In the beginning when I learned about reincarnation it fascinated me. It some how willed me closer to compassion, which I think may be the purpose. It meant all things have a soul and a journey to aspire to on a hierarchy of spiritual attainment.
It brought me closer to knowing we are not alone and we are in it together, this learning curve we all face.
It begged me to consider that everyone or everything may be a past mother, father, sister, a brother, a best friend or foe. The meaning in every relationship was enhanced by this, as resolution in relationships had a deeper meaning. Furthermore, if time is an anomaly and truly relative, I may be in a relationship with myself from another “time line” if you will. I quickly saw how this belief system and story line can slip down a rabbit hole very quickly.
This is where I found the message to open up more questions than answers for me. Could this fail us somehow? Set us up in a way that may allow our spiritual development to be stalled? Does this system of spiritual hierarchy fail to enrich rather than support the devotion required to understand ourselves as spirit having a physical experience? Does it limit the thinking for the long game or support it?
I can see as much as it allows us to be completely aware of the living force that perpetuates our relationships and interactions, this also gave people an option out, to be lazy. Does it tease the part of our mind that wants to put off to tomorrow what may be accomplished today? Does it give the philosopher free reign and permission to not only depend on a safety net but also belief in a spiritual hierarchy reflected in this physical realm? I thought that was interesting. It means that their are good guys and bad guys with spirits journeying in a system that exists above as well as below. Or is its just a way to say, “watch out!” that we should be aware of our actions like a child’s fable will warn of consequence? a little Aesop and spiritual attainment mash up. This is the kind of stuff I meditate on.
So then I asked my mom, whether not we believe in reincarnation in First Nations ways, she said no. That really surprised me, I was like “Oh, so this it?”
It seemed so final and that moved me to way more interesting questions! What if there was only today, this life and no other. You reach the other side and you hand in your grade paper and that’s it, your done. That is the grade you get! What would that make you feel? What would that inspire you to do? Would you put anything off because it wasn’t important anymore? When you show up to the happy hunting grounds and they ask you “So how far did you get with this thing called love, with the time you were given?” What would you say? Would you do more of something? Would share more, love more, care more? Search yourself more, “go one deeper”? Could you be more compassionate of the ones that are fucking it all up for themselves? If you didn’t have a chance to ever come back here, how precious would this world look to you? If there was no time that you had beyond the split moments of choosing to love or to fear? Would it inspire you to make the most enlightened choice? If you had the power to know in the moment that it will pass and the decision is final, how much clarity could you sum? Would you huddle up and be afraid of dying or would be afraid to miss out on living, this one and last chance?
For me, it meant there was no time to waste. That this time around was more important and it is now time to bring whatever it is you believe about yourself to be a value into this world promptly. Yes, there is no time to waste. Brace yourselves, and be your best.
I really liked that.
In the name of the highest good, I send you wild holistic power to thrive.
With regard to reincarnation: It's hard to imagine a greater stimulus for empathy than imagining actually BEING somebody else. I've found it to be a transformative experience as well, though it can be very intense and difficult to accept all the consequences it entails. It always makes me realize just how much suffering there is in the world.