Happy New Year!

     Tomorrow is the Chinese New Year, so Gung Hay Fat Choy!  It will be the year of the snake, specifically the water snake.  You can read about all the characteristics of a water snake if you wish (this is a good site, among others), but basically what they boil down to is this:  water snakes are mysterious, mesmerizing, and quiet.  They are planners and focus intently on what they want. 

     Snakes in general have a wonderful ability to slough off their old skin so that they can grow.  For this year, let's adopt that ability and let go of  that which no longer fits us.  Let's also focus on what we do want, and plan carefully on how to get there.  There's no need to be noisy about things, but rather let's conserve our energy and use it for the purpose of letting go and moving on.  Let's make this year a step in the direction of our dreams for a better world. 

(photo courtesy of Pixabay.com)

Twin Souls and Soul Mates, Part 4

     In the last several posts, I've discussed Dr. Michael Newton's book, Destiny of Souls, and how his findings have been contrary to the notion of Twin Souls.  While I freely admit that I have a hard time letting go of the concept of Twin Souls and that I could be completely wrong about it, I'd like to address my thoughts on his argument.

     First, I want to reaffirm my admiration for Dr. Newton's fascinating research.  He has brought the world of hypnotherapy and exploration of life between lives to a whole new level.  That said, I'd like to state that one problem with his research, which bedevils all research of this type, is that his clientele is entirely self-chosen, and therefore exclusive in many ways.  He couldn't research all people of all types because all people of all types weren't able or open to seeing him. 

     Second, his questions may have reflected an unconscious bias.  I'll admit here that my belief in Twin Souls is colored by my own experiences, and my research into Twin Souls has been driven by my desire to make sense of these unusual experiences.  To give some meat to my argument, one of his clients while in trance said that "Frances and I have been with each other from the beginning.  We are so close because we have struggled together, helping each other . . ." 

     My final take?  We may be two different people trying to explain what an elephant looks like from having touched it in a dark room.  Perhaps Twin Souls didn't turn up in his research because those people didn't elect to be included in his clientele.  Perhaps bias has crept into both of our research conclusions.  Perhaps Twin Souls and soul mates are just different terms for the same concept.  Perhaps we are, in the most basic way, both right and wrong at the same time. 

     I guess the afterlife will explain all.

Twin Souls and Soul Mates, Part 3

     In Destiny of Souls, Dr. Michael Newton talks of the different kinds of soul relationships, but disagrees with the concept of Twin Souls. 

     First, he counters that notion with his discovery of what he terms "parallel lives," in which a soul may choose to split into two or more parts and then experience life in simultaneous incarnations.  According to his explanation, a soul in parallel lives differs from what I would term a Twin Soul in two ways:  (1)  The two parts often don't have contact with each other in that lifetime; and (2) There is no drive, no deep yearning, to reunite.  Dr. Newton further explains that very few souls choose this kind of incarnation. 

     Second, he states that at the moment of creation, we are individuals, not a part of some other soul.  As he writes, "Each energy particle is unique in its own right and created as a single entity."  He denies the idea that Twin Souls are two halves of one soul, created to be united again at the end of our incarnations. 

    What's my take on all this?  More on that to come.

Twin Souls and Soul Mates, Part 2

     In Destiny of Souls (see previous post), Dr. Newton explains the difference between soul relationships.  He wrote that the primary soul mate is that soul with whom we have the closest affinity, our "closely bonded partner."  He writes, "No other soul is more important to us than a primary soulmate and when my subjects describe lives with these souls as their mates most will say their existence is enriched beyond measure." 

     Another kind of soul relationship is that of companion soulmates.  These are members of our primary cluster group, who came in existence together and often reincarnate together.  They can be friends, parents, siblings, sons or daughters, or other close relationships.  Dr. Newton writes, "Within this cluster group there is usually an inner circle of souls who are especially close to us, and they play important support roles in our lives and we do the same thing for them."  While the number varies for each soul, there are typically three to five souls in this category.

     Finally, there are affiliated souls, which Dr. Newton defines as the classification of souls which pertains "to members of secondary groups outside our own primary cluster but located in the same general spiritual vicinity."  There could be as many as one thousand souls or more in this group.  Often our parents come from an affiliated soul group. 

    Where do Twin Souls fit in to all this?  More on that to come. 

Twin Souls and Soul Mates

     I finished reading the second book by Dr. Michael Newton, a hypnotherapist who specialized in regressing people to the time between lifetimes.  Fascinating stuff!  If you're interested in reading it, I'd suggest you get his first book, Journey of Souls, to understand his framework, and then if you would like to explore more in depth, continue with Destiny of Souls, which is the book I'm going to discuss.

     In Journey of Souls, Dr. Newton argues against the idea of Twin Souls.  He uses the term "soul mates" to describe the one soul who is closest to you, the one who often is first to meet you on the other side, the one who often works closest with you in any given lifetime.  I wondered, as I read the book, if perhaps it was the terminology that was getting in the way of a core concept.  After all, I couldn't really just throw away essential teachings from native Hawaiians, from Plato, from mystics the world over, could I?  As I read, I also wondered how unbiased Dr. Newton was in questioning his clients.  This is not to knock his methodology -- after all, I consider his achievements to be astounding.  Still, it's hard not to wonder if our own biases quietly creep in when we do our explorations.

     And that, of course, includes my own.  More on this to come.

A New Year's Resolution

     One of my New Year's resolutions is to get back to some heavy-duty writing.  Yes, the blog is fun and all that, and I'm grateful for all the readers I've had, but I need to use my time to get back to work on my next novel.  Yes, the second novel is a continuation of Rissa, Trey, and David's story from The Gemini Bond, exploring more of the relationship these Twin Souls can and cannot have, given their circumstances (of course, I really can't say more if you haven't read The Gemini Bond yet).

     But I will miss visiting with you, so how about this:  I'd like to cut down my posts from twice a week to once a week while I get back to writing.  And if you miss me terribly, there are a whole lot of old posts you can explore, or you can always read my first novel -- again! 

Wishing You A . . .

Happy New Year!