Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Reaching Out for My Twin Soul

     I was thinking about how I've spent years researching about Twin Souls, after a series of experiences caused me to go on this path (for more on those experiences, click here).  Once I understood that the connection that I had with this other person was my Twin Soul, my prayer has been that I might meet my Twin Soul, even once, before I exit this world.  That prayer has been the same for the last fourteen years.

     I know some people think that meeting their Twin Soul will be full of romance, with rose petals showering down from the heavens, a great symphony playing in the background, running hand in hand on the beach, smiles forevermore.

     I don't.  I've learned that the Twin Soul relationship is more about attaining a certain level of soul maturity and getting ready to "move up" in the soul realms (for more on that, read The Gemini Bond).

     No, all I really desire is to meet my Twin Soul in person, to hear my Twin's voice speak my name, to feel my Twin's eyes look into mine, perhaps to touch my Twin's hand briefly in a greeting.  I guess I just want to know whether what I've believed for the past fourteen years is true or not.

     Is that so much to ask?

     

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Soul Levels

     In the book, Journey of Souls, Dr. Newton, a hypnotherapist, describes how souls are at different levels.  They progress from one level to the next by mastering certain lessons in life.  The way that souls recognize what level they are in the Bardo (the place where souls go between lives to meet with their guides, review what they've learned, and plan for the next life), is by the color that their soul emits.  I guess it's a bit like their essential soul color, not like an aura.  According to Dr. Newton's research, yellow, gold, and white souls were in their beginning stages, while blue and purple souls were more advanced.

      Thinking about that, my mind went to all sorts of "what if?" scenarios.  What if we were to group children in the classroom by soul levels?  That might make discipline and teaching style more efficient because it would be targeted for each specific group.  What if we as a society were to mete out punishments based on the soul level?  A less-advanced soul might need more punitive consequences where a more-advanced soul might need more time to think about their actions and how they affected others.

     But let's look at it another way.  In some schools, children are grouped in classes according to their reading level or language ability.  Some might argue, rightly in my opinion, that this deprives the "lower" kids of learning from the "higher" kids.  It also deprives the "higher" students from developing teaching and leadership skills that they would develop in a mixed-level classroom.  So, perhaps separating them according to their soul level might not be such a great idea.

     In life, we are all mixed up together -- the newer souls live right next door to the old souls among us.  We are reminded that we are all learning and growing together, and that nobody is too far advanced not to learn from the newest souls on the block. 

     It reminds us to be humble and realize that we really are all in this together.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

From a Soul Viewpoint, Part 2

     In my previous post I was wondering about what would happen in our world if we were to really focus on the soul in every person we meet.  My mind wandered to various scenarios.

     For example, what if parents were to teach their children from day one that they were souls here on Earth for a special journey -- a journey of learning and of growing, of healing and of helping.  What if parents used discipline not to punish, but to take time to remind the child of their soul journey and ask, "Does this thing that you did reflect who you really are?" 

     What if schools educated children not as data receptacles who will regurgitate information on a later test, but as souls who need to know how to develop the tools necessary for their life mission?  What if wisdom were more valued in our schools than facts about things?  What if teachers reminded students with behavior issues that their poor choices don't do justice to the wondrous beings that they are? 

     What if our justice system were to go back to the old ways of having the victim (or their family) and the perpetrator sit in a room together so that everyone understood at a deep level how much pain was suffered?  What if our prisons were a place where its prisoners would not only reflect on their acts, but also work with counselors to heal their own wounds and learn how to follow a wiser path?

     Impractical in this complex world?  Perhaps.  Are there some souls who would not respond to this soul viewpoint?  Probably. 

     Am I being too much of an idealist?  Maybe.  But if we want to move forward, we have to aim high, right? 

Saturday, August 18, 2012

From a Soul Viewpoint, Part 1

     I've mentioned before reading a book that has caused a seismic shift in my thinking.  You can read some of my thoughts on this book, Life Between Lives, here

     Some books take a while to fully sink in, and I think this book is one of those.  Lately I've noticed that I've been looking at people as souls inside bodies, as this book describes us, and really focusing on people's eyes and their emotional state (an easy thing to do for an empath). 

     That, of course, had me thinking about what the world would be like if we were all to relate to people from a soul viewpoint.  Rather than looking at people's clothes, or their cars, or their fancy houses or rotten hovels, or their weight, or their bling, or even certain aspects of their personality, we could look deeper -- at the soul within them.

     I think that so many people hide behind the facades of their lives so much that they forget their soul within.  What if our looking at their soul were to awaken something within them?  What if that one deep eye-to-eye gaze were to remind them that they are here for more than just their passions or pains or pleasures?  What if enough of us awakening people to their inner soul and its mission here were to cause a seismic shift in our world -- for the better?

     Why not try?

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Searching for Our Other Self

     I've been on a Rumi kick lately, as I love his poetry and tend to be attracted to it as certain times of my life.  In this latest reading binge, I was noticing a trend in his thought.  He often refers to Shams of Tabriz as his friend, and then later talks about his Friend. 

     Here is what I think he means.  I wrote in a previous post (click here) that I believe that Shams was Rumi's Twin Soul.  I don't get the sense that they were lovers -- and most scholars don't believe they were -- but I believe they shared a soul intimacy seldom found in relationships.  When Shams left (or was killed), Rumi's longing for him became translated into a longing not only for Shams, his other self, but also for his divine Self. 

     It boils down to this, friends:  our Twin Soul isn't someone who "completes us" in a romantic relationship. That implies that we are inherently incomplete.  Rather, our Twin Soul acts as an impetus to becoming unified with our divine Self.  We need to find our completeness within.

     Want to explore this idea further?  Read The Gemini Bond.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

In an Alternate Reality, Part 2

     I was thinking about our alternative universe where people are counseled about their career paths based on their mental and emotional strengths, as well as their psychic and natural gifts.  What sort of careers would a person with psychic gifts, such as a strong empathic ability, be best suited for?

     I think any of the healing professions would be a natural fit for our empath.  God knows there are many doctors out there who seem to have lost their ability to view their patients as little more than numbers or case files.  And if our empath could not only sense people's emotions and physical issues, they would save time because they could get to the core problems quicker.  Health insurers, take note!

     How about the teaching profession?  An empath could easily detect when little Johnny is telling the truth about Fido eating his homework, or whether Susie's black eye is really from falling down the stairs, or from someone at home hitting her.  I think an empathic teacher would also be able to more quickly tailor his or her teaching to a student's needs because this teacher would sense when the student "gets it."

     How about a social worker?  That is an interesting problem, because I think an empathic social worker would easily suffer from being overwhelmed with the strong emotions involved with their cases, but the empathic ability would also get to the root of core issues quicker.  That balance, discovering truth while fighting emotional overwhelm, is something I explored in The Gemini Bond with Rissa's character.  I think all empaths deal with that issue to some extent.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

In an Alternate Reality


     If there are parallel universes and alternate realities, then there is a place where people are counseled not only on their mental strengths ("Are you a visual thinker?" and  "Do you like math?") or their emotional strengths ("Do you prefer to lead groups of people?" and "Do you prefer to work alone?"), but also their psychic abilities.

     In this alternate universe, I'd have the counselor ask things like, "Do you feel what others feel?" or "Do you sense illnesses in another person's body before they tell you?" or "Do you have any passion or talent for being a healer?" 

     In this different place, our counselor would then take into account all their client's strengths -- mental, emotional, psychic, and natural gifts -- before recommending a career path. 

     Back on planet Earth, however, we who have different psychic gifts have to be our own counselor, and have to find our own way in this world.  It sometimes makes for a meandering path, but perhaps that's part of our destiny, too. 

Saturday, August 4, 2012

A Cool Thing About Being an Empath

     I discovered this week one cool thing about being an empath.  It involves a long story which I'll put in a highly abridged form here.

     I had a dispute over services and billing with a service provider.  After talking, sometimes a little heatedly, with two of its employees, I finally resorted to writing a letter to the owner of this business.

     It was a clear, pointed letter concerning what I felt the injustices were, how they could be remedied, and what I would do if they weren't.  The Better Business Bureau and the Internet weren't invented for nothing.

     Two business days later, I received a message from this company and I returned their call the next day.  Of course, the owner was far, far too busy to talk to the likes of me, but his assistant would be happy to speak for him.  When I first started talking to her, I noticed waves of  . . . fear.  I was standing, ready to do battle, and I did a quick self-check.  Was I feeling afraid?  No, it wasn't me.  It was her.  She was afraid of little ol' me. 

    Whew, talk about the power of the pen.

     But knowing that she was feeling fear, I could talk reasonably with her, not fulfilling her fantasies of a raving lunatic customer, and I got everything I wanted, plus more.

     Happy customer, relieved assistant. 

     I think just knowing what the other person was feeling really helped me know how to handle the situation.  By not becoming the thing that they fear, I could address their higher self and we could resolve things peaceably.  We both won (although I won a little more).

     Perhaps I should become a professional poker player.