I recently read a book, “Many Lives, Many Masters” by the psychiatrist, Brian Weiss. He described his use of hypnotism to treat a young woman emotionally crippled by fear and anxiety. He guided her back through childhood memories to search for a traumatic event, a root cause for her condition. She surprised him by recounting a memory from a time period before she had been born. Weiss eventually discovered that the woman suffered from scarring events that had occurred during previous lives. As he and she explored her extended past and confronted previously hidden traumas (death by drowning, suffering from leprosy, etc.), the woman’s outlook brightened until she developed a charismatic personality. She radiated hope and happiness.
After finishing this book, I began to watch videos of people recalling their near-death experiences. Most experienced peaceful realms where they encountered guiding spirits. Their guardian angels told them that they would have to go back to this world, that they still had things to learn and do in their current lives, and that they had lived many times before.
Some near-death survivors spoke of karmic debts that had to be repaid, of having obligatory missions to fulfill. Failure to make amends or to successfully complete their duties meant rebirth into conditions making similar demands. One could not progress to a more advanced stage until all requirements had been met. I got the impression from them that life is a serious business.
Others had a lighter point of view. They focused on the blissful state of affairs they encountered on the other side of the divide. They said that the afterlife felt like home, that the Great Beyond seemed more real to them than their previous embodied existences. They tended to see life on earth as an adventure, a trip to a carnival, a thrill ride. The threat of death, disease, suffering and danger somehow made their role-playing more enjoyable, more productive. They spoke like actors relishing juicy parts in dramatic, action-packed plays.
I think that I’ve been going through this material in search of comfort. People have lately been making more exits from my life than entrances. And friends have also suffered a spate of losses in recent months. I’m getting the strong impression that life’s going to get us all killed. And I’m afraid that before it does, my story will resemble the saddest verse in a Hank Williams song.
I’d much rather live with some joy and hope. And if nothing else, I want to believe that there’s some point to being here.
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