Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Choosing your destiny – The Will to Change



Choosing your destiny – The Will to Change

When an entity undertakes to incarnate into another life on earth, it brings to it the tasks it has to fulfill; the plan is outlined. And in many cases the spirit itself has the right to discuss its future life with those spirit beings whose responsibility this is: thus the incarnating entity can contribute -- to a certain extent, according to its already acquired vision and capacity to judge -- as to how its destiny will unfold. For in the spirit state the entity has a wider view than in the body and understands that the purpose of life is not to have it as comfortable as possible, but to develop toward a higher state, to reach perfect bliss as rapidly as possible -- a state that does not exist on earth. The spirit knows that only through spiritual effort can its spiritual knowledge penetrate its intellect; but as a spirit it also knows that it cannot easily achieve this, and that, once incarnated, difficulties, tests, and even so-called disasters are often necessary to lead one to the right path and the right attitude.

Memory fades automatically the moment matter envelops the spirit. This is essential, for spiritual awareness has to be fought for, and this can happen only when one takes the trouble to search within the self -- not only outside and in general terms -- for God and the truths of Creation. Only within one's own soul can one recognize the very special meaning and purpose of one's life, together with the individual tasks that one has to fulfill. However, those who constantly allow themselves to be impressed by the outward aspects of life on earth lose this inner meaning, and sometimes they have to go through life after life without much progress, incarnating again and again for the same purpose.

The spirit knows the danger of earthly life, but knows also that if one lives life in the right way from the spiritual point of view, one can develop on earth disproportionately faster than in the spirit world, exactly because it is easier there. The difficulties on earth are mainly connected with matter and all that this implies. This is so partly because the memory has been extinguished and needs to be regained, and partly because matter contains so much temptation. Only those who overcome these difficulties can win and make the best of their lives on earth. The spirits about to be incarnated know that they need hardship to shake them into wakefulness so that they do not get imprisoned in matter and in all that matter attracts to it. Before incarnation, therefore, a spirit may ask the higher beings: "I beg you, help me, not only with your strength and guidance, but also, when you see that I am not fulfilling my quota, send me tests and trials, for when these come, I have a better chance to wake up and look at my life from a different point of view than when everything functions regularly and without friction, that is, when all my wishes are always fulfilled within the scope of the possible."

Pathwork Lectures, 1996




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