SeaAndSky
Senior Registered
I have been an advocate of an organized and sensible plan behind reincarnation. That may be reflective of my own prejudices, but it also may be because one of the first books I read was by Dr. Michael Newton of "life between lives" fame. He posits such a scenario, with a compassionate spirit bureaucracy to make it work. OTOH, maybe I was impacted by Newton because I was already predisposed towards what he had to say. However, over the years I find it harder and harder to ignore the sheer "pain" and evil of life. I have read of so many lives that ended badly and/or were filled with torment on this board. I always knew of this in terms of the lives around me, but gaining the perspective of multiple lifetimes allows me to see that this is not just the only one beset by suffering. I keep reading about people with lifetime after lifetime beset with crushing problems and pain.
This doesn't disturb my belief in a Good God. I always thought this world (or at least this Aeon) was close to the bottom of the existential "pile". Consequently, I can still believe in a compassionate God behind (or above) it all. But it is becoming increasingly hard to fit all of it into Newton's nice neat "school" for souls paradigm--at least for me. There is also Newton's timing for advance, where it may take 50,000 years for a spirit to come to anything like an advanced state. Really. I've seen profound advances by people in a single lifetime (though some may say the groundwork was laid well in advance in prior lives). Also, this discounts the impact of seeking direct contact with the divine and the infusion of "virtues" and character that can result therefrom. I can't tell that this counts for anything in Newton's scenario. (It is perhaps relevant to know that Newton was an atheist/materialist before his work with his own patients convinced him of more to existence).
Perhaps I am also being increasingly influenced by the Cathar viewpoint, which actually has very ancient roots. They didn't believe in "Hell" after death as preached by the religious authorities of the day--but did believe that this world was infused with and controlled by evil forces--making it as close to "Hell" as anyone might want. (From that standpoint, they were not surprised when the persecution and burnings of the Albigensian Crusade swept down upon them). Hence, their goal was to transcend this level of existence. Likewise, aside from those who might descend to help, they believed that we were not here because of a beneficent plan for our education and betterment, but because we were enslaved here one way or another. Or, as Buddhists might say, bound to the wheel of rebirth and subject to its repeated pain and futility.
I think I may also have been impacted by the continuing reports of prior lives preceding cross-gender incarnations. They seem to be almost uniformly miserable and, to some degree, responsible for a choice to be incarnated as the opposite gender in the next lifetime (where most report being miserable once again). After reading these same scenarios over and over it almost looked like people were being pushed into this choice. Females who chose a male lifetime after suffering greatly because or while they were female. Males who came back female, often after miserable deaths as soldiers in a prior lifetime. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid in my old age, but it began to seem like they had been manipulated--even if they chose each lifetime freely. One might theorize that it was "for their own good", but I'm a bit leery of such manipulations myself.
Anyhow, the foregoing is not intended to serve as an organized discourse on the "plan" or lack of "plan" behind it all, much less as a complete refutation of Newton and a variety of others who support the idea of a benevolent "teaching" structure behind it all. It is just that I am currently thinking more about the fact that life often seems more like a boot in the face than a tame little classroom. I may think differently tomorrow, but would like to get the thoughts of others on the matter.
Cordially,
S&S
PS--Oldsters will recognize the title above from the old "Doors" song. The chorus for the song:
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out on loan
Riders on the storm
PPS--Jim Morrison and his song have nice articles on Wikipedia. There is a strong undercurrent of disillusionment and philosophy running through both. The original song can also, obviously, be listened to on Youtube. (This would be a good idea).
This doesn't disturb my belief in a Good God. I always thought this world (or at least this Aeon) was close to the bottom of the existential "pile". Consequently, I can still believe in a compassionate God behind (or above) it all. But it is becoming increasingly hard to fit all of it into Newton's nice neat "school" for souls paradigm--at least for me. There is also Newton's timing for advance, where it may take 50,000 years for a spirit to come to anything like an advanced state. Really. I've seen profound advances by people in a single lifetime (though some may say the groundwork was laid well in advance in prior lives). Also, this discounts the impact of seeking direct contact with the divine and the infusion of "virtues" and character that can result therefrom. I can't tell that this counts for anything in Newton's scenario. (It is perhaps relevant to know that Newton was an atheist/materialist before his work with his own patients convinced him of more to existence).
Perhaps I am also being increasingly influenced by the Cathar viewpoint, which actually has very ancient roots. They didn't believe in "Hell" after death as preached by the religious authorities of the day--but did believe that this world was infused with and controlled by evil forces--making it as close to "Hell" as anyone might want. (From that standpoint, they were not surprised when the persecution and burnings of the Albigensian Crusade swept down upon them). Hence, their goal was to transcend this level of existence. Likewise, aside from those who might descend to help, they believed that we were not here because of a beneficent plan for our education and betterment, but because we were enslaved here one way or another. Or, as Buddhists might say, bound to the wheel of rebirth and subject to its repeated pain and futility.
I think I may also have been impacted by the continuing reports of prior lives preceding cross-gender incarnations. They seem to be almost uniformly miserable and, to some degree, responsible for a choice to be incarnated as the opposite gender in the next lifetime (where most report being miserable once again). After reading these same scenarios over and over it almost looked like people were being pushed into this choice. Females who chose a male lifetime after suffering greatly because or while they were female. Males who came back female, often after miserable deaths as soldiers in a prior lifetime. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid in my old age, but it began to seem like they had been manipulated--even if they chose each lifetime freely. One might theorize that it was "for their own good", but I'm a bit leery of such manipulations myself.
Anyhow, the foregoing is not intended to serve as an organized discourse on the "plan" or lack of "plan" behind it all, much less as a complete refutation of Newton and a variety of others who support the idea of a benevolent "teaching" structure behind it all. It is just that I am currently thinking more about the fact that life often seems more like a boot in the face than a tame little classroom. I may think differently tomorrow, but would like to get the thoughts of others on the matter.
Cordially,
S&S
PS--Oldsters will recognize the title above from the old "Doors" song. The chorus for the song:
Riders on the storm
Riders on the storm
Into this house we're born
Into this world we're thrown
Like a dog without a bone
An actor out on loan
Riders on the storm
PPS--Jim Morrison and his song have nice articles on Wikipedia. There is a strong undercurrent of disillusionment and philosophy running through both. The original song can also, obviously, be listened to on Youtube. (This would be a good idea).
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In Spirit and the higher dimensions, everything has already happened. 
Just a tiny newborn.
