Feb 27, 1999
Cause and Effect
My suggestion to post about positive things in ours lives seems to have been a bomb. There were several good ones, but I expected a lot more. Maybe you guys are having a harder time than I thought, but if Rick can make a positive post after all that he’s gone through who could possibly have an excuse?
On the positive/negative idea let me add one more thing. Let me remind the group to not go to either extreme. Even though we want to emphasize the positive we also want to be aware if anyone is having troubles to which the group can give support and possibly help. For instance, if someone takes ill and feels they want the prayers or meditations of the group don’t hesitate to mention this.
The main negative we want to avoid is the expectation something bad around the corner. This type of thinking diverts our attention from the good the beautiful and the true.
The most recent question under discussion was from Tracy. Let me refresh our minds:
“I guess right now I’d probably ask God exactly what it is that I have done (in past lives perhaps, or this one) that is making this life so unbearably difficult.”
It would be nice to just be given the raw facts about why things that happen to us come upon us as they do. Since few of us ever get the black and white answers to this we need to look at the principle(s) that will give us some light.
If we cannot remember what our past lives were or what negative things we have done to generate Karma then how could we possibly find out what harmful past deeds we are presently paying off and how to accomplish this?
Then if we discover that we do have a large debt to pay how can we accelerate the payment of that debt so we can free our hands for greater service?
Most people who want to know about their past lives are very desirous of discovering some facts about it, like names, dates places etc. Many expect to discover they were someone famous or accomplished, even though they may not have demonstrated any talent that could make them famous or accomplished in this life. Rick spoke the truth when he said that we lose our memory of past lives for a reason. After we learn a particular lesson on our journey through the wheel of rebirth our soul then guides us to a circumstance where we are forced toward a new lesson. If we retained a memory of all the outer knowledge of our last lesson we would want to return to that niche as life would be much easier.
It is said that the Buddha when he reached enlightenment was able to review all of his past lives. Until we reach that stage we may discover some of our past or parts may be revealed for some purpose. It is possible to get some information through hypnosis, buy often there is illusion or distortion by this method. The only way to know for sure is to have the information verified through soul contact.
So let us say you are not the Buddha, nothing has been given to you, and hypnosis has revealed nothing concrete. What principle can we look toward for knowledge of our past?
First we have to look at this subject from the higher point of view of the soul. Under normal conditions the soul is not concerned that you become aware of names, dates and places of your past lives, but it is interested that you register in some way a sense of the debt that (from past mistakes) you are supposed to repay in this life. It also wants you to receive a sense of the pain you caused to others in the past so your mistakes will not be repeated.
In addition to this your soul wants you to retrieve certain abilities, talents and knowledge of principles that you have mastered in the past. So what do we do to retrieve what is necessary for effective use in this current life?
The principle to look at here is the law of cause and effect. You created certain causes in past lives and the effects are working out in this one. Let us say that you were unfaithful to your spouse in a past life. To understand that feeling you will have to be placed in a situation where your spouse will be unfaithful to you. Therefore, if your current partner is bringing you pain or is unfaithful this will give you a clue as to the nature of a cause you put in motion before this life.
When life seems so difficult that we are tempted to look at the skies and ask the question: “Why me, God?” That is a sign that you are supposed to examine the current circumstances of your life and put two and two together to get a feeling as to the original cause of your problem. Go as far as you can by relating the current circumstances with the possible cause and then pray, meditate and contemplate on these things. As you do this you will get impressions that will help your understanding. You may not get specific names but you will get a general direction you must follow to right the wrongs that you have done and the enormity of what you have to deal with.
How can we accelerate the payment of our debt from past lives?
The scriptures say that “love covereth a multitude of sins.” Let us expand on this. Love expressed through service repays the sins of the past much faster than you as an individual suffering alone can ever do. The greater the service you perform the more your negative Karma will be reduced.
There are various types of service available.
(1) Basic service. This is where we fulfill our basic responsibilities to our families, friends, church and state.
(2) Intermediate service. Here we go beyond the basics and seek to serve others beyond our inner circle. You may do work for charities, community service, a benevolent group or in some way that helps to benefit a large number of people.
(3) Advanced Service. This is service that relates to the teaching of spiritual principles in some way and releases spiritual energy that will assist others on the ultimate journey. This type of service is especially powerful in lifting past karma.
We’ve spent a lot of time illustrating what a principle is and how it differs from a fact. This is an important point because principles are the language of the Holy Spirit. Just as words are the units of expression in our world even so are principles the words and language of the higher kingdoms.
Copyright by J J Dewey
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