It’s the million dollar question we all want the answer to- WHY ARE WE HERE?
Though I do not claim to have all the answers, after reading the book Journey of Souls by Dr. Michael Newton, I do feel that I’ve gained information that makes sense to me. I definitely have a more soothing mindset in terms of the afterlife, which has also carried into my outlook regarding our planet and the craziness within it.
In my book there’s a chapter called The Universe Within where I discuss spirituality and the concept of reincarnation. It’s important for me to state that I was not then, nor am I currently trying to convince anyone to have a certain belief system. We are all on our own individual paths, and we all have to do what’s right for us.
That said, it’s ok if you read the following article and think I’m crazy and/or you find it unsettling. If that is the case, please feel free to disregard it. If you’re on the fence, perhaps you’ll entertain the possibility that some of it may be plausible, and if you’re like me, you’ll go all in!
Michael Newton (who passed away in 2016) held a doctorate in Counseling Psychology and was a certified Master Hypnotherapist and member of the American Counseling Association who practiced for several decades.
In Journey of Souls, Dr. Newton shares case studies of twenty nine people and their sessions of past life regression therapy. This is a form of therapy where in a state of hypnosis, people can tap into past lives they’ve had and oftentimes, glean a better understanding of who they are in their present life.
For instance, one client of Dr. Newton’s had chronic back pain that no one could figure out- including medical professionals. Once he delved into one of his former incarnations, he discovered that during war he’d been stabbed in the back with a bayonet. After that session his pain went away, never to return. Additionally, many patients have issues of a psychological nature that are oftentimes more easily understood after revisiting former lives. Realizing these benefits is why Dr. Newton embraced the practice of past life regression therapy.
So, now that you have some back story, let’s explore the information that I found to be the most fascinating!
First, is the concept that we choose each of our lives- meaning we sign up for the challenges we face each time we reincarnate. We do this because life on the other side is blissful and wonderful, but growth stagnates when we are not being challenged, thus we choose to come back to Earth. Then, each time we are reborn it’s like a form of amnesia where we can’t recall our past lives. But why? Wouldn’t we learn lessons faster or better understand our purpose if we could build on our knowledge from past lives? According to Dr. Newton’s clients, remembering past lives would be counterproductive in that we would be so busy rethinking the past and trying to avenge those who wronged us, we wouldn’t be engaged in the present. You can see how this would defeat the purpose of soul growth.
Though I have believed for a long time now that the reason behind reincarnation is for spiritual advancement, I couldn’t help but wonder why is it such a critical objective?
Well, according to Journey of Souls, there are about six levels we reach as humans based on the evolution of our souls. After we reach the sixth level, we stop incarnating on Earth. Notably, the level a person is at is not directly correlated to the number of lives one has lived because some souls simply evolve more quickly than others. One person took 3000 years to learn how to overcome jealousy, for example. But keep in mind, there is no sense of time in the afterlife, where a hundred Earth years goes by in the blink of an eye.
Once we are done incarnating on Earth (where we take turns coming back as men or women), we learn to be spirit guides and eventually elders of the spirit world. But then what?
According to the book, the end goal is to get to a point where we become evolved enough to use our energy (collectively with that of others) to create matter (trees, rocks, planets, etc.) and then, ultimately life. When we earn these capabilities, we achieve the ultimate goal of the afterlife, which is to become one with Source energy. This is considered to be the ultimate state of bliss and purpose.
Additionally, all of his clients (whose belief systems varied from religious to atheist) were on the same page in the notion that in the afterlife there is no heaven or hell; only love, healing and redemption. For those who commit unspeakable atrocities during their lifetime, they are not immediately reunited with loved ones, as most of us will be. They will be kept away to heal and to review what they’ve done so they have a very thorough understanding of the pain they caused, and it’s not uncommon for this process to last thousands of years. Once completed, the offender will often choose to suffer in the same way their victims did in their previous life. However, that’s not to say that everyone who is suffering is paying for a past life, because some people simply choose these challenges to expedite their own soul growth.
That said, please note that what I’ve just shared only covers a small fraction of Dr. Newton’s discoveries. In Journey of Souls, he goes into much more detail about the afterlife and our experience as souls here on Earth; therefore, if you have questions I highly recommend reading the book;)
Personally, I find topics such as this to be profoundly significant; however, we must all subscribe to the ideals that make sense to us.
I simply hope yours brings you peace, because honestly, who couldn’t use more of that these days?