The Hereafter

With Halloween behind us and being in the darkest time of the year, the subject of Ghosts naturally comes up in conversations. I am reading a book called "The Complete Book of GHOSTS, A Fascinating Exploration of the Spirit World, from Apparitions to Haunted Places". Its by Paul Roland, Arcturius Books.

Its worth reading, very comprehensive study, a believable and scientific documentation of the Ghost Realm with a historical approach.

At some point, I was glad to see that they do make a distinction between Spirits and Ghosts. In Shamanism, we see Spirits as the Wholeness of a person. Ghosts are the parts of us that are unresolved. These parts get stuck in the "In-Between", until they can find resolve. When we reincarnate, we may gather up those parts of ourselves again and try to bring resolution. We will incarnate in situations where we are forced to deal with unpleasant issues, often it has to do with our birth families, which explains why family dynamics are so challenging.

There is more to us and our world than we know, or can even imagine. At our Great Gathering in Quebec, our Shaman brought us messages from the Ghost Realm. It was sad to see how many lost souls there are out there needing to make peace with something or someone. John Edwards, the renowned American psychic, gives messages from the dead to loved ones who are still living. It seems that many won't cross over until they let their relatives know they are okay. 

The TV show "Ghost Whisperer" deals with the dead who are stuck in- between. They are called Earth bound spirits. "Medium", another popular series, is about a Dreamer who sees the dead and deaths of murder victims and works for the Pheonix Police. It is based on a true life story.

At the Gathering,  were told that the in-between is a grey, lonely place, and that it is sad that the living don't acknowledge the existence of the Ghost Realm or even the Spirit world. We have been programmed to deny it. According to the book that I am reading, at one time the Catholic Church forbade any communication with Spirits. That changed only in 1952 with Pope Pius XII, who cousin was the co-founder of the Jung Institute and President of the International Society for Catholic Parapsychologists. 

Now we see books and movies out with zombies, ghosts and all kinds of evil monsters. "Twilight" brings out the human side of Vampires, showing their struggles, passions, fears and loves.

The main purpose in general around mention of ghosts is usually to instill fear. But from what I've learned, if you see or feel Ghosts around you, they are usually asking for your help. Sometimes they even come to learn and heal from us. We have something they need to be able to continue on their way.

We had a young man who lived with us awhile back. He was on medications for depression and carried a heavy burden. I was worried that he might commit suicide, but trusted that he was sent to us for a reason. He ended up moving back home where his grandmother could look out for him. When he moved, he left behind not his Ghost, (the unresolved part of him), but his Spirit (his wholeness). This was an unexpected twist on things. It seems that his Spirit needed a safe place to hide while his body and the unresolved part of his soul worked things out. We accepted his need for a refuge with a time limit to it. There is many ways to be of service in this world and the next..... 

If more people believed in the Hereafter, Spirit and Ghosts, I think they would live their lives differently, with more consciousness of what they create, and what they leave behind, knowing that their unresolved parts will go to the in-between, or what Christians call purgatory. 

If more people believed in reincarnation, what would they do different, knowing that they will have to come back again and live the consequences of what they manifested in their past life? How would they treat the Earth differently, knowing they would have to come back and live with the mess they created?

I am going to see the Movie "Hereafter" tonight and am hoping that it gives an accurate portrayal of the Ghost realm and the after-life.

The Ghost realm of course is just a part of what is in the invisible to us. It is a matter of different levels of being, like different rooms in a house Life is circular and never-ending,  the universe is vast and infinite..... we just need to believe and the doors of perception will open wide. 

P.S. November 3, 2010
*The movie was excellent, with good acting, special effects and an accurate portrayal of the hereafter. But they only touched on it, as usual, didn't go too deep. Nonetheless, it is great to see movies like this coming out of Hollywood!

Countdown to 2012

We are getting closer and closer to 2010. The changes that are happening are huge! It is as if we are going extinct as a species. Humans have to make tremendous adaptations on all levels in order to survive. 

It feels like it is time to move up to another level of consciousness and being. There is no more time to waste with petty human quarrels, ego power struggles and notions of separateness. We are all in this together and we all need to find our strengths and weaknesses, our power and purpose, our gifts, our path... 

Those who don't will be left behind. It is not easy for anyone to let go of lifetimes of old baggage, ancestral stories, karmic patterns and dysfunctional behaviors. I struggle with my own issues and humanness every day. I fight the demons of depression, of hopelessness and helplessness. Who of us doesn't have something to deal with, who of us doesn't have some issues to work on? As Jesus said, "Let those who are without sin, cast the first stone".

We are taught from day one to be independent, separate and isolated from others. We all feel alienated or lost or confused at some time or another. How do we go forward to become all that we can be, to fulfill our highest potential when there are so many challenges, so many obstacles in our way?  It seems like the forces of darkness are fighting for their lives. A battle of light and dark is underway.

Truth and illusion need to be sorted out. It is nice to believe that rainbows and spaceships will come down out of the sky and rescue us from the mess that was created on this planet. It is terrifying to think that a comet will hit the earth or the poles will shift dramatically, throwing us all into catastrophe and imminent death. 

But what if nothing drastic happens? What if December 21, 2010 is just another day? What purpose does all this speculation serve? How has it helped us to become better people at the end of the day?

I believe that no matter what, we need to be working on ourselves every day, to grow and heal and go beyond our perceived limitations. We need to put aside our petty quarrels with one another and get down to the real business at hand. When Y2K was a big concern, and people were stocking up on food in fear of shortages, I just knew that I had to be ready for anything, ready to die in a good way if necessary. How do we do that? I faced death in 1982 when suffering from a severe illness. It was a crucial turning point in my life. I knew I wasn't ready to die because I have many questions about life and death and most of all... I had unresolved issues to deal with, unfinished business. When I recovered from that near death experience, I went on a spiritual quest and didnt' give up until I found my path and my teachers. 

And today, the work continues. There are never-ending challenges to confront, but they are here to make us stronger and wiser. When I was young, I knew everything, now I don't know much at all. I can only watch and shake my head in bewilderment at the human situation and the choices we make in our lives. I can only wonder how things got so out of hand, how we can destroy the very ground, air and water we depend upon.

Each of us has a place and purpose in this world. Each of us can choose to be a cancerous cell or a white blood cell on the body of Mother Earth. The more hypersensitive I get, the harder the challenge to not get sucked into the collective nightmares of jealousy, competition, ego games and poverty consciousness.

We are being asked to be strong at this time. My teacher Okwaho said that there was a prophecy that our ancestors received. It said that there would be a time when people would not be strong enough to deal with the challenges that life brought them.

Last night I watched a documentary on the life of Sitting Bull. The actor who played him had soft skin compared to the photos of Sitting Bull himself. You could see that Sitting Bull had a hard life, but his eyes burned with life and passion, strength and commitment to truth and justice. 

In the end, he got shot by his own people who had joined the white man. He died a warrior, the last Chief to surrender to the invaders. He died saying NO to that which was against his truth, his people, his nature and his rights.

What would I have done in that situation? Would any of us be able to look death in the face and stand strong and brave in our truth?  We will all be faced with that dilemma one day, we will all face our death one way or another. It is time to make ready!

Hau!