My spiritual blog & articles - My Spiritual Coach

Why has the Chinese government rejected even the idea of past and future lives and meddled in the system of reincarnation, as the Dalai Lama said in 2011?

3/9/2024

If you think this is your only lifetime and the whole purpose of this life is to serve the state, you better behave accordingly. And that is what so many governments, including the Chinese government, aim for. If you know that you are an eternal Soul, with many lifetimes to express your individual imprint of this Soul, how can anyone control you through fear? When you know in your heart that you go on forever, no one can control you through threats of death, for you know that you don’t really die.

Fear is what prevails in so many government systems, including China’s. China’s brutal slaughter of Tibetan monks and nuns was a statement that the contemplative, spiritually minded people better stop thinking about reincarnation and get down to the dirty realities of physical life in this world. This is a world where the ego-mind wants to dominate and control based on its greed and fear. Fear that this is our only life so we better get as many goodies for ourselves—including invading people’s homes and snatching their property.

Human rights in China, in spite of Confucius’ wisdom, have been ignored. People are not seen as sacred, eternal souls that need to be loved, cherished, and cared for. For example, Mao's policies were responsible for vast numbers of deaths, with estimates ranging from 40 to 80 million victims due to starvation, persecution, prison labor, and mass executions. Meanwhile, he was eating luxuriously and living the life of earthly abundance.

If you think this is the only life, then it is short, brutish, nasty and not worth all the suffering. If you know that nothing can kill your Soul and it goes on eternally, how can anyone twist your arm to obey their unreasonable and cruel policies? You know that with reincarnation comes Karma and what goes around comes around. So it’s best to be kind and foster the rights of others. China and other governments (such as North Korea, the Soviet Union, and other totalitarian states) have never been interested in that and have been examples of monumental failures to provide for their people..

Does a person's past lives become irrelevant during a spiritual awakening?

2/16/2024

The significance of knowing about our past lives lies in our understanding of ourselves as Eternal Souls. Whether we were beggars or royalty is not as significant as how much of the loving energy we expressed. More important. in terms of karma, is if we inflicted intentional cruelty on anyone or anything. For the Universe is perfectly balanced and no one gets away with anything.

It can be useful to know the patterns of our past lives because they often shape our choices, likes, loves, and which people we attract into our lives this time around. These are our individual colorations, quirks, and talents—illustrated by Mozart composing perfectly complex symphonies at age 5. But in terms of our Eternal Soul, all these talents and abilities are like the individual grains of sand on the beach. Fascinating and unique, yet part of the whole mass of sand.

Spiritual awakening includes the deep feeling in our guts and hearts that we have passed this way before and encountered some of the same people. And therefore knowing about our past lives is a key to figuring out why certain patterns keep occurring or what impels the choices that we make. Yet, after all of these many lives our Souls have cycled through, we remain the One Eternal Soul.

So it is not irrelevant to acknowledge that we lived before in a different body when we live the awakened life. It is just part of the process of awareness that this body is not who we are and we have had many of them before this. In the case of Twin Souls, the same Soul resides in two different bodies in the same lifetime. Our Souls are eternal and do not perish when the body goes away.

Did Oscar Wilde believe in soul mates?

11/1/2022

Oscar Wilde went to prison because of his soulmate relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas. Wilde ruined his life to be with him. That can be a sure sign of soulmate bonds, which sometimes do not end happily. Though Wilde did not specifically use the term “soulmate,” he refers to the same feelings soulmates elicit, especially in his letter to Douglas.

These letters refer to being together in the afterlife, the divine and otherworldly nature of their love, and Wilde’s inability to be without him, even after he treated Wilde in a cruel and cowardly manner. Here are some statements from Wilde to his beloved, from various letters, which state the infinity of a soulmate interaction:

“I must see you soon — you are the divine thing I want — the thing of grace and genius. . . .”

“Let us always be infinitely dear to each other, as indeed we have been always. . . .I think of you daily, and am always devotedly yours.”

Wilde says that he cannot be without Douglas, no matter what, which many soulmates feel. They often take it literally and many documented cases show they even die together, though this was not the case for Wilde and Douglas:

“It is really absurd. I can’t live without you. You are so dear, so wonderful. I think of you all day long, and miss your grace, your boyish beauty, the bright sword-play of your wit, the delicate fancy of your genius, so surprising always in its sudden swallow-flights towards north and south, towards sun and moon — and, above all, yourself.”

In this excerpt, Wilde places their relationship in the context of life and death:

“Death and Love seem to walk on either hand as I go through life: they are the only things I think of, their wings shadow me.”

Here, Wilde talks about his soul’s yearning, and brings in eternity (now and forever) once again.

“London is a desert without your dainty feet… Write me a line and take all my love — now and forever.”

And finally, we see eternity mentioned again. He was sure of the deathlessness of their love. He wrote this just before he got out of prison for practicing “The love the dares not say its name.” Here he talks about meeting Douglas in the afterlife. This is what gives him hope after the ordeals he suffered in this life to continue his contact with Lord Douglas:

“This is to assure you of my immortal, my eternal love for you. Tomorrow all will be over. If prison and dishonour be my destiny, think that my love for you and this idea, this still more divine belief, that you love me in return will sustain me in my unhappiness and will make me capable, I hope, of bearing my grief most patiently. Since the hope, nay rather the certainty, of meeting you again in some world is the goal and the encouragement of my present life, ah! I must continue to live in this world because of that.”

Therefore, we can see, that though the term “soulmate” is not explicitly used, Wilde feels in his deepest heart and Soul, that this love is the most profound relationship of his life. He has a “divine belief” it it. And he feels that it will continue forever. It will never die. And that is what characterizes soulmates.

Is the pursuit of enlightenment less of a thing for women?

1/25/2021

Enlightenment has been the center of my life since I was a small child. And I am a woman. At a young age, I also became aware that some religions don’t believe that women can achieve enlightenment or even be allowed into sections of an all-male heaven. I was perplexed.

Are you going to tell me that I won’t be allowed into the boys club of enlightened beings because I have been blessed with certain physical attributes or a certain distribution of hormones in my system?

Whether we have testosterone running through our veins or estrogen has nothing whatsoever to do with our Soul’s path. Those things belong to the body and determine whether we are male or female strictly for reproductive purposes.

From an enlightened point of view, we are not our bodies. They are the vehicles through which our Souls experience physical existence as part of their karmic journeys. It’s absurd to think that a male, regardless of how he behaved in this life, has a better chance of going to heaven than a female who has led a life of caring and spiritual pursuits.

One example is Digambar Jains. I am generally a big fan of Jains except on this one point. They believe that women are not capable of being enlightened. Svetambar Jains have opposite beliefs, believing that women are capable of enlightened and can become religious role models. But women, especially among Svetambar Jains, are believed to be deceitful. They believe that deceit is the foundation of their character. The reason they were reborn as a woman is because they were deceitful in a former life.

One of their sacred texts states:

“As the result of manifesting deception, a man in this world becomes a woman. As a woman, if her heart is pure, she becomes a man in this world.”

And men aren’t deceitful? That is my question. What does gender have to do with it? According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 93.% of the population in prisons are males and 6.7% are females. Is it not deceit to steal peoples lives through murder, theft, racketeering, con artistry, and other crimes? So please don’t tell me how holy the male population is, based on their criminal behavior.

According to a study entitled: Women in the Afterlife: The Islamic View as Seen from Quran and Tradition by Jane I. Smith and Yvonne Y. Haddad:

“The most basic relationship in Islamic society is not between a man and a woman but between a man and God: It is definitely not between woman and God.

. . .men, have, upon occasion, apparently used the assurance of their own place in eternity as a tool of control and of dominance.”
Yet other religious systems based on the Goddess, instead of a patriarchal punitive God, have deemed women as the leaders in enlightenment.

Heaven, (which I have experienced as enlightenment here on earth) is not a physical place of luxury where women take a subservient role as they wait upon men. This is fun fantasy for the male ego. This fairytale is not based on spirituality or any of my own deeply-held experiences of enlightenment. It looks like a pride-based and greedy imaginary man-made creation, based on physical dominance, very similar to life on earth.

Does past life regression prove reincarnation, and are the results always accurate?

3/22/2020

Past life regression is not a proof but more of a journey of discovery. During regressions, people may get a sense of certain patterns of past lives that influence the way they act and react in this lifetime.

It depends on the person. Some have visual images of themselves, others connect to feelings or perceptions. And for others, nothing happens during a regression and later it comes to them in floods or in brief revelations. But it is never about accuracy. It is more about an impression. Regression may not be accurate but it can be very useful.

For example, I once regressed an argumentative and hostile woman, who plagued those around her with her miserable temper and antagonism. Her employer asked me to regress her, out of desperation. She dropped into a deep trance, snoring. I thought I had lost her to sleep. Yet, when she came out of the regression she told me of many images that appeared to her of when she had been an abused slave in various countries.

She understood that she had been carrying these hidden memories in her subconscious. Once she saw them, she was able to understand her nasty ways and knew she was dragging past life misery into this life. She jumped up, hugged me with great joy, smiled continuously and ended up changing the way she treated people from that day on.

Her life changed. She attracted a mate and got married, had friends, treated people kindly, and was all around a happier person. So this is not proof of reincarnation but it is an effective way for people to understand themselves better and to uncover underlying issues. I have seen it many times. The joy of understanding that we are Eternal Souls paying a visit in the physical form is liberating. It can be attained through a good past life regression session.

Will my dog’s (Tyson) soul find me if I've moved or will his soul be lost? I'm taking his departure very hard.

3/9/2020

When there is a Soul connection between beings, whether human or animal, that bond is eternal. When Tyson left the planet, he went from the physical plane to the non-physical plane. Just because he is no longer in the body does not mean that he is not with you always.

It doesn’t matter where you move, for in the non-physical, there is no time or space. He is connected to you through your inner heart. This is not your physical heart. This is the place where you feel love deeply.

It is very difficult to be without the physical presence of someone we love to be around. Someone who cares about us and whose well-being is our concern. Now you can still talk to Tyson. Look for a sign from him that he is still here for you. He will bring you consolation, just as he did when he was with you. All the qualities that Tyson represented for you are all still alive. Nothing can kill them.

None of our bodies last forever, but our Souls, who we are as eternal beings, have no birth and no death. That is the meaning of eternity: It always has been and always will be. So talk with Tyson and ask him to send you a message. Keep your connection with him and he will be with you always.

Is consciousness a physical or a quantum phenomena?

1/12/2020

Consciousness shares some aspects of quantum phenomena in that in cannot be seen or studied directly, using scientific instruments. It can only be postulated.

If we try to examine an sub-atomic particle (or wave) with a scanning electron microscope, we will alter the atomic structure as we shine light onto it. In other words, the viewer interacts with what it being viewed. This is true for consciousness as well. It cannot be seen and if it is, it is uniquely colored by the perceptions and interpretations of the experiencer.

We cannot locate the place in the brain where consciousness occurs. But we all know when we are conscious and aware. Some say there are only three states of consciousness: Deep sleep, dreaming or REM sleep, and waking awareness. In that sense, we are talking about physical consciousness. The brain kicks into gear during waking consciousness and we join the world of activity. One day we can no longer manage waking consciousness and we die.

But does our consciousness die with us? No. Too many people who have had near-death or even death experiences and have returned, tell us that they are still aware, they are just floating unseen above their bodies. That kind of consciousness is our eternal Soul. It can never die, even if the body fades away.

All we can do is go by our own experience and by what others have sworn to. If you can feel the cosmic consciousness that endures beyond the decay of the body, you have encountered your Soul. And like the invisible particles and waves that make up the atoms in our very convincing physical reality, we cannot see or measure this level of consciousness.

What is the time period for a soul to reincarnate?

12/18/2019

Every soul has its unique path of expansion and growth. Human concepts, such as time, do not apply to the Soul. The Soul is eternal and always exists in the eternal Now. So for anyone to determine how long it takes for a Soul to reincarnate is an exercise in absurdity. Time does not apply in this situation.

Each reincarnation depends on so many things. And if a Soul has finally reached the end of their karmic path it may not choose to reincarnate at all. It may choose to remain in pure cosmic consciousness or pure positive energy. Or it may be completely karmically clean and decide to reincarnate anyway to help others on their journeys. These are known as bodhisattvas.

Dr. Helen Wambach, Ph.D., was one of the earliest scientific researchers into past lives and reincarnation. She was the author of Reliving Past Lives and Life Before Life.

In Life Before Life Dr. Wambach described the results of hypnotizing 750 people and taking them to the time between their past and current lives. One of her findings was that the disembodied consciousness, or soul does, not enter the body until near birth. "The soul usually enters the body near birth, and has a choice of which fetus to enter. If one fetus is aborted, it is possible to choose another. In some cases, the soul who will occupy the fetus, is in contact with the soul of the mother, and can influence her decision regarding abortion."

Dr. Wambach found that 89% of those hypnotized said they did not become part of the fetus until after six months of gestation. A large group said they did not join the fetus, or experience inside it, until just before or during the birth process. They existed fully conscious as an entity apart from the fetus and even after six months many reported being 'in' and 'out' of the fetal body.

"Many subjects reported that the onrush of physical sensations on emerging from the birth canal was disturbing and unpleasant. The soul exists in a quite different environment in the between-life state. The physical senses bring so much vivid input that the soul feels almost 'drowned' in light, cold air, sounds.She reported that the new-born baby feels cut off, diminished, alone compared to the between-life state. To be alive in a body is to be alone and unconnected. Perhaps we are alive to learn to break through the screen of the senses, to experience while in a body the transcendent self we truly are."

Is philosophy simply the appreciation of wise thoughts?

12/16/2019

Yes. Philosophy, when taken down to its Greek roots, means “love of wisdom.” Love and appreciation are closely tied to each other. But philosophy is more than just love of wise thoughts and wisdom. It is the analysis of answers to the basic questions of life:

Who are we?
Why are we here?
What is the purpose of life?
What is good and evil?
Why is there something rather than nothing?
Is our universe real?
Do we have free will?
Does God exist?
Is there life after death?
Can you really experience anything objectively?
What is the best moral system?

These are just a few of the questions philosophers have been asking since people first began to think and record their musings. They are also questions that cannot be answered easily. Religions of the world have claimed they have the right answers. But philosophers always hold an open mind that their answers are only possibilities. They will continue. loving to ask these questions because the answers provide the wisdom by which we can live happy and fulfilled lives.

Philosophically speaking, what is the importance of our past and all the moments that we lived?

8/22/2019

Our past and all the moments we have lived are philosophically important because they teach us so much about who we really are. We are constantly changing beings and our pasts attest to that. Yet, on another level much of our past memories have no real importance at all.

We are the same person we were when we were eleven years old. Yet all our cells have completely changed, grown, and renewed themselves to take us from childhood into adulthood and old age. Actually, nothing is left from when we were eleven except our Eternal Souls.

We can gain wisdom from our past. Wisdom is one of the goals of Philosophy. But this is wisdom from just this lifetime. It doesn’t take past life patterns into account. So which life are we talking about when we talk about our past?

On an even deeper level, the past really does not exist. Can you put your hands on it? So many of our memories may be colored by what other people have told us. The present moment is, literally all we have to live in. Obviously we cannot live in the future, which has not arrived yet.

Furthermore, our minds are fallible and easily forget things. We forget the majority of the moments we have lived. How many people remember the name of their Kindergarten teachers? Do you remember what you had for lunch three years ago on Thursday? Therefore, apart from practical wisdom so we can avoid mistake we already made, and a few delightful memories that are fun to revisit, our pasts are not important.