The Souls of all Life on Planet Earth, plant or animal, exist in G-D, the Great Universal LifeForce, Who is our Creator, in Whose “Image” Human Beings are formed. The Well of Souls, called “Heaven” in English, has many Names in all the world’s languages, but is viewed in most religions as “above” us, which would factually include our Solar System – the Sun, Moon, planets, their moons, asteroids and other orbiting objects – and the stars, all we can see and beyond. G-D is the Source of all Energy, and while our bodies possess the Spark of Life, our Souls are endowed with Karmic Divine Essence.
In past years, Science rejected Spiritualism because the Presence of the Soul can’t be proven, but doctors continually see the Power of the Spirit, and G-D’s Will appears more credible. It’s widely believed that one’s Soul is given to the fetus of an animal Homo sapiens some time between the sixth month of gestation and birth, that “magic” moment which defines us, “written in the stars.” The Sun is Life’s Primary Donor as the Tree of Life, sending forth its fruit 12 times every year, a different kind each month (Revelation 22:2).
Although most scholars consider Astrology a pseudoscience, there’s merit in what we find out on our own by knowing ourselves and the distinct personality traits of others. It’s a Science as complex as the various people around us – no two are alike, our personalities more unique than our fingerprints or DNA. The moment of one’s birth is simply a building block for individuality, for from infancy we form opinions and gauge our reactions. “I’m hungry, and if I cry, someone will feed me.”
We’re creatures of habit, and when encouraged or rewarded, we will repeat behavior, but because we’re animals by Nature, we initially respond to reward and punishment much the same as Pavlov’s dog. Parents soon learn that physical cuddling helps an infant feel secure, and as babies age, they demand to explore the world on their own. Allowing freedom is necessary for psyche development, and we see basic tendencies for children to react in certain ways. Initial behaviors involve “play” and honing reactions to various situations – everyone’s different and “pobody’s nerfect” (sic).
Psychological Defense Mechanisms begin as we react to other people, the first and most common being Denial – “I don’t want to do that.” and “I didn’t do it.” Of course, the Deflection defense appears viable when another sibling is present, but whether or not we get away with deception, reactions to failures and successes are highly individualized. Some characteristics are uniformly defined, and the “terrible 2’s” and “tender 4’s” are accurate descriptions, even if occurring at 3 or 5, for we’re learning which rebellions and capitulations work and which ones we choose to discard.
Manipulation is indeed the Name of the Game in childhood, and as our personalities evolve, most of our actions and reactions are “by the book” in terms of documented, confirmed Astrological tendencies, certain behaviors being indicative of the presence of “heavenly” influence. It’s Human Nature to find our true selves, resistance and refusal invading consciousness as much as compliance and compromise, but image of Self is subject to change by one’s environment and circumstances dictated by others. Learning is constant throughout our lives, and ignorance of facts has nothing to do with intelligence.
Psychologists take from Freud’s “id” concept the fact that somewhere around age 11, we become increasingly judgmental of others, especially parents and select authority figures. In opposite effect, this is also a stage when we increase idolization of the rich and famous, often putting those we admire, even in our personal lives, on a pedestal. It’s been said that there’s no one in pre-adulthood more self-assured and Egocentric than a high school sophomore or a college sophomore, making @15 and @19 the ages where most of us think we can justify ourselves and make our own decisions about what we want to do with our lives.
Guess what? Life is just getting started when it comes to personality development. We’ve got the basics down, but throughout adulthood we must constantly adapt to the world around us – people and experiences. The variety and intensity of our constant use of Psychological Defense Mechanisms are governed by our learned behaviors, the things we were taught and the beliefs we develop. Most of our personal values were formed in childhood, for our Human bio-computers, wherein is stored all life’s experiences, absorb every moment, every detail of indoctrination, but as we learn about the world around us, we become enlightened in different doctrines.
The choices of our everyday lives lead us down paths that may or may not be prudent or wise, to our benefit or detriment. Ego protection is crucial to a good Self-Image, but extreme dangers of Narcissism or feeling inferior are subject to conscious and unconscious thought, regulating our reactions in the “Here and Now” world. Defense mechanisms we automatically employ may distort reality by blocking memories that can be retrieved only through concentrated conscious awareness or hypnotism.
Fear is contagious, and irrational thinking commonplace, but each of us is responsible for our actions, regardless of another person’s “trigger” to elicit response. Why should we react in any manner other than Love? Messiah Yeshua (Sorry, I can’t say it too many times.) treated everyone he encountered as a beloved brother or sister – in truth and unconditional acceptance of that person – regardless of appearance, nationality, or religion. He willingly, comfortably, would have gone into the home of the Gentile Roman centurion, even as he did into the homes of numerous declared sinners. His G-D Love for each person held no judgement, and we also are instructed – don’t judge, especially for physical appearance. Only G-D judges one’s heart.
Bob Dylan said it best – “You’re gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Feeling G-D in one’s Soul is part of his Jewish upbringing, even as Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Taoists, and others, even pagans, acknowledge the Presence of Spirits of Good and Evil all around us, influencing our positive or negative decisions.
Harmlessness is the Way to G-D, also honesty and ethics, with compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves, in service to others as to our individual Gifts and abilities. Trust in one’s fellow Human Beings is commensurate with each person’s trustworthiness, but we must be aware of those who choose to deceive. Native Americans are credited with the expression, “Walk a mile in my moccasins,” and in such is G-D’s true empathy.
As we age, we seek or lack willingness to change as circumstances arise, and whether we settle down in one place or frequently move from one location to another depends upon many factors, some innate, perhaps fulfilling dreams, and many out of our control, such as changes in economics and employment opportunities. We all wish to be happy, satisfied with our lives, and eventually we find that what we want is not always what we get, but perhaps what we need. (Thanks, Rolling Stones.)
Our Souls are constantly traumatized by the world around us, so herein lies a good excuse to study world history, for everything that’s happening in the Natural World has happened before, much as Solomon prophesied in Ecclesiastes. The Black Plague killed millions over hundreds of years, and it still shows up in small feral creatures worldwide. We’re blessed that Mankind has achieved knowledge (G-D’s OmniScience) in the medical fields, for 100 years ago there was no penicillin, and look how far we’ve come, many scientists in many countries working together, sharing information.
It’s a scary world when the horrors portrayed in science-fiction remind us of real things that are happening, such as a virus mutating as fast as vaccines are found. That’s one reason today’s young people are slow to discern fact from fantasy, and it causes our Souls to lie down in shock and disbelief, “comfortably numb.” (Thanks, Pink Floyd.) From history we learn how to draw strength in unity, caring for one another in G-D’s Love, refusing the attempts of those who still seek to separate us.
We often see birthday celebrations for people who reach 100 years and above, and can’t help but wonder whether we would welcome such a fate. Many of us don’t think we’ll live that long, and some hope they die young, but change is inevitable, so we strive to persevere in finding moments of joy to sustain us. As we reach the ends of our lives, we look back for things that made us happy, hopefully with a better understanding of our traumas, exhausting tendencies to block out extenuating circumstances that blame others, washing Ego of excuses, resisting or ready to set our Souls free to fly.
We all look back on regrets – what we could have done differently, or better – but realize that even the things we wish we hadn’t done yielded blessings in some form. Most of us who’ve had unsuccessful marriages didn’t have unwanted children, proving that even bad mistakes can be tremendous blessings in disguise. Messiah Yeshua promises us Eternal Life in Everlasting Ecstasy, for he is Kalimet, the Sure Path, reminding us not to be anxious for anything. “Everything’s gonna be alright.” (Thanks, Bob Marley.)
Every moment of our lives is permanently embedded in our minds, all our joys and tragedies, physical and mental tortures, the stress of guilt and remorse, ready to be “processed” in this lifetime or waiting for the next, when our Souls take flight into the Well of Souls, leaving these carcasses behind. Personalities intact, we are destined for Karmic Justice, therefore I am grateful for the merciful Presence of the Ghost of Messiah Yeshua alive in me.