For a long time I was afraid of death. Still am, but it’s different. I don’t want death and I wouldn’t wanna lose anyone in my life. With the passing of Crystal and my dad, my relationship with death changed. Actually, it had changed long before I lost Crystal. Losing her changed my relationship with life.
In the last 20 years I was given a desire to stop seeing “people” in front of me, and instead I wanted to see “souls”. Stay with me for a minute here, it’s worth it.
Here’s what I discovered:
When we choose to see only the body and mind in front of us, separation, judgment and anger can and will appear. We see the “actions” or “current state” of that body/mind only.
Ram Dass was one of the most powerful teachers I could have ever asked for in this regard. His words and the vibration of his voice was enough for me to “tap into his energy field” and choose love.
It happened unexpectedly at Taco Bell.
I was picking up food for the family and the lobby held a half dozen anxious people of all shapes and sizes. My mind analysis kicked in and started to profile each person. I had built this skill. over decades and was very good at it… As I felt that historical tendency kicking in, I was interrupted by an inner voice.
“See their soul” it said.
The shift to only see the soul was beautiful and instant. Every single person there became their child soul. I could see their purity only. Their pain, their desire for love, and their beauty. I instantly understood what Mother Theresa was saying about seeing Jesus in the eyes of every person. I understood Jesus for the first time in my life and it was not at all what I learned in catechism. There was no separation between me and Jesus.
After that moment, I could choose to see the soul and not just the person. Not in some vision I don’t think, my mind and my spirit work together to show me that child soul (that’s how I personally see their souls).
As adults we have a tendency to accept, love and not judge children. But once those children hit a certain age, the projection begins and we start to judge and push away. We do this to keep us safe from harm. Yes, even from children.
How does this create suffering?
ALL suffering comes from the desire for things to be different.
I’m not here to debate your pain or your journey. You are entitled to your own, just as this body and soul are. Losing my wife and then my dad in the same month was painful. The choice to accept and to be grateful for loss is what created my healing.
I’ve found that accepting is not enough for me.
We actually must be grateful for the experience and the events that rock our world. That doesn’t mean that more won’t show up when were grateful, or that less will. It only means that our reactions and our view of those events is determined by our ability to see the soul version of them. The body/mind version of what’s happening isn’t real.
As I watched both my loves pass, I was able to see both the body and the soul. I could see the body suffering and I could see the soul ready. It’s work here complete. It’s impact and legacy done.
After that, every other event in my life has paled in comparison. Seeing the events for my own soul vs my body/mind is still rough sometimes, but it’s easier. I still get emotionally invested in the body/mind’s journey from time to time and forget to remember, my soul has its own plan.
To keep myself on path I steward the body/mind daily. Cultivated music in the morning if I feel the body/mind is taking too much of the wheel and I need to adopt more spirit.
Carefully chosen movies and series in the evening if I feel the same at the end of the day. Irreverent and insanely funny stuff if I feel like I’m too soul and “in the clouds”.
If you know me, you know, that rarely happens. This body chooses fun mostly, unless we’re having “deep chats”, which I do love, but they almost always end with “That’s what she said”.
Remember, not everything in the world is a choice. But how you perceive everything is. Suffering is a choice. Again, I would recommend “Man’s Search For Meaning” if you are still unsure of just how much you control in your reality. 🙂
It’s time to walk with Jesus, Buddha, or your guru as you find your own path to God. Be the energy that sees the soul. It’s not words, it’s a way of life.