Work of the Soul
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The Work of the Soul
Past Life Recall & Spiritual Enlightenment
ed. by Barbara Condron, B.J., D.M.
copyright 1998, School of Metaphysics
“The life described is almost a duplicate of my present one!” – D. McDermott, New Jersey
“It has been the turning point in my life.” – K. Morgan, Michigan.
“…not only fascinating but very helpful as well.” – S.West, St. Croix, U.S.V.I.
“Since 1978… It has never ceased to astound me, the accuracy of your reports..” – J. Walls, Ohio
Excerpt from Work of the Soul
FOREWORD
by Dr. Barbara Condron
For some time now I have been contemplating the considerable range of ramifications the knowledge that reincarnation is the means by which man's soul can mature has upon my thinking.
Twenty years ago, I learned the difference between reincarnation and transmigration. This was an important first step because the idea of a mature soul returning as an animal or plant which generally-speaking are earlier and lower on the evolutionary ladder never made sense to me. That concept became the basis for an intellectual prejudice against reincarnation which supported the Christian bias I had been taught as a child. However, the idea that it might require more than one lifetime of experience to grow in wisdom, to gain perfection, to become Christ-like, was an idea I could reasonably consider.
My open-mindedness brought me into very good company, as I learned many great minds – from Cicero to William Butler Yeats, from Siddhartha Gautama to Richard Wagner – considered returning to the earthly schoolroom a part of man's spiritual development. Early in my research I came across this epitaph penned at the age of 22 by Benjamin Franklin, whose genius I greatly admire:
The Body of B. Franklin,
Printer,
Like the Cover of an Old Book,
Its Contents Torn Out
And
Stripped of its Lettering and Gilding,
Lies Here
Food for Worms,
But the Work shall not be Lost,
For it Will as He Believed
Appear Once More
In a New and more Elegant Edition
Revised and Corrected
by the Author.
Was this eloquently veiled reference to death and rebirth just the product of a young man's active imagination? Considering the wisdom of Franklin's consciousness and the varied activities of his life, I believed it was profound insight. It would seem so did he, for at the age of 79 he wrote, "When I see nothing annihilated and not a drop of water wasted, I cannot suspect the annihilation of souls, or believe that [God] will suffer the daily waste of millions of minds ready made that now exist, and put himself to the continual trouble of making new ones. Thus finding myself to exist in the world, I believe I shall, in some shape or other, always exist; and, with all the inconveniences human life is liable to, I shall not object to a new edition of mine, hoping, however that the errata of the last may be corrected."
Franklin's idea of rebirth, of incarnation, of the continuity of existence, was one I could understand and embrace. Removed from any particular religious dogma, be it Eastern or Western, I could approach a spiritual concept reasonably and from my own experience and perception. I too had witnessed God's creation. Without man's interference everything in nature is used to its fullest, expressing all of its energy. I had to agree with Voltaire when he concluded, that it is no more surprising that a man be born twice. Everything in life is resurrection. It made sense that God must have a higher purpose for man than living only one physical life and then spending an eternity in rich reward or desolate punishment. Although I did not yet grasp what that purpose might be, I knew I possessed a strong, reasoning mind and I believed I was given that mind to use, not to squander.
The acceptance of individual responsibility for learning and soul progression has had broad influence in my life. I found I could answer the "why?" questions of life; they were no longer over my head, left only to the mind of God. Everything in life – from the newborn who will eventually be a king to the person who is fired from his job, from the babe born with birth defects to the person whose life is spared while many others are killed – has a cause that can be identified and a purpose, a reason, to exist. Possessing this awareness is a large part of the reason why I dedicate my life in service to the progression of humanity.
Early in my metaphysical studies and disciplines, in fact at about the same age that Franklin was when he wrote his epitaph, I moved from accepting the possibility of reincarnation to knowing that reincarnation is the means by which the soul of mankind matures toward compatibility with his Creator. Learning how to access and read what is called the Akashic Record erased whatever doubt remained in my thinking. The Record is a universal memory of the thoughts and actions of people, places, and situations. Individual physical memory is stored in the brain; this universal memory is housed in the soul. Physical memory is employed by the waking conscious mind while universal memory is exercised by the inner subconscious mind.
Using spiritual disciplines I learned at the School of Metaphysics, I began to strengthen my recall skills. Drawing upon subconscious mind I could perceive what had occurred in the distant past, as you might recall present-day childhood experiences, and then trace the influence and impact of that past to current experiences. In this way, the reality of reincarnation and karmic indentures began to affect the way I think and the way I act.
This knowledge of reincarnation has made me more responsible for the quality of my thinking, particularly the intention I hold for my actions. I now have more than sympathy or pity to offer someone who is less endowed than myself. I now value the indomitable spirit and will of every person to learn, to grow, to mature. I also realized I have experienced in many times, in many places on the earth, in many physical forms. Although most of my incarnations have been in female form, I have also experienced as male. I have been Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid and combinations of the three. I have been rich and I have been poor, master and slave. I have been Buddhist, Hindu, Zorastrian, Christian. It is this awareness that lets me see life from my soul's perspective. It helps my consciousness to transcend the limits of the physical body because I realize its impermanence. This awareness frees my consciousness to be devoted to what exists beyond the physical – the spirit that is the Real Self. And it enables me to perceive and align my thinking with the work of the soul.
American automobile mogul Henry Ford adopted the theory of reincarnation at the age of 26. He said, "Work is futile if we cannot utilize the experience we collect in one life in the next. When I discovered Reincarnation it was as if I had found a universal Plan. I realized that there was a chance to work out my ideas. Time was no longer limited."
I too began to realize a different nature of time. Some who have a superficial acquaintance with reincarnation believe it an excuse for all forms of irresponsibility the least of which is procrastination; the wasting of time. I have found the opposite to be true. Reincarnation strengthens self-reliance, self-discipline, self-control, for you and no one else are responsible for your intentions in your association with others. There are no victims. There are no scapegoats. There are no special deals. The laws that govern our universe, such as the Law of Karma, are just and exact. They will be fulfilled. They cannot be cheated or twisted to meet a particular person's need.
The seeds you sow bear the fruit that you will harvest. If there is not time to reap the harvest in the present lifetime, there will be time in the future. The good you think and do, the understandings you glean, the wisdom you achieve become a permanent part of your soul. This is the true work of the soul. Accessing the Akashic Record reveals the nature of the work you are here to accomplish. Drawing upon this memory you begin to see through the eyes of your soul and thus you become familiar with the work your soul must do. Some call this work karmic indenture, and so it is. Becoming aware of your karmic obligations frees you to meet them. As long as you are ignorant of the work you are spiritually blind.
The Past Life Profiles that are offered through the School of Metaphysics reveal the specific karmic indentures impacting your life now. They give valuable spiritual information that is not readily available. As a worldwide community we have yet to evolve sufficiently so that children are taught to use their full potential and thus glean information from past lives themselves. It is increasingly true that many children do remember past life experiences. It is also true that their talk of "when I was the daddy.." or "where I used to live…" is more often met with parental indifference, amusement, or even disdain than with investigative interest that leads to verification. This is the common state even though the information is available to everyone, at all times, at all places.
There are those whose questions demand answers. Their experiences, fleeting though they may be, serve as a spiritual thorn spurring them to seek answers and deeper understanding. Some, in their curiosity and yearning to find answers, seek the clairvoyant who can see what they cannot. If they are fortunate in their choice, the seer is wise and advanced in spiritual development having the capacity for intuitive insight and the common sense to give truth while respecting the person's right to choose. However, as in every profession there are charlatans and imposters. There are the ego-driven who mix what truth is perceived with what they think you want to hear because it will feed their coffers. Or the psychological professional who seeks human guinea pigs under the guise of past life regression therapy. As with anything in life, it is rewarding to be informed.
School of Metaphysics' readings are an outgrowth of the research and study of mankind's potential spanning a quarter of a century. These readings have been given for thousands of people on six continents. They are provided by teams of two who have received specific education and training in using subconscious mind to access information from the Akashic Records. The Intuitive Reporter and Conductor willingly volunteer their time and skill to aid others, for each of them see this activity as serving our fellow man. They do not accept personal financial reimbursement for their time and effort. Chances are you have not met the Intuitive Reporter and Conductor, at least not in this lifetime. You do not have to be present for the information to be gained for you.
What you will receive from the reading is an image of you, your loves and hates, your desires and fears, your talents and shortcomings. You will better know yourself. You will have a greater understanding of why you do what you do and why the people and situations exist in your life as they do. You will know your karmic obligations and have keener insight into your purpose for life. You will indeed become aware of the work your soul is here to do.
The Work of the Soul introduces you to three types of significant Past Life Profiles. You will meet many people, from all walks of life, who share the questions you have asked yourself: "Where did I come from?", "Why am I here?", and "Who am I?" People have found the readings to be candid, genuine, and revelatory to their everyday lives…….
Family Profiles are phenomenal. The insights they reveal about how family members influence and affect one another are astounding.
In about an hour, a Family Reading will paint a complete picture of the family members including their past and present association. The past life association is described revealing the members' relativity to one another. Repeated patterns of thought and behavior, both productive and destructive to selves and the family, are identified. The reading describes the causes of loyalties, affections, openness, jealousies, resentments, rivalries. Whatever dynamics exist in the family, there is a reason for their presence which revolves around the needs of the souls of those involved. Family Profiles go straight to the heart of the group's karmic obligations, and in this way answer many questions for those involved.
Family Profiles are similar to Past Life Crossing of Paths which are between two people. However, Family Profiles are much more involved because they must trace the paths of up to five people, seeking a place where all five were previously in association. Since souls tend to incarnate with the same souls over time, in most cases, a lifetime can be found where the present family members did indeed know one another. Sometimes they were family members in the past, sometimes they were business or schooling associates, and sometimes they are a mixture of the two. As is true with all past life readings, what the past relationships are is fascinating. How they are significant to the present family is often compelling.
Two individuals have given us permission to publish the entire transcript of their Family Profiles in hopes that they will aid even one Intuitive Reporter to a deeper understanding of his or her own familial relations. These readings demonstrate the different combinations of related people who can receive this type of reading. To make it easier for you to follow these elements, the people in each reading are described according to their relationship with the person requesting the reading. They also demonstrate the elements created when more than two people are involved. The first reading is for a complete family unit: a son requesting a reading with his father, mother, and older sister. Very different from this, the second reading is for five women: two sisters and their three daughters.
First, the Family Reading for Jason will be presented in its entirety enabling you to experience a reading as it is related. Comments by the person who requested this reading will follow. The second reading will be presented in a different manner that we will describe later. Now, for the Family Reading of Jason, a twenty-six year old computer specialist from the Midwest. The younger of two children, Jason was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. When he was 14, his parents divorced and he lived with his father in the childhood home. At 18, he left home to go to college and has been on his own since. Jason requested this reading two years ago, in the hopes of gaining further understanding of himself and his family members.
You will search for a significant crossing of paths with this one referred to as Jason and those referred to as Father and Mother and Sister and relate that significant crossing for these four entities.
We see for these ones to be within the area referred to as China. We see for these ones to have come together when a marriage was arranged between the one referred to presently as Jason and the one presently referred to as Father. We see that the one referred to presently as Father was in female form at that time. We see for the female to have entered into the household of the husband, the one presently referred to as Jason, and we see for there to have been conflict immediately between the one presently referred to as Father and the one presently referred to as Sister. We see for the one presently referred to as Sister to have been the sister of the one presently referred to as Jason. We see for the two women to have clashed and we see for them to have experienced jealousies and envies in their physical situation.
We see that the one presently referred to as Sister did not believe that she would marry. We see that there had been several attempts to arrange this but there had been something that would occur, whether it would be the death of the intended spouse, or some other offer that would be made to the intended spouse that would be better or would be taken, and this left her without a mate. We see that this had occurred several times and that she had begun to believe that she would never marry. We see therefore that she did not want her siblings to marry either, particularly this particular brother because this one was very attached to him and was very fond of him, and did want to control his life.
We see that in many ways she did view the one presently referred to as Jason as a substitute for the husband she did not have. We see that there was not any overt physical affection between them or sexual involvement but we see that in her mind she did rely upon the one presently referred to as Jason for protection, and for many of the securities that she would have expected from the one of a husband. We see therefore when the wife was brought into the household that she very much resented this and we see that she did try to undermine the marriage.
We see that the one presently referred to as Father, the wife, was very meek and was introverted, therefore it took her a while to realize the amount of animosity that was being directed toward her. We see that she was not very versed in being able to defend herself and was fairly ignorant of her even being attacked for she had been sheltered in her young life. We see that when she became aware of this she did not know how to interpret it, and therefore did not understand it for a number of years. We see the one presently referred to as Jason was ignorant of all of this occurring, and we see that he continued to merely do what he wanted to do in regards to his sister and in regards to his wife. We see when the wife did eventually understand that the sister held such jealousy toward her we see that she tried to tell her husband about this, but her husband being inattentive to the interplay between the two women merely passed it off as it being of her imagination.
We see that when she learned that she would not gain any assistance or protection from her husband, the one of the wife did begin to imagine ways to retaliate to the sister, and we see one of these to be giving her husband something that the sister could not, and that was a child. We see that the child was born and it was presently referred to as Mother. We see that the child was female. And we see that this again added another element to the dynamics of the relationship between all of these ones for it was another female force which as she grew older learned the jealousies and the introversion of the two primary females in her life. And we see that in effect it was the female child that began to gain all the attention of the male.
As the years progressed, this caused the sister and the wife to lower their resistance to one another, and begin to work in cooperation with one another. We see they did view the relationship between the father and daughter as unhealthy. We see that they were actually jealous of the closeness between the two. And that their jealousies undermined the closeness by beginning to undermine the reputation of the male. We see this was intentional upon their part and it was in an attempt to compensate for their hurt.
We see that there were thoughts within the sister's and wife's mind of being owed something from the one of the male. They both felt they were not given what they should have been given and in their actions they would force this kind of attention from the one of the male. We see that this actually caused greater discord and disharmony, and eventually when the male became somewhat more aware of what was occurring he felt betrayed by both his sister and his wife. This caused more distance between himself and these females, rather than the closeness that these females had intended.
We see that since the daughter was reaching adult years when this was transpiring she did side with her father and we see that she was more acutely aware of the intentions of the sister and her mother. We see she did try to explain these to the male but the male had decided that it was beyond his comprehension of why the females would think or behave in such a manner and he would not listen to her. Therefore he remained ignorant throughout the incarnation. We see that in effect he would wash his hands of anything that he felt was unpleasant or he did not understand, and we see that in doing so this one merely fed the difficulty rather than being a tool for the resolve. We see eventually, as the daughter grew into adult years, she began to hold some disrespect for her father because of these attitudes. And we see she began talking more and more with her mother and with her aunt. We see that the three women did communicate and did gain some understanding of their situation.
We see that a marriage was arranged for the daughter. We see initially she was against this but she did end up embracing it. It did remove her from this household. We see that this did ease some of the tensions for a period of time but we see by that time the females had become resistant to any kind of advance that the male would make.
We see that they were acutely aware that his advances were tenders of communications or affection or merely because of his own loneliness because the daughter was no longer in the household. And we see they were not very open or receptive to this. We see the one of the male once again did not understand this and did not make really any attempts to do so. We see for the one of the male to have withdrawn first within these relationships. We see for this to have been from respiratory difficulties. We see for this to have been at the age of 41. We see for him to have been referred to as Wang Gai Nong.
We see for the one presently referred to as Sister, the one of his sister during this time period, to have withdrawn next. We see for this to have been at the age of 47. We see for that one to have been referred to as Chi Ka.
We see for the one presently referred to as Father, the wife during this time period, to have withdrawn at the age of 50. We see for that one to have been referred to as Ta Lien.
We see for the one of the other, the one presently referred to as Mother, the daughter during this time period, to have withdrawn at the age of 34. We see that this was in childbirth. And we see for her to have been referred to as La Fong.
We see for this time period to be 430 B.C. This is all.
Were there any more children born between these two during that time period?
We see that there were a total of seven children born but only four did reach adult years.
Were these both male and female?
Yes.
And what was the one of the father in that time period, what were his thoughts and attitudes towards the ones of the sons?
We see that initially the sons were seen as a refuge by this one. We see that because he had such difficulties with the females in his life he did seek to gravitate toward the male sons. And we see that initially this was comforting to him, but as the sons grew older and became somewhat opinionated, judgmental, and rebellious in terms of himself he did not know how to respond to this and began to see the sons in the same light that he saw the females in his life and removed himself from them and did not deal with them and did not think about them in great depth or with intention.
What was the manner of withdrawal for each of these four entities related in this time period?
This has been given for two of them. We see for the one presently referred to as Sister for this to have been food poisoning. We see for the one presently referred to as Father for this to have been kidney failure.
Very well, what would be the significance of that lifetime to the present lifetime for these four entities?
We see once again for the commonality between these ones to be in how they are motivated. We see that once again there is a need for external motivation for all of them to be able to move forward in their thinking. We see that they are often prone to falling into rash decisions or opinions which actually do not have much of a foundation, and we see that in doing so these ones rely upon each other for support of their opinions or beliefs.
We see that many times as was in the past this is not in a productive sense to find courage in confidence in being able to produce, rather it is in being able to justify their limitations. We see that this is true for each one of these ones and we see them to reach out in a least line of resistance to the other within the group that will side with them in effect, that will support their limitations and their justifications and in that way create fostering of this kind of weakness.
We see that there is a great sense of connection that these ones have. There is a very real sense of bonding that these ones have. And we see that no matter what disagreements they may entertain or what kinds of conflicts arise, it does not hinder the bond. We see however that there is an attempt upon these one's part once again to expect a kind of magical revelation from the bond in producing understanding. As was in the past this did not occur, and it does not occur in the present. We see that there is some need on each one of these one's parts to recognize that understanding is the result of individual desire and effort. It is not something that occurs merely because situations force the self into understanding. We see that each one of these ones are capable of much greater understanding than they give themselves credit for in the present time period and we see that each would benefit from the growth that would occur in pursuing understanding. We see that there is some tendency upon their thinking to believe that something will be lost if understanding is pursued. And indeed there will be changes in the way they see themselves and the way they see the life. However this is not a loss but a transformation of awareness and it needs to be seen as such.
We see that specifically, once again, upon the part of the one presently referred to as Jason, that there is the tendency to become removed and distant in regards to the interactions with the others. There is the tendency when a conflict arises or something that this one does not understand occurs for this one to turn the back upon these situations rather than to face them courageously and gain understanding. This one needs to learn how to extend the self in relationships rather than to back away or to run from what is unpleasant. We see that this will aid this one in being able to create a fuller realization of responsibility for self and for the life.
We see that in regards to the one presently referred to as Father that there is once again the tendency to allow the self to be buffeted by situations and relationships around him. And we see that this one holds a somewhat stubborn stance in regards to this one's sense of who he is or his identity, but this one is highly influenced by the other people in this one's life, more so than they are aware of. And we see that this is because in spite of this one's show of being very stubborn or very opinionated this one is in reality very indecisive and waits for conditions around the self to form this one's ideas, as this one did in the past. And we see that this causes this one to accomplish much less than what this one is capable of and it creates much frustration not only within this group but within the life as well for this one does not really know the purpose of his existence and is not finding the life satisfying or fulfilling because of this. In order for this to occur this one would need to become much more contemplative and reflective in terms of this one's ideals, and in terms of what this one really thinks about that which this one values. This one does need to learn to initiate communication.
We see upon the part of the one presently referred to as Sister that this one is very dynamic and is very aggressive in this one's thoughts and interrelationships. And we see that this one needs to recognize the very powerful influence that this one has upon others. We see that this one discounts this and merely becomes short-sighted and narrow in vision in this one wanting to have what she wants. And this one then uses the influence to accomplish it, but she has very little awareness of how this is affecting her life in a grander scale and how this affects the lives of others. This group could enhance this one's ability to understand this, and to recognize that this one's influence today will continue to remain in the future that it is not just momentary but that it does exist over a prolonged period of time.
We see for the one presently referred to as Mother that there is once again attachment. It is an attachment to all of these individuals and we see that it is not always held equally in one time period. We see that this one changes the loyalties very easily and we see that this causes this one some dissatisfaction within the self. We see that this one feels a need to be protected and feels a need to be taken care of. And this one will gravitate toward whichever individual in this group is offering this to her. We see that this is a way in which this one fosters the weakness and lack of confidence within the self. And as this one would be willing to initiate some change in this one's perspective this one would be able to understand more what this one has to offer in this group. This one loses sight of what she has of value to offer these other ones. And when this occurs this one will either become sullen and introspective or scattered in this one's feverish attempts to gain value, or will become pompous and controlling in this one's attempt to prove the value.
We see that it would be of benefit for all of these ones toÊ begin to contemplate and integrate into their thinking the recognition that the organization of the thoughts that they hold are individual, that there is not another to blame for the thoughts that they hold. And that there is not another to give credit to for the thoughts that they hold. In this way these ones need to learn individual responsibility for their thoughts and what their thoughts create. We see that when conflict arises within this group whether it is between two or more of them it tends to gravitate and center upon this lack of understanding. We see that they tend to fall into blaming one another for conditions and circumstances. They fail to see how they are merely seeing a mirrored reflection of their own attitudes. And therefore there is stagnation that is achieved in their relating with one another, and in their own growth.
Would suggest that these ones take the perspective of recognizing that much of the difficulty is due to a projection of their own thinking upon someone else, and that as these ones learn to admit their own thinking there will be a greater opportunity for them to separate their thoughts from that of the others. Only when this occurs will they truly be able to discover each other as individuals. Until then they will rely upon past experience, memories, prejudices, and biases in regard to one another and will not actually know who the others are or who they are.
We see that in combination for the most, each of these ones can be imaginative, each one of these ones can dream, each one of these ones can hold ideals and can envision situations and circumstances beyond what they experience. Each one also shares a weakness in will power in being able to make these ideals and dreams come about. And this is much of the source of irritation that they find with one another.
We see that once again there is a tendency towards jealousy upon the parts of the ones of Sister and Father, and to a lesser degree upon the part of Mother. And this does tend to create a restriction in any of these ones fulfilling their ideals. For when there is movement towards this, when there is the use of creation, when there is the manifestation of dreams, desires, and ideals upon any one of these one's parts there is a tendency for one or more of the others to side against that one or to become jealous or to try to tear down what that one is doing. This is a highly negative and destructive element that does exist within this group, because it exists within each one of them, even the one presently referred to as Jason. In fact, probably more so in that one because that one becomes so ignorant of his own motivations and his own relationships with the others. This is a kind of illness and disease that exists within them as individuals and comes to bear within their interactions with one another that could very easily be healed as these ones would begin to pursue the kind of individual and inner development that has been suggested throughout the significance given. This is all.
The one of Mother, that is the third vibration, says "Is there any remaining karma I need to resolve in my relationship with any member of my family? If there is, what is the best way I may complete that learning?"
Information has been given in that regard, not only in regards to this one directly and personally, but also in regards to the commonalties in attitudes that this one shares with the others. There are no further suggestions.
She also says "What skills, talents, and abilities could I best draw from my past lives that would help me right now in my life?"
Would suggest that these are apparent to this one in what comes naturally to her. We see that as this one would begin to admit those qualities, abilities, and skills which this one possesses rather than to hide them or put them down as is this one's tendency in the insecurities that have already been described in detail for this one, then there would be a greater recognition of her own value and a greater recognition of the benefit of experience whether in this lifetime or in previous lifetimes.
This one also says "What is my soul's purpose for this lifetime?"
We see that there is a need to understand loyalty. There is a need to understand the ability to become committed to a particular line of thinking. There is a need to distinguish between pretense and existence.
This one says "How may I give of myself to aid in my family's growth?"
In the ways that have already been described.
This one says "What were the causes or reasons that broke my marriage with Father, and are there any lessons to be learned from that experience?"
We see that because of the stagnation which has already been spoken of that does exists within this entire group that there were choices made which resulted in a change in the dynamics of the association in regards to the one of Mother. We see that this one was not able to receive from the one of Father what she desired, and we see that after attempting to take from him those things desired over a period of time that this was eventually released. We see that this one however has not found a way to give to the self what this one feels was lacking, and there is still an attachment to someone else giving what this one feels she needs to her, rather than this one being able to give it to herself.
The one of Jason, that is the first vibration says "What is my soul's purpose for this lifetime?"
We see that in part in as much as it related to this group that this one needs to learn the essence of duty and the spirit of responsibility.
This one also says "Why do I react to my father when we communicate?"
This one very easily falls into not understanding, just as this one did in the past lifetime related, and we see that there is irritation there. We see that this one expects the other one to be a certain way, and when he is not then this one shuts down communication.
Which one shuts down, the one of Jason or the one of the other?
The one of Jason. We see that this is also what the one presently referred to as Father does, but we see that the question was in regards to the one of Jason.
This one of Jason also says "What are some qualities that I may draw from within myself that I could use to build my relationship with my sister?"
It would aid this one a great deal to build substance. This would be in regards to this one's ideas. This one needs to experience the ideas purposefully so that when this one interacts with others, then there can be a kind of confidence and a kind of quiet surety within the self. This is lacking for the most part, and interactions with the one of the other tend to accentuate this.
He also says "What role has my mother played in my spiritual development this lifetime?"
We see that in many ways these ones have very similar issues. They do tend to gravitate toward one another and even side with each other against the others within this group. We see that in as much as they are very much alike in that regard, and that they both have similar issues of insecurity, lack of confidence, and the need to understand loyalty, there is much potential for stimulation and growth. (10-6-92-1-BGC)
"When I first heard of Family Profiles I became very interested in having one done on my family. I was excited to know where my family was together in the past, and what our association was. My parents were divorced over 10 years ago, and there has been a great need by all for greater understanding and harmony. I began to share my desire and bring a consensus among my family members that this Family Reading was a great thing to do.
"My dad was a mechanical engineer for AT&T and mom was a housewife. My sister was 17 off in college when they divorced. I stayed with my father. At first it was okay, but we didn't get along too well. There was a lot of fighting between us, and I wasn't there a whole lot. There were periods of time when we were communicating more and there were periods of time when we wouldn't. He had a terrible temper and would get angry quite often about trivial things. I consequently had a distaste for even being around him after a while." In the past lifetime Jason's association with his father was through an arranged marriage, in the present lifetime as he describes it, the relationship was arranged due to the divorce.
"In many ways I could communicate more openly with my mother at that time. It was about a three year period where this went on and I visited my mother about twice a week and that was a pretty regular schedule." This is reflective of Jason's turning from his wife and sister in that past life and siding with his daughter.
Listening to him speak, it seemed curious to me that Jason would not have stayed with his mother following the divorce in the present lifetime. He said, "I thought about moving in with my mother, however, I guess it was more physical thinking. That house was where my home was and that's where I wanted to be. You know, there was more stuff there. I could have friends over. It gave me different opportunities to socialize with people than it would have if I would have been in the apartment with my mother. I wouldn't have had the same kind of resources." Once again Jason was ignoring the people in his family, their desires and fears, wants and jealousies.
"In the reading, I was the father and I was apparently just a tyrant in that lifetime. I eventually estranged all of my family except for my sister who is also my sister in this lifetime. And I've maintained an excellent association with her, with the exception of recently when my father had a stroke but we are back on good terms again." That breach was actually foreshadowed by the reading: "We see that there were thoughts within the sister's [present-day sister] and wife’s [present-day father] mind of being owed something from the one of the male. They both felt they were not given what they should have been given and in their actions they would force this kind of attention from the one of the male."
Even with the sister's jealousies of the other women in her brother's life, she still stayed with him throughout the previous life. That long-standing friendship between brother and sister in the past continues into the present, "There has always been a mutual liking and attraction as a friend. We talk to each other as in that past lifetime. She stuck with me all the way to the end. She was someone who I associated with and maintained good relations with."
There are also parallels in the life of the present-day mother who in the past life was Jason's daughter. In the present, Jason's mother left the family when she divorced his father. In the past life, "After she had a chance to move away from the area, she married, there was not a lot of association with the family."
As in the past life, Jason was often oblivious to the interactions of family members and their emotional impact. "We see the one presently referred to as Jason was ignorant of all of this occurring, and we see that he continued to merely do what he wanted to do in regards to his sister and in regards to his wife"…."her husband being inattentive to the interplay between the two women merely passed it off as it being of her imagination"….and……"the male had decided that it was beyond his comprehension of why the females would think or behave in such a manner and he would not listen to her. Therefore he remained ignorant through-out the incarnation."
In the present lifetime, Jason has this to say about his father, "He doesn't communicate his thoughts openly. It's all just emotion. And that's why you are left wondering, 'What the hell are you thinking?' He would never answer that question. He would change the subject. He would always make us laugh. I had a very happy upbringing up until my early teen years. There seemed to be a lot of harmony between my mother and father. I never really saw them fight. It was only in those later years when that started to happen."
"Looking back on it, my father tended to rebel against authority. He would always put down his boss. He hated cops. He didn't like authority and I grew up with an image of this and so my respect for authority was not – there was a need for learning there and a need for understanding structure too." The reading describes this "in spite of this one's show of being very stubborn or very opinionated this one is in reality very indecisive and waits for conditions around the self to form this one's ideas….And we see that this causes this one to accomplish much less than what this one is capable of and it creates much frustration not only within this group but within the life as well for this one does not really know the purpose of his existence and is not finding the life satisfying or fulfilling because of this." Jason comments, "I don't think he understood or liked certain parts of his life, like his work life particularly. I think he felt restricted and thus conveyed that attitude to me. I know he wanted to open a knife sharpening business and I know he never fulfilled that desire.
"I've always been interested in starting my own business. Even at a young age I started to take activity on that and he never supported me. He always would find something wrong with what I did and ultimately I overcame that because I didn't let that discourage me. I continued to make choices to do what I felt I wanted to do." Jason's description of these father-son dynamics are reminiscent of the reading's assessment of himself: "We see that this one [Jason] expects the other one [father] to be a certain way, and when he is not then this one shuts down communication."
Even so, Jason says the reading helped him to accept his father as a person rather than just his dad. "It was a shock that I was married to my father in a past life. It really totally changed my perspective of life. It did help me to gain objectivity. And it definitely helped me see him as a person or as an adult, a man who made choices. The reading helped me to understand that the restrictions that he had were with him. They were not me. It helped me to separate and identify who I am and these other issues that are his issues that are not me. The reading [helped me to] look at him as a man who has made choices in his life who ended up at point B and point A because of his choices."
It is interesting to note that in the past lifetime Jason estranged his daughter, and in the present lifetime Jason felt his father estranged him. This is clearly an indication of Jason's karmic obligation; he has the opportunity to experience what he previously caused another to suffer. Concerning his present life, Jason says the estrangement from his father "stimulated my desire to want to get to know him more. He had a stroke about a year and a half ago. I've moved within easy driving distance of him and I spend anywhere from one to four times a month visiting him. Going out to dinner, associating with him, asking questions, being with him emotionally. Being there, being with him."
Jason quickly admits before the health problems he saw his father "as little as possible. There really was no desire to even reach out because there was no communication. But now I see it as a soul, as a learning opportunity, not whether this is pleasant or unpleasant. So maybe it's uncomfortable sometimes, so what. He's my father. This is what I'm here to learn about. And I have a duty that transcends my pleasure or not pleasure with the association. It has become a lot more pleasant because there are things that he does have that I want to learn. And I've not always admitted that. His understandings of his relationships with people are not very great. He does have great ethics in responsibility for his family and his life. Even though he divorced his wife he was very responsible for us kids and he cared for us a great deal in the best way he knew how, which was financially. He did that very well.
"The reading helped to stimulate me to reflect on the fact that I am a soul, not a physical body. It helped me to gain objectivity into what it is I wanted to do with my father. You know, not just being with him, but there is a purpose. I'm learning about how to open up and how to ask questions, and how to communicate and how to reach out to someone and care, and risk that. And I was never taught that by him so I am going into territory that is foreign to both of us, foreign to the family. The reading helped me realize we need more understanding, there needs to be more communication. There is this big block. A lot of pretense. I think my father and mother fell in love with each other the way that they wanted them to be, not the way they actually were. In the past lifetime theirs was a mother-daughter relationship and they held an image of the way the person ought to be. It was a similar dynamic that obviously is repeating itself."
Another pattern emerges concerning Jason's sister and his present day father [his past lifetime wife]. In the past the two women bonded together against Jason. A bonding between the two has once again occurred since Jason's father suffered a stroke and subsequently moved into his daughter's household for care. "That bonding is exactly true. That's the same pattern. They have definitely bonded together. And in a way I was kind of the enemy for a while. Not any more. What I've done different this lifetime is I have initiated communication with both of them and that household. I am initiating, reaching out, communicating, inviting them to do things, asking questions. I didn't do that in the past life. I just didn't mess with them at all. But now I'm using my will and imagination to change that and I'm initiating a new association with them."
Dynamics repeat themselves for Jason's mother as well. In the past life, she was Jason's daughter who grew up, married, and left the family. From that time on she was not really related to what was going on in the household. This is relevant to what has occurred in the present since she divorced her husband and moved out of the homestead. "I incarned in a family where my father and mother simply didn't communicate and they were both too stubborn to admit anything. It took me a long time to realize that this is their choice as people. And it's okay to accept them for that. I don't think I did that in the last lifetime I accepted them for who they were. I just kept my fixed image and it just went on. That's something I'm doing different in this lifetime. I'm not maintaining that fixed image of who they used to be. I'm respecting who they are but I'm still associating with them. I'm not disassociating. I'm making efforts.
"With my mother, I initiate a call to her quite often. Because I feel like she has this thought form that she's outside the family but she puts herself there. Even though I consistently call her and talk to her, she's so touched that I call her. And it's like 'Jeez, I'm not fifty million miles away.' I can tell that there's that distance there. I think she feels victimized still in some ways. In some ways she has told me that she understands that she had to leave because she felt it was emotionally abusive to be in the [marriage] relationship, but her contact with her children afterwards, it's like she is timid. She is not confident in herself to initiate contact. Once in a while she might invite us to something but it's like she is just timid. I have initiated more communication with her. I think in the past lifetime there was a lack of that. I think as my daughter in that lifetime I did not initiate communication.
"In regards to my sister, even though she is married in the present lifetime, the aspect of the jealousy arises again. In a way I was kind of jealous of the bond and the association that my sister and my father were forming [during his recovery]. But instead of remaining jealous what I'm choosing to do now is to reach out and that's having a whole different effect. They are trusting me more now. I'm spending time with my father alone. Which is definitely a trust on their part because my sister and her husband are very protective of him. I'm also learning about being more caring and considering others and being less self centered."
Most of this reading centers around Jason and his relationships with the other three. This often occurs in a Family Reading; the person requesting the reading is the one most invested in receiving and using the information and so s/he is most open to what is given. As has been described, Jason has become more aware of his family's thoughts and feelings, more sensitive to their needs and desires both individually and somewhat collectively. There is a sense of a newfound maturity in how Jason looks at his family's past, their present, and their future. "I think in America in a lot of dysfunctional families, as the popular psychologists call it, these Family Profiles are essential in overcoming any blocks in communication that a family may be experiencing and to get specific suggestions to change those. In our reading the core suggestion was to ask questions of each other to pursue greater understanding which really I've done quite consciously. I am leading the way in my family in doing that, I don't believe the others have followed suit. Yet."
When Jason describes his family's responses to their reading it is quite clear why he is the one who received the most insight from the reading and therefore has benefited the most. "My sister read it and she really didn't trust in the validity of it and didn't want to give it much credit. She was upset that she had to use her married name because she has chosen to keep her maiden name. [From years of experience in gaining this information from the inner levels, the most recent husband’s last name is used during the reading for a woman who has been married in order to gain the most accurate information possible.] So that established her bias right from the start.
"My mother, surprisingly, was not sure whether or not and how much to accept. I know she believes in the Edgar Cayce readings implicitly and even though what we are doing is extremely similar…I think that it is just ego because she also got a Health Analysis which was obviously accurate. If she would have found it on her own maybe her attitude would have been different. But since it's coming from her son, I think she still has an image of her as a teacher to me. In many ways she was a spiritual teacher for me. I mean she taught me a lot of things about metaphysics at a pretty young age that opened me up to those ideas. And now I'm offering her things that she wasn't aware of."
Self disclosure is the heart of the readings offered through the School of Metaphysics. When someone is not inclined toward self revelation and inner change, it is easy to reject the insights presented by questioning the source. About his mother Jason said, "She has never been comfortable with self disclosure. She will if I'm just listening to her. She'll kind of let a little bit out. I used to try to give her advice when she did that and that merely angered her. She didn't like that so now I'm just listening. Just listening and not trying to push anything at her. My dad never heard or read the reading at all."
For those considering a Family Reading Jason emphasizes that "the major issues of learning that you're in the family to gain will be brought out into the open. In our case it was the need for understanding. In a lot of families there is not that open communication of what they are feeling or what their thoughts are. Not emotional dumping but what their thoughts are. What are you thinking? Open up. There are a lot of difficulties with communication that can be understood and changed for the better.
"It will help to approach the reading from a point of exploration and curiosity, make sure all the attitudes are in the right places. And when you are listening to the reading don't say well, 'I knew you were that way.' Don't do any of that. Just be loving to each other when you are listening to the reading and that will encourage everybody to open up and trust each other and there will be a lot more growth from it."
Work of the Soul reprinted with permission from School of Metaphysics, copyright 1997.
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What if you knew you have lived before?
You knew who you were, where and when you lived, what kind of family you had, the work you did. You knew if you were male or female, whole or infirmed, Caucasian, Negro, or Mongolian.
How would it change you and your life — today?
Meet people who can answer these questions. They are among the hundred thousand on six continents who have requested significant Past Life Profiles from the School of Metaphysics.
Substantiated accounts of previous life existences have indirectly occurred as a result of research conducted by faculty of the School of Metaphysics over the past quarter of a century. Through years of concentration and meditation practices, individuals have honed the mind to achieve deeper and deeper states of consciousness. Lucid dreaming, psi development, intuitive skills, and accumulated wisdom are experienced within these inner levels of awareness. So is the universal memory of where all souls have been.
SOM research has gone beyond the limits of recall common to regression experiences. In fact, there are those who have been trained to access universal memory and report what is perceived. These past life accounts – known as readings – do much more than satisfy curiosity or boost the ego. They describe the karmic bonds that hold the soul earthbound thereby revealing what needs to occur for the soul to progress.
Each Past Life Reading conveys the reason that soul has taken physical form and the work it intends for the present life. By isolating what is presently relevant and personally significant, past life recall opens the door to spiritual enlightenment. It is this knowledge that empowers you to do the Work of the Soul.