Pneuma- The Higher Reality
(part 5)

Spirits Must Return

Malachi 4:5
"See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.

I find the story of Elijah interesting in many different ways. First, there is that rather odd request for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit; oh, and then there is that possible UFO abduction! However, in addition to all of this, it also represents one of the strongest pieces of evidence in the case for reincarnation. Yes, as we read above in the book of Malachi, God plainly told us that He would send Elijah back before the Christ. Did God do this or not? Jesus certainly believed this to be true, yet standing in complete contradiction to his words are most Christians who do not believe that John the Baptist was the reincarnation of the great prophet Elijah.

If reincarnation were on trial, the first witness I would call up to the stand would be, of course, Jesus. Here is a man with some impressive credentials; namely, he is believed by a large number of people of the world to be the Son of God while most everyone else considers him at the very least to have been a great prophet of God. Yes, any honest person of ANY religion would have to agree that Jesus demonstrated superior spiritual knowledge, and yet most (Christians) don’t believe what he said. He said that John the Baptist was the reincarnation of Elijah the prophet. There are many accounts that he stood before all the disciples and told them that Elijah did return as John the Baptist. Jesus’ testimony is clearly laid out in three of the four Gospels, but apparently this is not enough to sway most Westerners to accept the fact that each man’s spirit reincarnates back into this world. Being a reluctant believer in reincarnation myself not too long ago, I can understand how this seemingly “Eastern” belief would be met with great skepticism. However, as I found out, the idea that our spirit returns again and again to this world is really not foreign to Christianity, and clearly provides the way for God to bring us to the maturity of perfection.

I think the biggest obstacle in the minds of many is that they don’t see themselves or others for that matter, as being spirit from God. They see, hear and sense life through the flesh and therefore believe they are flesh. Under this strong deception, they simply refuse to accept that we are eternal life and self is spirit that moves in and out of different forms including the human form. Oddly, this mass denial persists even though Jesus himself testified that John WAS Elijah returned in the flesh. Unfortunately, many still can’t swallow the truth of reincarnation. Jesus knew this would be hard for many because he said of John the Baptist, “If you are willing to accept it, this is Elijah who was to come” (Matthew 11:14). While some are beginning to accept some of Jesus’ higher teachings, there is still a great deal of reluctance among Christians to accept that our spirit can and does reincarnate back into this world for the sake of our spiritual growth and maturity.

Understandably, some of the skepticism toward reincarnation is simply based in the traditions and teaching of our forefathers. There are those who will only believe what has been taught them. Without ever questioning the beliefs of others, we will walk along the same “cow paths” of those before us, which could either be leading us closer or farther from God and the Truth. Obviously, there are many religious souls who blindly believe whatever they have been taught or, in some cases, TOLD what to believe without ever questioning it. Unlike those of the Eastern religions, Westerners are taught that you only go around and through this life once. This biased belief feeds a more carnal way of thinking because it puts more emphasize of getting your share of worldly pleasures and material possessions right now. While the sin of greed is universal among mankind, the average Westerner has more wealth than those living a more Eastern philosophy. Isn’t it obvious that many Christians, Jews and even some oil-rich Muslims live as if this is their only chance to gain wealth, power and the experiences of life? This carnal mentality would change if we could truly accept that we are spirit. Then we would fear nothing in the material world because nothing can bring us to harm. Worrying about food, clothing or any kind of material wealth will become very secondary in our lives if we live by the spirit and not the flesh.

Another factor keeping many from accepting reincarnation would be the always deceiving ego, which desires to stay alive as our god. As discussed earlier in this article, the ego can be called the false self (a false image of our true self) that has emerged from our higher level of self-awareness. It lives only in our minds and relies on the deception that we are merely flesh. By accepting and then living as spirit (children) from God we will dismantle the ego from its throne and reduces its power. For this reason, the ego, like all things in life, fights against anything that would threaten its existence. Well, reincarnation does this and much more because if we accept the truth that we are spirit having human experiences the ego becomes a temporary and weaker necessary evil in our lives. Moreover, when our spirit comes again into this world we are obviously not the same person in any natural way. This is to say, the superficial exterior of our being, including to some degree the personality, is different. Clearly, the natural man called John the Baptist was not the natural man called Elijah; and he clearly stated this fact. Yet, the spirit (true self) of the two men was the same child of God as was attested to by the way they lived in this world. So then to varying degrees, our true light (self) can and does shine through any of the superficial exteriors the natural world may put upon us. The light of the spirit was so strong in John and Elijah that they acted in nearly identical ways while living on the earth. Because they followed their spirit, they thereby weakened the effects of the ego and the world on them. These men served the true God of men and not their selfish egos.

Past Lives, Present Clues-

As I wrote about in The Reincarnation of Your Spirit, I believe that the Bible does offer some clues regarding reincarnation. There is little doubt in my mind that it certainly had more before the “revisionists” of darker ages had their way with the hundreds of gospels circulating in the day. However, what does remain is Jesus telling us that Elijah did return as John. We should also consider the miracle or spiritual gift referred to as “speaking in tongues” as evidence that we have lived before as a different person who spoke a different language. I am not going to revisit each passage, but instead I want to focus on how outside of the Bible and religion in general the evidence of reincarnation continues to grow in our every day lives.

One example of this would be what is termed “child prodigies.” Many might say that these children were “born with a gift” without considering how or why. Reincarnation would say that these spiritual children of God have actually earned/’gained what they have. Prodigies are simply those souls who tap more deeply into their spirit for the knowledge or experience in a particular discipline. The great Mozart was composing music before most children could even read words! By the age of five, his soul was tapping into a previously acquired love and talent for music. His incredibly high acumen for music seemed to come very natural to him because it came from within his SPIRIT! Each one of us has retained knowledge of experiences from our past lives; it is only a matter of retrieving it.

Even an inspection of the body we inhabit can provide clues to our past lives. There have been studies showing that physical features (like birthmarks or moles on the skin) can be associated with and even traced back to past life (bodily) injuries. Suppose someone was killed by a gunshot wound in the chest. In the next life, this individual’s body may have a birthmark the shape and size of a bullet wound in that very spot. In the same way, it is more apparent than ever this kind of retention and then transmission of “scarring” is also experienced on a mental level. Any extremely distressing trials and tribulations of the soul in one life can result in the mental scarring in the next. A perfect example of this would be the many unexplained phobias that people must contend with on a daily basis. Are you afraid of heights? Perhaps you died from a dreadful fall in your previous life. Are you afraid of water? Perhaps you drowned. Yes, it seems that both physical and mental injuries from past traumas can carry shadows over and even be detrimental in the next life. It is like spiritual baggage from previous “expeditions” through this world. Each of us is given the burden or blessing of carrying what we have “packed” in our backpack. This is God’s justice, and this is reincarnation.

I recently saw a rather bizarre story on the news concerning people that, for no apparent reason, desperately wanted their legs, arms or hands amputated! Of course, doctors say this is purely a mental illness called body integrity identity disorder (BIID). Psychologists believe that this disorder, as some call it, begins as a fascination of having a limb amputated. Then later in adulthood, it can turn into an obsession that is sometimes acted upon. In this story, they spoke to a couple of different individuals that soaked their legs in ice water in an attempt to put their legs to death. They wanted them gone. They hoped by soaking them in ice water that when they were taken to the hospital the doctors would have to amputate their legs. While psychological therapists blame this on a present state of the mind, I see this as another case where past life memories are trying to steer the thinking of some who experienced a past life trauma. It would seem pretty obvious that the reason that one would want their leg or arm removed now is because they lived their past life as an amputee. This strange obsession is rooted deeply in their sub-conscious because it has been carried over by the spirit and passed down to the soul. They were BORN into their present life with this strong feeling of how they should be. As long as they could remember they have had these odd feelings, so it wasn’t something they conjured up in their present life. We must then conclude that they sincerely and strongly believe they would be more comfortable, more themselves, by being amputees again. This strange disorder is true and another clue pointing to reincarnation.

In this same news report, they also talked about what has been called “foreign accent syndrome” (they have a name for everything!) Yes, these people being to speak with a foreign accent out of the blue! Some uninformed skeptics would say this is merely a hoax, but I assure you it is not. And again, I strongly believe this also has its basis in a recent life in the past. This “condition” is quite less harmful than BIID, but it still remains an unexplained phenomena. Sure, doctors will try to hypothesize why and how someone, for absolutely no apparent reason, begins speaking with an accent of a different language. That is right; one day “Bob” wakes up and has a German accent when he speaks even though Bob has never been to Germany. I know; this is pretty weird, right? Well again, this urge to speak in a past native tongue of a past life can influence a few individuals in their present lives. Of course, it was pretty common in Paul’s day for the followers of Christ to “speak in tongues.” This is simply a derivation of what the “spirit” was leading those souls to do.

So, there are just a few examples of the evidence that the human spirit moves from one life to the next. I doubt that any of these alone are enough to convince the skeptic that God is using reincarnation to mature our spirits, but collectively they should make everyone think more seriously about it. Perhaps what might be even more convincing is when someone can actually recall vividly and precisely memories from a past life. This typically happens among young children- even more than most know. Often times, the words and stories of a three or four year old child are dismissed as their imagination at work. Well, for a boy named James, his story was not a fantasy created in his mind nor was it fiction he had heard. Shockingly, the wild story and all its characters, as he described to his parents, turned out to be the absolute truth.

20/20, A Story of Reincarnation-

I was encouraged to see a story on ABC’s news program 20/20 awhile back about an apparent reincarnation. As they should, the reporters approached this topic with an open mind that was balanced with a good dose of professional skepticism. It was about a little boy named James who started recalling a past life when he was about 2 years old and continued to recall strange memories until he was about 6. His stories were about planes, war and being shot down. Obviously, his ability to describe his memories was limited at the age of two, but then at the age of three, for no apparent reason, James said he was “James 3”. At the time, his parents thought he was simply saying that he was three years of age, but they would later find out that this title meant much more than this. His Christian parents, like the majority of Christians, were unequivocally unbelievers in reincarnation; and this was especially true of his father. Yet, it was his father’s skepticism that actually made a believer out of him! James’ father was the one who sought to prove that this far-fetched story his son kept repeating was not true. He thought there was absolutely no way that his son had lived another life in another time and in another body, but he was wrong. Now, he would be the first to admit that his son was recalling a previous life full of memories.

Can you imagine a three year old child adamantly telling you that his plane was shot down during combat? James would often repeat the same information, so his parents began to gather the pieces of this information. They initially suspected it was coming from the boy’s imagination, but that slowly changed as his father began searching for answers. First, his father confirmed that his son had never been exposed to stories about war, planes or any such thing. This fact puzzled the father who began to dig a little deeper into the boy’s war story. James graphically told them about how his plane was shot down by the Japanese. He described the plane with words and drawings and even told them where the plane was it. He went on to name of some of the aircraft carries that he used for landing. However, the most vital clue is when he gave the name of his best friend.

Using the name of this friend, the father began to research to see if this person actually existed and served in combat. Sure enough, there was such a person who served for the United States Air Force during World War II. What was more earth-shattering was that this friend did have a fellow pilot and friend named James. They were both shot down and killed by the Japanese just as the boy had described. The father of this young boy was utterly in shock because everything the boy had been telling them through his young years was proven to be true! And, as the Father found out, there was a small aircraft carrier with the exact name the boy had be telling them for years. So the father of this child was confronted with one of two choices. Either his son had been secretly doing some extensive research at the library/internet before the age of four or he had actually lived a previous life.

The final chapter of this convincing story ends with the fact that there was indeed a man called James who was shot down and killed while assigned to that ship. Oh, and the man named “James” who was shot down was James Jr. (James the 2^nd)! And there you have it! The young boy was indeed right; he was James the 3^rd, or James 3! What other possible explanation could there be other than reincarnation? Every detail the boy had had been telling his parents was corroborated through the annals of recorded history. The pilot, the friend, the ship and the type of death during combat were all proven to be true. His father had no other choice but to accept that his son had lived a previous life as this other man called James.

James’ recollection of his former life is rather uncommon and detailed, but not without precedence. Dr. Ivan Stevenson has many such case studies, which are available at http://www.near-death.com/. He has found that children are most likely to recall past-life memories between the ages of 2 and 5 (just after learning to speak), which was true of James who stopped telling his war story by the age of six. Dr. Stevenson believes that after this, the mind becomes too “hard-wired” and dominated by its current environment. At this time, the mind will let go of most of the memories, but retain any “scarring” that may have left a more lasting impression. For this same reason, I strongly believe our spiritual self is able to retain important (spiritual) information (wisdom) that will lead to better choices in future lives enabling us to move closer and closer to the maturity God desires. In essence, we should consider each incarnation to be like another chapter in the book of our life with the last chapter written by the Author of our faith in the Book of Life!

Sin, Karma and Forgiveness-

Reincarnation is simply another name for our spiritual evolution. While anthropologist can show that the human body has been undergoing physical changes through the ages, the human spirit is maturing into the Spirit of Christ. As we move forward with the promise of the salvation of our spirit, we hopefully learn from the past mistakes that would condemn the soul. After all, the real purpose of living is to learn to love (live) as God’s loves (lives). Jesus did this, and so can we if we follow his lead, which is living our life through the Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of Christ is the only power on earth that can overcome the weight of sin, the waves of Karma and bring us the peace of forgiveness.

Yes, sin is like a weight that attempts to hold the spirit down in the state of hell. It is like dirt on a window that keeps light from shining in or out of the soul. Obviously, sin can be described in many ways, in general though, it can be said that sin is any thought, desire or action conflicting with God’s will in our lives. Catholicism classifies sin into two different types based on their severity. There is the everyday “venial” sin, which is easily forgiven- maybe a few “Our Father’s” and a couple of “Hail Mary’s.” Then there is the far more serious “mortal” sin, which is said to have the ability to take away the “life of grace” for the soul. A mortal sin is defined as a serious spiritual offense that one consciously knows is a sin and one freely chose to do. While I am not here to teach a Catechism class, I do see this doctrine is based on spiritual truths that Jesus also taught.

While Jesus made forgiving sins one of his divine pastimes, there was at least one sin that was not so easily forgiven- the deliberate rejection of the Truth. This may truly be a mortal sin of the soul because it is a sin that carries serious consequences. There are times when we just know something is true or right because of that “gut feeling.” Some will say that something “rings true in their spirit.” I am sure that as Jesus spoke the Truth to the Scribes and Pharisees, some of those religious souls felt this ringing and knew he was right and from God. But because of their pride or because of fear, they still denied his offerings of Truth. Unlike venial sins, even the most sincere acts of love cannot cover or atone for this dreadful act against God’s Word. According to Jesus, this serious spiritual sin is neither forgiven in this lifetime nor during the next incarnation. It may take many incarnations before such a disobedient spirit is allowed to come before God and regain His favor.

While the rejection of Truth and Love are equal to rejection of God Himself, we must understand that these actions are done by those spirits who are not in their “right” mind. In other words, these children of God (spirits) are disobedient because they are either deceived or simply ignorant of who they are. Jesus brought God’s Love and Truth and they were rejected by many of the religious men of Judea. Jesus called these the sons of hell and asked how they would ever escape Hades and the cycle of death.

While denying the Truth is a sin of the soul/spirit, venial sins are typically carnal acts- sins of the flesh/soul. Because life in the flesh is temporary, so are its sins. Still, these earthly sins will certainly cause repercussions in the life of the soul and the body. This accountability can result in harmful effects to our bodies and other times to our souls. When the soul (mind, psyche) knowingly desires something apart from God’s will, this is a sin. Before Jesus came onto the scene, Jews were taught that thinking about sinful acts was not a sin in and of itself. Yet, we know that Jesus told them they were DEAD wrong because even these sins of the mind brought about a kind of death. This world has been created so that our sins have the ability to destroy the body and the soul in hell while the spirit remains unharmed. In this say, life in this world becomes a trial and error exercise. We are then rewarded for our good deeds of the spirit and punished for the selfish acts of the flesh. As Jesus clearly taught, we reap what we sow so that each is judged according to what we have done. This is what some call karma.

While many Christians are afraid of words like karma, I think of karma as the (spiritual) energy caused or released by our actions, thoughts and desires. If we do good deeds from the heart, think good thoughts from on high and desire the things of heaven, then we emit untold amounts of positive energy into the world. However, when we sin, we create negative karma- a karmic debt if you will. Now, from the moment Adam and Eve made the choice in conflict with God’s will, mankind had been going deeper and deeper into a karmic debt. Our increased awareness of discerning what was good or evil meant that we should have KNOWN better. The more you have (consciousness) the more that is expected (spiritually). As we grew in the spirit, we were being held more and more responsible for our sins. This, in turn, caused the weight of sin to grow heavier on the soul and the belief that we were growing farther and farther away from God. Sin was like a hard, dark crust thickening over the souls of mankind until the Rock was sent to break us free!

Yes, when Jesus gave up his life on the cross, all the sin momentum/negative karma that had been leading us away from the presence of God was reversed! Jesus’ sacrifice was such an enormous act of love that it reversed the tide of sin. Instead of moving away from God, Jesus single-handedly turned humanity around so that we could begin our return to God! So for good reason, Jesus Christ is called the Lamb of God who saves the world by taking away the sin of the world. However, contrary to what most Christians are taught, each man OUTSIDE the Spirit and Mind of Christ is still held accountable for his karmic debt. This teaching is clearly found in the many parables Jesus shared as in Luke 12:48, 12:59. According to Jesus, even “believers” are punished according to what they have done. This raises a good point; believing in Jesus is not the same as living in Christ. Ah yes! That is the key! Isn’t it! The only way to be sinless and above the disruptive and repercussive waves of karma is to live IN Christ.

“In Christ”-

Okay, this is a good time to talk about that widely used (misused?) term, “in Christ.” In most Christian circles, this little phrase is commonly used to end a letter or email. Most assume that if they believe in Jesus that they are therefore in Christ. Some Christians even go so far to believe that they are “sinless” because they believe and are therefore “in Christ.” Well, it is certainly true that any that are truly in Christ are sinless; however, we must be perfectly clear in our understanding of what being “in Christ” means. First, I hope that it is clear that being a Christian is not equivalent to being in Christ. Simply BELIEVING in Jesus the Christ is not BEING in Christ. Most Christians equate the two words, but their difference is very significant. BELIEVING – BEING = LIE V, which is a LIE of Vanity. Hey, everyone and every religion want to feel special, so their doctrines make this so. Being filled with this kind of religious pride is a deception, but also a comfort for many. This is why nearly every religion promises that it is right and guarantees that its followers will be granted access into eternal bliss. But it is a lie of vanity because believing in a religion, even Christianity, isn’t living in the Spirit of Christ.

While the spiritual experience of living in Christ may be foreign to many, we all have had some extensive experience at “living in sin.” Well, as God has planned it, living in Christ is really the opposite of this, like heaven and hell. Living in Christ is a spiritual state where the soul is unaware of sin because our spirit has claimed the heir of sonship with God, our Father! It means that we are in God conscious; and having the Mind of Christ means that we can only do God’s will. We are thinking and acting as God does. So, if we are only doing God’s will, then there can be no sin, right? Paul realized this when he said that he was dead, but Christ was alive in him. So, that if “Paul” did something sinful, it was actually the man already dead in sin who was committing the sin. Paul understood that his true life and person were in the spirit and more so in the Spirit of Christ!

Sometimes what appear to be sinful acts are not sins at all. When Jesus did things like push over tables or called the Pharisees derogatory names he was not sinning. He was in a divine zone you could say! As long as the Spirit and Mind of Christ are leading us, we are completely free of sin. Yet, many are not yet in this higher state of consciousness, so to say they are “in Christ” they are mistaken. This is the narrow gate that very few reach in each age, but all are moving toward this goal and glorious end! What does one who lives in the Spirit of Christ look like? Jesus. That is right; their lives will resemble that of Jesus. This will not necessarily be in appearance or even in word, but in love and in spirit. These sons of Love are free and become like feathers in a mighty wind instead of leaves on a tree. In other words, those in Christ will flow with the spirit, but those who are still connected to religion are typically bound by their laws, regulations and dogma.

To be in Christ is to relinquish all the baggage of the soul including feelings of doubt, fear and guilt. They are like weights holding our consciousness down. They are also dirt covering and caking on the soul. In that not only do they hide our true beauty, they also weigh down the soul. Those in the Spirit (Mind) of Christ are in the Kingdom of God, and there can be no such ill feelings that are caused by sin. We must also understand a very important aspect about sin- EVERY sin we have ever committed was done in the PAST. Upon entering the Kingdom of God, we have no past- only the here and NOW. We are what we are- a sinless child of God.

In addition, there is no time, no space and no physical existence. These are all things of the past and are forgotten just as God has forgotten our sins. This also means that in the Kingdom of God’s Word the duality of what is right or wrong, good and evil has vanished. For the spirits in the Kingdom of God, paradise is there for as long as they choose to stay. It is in this way, that the saints of God filled with the life of Christ return to the lower world to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. In this way, the lower world is brought up higher and higher until is no longer in Hades because the light and life of Christ has filled and resurrected all things back into spirit and consciousness. All of creation is saved in this way, the “restoration” and “liberation” of creation is the release from the duality of the physical world and the return of creation into complete freedom!

In the end though, all sin must be dealt with in one way or another. It is our divine nature and destiny to rid ourselves of these temporary imperfections. And because they are temporary, they are, in a very real sense, not real. So, life becomes a series of moments with every thought, action and desire becoming energy emitted into the karmic ocean. Will our sailing be smooth or stormy? It greatly depends whether we choose to do God’s will or not. Sometimes our desire to do God’s will is weak because we have strayed out into the world. We can think of our spirit being like a fire. If we keep stoking the fire by doing God’s will, then it grows hotter and brighter, which in turns fuels our desire to do even more. If we starve it, it is reduced to a smoldering ember waiting in hope to be fueled and fanned again. Yes, we are the fire and light of the world, but we have the power to feed the holy flame within us. Through our actions, thoughts and desires, we have the ability to either calm the waters around us or to stir them up into raging waves. When we are attacked we can choose to fight back and return evil for evil, or we can absorb this negative energy and become stronger. This is why we should fight hate with love because not only does it cancel it, but it reaps unimaginable blessings! As it turns out, this reaction is also true in the field of science when matter and antimatter come together because then enormous amounts of energy are released. Is there any doubt that the spirits of the heavens act in much the same was as the energies of the material world? This is why I want to now take a closer look how spirit and science are coming together to promote the revelation of Truth and, therefore, God.

(part 6 coming soon...)

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