Category Archives: Soul

What Happens When We Die?

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I Don’t Know.

I was raised Lutheran, loved going to Sunday School and prayed daily to my God.  The guy with the long beard sitting on a throne in Heaven.  I was promised that when I died, if I had been a “good girl,” I would go to Heaven. Even if I made some bad mistakes, I could “erase” them from my slate by doing good deeds–and still get into Heaven.  My body would be dead but my Soul would be in Heaven with God.  I was totally satisfied with this concept.

Until 6th grade, when a friend explained Reincarnation to me.  It made so much sense! The body dies and returns to the earth (“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust”) and the Soul gets another chance in another body. God didn’t want me to fail!  He promised I could be with Him.  Even if it took me 2 or 20 or 20,000 lifetimes to become that “good girl” I really wanted to be.

Just look at Nature, I thought.  Nothing is wasted.  It’s all re-cycled (this was before Recycling was a “thing” people did).  Plus I did understand that while my body was physical and therefore mortal, my Soul was eternal.  And my Soul was ME.

Dr. Christiane Northrup, my new super hero, concurs. “Remember, I’m a fan of the near death experience, so I know that we don’t die. We just sort of recycle.”  So believes Dr. Eben Alexander (Proof of Heaven).  And Dr. Brian Weiss (Many Lives, Many Masters). And approximately one quarter of humanity or 1.75 billion people.

So, for me, the bigger question is “What do I need to learn in each new life so that when my Soul learns all its lessons I/IT/WE will transcend to the next level?  I am willing to play the Spin the Wheel of Life game time and again, with the proviso that
e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l-l-y my Soul will no longer need to reincarnate here on Earth but will ascend to the next higher level.

How long will that take?  I dunno.

What is “the next level”?  No idea.

How many levels are there?  I dunno.

Will I ever get there?  Yep.

How do I know that?  Because God/Spirit/The Divine/Source loves me and I trust that Love.

What are the lessons I need to learn?  I dunno.  I imagine there are a LOT of them.  Trust. Forgiveness.  Compassion.  Love.  I’m willing to bet that Love is the biggest one.

The Hawaiian Kahuna system of Ho’oponopono says it succinctly.  At the end of your life, you must make it right.  With your ancestors, the people you have relationships with and the people you have wronged.  You simply say to them:

“Thank you.”

“Please forgive me.”

“I forgive you.”

“I love you.”

Why wait until your deathbed?  Say them today.
Repeat them often.
I don’t know for sure what happens when we die.
But I do know what happens when we love.
We truly live.

 

Where Do Your Ancestors Come From?

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My Ancestors came to America from… Poland. Sweden. Bohemia. And probably some other countries I don’t know about. My Dad’s parents traveled as teenagers on ships from Poland and Bohemia and met in Chicago. My Mom’s grandparents were Swedes who immigrated to Iowa. In other words, my ancestors were IMMIGRANTS. They all came penniless, young, scared, unable to speak English and with few job skills.  They also came with courage, faith, a willingness to work hard and a heart’s desire to become Americans.  To be free, raise families, create businesses and add to the marvelous melting pot that America was. Did they face hardships?  I am certain they did.  Did they leave family in their home countries?  Yes.  Many they would never see again.  Were they made fun of because of their strange clothes or accents?  Probably.  Did they become American citizens, learn English, work hard, buy homes, raise families … Continue reading →

What Kind Of Woman Do You Want To Become?

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The Kind Of Woman I Want To Become: I think I have become Her. Maybe not the outer ME I thought I wanted to be. The career. The fame. The fortune. The body. The inner ME, much more precious and everlasting, I do claim. A calm I never imagined. A certainty that began as bravado and matured into knowing.                                                                                                                   A searching that led to discovering and uncovering what was already there. A kindness, started in Sunday School, which became a daily event. An intellect gifted at birth and nurtured by teachers. The Woman I … Continue reading →

Can You Predict If A Marriage Will Be Successful?

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Yes.  Will It Last Forever?  Maybe… A few years ago, our Nephew proposed to his lady love.  We were delighted and I sent him this letter: Dear Nephew: First of all, congratulations!  You have taken so many small and huge steps in your progression to manhood and maturity. We have all vicariously enjoyed your many triumphs and rarely had to commiserate on any tragedies. Your latest life step–proposing to your Lady–takes you to a whole new level. My crystal ball, into which I am gazing, (which looks remarkably like an iPad) shows me your future.   I see work and career.  Long hours and longer meetings.   Transitions and transfers and traveling.  Money earned and money spent. Those are the things that will populate your future life. What will FILL your life is your love for and with your Lady. I see romantic evenings and rocky times.   Fussing and kissing, … Continue reading →

What Advice Would You Give To A Student In College?

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The Advice I Gave My Son In College: Dear Son: I enjoyed seeing you this weekend.  I believe we had some heartfelt and open conversations.  I  also think we did not complete or further advance some important conversations we started. Dad and I are pleased to hear from you that you are doing a good job managing your time, putting in the time for your homework and getting your assignments handed in on time.  You also told me you feel you are doing a good job adjusting to your college class schedule as well as your personal schedule (waking up and sleeping, eating in the cafeteria, getting some exerercise, making new acquaintances, etc). As you have discovered, Time Management is one of the important lessons you get to learn at college.  You told me you have several big assignments/projects coming up and you said you were concerned about when you … Continue reading →

What Is Your Favorite Way to Give And Receive Thanks?

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My Favorite Way to Give and Receive Thanks: After an immediate verbal “thank you”, my favorite way to give thanks is to write a letter to the person. A letter not only thanking them for the gift, or their help or whatever it was they gave me, but also explaining how knowing that person has made my life better. This act has resulted in my favorite way to receive thanks.  My most memorable received thank you was from a group of storytelling colleagues who responded to a thank you I had sent THEM thanking them for being my teachers, mentors and role models. I have been surprised and delighted that, over the years, my written thank you notes have prompted the receivers to write me back their own thank you letter. This makes me realize we all want and need to be recognized for who we are and we all need … Continue reading →

In A World Of Light And Darkness, How Do You Stay In The Light?

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I Stay in the Light: By refusing to accept that our world is polarized. That there is only Darkness or Light. Most of my life I have worn rose colored glasses and viewed the world through a lens of Love and Light.  People have chided me for that, saying I am not living in the “real world.”  And yet, my world has been a happy one.  I have experienced plenty of pains and heartaches, of course.  But I was born with my default set on “happy.” In today’s world, which seems determined to polarize people and politics, it has been more challenging for me to find my happy place.  So instead I am focusing on a new reference point.  It now looks like those yellow signs you see posted at schools or gas stations or libraries that read SAFE PLACE.  Where and when I feel safe, I feel happy and … Continue reading →

What Warning Label Should Be Attached To You?

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What Warning Label Should Be Attached To Me? WARNING:  Subject to Flights of Fancy. My imagination and willingness to believe in EVERYTHING has delighted me, baffled certain friends and family and created a wedge between me and a few people. At this point in my life, I am totally OK with all the above. I disagree with the statement: “Seeing is believing.” My motto is: “Believing is Seeing.” Fairies, Santa Claus, angels, time travel, paranormal abilities, destiny/divine order versus coincidences.  The whole nine yards.  Basically, I believe there is a little bit of truth in everything that has been said, printed, painted, filmed and imagined.  Why am I such a gullible girl?  I don’t see it as gullibility.  I see it as POSSIBILITIES. When I open my mind to Possibilities, well, everything becomes…possible. When some people see endless problems, I see endless solutions. War is waging somewhere?  Let’s lock hands, find … Continue reading →

What is the Lesson That Took You the Longest to Learn?

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What Lesson Took Me the Longest to Learn? The Lesson I have yet to master: Self Discipline. As I see myself beating myself up about this, I realize that I have packed pretty much EVERYTHING in this category. Diet. Exercise. Meditation. Mindfulness Minute by minute kindness and compassion. Immediate follow up on every thought and commitment. Sleeping schedule. Bill paying schedule. Writing schedule. The list goes on and on. So why do I call it all Self Discipline? Why do I want my life to be so scheduled, so ruled by my never ending “Have-to-Do” list? Not only do I hear this constant call to action, but that Inner Voice, the nasty “She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,” exhorts me to: Execute. Excellence. Every. Time. After all, as Maya Angelou said, “If you know better, you do better.” Because, THEN, if I did all the above, I would be perfect. And I would be done. … Continue reading →

What Words Speak to Your Soul?

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The Words that Speak to My Soul Children Motherhood Stories God Family Dogs Birds Children: When I see them, think of them, smell them, hear them, talk to them and hold them–I simply melt. They are the world to me.  They are not just the future, but the pure essence of humanity.  The unfolding “becoming” and potential of human kind.  But more than that, they are the physical embodiment of Joy. Motherhood: The most sacred word I know. A lineage, a lifeline, a connection to eons of women behind me and eons of women ahead of me. And at the same time, a singular experience held in the deepest private part of a woman’s soul. The womb.  A place of limitless love with the power to fuel galaxies. Stories: They have beckoned and filled me all my life. They have taken me to times and places my body could never … Continue reading →