Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives

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I refer to these as ‘phases’ and not stages because the spiritual journey is not a linear process that has a start and end: it is cyclical. It’s like the moon. It’s a spiraling dance of energy that is ever-deepening and changing – there is no “end.” This is where we near the end of our journey. We shall enter the everlasting domain, which comprises of the Garden and the Fire. There is no trip after it for it is the Domain of Eternity. account of what has brought you disgrace for this is the day which you were promised.’ He asks, ‘Who are you? Yours is a face which presages evil.’ He replies, ‘I am your bad actions.’ Then he says, ‘O Lord, do not let the Last Hour come!’” But there is a possibility of immediate salvation without passing through all these stages—a hundredfold promotion, as it were. It is the dissolution of the soul in the supreme Brahman at this very spot. The soul need not have to travel in space and time because it is a jivanmukta purusha, one who has attained to a consciousness where there is no distance to be travelled. For him, there is no solar orb or anything else. He has spread his consciousness everywhere, in all beings: sarvabhūtahite ratāḥ (12.4). He is the soul of all beings, like Suka Maharishi, Vyasa, Vasishtha, etc. When his soul spreads itself everywhere in the cosmos, where is the question of moving? Na tasya prāṇā utkrāmanti (B.U. 4.4.6): His pranas do not depart, as is the case of other people. Brahmaiva san brahmāpyeti: They dissolve here, just now. That is, the moment the soul departs the body, it enters the supreme Brahman, the Absolute, then and there, without having to pass through all these stages. But in the case of krama mukti, the graduated steps mentioned in the Bhagavadgita, it is different.

First, there were encouragements from Dallas Willard. One day over lunch he surprised me: Bill, I feel impressed to ask what’s happening with your writing. You might set aside a day a week to work on a book. Another time he cautioned, Don’t neglect your tradition. You’re a spiritual psychologist. After this I ended my fourteen-year hiatus from writing books. Thank you, Dallas and Jane (his wife), for how you’ve poured into us.In our everyday lives, we function within the middle world. The middle world is responsible for our ego development, and yet many people on the spiritual path ignore this vital element of inner growth. It is indeed something to be pondered; that we die each night and Allah gives us another chance at life when we wake up the next day. Dadashri: It has not come into existence or anything like that. In this world, there are six eternal elements and these elements are constantly undergoing changes. And it is because of these changes that you see all phases. People consider the phase as: ‘This is my form.’ The phases are temporary, whereas the elements are permanent. Therefore, the Self (Soul) does not have to come into creation.

The Upper World is the home of Spirit, the Underworld the home of Souls, and the Middle World is the home of the physical body and human ego. And he that will be given his Record in his left hand will say: “Ah! Would that my record had not been given to me!” (69:25) In the previous section I mentioned inner work and soul work a few times. But what’s the difference? And how do both relate to the spiritual journey? Each person shall then be grouped behind his or her leader, prophet, messenger, mentor, celebrity, etc. All will be put in lines waiting for the Court of Allah to take place and our journey to continue. “On the day We shall call together all human beings with their(respective) Imams” (17:71)

head and says, ‘Foul soul, come out to the wrath and anger of Allah!’ Then his soul divides up in his body and it is dragged out like a skewer is pulled out of wet wool. Then the angel takes hold of it. When he has grasped it, the other angels do not leave it in his hand even for the twinkling of an eye. They take it and wrap it in the rough haircloth and a stench comes out of it like the worst stench of a corpse on the face of the earth.’ To integrate means to absorb something into your being; to make it a living and breathing part of you. To embody means to be an expression of what you have learned: to be the change you’re looking for, to infuse your life with the essence of what you’ve discovered. Not one of you but will pass over it: this is, with thy Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished. But We shall save those who guarded against evil, and We shall leave the wrongdoers therein, (humbled) to their knees.” (19:71–72) Think of your Soul as a stream that is connected to the ocean of Spirit. Our Souls contain our destiny, purpose, gifts, and the ultimate significance of our individual lives. To access these deep layers and qualities we must descend into the Under World of our unconscious minds.

You’ll find the five phases below. I’ve also linked to the various ‘parts’ of each phase that myself and Aletheia have both discovered and defined after many years on the path: 1. Soul-searching Another muslim had fallen into the fire. The tears that he had wept out of fear from Allah came and rescued him from it.’ That’s why Dallas soaked his soul in this prayer song most every morning before he arose from bed. He wrote that it provides an intensive internalization of the kingdom and establishes good epidermal responses of thought, feeling, and action to integrate us into the flow of God’s eternal reign. 5 There comes a moment in our journey between the middle world and the underworld in which an equilibrium or inner spaciousness forms, allowingus to move up into the Upper World. Whoever associates anything with Allah, it is as though he has fallen from heaven and the birds snatch him away or the wind sweeps him headlong into a place far away.’ (22:31)

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If the soul has no merit at all, it will be sent to the land of punishment, whatever the punishment be. In the Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana, the Garuda Purana, etc., the type of punishment and difficulties that the soul has to undergo are described in such gory language that we would not like to be born into this world again. Again, the above five phases are by no means linear or static – they are cyclical and ever-deepening. Gradually, we discover that we are Life itself and that what we have longed and searched for has always been right here, right now! How to Start Your Spiritual Journey (7 Steps) This is the effect of attachments. And very intense attachments, which do not even give the soul time to take birth in this world, convert it into a ghost. Preta yoni is the outcome and, as described in the Bhagavata Purana, it hovers around in space, hungry and thirsty. Bill, it’s pouring rain and the weather report shows no signs of the storm letting up, Dallas Willard said to me on the phone one January day. Jane is afraid for you to drive on the freeways. Besides, everything that you’re learning about is already within you. Yes, you have all the answers you need at a Soul level because you are an expression of the Divine at your core. Everyone else is just a mirror of that.