totality that is difficult to
imagine or comprehend. As earlier noted, our life span is from everlasting to
everlasting. Looking backward, I am from everlasting: looking forward I am to
everlasting. Since I am everlasting in both directions, the familiar, sometimes
comforting limits of linear time, space, and all things physical simply do not
apply. I am without either point of beginning or point of ending. What then is
the destiny of souls? It is transcendent endlessness independent of time,space,
and any other constricting reality.
Perhaps somewhat surprising, there
are several Biblical references suggesting the preexistence of the soul as a
conscious spirit entity. A notable example is God's message to Jeremiah: "Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated
you..." (Jeremiah 2:5). Another excerpt speaks of the sons of God being present
when the Earth was formed: "On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its
cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy?(Job 38:6-7) The apostle Paul speaks of God as "he who had set
me apart before I was born." (Gal. 1:15). Yet another passage refers to a
preexistant state as follows: "... even as he (God) chose us in him before the
foundation of the world." Chapter 32 also hints of Adam's preexistence. You will
note that in these references the soul is referred to as a person (I,me,and us)
rather than something possessed by the person.
Aside from biblical
references of preexistence, several early Christian writers were well-known
proponents of of the doctrine of the preexistence of souls. Origen, for
instance, noted the eternal goodness of God required that he disperse gifts to
his creatures, and that there always existed rational creatures for this
well-doing. Origen's concept further affirmed a preexistence in which immortal
souls were able to make choices.
Jewish sources also speak of
preexistence as seen in the following prayer of Solomon: " As a child I was by
nature well endowed, and a good soul fell to me by lot, or rather, being good, I
entered an undefiled body." (Apocrypha, Wisdom of Solomon 8:19-20). He seems
to be saying that his existence did not depend on embodiment; and that he, as a
preexistant soul, entered an undefiled body. According to Jewish law, human
"life" begins at birth; however the human soul is believed to exist before
birth.
Traditional Judaism also believes that human existence continues
after death, a view that allows for reincarnation through many lifetimes,
according to some Orthodox Jews. In support of life after death, the Torah
speaks of several noteworthy persons as having been "gathered to their people".
Examples are Abraham, Ishmael, Issac, Moses,and Aaron.
Among the interesting
Jewish views of the afterlife is the belief that the world is the "lobby" in
which we prepare ourselves through study and good deeds to enter the "banquet
hall". The emphasis in this metaphor, however, is on how to live the life in the
lobby rather than how to get into the banquet hall of heaven. We work and study
out of a sense of love and duty, not in order to be rewarded or to get something
in return.
Belief in reincarnation as a recurring manifestation of both
preexistence and immortality is commonly held by many mystically inclined Jews.
One school of thought holds that resurrection is not a one-time event but an
ongoing process in which souls are reborn either to continue improving the world
or to complete some unfinished business. For each lifetime, the goals are
essentially the same: Performing good deeds and using knowledge for the greatest
good. How could anyone argue with that?
Many ancient civilizations,
including the Greeks,Romans,and Egyptians, embraced the theory of reincarnation.
Also, the teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism include reincarnation as a
recurring developmental phenomenon until the spirit reaches Nirvana, the final
stage of human evolvement in which the individual soul is released from the
wheel of life to become a part of God.
Several reincarnation concepts of
Buddhist origin were later adopted by Theosophy popular mystical movement
established in New York in 1875. According to this approach, reincarnation is a
process of natural evolution ruled by divine justice called karma. It is through
reincarnation that the soul advances toward God.
Edgar Cayce, "the
sleeping prophet", incorporated several Theosophical and Hindu concepts into his
theory of reincarnation which also included orthodox Christian beliefs. As
souls, we incarnate on the Earth plane to gain knowledge and experience. It is
the creation and release of of Karma, however, that perpetuates re-embodiment.
For Cayce, Karma is simply an action in one lifetime that creates a cosmic
effect in the next incarnation. These cosmic effects can result in joy or
sadness, success or failure, and by enlargement, global advancement or decline,
to mention but a few of the possibilities. Souls progress at their own rate to
release themselves from the cycle of embodiment which is called "the wheel of
incarnation". In that process, the determining force is the soul's free will.
Through wisdom gained during and between lifetimes comes understanding,and with
understanding and positive action, release and transcendence to higher
realms.
A popular view of reincarnation is based on the premise that
life-force energy, while it may undergo transformation and change, is never
lost. According to this view, consciousness and personal identity exist in
life-force structual form, and as such, are never lost. Such survival phenomena
as apparitions and hauntings along with deeply personal communications with the
departed could thus be explained as the perseverance of life-force energy in
meaningful discarnate form. According to this perspective, survival manifestations
are consistently purposeful and empowerment driven. They offer assurance of life
after death and the continuation of personal consciousness and identity as well.
Finding your own way through the maze of views concerning preexistence,
reincarnation, and the afterlife can be difficult and times confusing. I will
be adding another post withen the week on methods to delve into and explore your
past-life's, preexistence, and even repressed memories from this life. They involve
self-hypnosis and other techniques that allow you to access this information yourself,
as you are the best facilitator to access this information.
Stay tuned I will be posting another article on past life regression techniques
involving self-hypnosis and an article on preexistence and life between incarnations.