MESSAGE
This week we are kicking off a four-week series based on the Gary Zukav book, Seat of the Soul, which describes the remarkable journey to the soul that each of us takes, and how infusing the activities of life with reverence, compassion and trust make them come alive with meaning and purpose.
Zukav appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show more than 30 times to discuss the concepts of transformation in human consciousness that he presented in Seat of the Soul. Oprah – like thousands of others – said this was a life-changing book for her, and changed the way she saw herself and the world. Indeed, the book offers some wonderful views about how we can approach our lives and interactions with one another in a way that can bring us far more harmony and fulfillment.
The book endeavors to answer the questions, “What is the meaning of life and why are we here?” We are here to evolve and to heal. We are here to know the wholeness of God and our souls, and to experience the absolute fullness of love and life.
So why are so many of us unhappy and unfulfilled?
We are spiritual beings living in physical bodies, and there is a limited depth that we can truly experience through our five physical senses. We are often more focused on the externalmaterial world than we are on the internal spiritual realm. We get caught up in thinking that the key to a better life is to gain power through money, success, fame and material goods. Unfortunately, that tends to create a “scarcity” mentality in which we believe we must compete with one another to get what we need, because there’s not enough to go around. That leads to increased fear, pain and conflict in our lives and, in some cases, even violence and destruction.
Zukav says the way to achieve joy and fulfillment is through an evolution of our souls: moving from a five-sense physical awareness to a multi-sense spiritual awareness of life. True happiness comes, not from external power and money, but from connecting to the authentic power of Spirit within. True happiness comes when we have an “evolution of consciousness” in which we become absolutely aware of our soul and its connection to God and each other.
Our bodies and personalities are the human part of us that feel isolated and separate from others. Our souls, on the other hand, recognize that we live in a responsive universe that is alive and supportive, and that all of our actions and intentions impact, not only ourselves, but everything, even far beyond the physical realm. The only way to elevate our lives to a level at which we feel whole and complete is to join the limited external aspects of our bodies and personalities with the unlimited possibilities of our souls.
Zukav writes: “The incarnation of the soul is a massive reduction of the power of the soul to a scale that is appropriate to a physical form. The personality is those parts of the soul that require healing, along with those parts of the soul – such as compassion and love – that the soul has lent to the process of healing in that lifetime. The splintered aspects of the soul (that require healing) need to interact in physical matter so that each part of the splintered-ness can become whole … Therefore, you can see within a person’s personality the splintered suffering of the soul from which it was formed, as well as the grace that the soul has earned, which is the loving part of the personality.
“The personality sometimes appears as a force running rampant in the world with no attachment to the energy of its soul. It is the result of the personality being unable to find its reference point, or connection, to its mother-ship, which is its soul. The conflicts of a human’s life are directly proportional to the distance at which the personality exists separately from the soul. When a personality is in full balance, you cannot see where it ends and the soul begins. That is a whole human being.”
Interestingly, what Zukav is saying is that we are here to evolve our souls … and sometimes that may take more than one physical lifetime. When the body and personality are united with the soul, that body/personality will die … but the soul lives on, and it will then reincarnate into another body and personality that will heal another aspect of our soul.
What this means is that everything that your body and personality are experiencing in this life is exactly what your soul needs to evolve! Nothing is missing. Everything you need to grow, heal, evolve and know the fullness of your soul is absolutely available to you right now. You’re not in the wrong body, the wrong family, or the wrong place. You are exactly where you need to be!
Though you’ve got everything you need to evolve, in order to move to that multi-sensory, authentic power level, you need to recognize that you have a soul. You need to recognize that the light and Spirit of God is in you, and you need to value the aspect and essence of that invisible part of yourself. Zukav says that – when you recognize, acknowledge and value your soul – it will begin to express and fill your personality, your body, and your life. When you make a commitment to serve and support the energy of your soul, you will be transformed and evolve in an amazing and wonderful way.
So how do you start to do that? What do we need to do to evolve our souls and move to a multi-sensory level and experience of life?
First, we must understand and work with the Law of Cause and Effect. Taking full responsibility for our lives scares us. We like to take credit for the “good” things, but don’t like to claim ownership of the “bad and ugly” in our lives. When things don’t go well, we tend to place the blame somewhere outside ourselves. But whether we acknowledge it or not, we do have 100% responsibility for every aspect of our lives. The Law of Cause and Effect mandates that every single one of our thoughts, feelings, words and actions cause a particular effect in our lives. Whether conscious or not, we have participated in the cause of everythingthat is happening in our lives.
There are different ways of expressing this: some call it “karma,” others say, “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” “what goes around comes around” or “what you give you receive.” Whatever you call it, this is an incontrovertible law. Every condition that you are experiencing in your life – every one of them – is an effect of something you helped support or create. Every intention sets energy into motion, whether you are conscious of it or not.
So look at a particular effect that’s going on in your life right now. Perhaps you’re struggling with money or someone has cheated you. The fact is, that condition is the effect of some cause. You can respond to that cause by getting angry, frustrated and bitter … but that will only create another cause, which will create another effect. We need to understand that The Law of Cause and Effectalways works, and what is going on in your life right now is a current effect.
What you get to do is choose how you’re going to respond to that effect. You can fully embrace and accept responsibility for that effect, and make a choice to take charge of the situation and transform it to something better. You can respond with a positive intention to create new currents of energy that will create new effects in your life. Affirm: “I will learn from this. I will grow from this. I will get better from this. I will open my heart to Spirit and create a space to move through this experience with understanding, positivity and compassion. I will respond with blessings of love and positive intentions.” Your response will become a new cause which will create a new effect. And that is how your soul can be healed.
Are you willing to accept full responsibility for your life? Are you willing to accept and embrace The Law of Cause and Effect, and choose to consciously respond in the most positive way possible to create greater effects in your life?
Second, we must commit to feel and heal ourselves. None of us like to feel sadness or pain. We don’t want to feel the hurt of betrayal, disappointment, grief, rejection or disdain. Most of us prefer to deny or avoid the pain in our lives. We shut off our heart, “stuff” our feelings deep inside, and pretend that everything is all right. But when we close off our feelings in this way, we also close off important information that can help us to heal.
Pain is a sign that something’s wrong; by acknowledging and investigating it, we can actually transform the energy of our feelings into consciousness, and release and liberate our pain into something healthier and more positive. Otherwise, our pain will just fester and grow.
Zukav writes, “When you welcome your emotions as teachers, every emotion brings good news, even the ones that are painful.” He continues, “Pain by itself is merely pain, but the experience of pain couples with an understanding that the pain serves a worthy purpose. Suffering can be endured because there is a reason for it that is worth the effort. What is more worthy of your pain than the evolution of your soul?”
We need to be willing to feel our pain, because pain is what signals to us what needs to be healed. Think of a painful situation you are going through right now. Allow yourself to feel it. The pain can help you realize what intentions need to be changed in your life. Ask yourself, “What is this pain here to teach me? How can this pain help me to know God in a fuller way? How can this pain help me to expand my soul and awareness?”
Being willing to stay in the pain, and ask these questions consciously and intentionally, will liberate you from the hurt you feel, and open you to new levels of awareness and consciousness.
Zukav advises us to “follow the pain,” because it can help us correct the intentions behind the pain. For example, if you have an intention to marry, but that thought causes pain instead of joy, “follow the pain.” Figure out the wrong intention that might have caused that pain, and then replace that intention with a healthier, more positive intention.
Finally, we must maintain reverence and gratitude for life. A key part of our evolution is to recognize the magnificence of our world, maintain an attitude of reverence toward it, and honor the sacredness of all life. It’s absolutely awe-inspiring to consider the breadth of the universe and all that is in it: from the billions and billions of galaxies in the sky; to the power and beauty of natural wonders like Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon; to the fragility of a tiny humming bird. We live in a magnificent, ever-expanding world. And even within this infinite framework, every life is sacred and precious. Every human being has purpose and value. Moreover, we are all connected to everyone and everything. As a result, whatever we do to or for other living creatures, we also do for ourselves! The manner in which we treat others creates the world we live in ourselves.
We have a responsibility to care for ourselves, each other, and all of nature. We have been given the sacred gift of life … and the responsibility to do everything we can to create a better life for all. Regardless of what we are going through at any moment in time, it’s important to maintain reverence for the sacredness of all life. We can respond to the difficulties in our lives with gratitude instead of anger … with forgiveness instead of resentment … forgiveness, love and compassion instead of judgment and cruelty.
This attitude of reverence is what keeps us from taking advantage of others. It stops us from polluting the earth. It prevents us from feeling self-righteous or superior to others … because we are all one. It is reverence that propels us to give, rather than take, because we know that what we give to others is what we are giving ourselves.
Even when others hurt us, it’s important to maintain reverence for their life and condition. They’re on a journey to heal their soul, just as we are. They’re dealing with their own karma and Law of Cause and Effect. The best thing we can do is to have compassion and a reverence for their true essence, regardless of their current behavior. We must also maintain reverence for every experience … because, regardless of how things may appear at the time, every experience we go through is an opportunity for our souls to shine and grow. And we must have reverence for the natural order of things. Spiritual growth and maturation takes time; we can’t rush or try to force things. We must always keep our hearts open, and allow life to unfold in its own time … never rushing, and always acknowledging.
These are all the steps that allow us to evolve and to heal. This is how we come to know the wholeness of God and our souls, and to experience the absolute fullness of love and life.
God bless you all!
MEDITATION
Living, loving Spirit, thank you for the awareness that I have been created in the image and likeness of God. Thank you for the recognition that your light and Spirit is in me. I have an amazing soul within me! I recognize and value this invisible part of myself, and am committed to knowing and expressing the wholeness God and myself. Thank you for allowing me to breathe in the fullness of God and life, and for allowing me to feel the connection with all living things. Thank you for all of the experiences of life that help me to evolve, heal, and elevate my soul to feel whole and complete. Thank you, God. Thank you! And so it is. Amen.