There comes a time when it is time, when you know that the big moment of change that you have been expecting arrives, when there is only one choice to make and you must make it. In such times, it is your inner heart centered knowing that will guide you properly and keep you safe and calm. Do not let the vicissitudes of life get you down but use the goodness of your heart to lift you up, for you know now that you can trust the truth of your heart.
The law of nature is growth… – Photo by Jan Ketchel
After Jeanne Marie Ketchel left her life, in a human body, she was amazed to discover that she was still very much a part of this world, though in a much more subtle body than the physical body she had recently shed. Following a period of rejuvenation and orientation she chose a task that was to become her new life mission.
More precisely, she describes this afterlife choice process as, “It will be of your choosing, but not of your choosing. It will be granted because it is exactly where you need to go, but it will also be where you fit perfectly.” (The Book of Us, p. 165)
No outside judge decides where we need to go, we are the ultimate judge of our lives.
“Where you need to go” is how I define karma. The underlying law of nature, both physical and spiritual, is growth. Spiritual growth progresses through lighter and lighter stages of being. We shed the denseness of physical matter upon physical death and enter our lighter energy body soul-state.
However, an individual who remains attached to their worldly possessions and physical proclivities upon death will, of necessity, enter a bardo environment that fits this state of evolution. The Buddhists define bardos as alternative worlds that reflect a soul’s state of spiritual accomplishments, high or low, offering what is necessary for continued growth, for every soul is destined to grow and evolve at their own pace.
Thus, continued life would be in a bardo of one’s choosing and yet not; it would be the only fitting place in which to evolve, hence, would be a natural next step. Souls remain in bardo states until they are ready to move on, meaning until they have grown or progressed enough to shed their attachment to the coveted activities of physical life or have completed the necessary expiation resulting from them.
The significant point here is that we are in full control of where we land based upon the choices we make and how far we spiritually evolve, in whatever world we are in. Upon changing worlds, at death, we can only go where we have prepared ourselves to go.
Karma is not punitive, it is objective. Though we might covet a highly evolved spiritual existence, we will only manifest it when we have completed the prerequisites for such an existence. Death does not automatically result in spiritual advancement, unless we have consciously worked toward it during our lifetime. Alternatively, though we may in fact be spiritually advanced during our lifetime, we may be placed in a remedial bardo to complete the necessary requirements for even greater ascension.
The same principle governs the life we are currently in: we can only advance in our careers and relationships to the extent that we have learned and prepared ourselves to advance into deeper fulfillment.
We are the ultimate judge of our lives, as we place ourselves where we need to go based on the choices we have made and the consequences of those choices. Judgment is based on full transparency—the truth. We are free to ignore the truth, but in that case we land ourselves in the bardo best fitted to allow us to accept the truth that we avoid, and to grow beyond it.
Our truest judge is the voice of our conscience, which is located in the heart center. This is the heart not of sentimentality nor romance but the heart of our morality, our deepest knowing of what is right. This voice of the heart is to be distinguished from the voice of the aberrant inner critic, the product of the conjuring mind’s incessant storytelling.
If we quiet our mind and ask our heart to speak the truth, it will calmly reveal it—no drama, just the plain truth. The true judge—the voice of heart centered conscience—will always know and choose rightly where we must go next.
If we align our decisions and actions with the truth that we are shown, we will advance as spiritually enlightened beings.
Remember that you are an infinite being, there to learn and grow. No matter your earthly circumstances that is the core intent of your spirit. And thus, every day is a day of Earth School where lessons are presented, choices made, actions taken; emotions arise, thoughts interfere, and the heart encounters its challenges. All of this is part of your infinite self on its infinite journey. Remember this, and let the magic of your day begin.
Prepare for the worst but expect the best. In this manner there will be no shortcomings, no deficits, no surprises. If you are ready for anything then anything can happen and you will be in alignment to receive it. At the same time, if nothing happens you will likewise be in alignment for that as well. It doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
Pause. Take time to consider what life is really presenting you with each new day. Rather than jumping to the usual conclusions take action that will further you along on your journey of change. When something unexpected is presented, rather than respond as expected in return, do what your heart expects instead. See what the outcome is when you take an unexpected turn in the direction of heart-centered decision making based on loving kindness and compassion. You might be unexpectedly surprised.
