My Yesterlives

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XXI

After my extremely informative and enlightening meeting with my Council ended, Amy (my hypnotist) steered me towards the Place of Life Selection.  I believe that a broad summary of this aspect of the Spirit Realm would be appropriate as a prelude to a discussion of my particular experiences there.  In my posting of October 10, 2009, as part of a general overview of the Spirit Realm, I offered a synopsis of the Place of Life Selection which I reproduce verbatim here:

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Place of Life Selection: This is a place where we can view/experience and evaluate the options available to us for our next life in the flesh.  Amazingly, we have quite a lot of input in choosing who we will be in our next life as well as the circumstances of that life.  These choices are made, of course, based upon the karmic issues we are planning to address in this upcoming life.  Will we be born female?, to a wealthy family?, physically handicapped?, possessing a special talent?  The choices we make here are in accordance with the karmic issues we identified, and the plans we made, as a result of the studies and learning conducted in the schools and libraries, and the meetings, consultations, and discussions held with our soul group members, spirit guides, and Council members.  It all comes together here: If we learned well and planned effectively, then we will make a life selection that affords us an excellent opportunity to make some serious karmic progress.

The one great caveat to all this in-depth planning is this: We, as human beings, have free will.  When we plan our next life we are not setting up a rigid script that is guaranteed to be followed to a "T".  What we are doing is devising an outline where the players are free to ad lib.  Lives in the flesh are not always lived according to the plans made in the Spirit Realm.  It is hoped that we will adhere to the plan closely, but there are no guarantees.

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In his book “Journey of Souls” Michael Newton notes that, “…souls do have the freedom to choose when, where, and who they want to be in their physical lives.”  He also explains that, after our “training sessions” with our “counselors and peer groups” in the Spirit Realm are completed and we thus begin the process of planning a return to a physical lifetime on Earth, “The soul must now assimilate all this information and take purposeful action based upon three primary decisions:

• Am I ready for a new physical life?
• What specific lessons do I want to undertake to advance my learning and development?
• Where should I go, and who shall I be in my next life for the best opportunity to work on my goals?”

Also pertinent here is the fact that most souls are very reluctant to leave the beauty and bliss of the Spirit Realm to return to, as Dr. Newton puts it, “a planetary environment of uncertainty and fear brought about by aggressive and competing humans” as well as “the physical and mental demands of a human body.”  (I recall one NDEr – Near Death Experiencer – stating that when he returned to his physical body after his brief sojourn to the Spirit Realm the feeling of reentering his body after experiencing the lightness of Spiritual existence was like donning a pair of dirty, wet coveralls).  The more accounts one reads of descriptions of life in the Spirit Realm, the more one gets the sense that existence on that other plane is ecstatic and rapturous, whereas life here on Earth, as we all know from personal experience, is often difficult, demanding, and uncomfortable.  Interestingly, I’ve found in my readings that when Near Death Experiencers as well as LBL hypnosis subjects are asked if there such a thing as a “hell” -  in the sense of a place of eternal damnation and suffering overseen by the “devil” - they invariably respond that there is no such place, but then they often qualify their answer by stating that life on Earth is the closest thing to a “hell.”  So it is no surprise that most souls are not particularly eager to return to Earth for a new incarnation.  One question that always nagged at me was: Well then, why do they do it?  Of course I understand the reasons given as to why we need to return for more lifetimes on Earth, but what I never fully understood was why we ultimately agree to take the plunge, given the attractiveness of life in Spirit compared with the unattractiveness of life in the physical (I should note that it is often stated by LBL subjects that although we are encouraged to return to Earth, we are never forced to do so; ultimately we choose to reincarnate of our own free will).  Well, finally, in my own LBL session, I received an explanation that made sense to me.        

So, with that as background, let me resume my hypnosis session at the point where Amy prompted me to move on to this next phase:

Amy:  So let’s go now to the Life and Body Selection place.  How do you know when it’s time to incarnate?  Does someone tell you?

John:  You begin to get restless.  You can’t fully enjoy the pleasures of the Spirit Realm.  At first it’s like an annoyance in the background that goes buzz, buzz in your ear.  But it gets bigger, and it starts to impede your enjoyment, and eventually you realize that you’ve got to deal with it, that you won’t be comfortable there if you don’t deal with it.  There’s a tremendous resistance to knowing that, at least to me, but the discomfort there gets so great that it tips the balance.  And in order to recoup the pleasurable feelings there, you have to come back here and deal with the issues.  And that’s what motivates you.  It’s like going to work here to earn money to buy things to give you pleasure.  It’s like that, in a way.

(An interesting question here is: Is that “annoying buzz, buzz” the result of our own personal guilt, or is it an inherent, preprogrammed aspect of the Spirit Realm designed to give us the boot in the ass we need to finally give in and agree to make a return trip to the physical?).

Amy:  So in considering your incarnation for this life, how did you feel about incarnating this time around?

John:  I dreaded it.  I didn’t want to come back period to this world.  And then I knew the things I was going to be faced with in this life, that I had planned, for the reasons that I had, but I knew that it wasn’t going to be very pleasant.  The early part, much more so.  The later part has been good.

Let me take a moment to elaborate on this last statement.  As I mentioned earlier, most souls do not look forward to a return to life on Earth.  And, obviously, I felt the same – “I dreaded it.”  But notice that I go on to point out that, while I dreaded the particulars of the specific lifetime I had chosen (“…I knew the things I was going to be faced with in this life, that I had planned…”) in order to address whatever karmic issues I needed to address (“…for the reasons that I had…”), I nevertheless stated that, “I didn’t want to come back period to this world.”  I think the use of the word “period” in this statement is heavy with meaning, and, frankly, rather chilling: it suggests that I didn’t want to return to an earthly life under any circumstances.  I have to admit that, looking back on my life, it has definitely not been an easy road.  And I also have to agree with my statement that the early portion of my life was much more unpleasant that the later part; but consider that for the past seven years – in the later part of my life – I have been waging a very uncomfortable and stressful battle with prostate cancer – what does that say about how difficult the early part of my life was?  Given that while in the Spirit Realm we are permitted to see at least some of the details of what awaits us in the next life we’ve chosen, it’s no wonder that I dreaded incarnating into my current lifetime.  That “annoying buzz, buzz” must be pretty damn irritating!   

Next time, more about my visit to the Place of Life Selection.

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XX

Before continuing on with my hypnosis session I wanted to comment upon the importance of the wisdom that the hypnotist brings to a hypnosis session.  Obviously, the hypnotist’s hypnosis skills and training are critical to the success and comfort level of any endeavor into hypnosis, but I think that goes without saying so I don’t feel the need to add to the obvious.  But I think there are some subtle, personal qualities that a hypnotist can bring to this experience which could make a huge difference as to how the session progresses and what results from it.  Although I think this point had been illustrated on several occasions by my hypnotist Amy, I believe it was most clearly demonstrated by the way she conducted the portion of the session discussed in my previous posting.  Recall that although I had neglected to include any exploration into my cancer problem in my list of topics to be addressed Amy nevertheless had the wisdom to ask me, while hypnotized, if I wanted to ask my Council about it.  Although I had avoided the issue out of fear of receiving unpleasant news, it is obviously a huge problem in my life now and, whether I consciously realized it or not, it was screaming to be addressed.  Thankfully, Amy had the wisdom to ask me if I wanted to look into it, despite my unconscious reservations.  And if you read the previous posting then you know that some interesting and helpful advice regarding dealing with the cancer was given by the Council.  Had Amy not steered the session in that direction then I would never have been exposed to my Council’s suggestions.  Also, I imagine that, after the fact, I would have had major regrets about not having included it myself in the list of items to be explored.  So, I just want to say that not only am I extremely grateful to Amy for the expert way she brought me into the hypnotic state and conducted the sessions, but I am also very, very grateful for the creativity, wisdom, and caring that she brought to the sessions.  I consider myself extremely lucky to have conducted my sessions with Amy.  I’ve heard of some very lousy hypnosis experiences that other people have had because of the inadequacies of their hypnotists; thankfully, my experience was totally the opposite – I couldn’t have hoped for a better navigator to take me on this remarkable voyage to the Spirit Realm dimension.  Amy’s sharp, intuitive sense of where to lead things becomes apparent yet again in the next portion of the session where her decision to ask if there is “anything else” leads to some of the most important and profound advice I was to receive from my Council.  Thanks Amy!!!    

After I received guidance on some things I should try to help in dealing with my cancer situation, Amy asked if there was anything else I needed to discuss with my Council:

Amy:  Is there any last thing you want to ask, or any last thing they want to tell you?

John:  I still have to be careful.  This is going to be the hard part.  I have to balance the lightening-up with not losing control like I did in other lives.  The danger of that is much diminished, because of the progress I’ve made, but there is still that danger.  I have to be careful when I lighten up.  They’re yelling at me when they say that, because my tendency is to go back to the tightness.  I’m too black and white.  I have to allow for the gray areas.  I have to take a risk.  I don’t want to take a risk, because I feel like I’ve made so much progress, I don’t want to undo it this late in life.  But they say, no, I have to keep going.

Amy:  Trust yourself?

John:  Yes.  Trust myself.  Acknowledge the progress I’ve made.  Let that give me strength.  Let that give me confidence.  If I made this kind of progress, turning out the way I did, with nothing, then I should be able to do this next phase.  It’s actually easier.  It’s the hard part, not because it’s hard, but because I see it as hard.  I’m afraid.  But it will actually be easier, because I’m equipped to deal with it now.  I don’t realize that, and I have to realize that.  But I do have to be cautious.  I have a tendency to… that’s it… that’s the problem.  If I allow myself an opening, I dive through it.  It’s not the way it’s supposed to be.  But I know myself, and they have faith I can do it.  I have to have the faith in me that they have.  I have to do it, but I have to be cautious… not the way I define caution.  Their definition of caution is not the same as my definition of caution.  And I get that they’re almost reprimanding me.  I have to lighten up on the caution.    

Amy:  OK, it’s time to thank your Council.  Is there any way you want to give gratitude for their time and their effort.

John:  Tremendous thanks.  Thanks for everything, to Kayla.  Thanks.

As I said out the outset of this section, I feel that the guidance I received from my Council here was some of the most significant and useful information to come out of the entire LBL session, and there are several observations I’d like to make in that regard.  First and foremost, the main theme here clearly revolves around the need for me to “lighten up” while at the same time being careful not to lighten up too much, and the fact that I tend to be a bit too cautious; I need to be bolder and have more confidence in myself and in my ability to lighten up without losing control.  Similar sentiments were expressed earlier in the LBL session (see my postings of 5/19/10, 5/21/10, and 6/1/10).  Once again, this describes my personality to a T: I am very much a person of extremes, and because I’m aware of that I tend to be exceedingly cautious in how I conduct myself, fearing that if I allow myself even a little leeway I will get carried away and go totally in the other (wrong) direction.  I am definitely “too black and white”; my wife often has told me, “There are no gray areas with you.” 

I also found very interesting my statements, at two different points in the exchange, that “They’re yelling at me when they say that” and later “I get that they’re almost reprimanding me.”  The Council clearly had some very strong feelings about this advice and they apparently didn’t hold back in expressing their feelings.  In an earlier part of this session (see my posting of 5/19/10) as my Council was (yet again, albeit earlier) rebuking me to “lighten up” I noted, “They seem serious about it, almost finger-wagging.  It seems to be a serious issue.”  In that earlier posting of 5/19/10 I discussed in depth the distinction – at least as I see it – between reprimanding on the part of the Council as opposed to them being judgmental.  I think those points are pertinent here as well, perhaps even more so since this time I seem to have advanced from being the object of mere “finger-wagging” to being “yelled at” and “reprimanded.”  I never felt, during either of these “scoldings” that my Council was being in any way judgmental; rather, it seemed quite clear to me that they were simply being emphatic in order to impress upon me the importance of the guidance they were imparting.  I won’t repeat my comments from my 5/19/10 posting, but I think they’re relevant here as well.

Another sense I got from this was that the Council feels that I’ve made good progress, and I found this very encouraging, but I have to admit that, even after having received their advice and guidance (and believing them to be correct) I still feel afraid to “lighten up”; I have lightened up somewhat, but I feel that I could and should do even more, yet I’m fearful of enjoying the feeling and letting go completely.  Nevertheless, I have to admit that, when I look back on my current life, I can see that I have made great strides and I am a much more mature and responsible person now, so it does seem to me that, as I said in the session, “…it will actually be easier, because I’m equipped to deal with it now.” 

I found quite humorous my statement that, “Their definition of caution is not the same as my definition of caution.”  Their definition of caution, as I perceived it, would be: “Proceed, but just be aware and be careful”; my definition of caution is more along the lines of: “Stay put!  If you don’t take any chances then you won’t risk losing anything!”  I truly am not a risk-taker; I never gamble for money, and any investments I’ve made have been very conservative with low returns and minimal risk.  When applied to financial matters my attitude is probably wise and prudent, but obviously when applied to my life situation it is restrictive and stifling.  I do believe in the Council’s wisdom, and I am determined to incorporate their advice into my life.

Finally, I thought it very intriguing when I said that I have to lighten up without “losing control like I did in other lives.”  What in the hell was that referring to?  What exactly did I do in these other “out-of-control” lifetimes?  Earlier in the LBL session I had felt that my son and I had been very close in past lifetimes and that we got in trouble a lot together.  I have to presume that those comments are somehow relevant here.  Needless to say, I am VERY curious about these past lives and exactly how I was out of control and exactly what trouble I got into.  While we didn’t explore any of those lifetimes, I did get some sense that I was a rather carefree and irresponsible person, and, as much as I hate to think it, I feel that I will not like what I will discover should I ever seek to examine those lives in future hypnosis sessions.  I do hope to do more past life regression sessions with Amy, but I must admit that I feel quite a bit of trepidation about what I might learn.

Next time I’ll discuss my visit to the Life and Body Selection place, with some interesting observations about my choices when preparing for my current life, and also a rather illuminating explanation of how we know (when in spirit) that its time to incarnate.  So, until then…        

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XIX

So, returning to the transcript of my LBL hypnosis session…

Immediately after I identified my oncology nurse Megan as being my Spirit Guide, Amy (my hypnotist) directed the discussion towards my cancer.

Amy:  This wasn’t one of your questions, but do you want to ask anything about the cancer?

 John:  Yeah, I do.  (Long pause).  Necessary, as I thought.  I have to accept it, and I pretty much do.  It has a purpose.  I’m afraid to ask where it’s going to lead.  I don’t think I’m going to ask that.

Amy:  OK.

John:  I don’t even know if they would tell me.

Amy:  OK.  Do you want to ask if there’s something you can do that will change the outcome?

John:  Live a cleaner life.  Eat better.  Treat my body better.  Let go of the past, let go of the worries.  Lighten up.  That will be a big help.  Worry makes the body denser.  It compresses it.  And density is bad.  The more dense, the more poisoned or decayed or malfunctioning or corrupt things are.  Worrying is like a pressure that makes everything denser.  I have to ease the pressure, then things will get better.  It’s like squashing a fruit.  If you squeeze the juice out of it, it’s not good.

Amy:  Great!  I’m glad we asked, huh?

 John:  (Laughs) I’m glad you asked.  I didn’t want to think about it. 

I’d like to make some commentary on the above exchange.  First, God bless Amy for deciding to take the session in this direction.  As I think back now, it seems incredible to me that I hadn’t included my cancer situation on the list of things to be explored during the LBL session.  Yet, when I consider my final remark, “I didn’t want to think about it”, and my earlier statement, “I’m afraid to ask where it’s going to lead.  I don’t think I’m going to ask that,” it becomes pretty obvious that the omission was not an oversight but rather an intentional – albeit unconscious or subconscious – attempt to avoid the topic due to fear of learning something unpleasant.  Thinking about it now, it seems fairly unlikely to me that my Council would permit me any foreknowledge if my cancer situation is destined to end horribly.  I even alluded to that during the session when I said, “I don’t even know if they would tell me.”  I have to admit that I become very sad now whenever I read or listen to the part where I say that I’m afraid to ask where it’s going to lead.  It really drives home the reality of the mental and emotional anguish which cancer patients suffer - often alone in the depths of their own minds so as not to upset loved ones – and also the degree to which we must cultivate a state of denial in order to be able to somehow cope with this horror and, to the extent possible, get on with our lives.  It’s a very depressing realization, yet that is the truth of the situation.

I’d also like to comment on my statement that the cancer is, “Necessary, as I thought.  I have to accept it, and I pretty much do.  It has a purpose.”  This is true; from the very beginning of this nightmare I’ve always had the attitude that it was necessary – I’ve never felt cursed or the victim of bad luck – and I have accepted it as being part of my karma, an unpleasant learning situation to help me to overcome some negative acts or tendencies from either a past life or my current life.  But let me be clear: When I say I feel it is “necessary” and that I “accept it” I sure as hell am not saying I like it, or that I don’t want to get rid of it.  Trust me, I pray constantly to God to rid this blight from my body, even going so far as to ask that I be forgiven the karmic debt that made the cancer necessary.  That, to me, is a sign of how desperate I feel about the cancer, since I doubt karmic debts would be forgiven so easily (although I really don’t know) and it is against the whole point of karma to even request such a thing, yet I want to be free of this disease so desperately that I’m willing to make requests that I think are unrealistic and unlikely to be honored.  Also, I’m personally doing everything I can to try and rid myself of this disease – I’ve made drastic changes in my diet, have sought medical intervention, do guided imagery, exercise, and generally do anything that I think might assist me in removing the cancer from my body.  So when I say I “accept” it what I mean is I recognize it as being necessary from the perspective of karma.  My wife often says to me, “I’m furious that you have cancer!  It’s so unfair.  Aren’t you angry?”  And my answer is always, “No, I’m not angry.  I’m extremely sad and depressed about it, but I don’t feel anger over it.”  I just hope and pray that merely contracting cancer and dealing with the horrors of the early stages will be enough to balance whatever karmic debt caused it to be necessary, and that it will not be necessary for me to see this nightmare through to its bitter end. 

Finally, I found quite interesting my remarks about how worrying makes the body denser and the corrupting effect this density has on the physical body.  We all know that worry and stress are bad for our health, but I never before considered the possibility that worrying makes the body denser.  I do, however, associate “density” with negative things – i.e., negative emotions are more dense than positive emotions, the physical plane is more dense than the spiritual plane, etc. – but I never applied the concept of denseness to physical health.  I think my comments in this regard provide an interesting explanation as to why worrying degrades the immune system and thus results in health problems.  After I reviewed this portion of the transcript I thought a lot about what I had said, and the whole thing made sense to me.  Worrying and stress really do feel like pressure, like we are being squeezed or crushed; indeed, when suffering extreme anxiety it is often hard to breath – we feel suffocated and a tightness in our chest.  This was just one of several “unique” ideas which came out of my mouth while under hypnosis yet which I do not recall ever previously giving any thought to.  I found many of these utterances interesting and fascinating and upon reviewing the transcript thought, “Wow, what an intriguing concept,” and I found it hard to believe that these ideas had come out of my mind.  They really were like revelations to me, and I consider that to be further evidence of the validity of the LBL hypnotic experience.  And even if one presumes that these thoughts simply came from my subconscious rather than from another realm of existence, then I still find it astounding that such relevant and interesting ideas might be floating around my subconscious. 

Next time I will continue on with the transcript, exploring some suggestions I received on changing my personality and my attitudes toward life.  Until then…              

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XVIII

As I intended, during my next visit to the radiation facility I started to tell my nurse Megan what I had learned regarding her and me and the afterlife; in order to provide some background I began by summarizing some of Michael Newton’s findings regarding the Spirit Realm, then I told her about my initial belief that we might be members of the same soul group, and finally I told her about my surprising discovery, while undergoing LBL hypnosis, that she is my Spirit Guide.  She seemed to be quite moved by my revelation, at least on an emotional level, but, being a strict Catholic and thus not a believer in reincarnation, she remained skeptical about the validity of what I had experienced.  I described to her how real the experience felt to me, and, as further proof, I reminded her of my inexplicable feelings of familiarity and security when in her presence.  She still remained dubious, so I pushed on by pointing out an interesting and relevant fact discovered by many researchers: when very advanced souls return to a lifetime on Earth they usually end up in a public service career, most often in the medical field.  She agreed that this would seem logical since one would expect an advanced soul to be strongly driven to help people in some capacity.  I then asked Megan what career could be of greater service to people than being an oncology nurse.  This point seemed to finally break through to her because her face suddenly took on a pensive look and she said, “Yes.  That’s right.”  Finally I hit her with the fact that, unbeknownst to both of us, we had grown up within walking distance to one another.  “Can that be just a coincidence?” I asked.  “No,” she said, “I had actually been wondering about that myself.”  Unfortunately we quickly ran out of time and could not discuss the matter further.  I did however give her a copy of Michael Newton’s first book, Journey of Souls.  I also asked her to make note of anything that might occur to her that might serve as further proof that we are somehow connected in the afterlife.     

On my next visit, one year later, we did not have an opportunity to discuss the matter further since my most recent PSA result had been very high and we thus spent the time addressing my cancer situation.  So I have no idea if Megan read Dr. Newton’s book and I have no idea if she has recalled any information that might serve as validation for the discovery that she is my Spirit Guide.  Needless to say, presuming that my cancer situation presents no further pressing concerns, I’m planning on questioning her on both points during my next visit later this year.  I want to make clear that, personally, I don’t feel the need for any further validation of the possibility of Megan being my Spirit Guide; I’m totally convinced that this is so.  But any further evidence that she might provide would be helpful in convincing her and others, and would be exciting and interesting news for me.  It goes without saying that it has been EXTREMELY frustrating for me to know my Spirit Guide and yet be limited to spending only 10 to 15 minutes a year speaking with her.  Yet I nevertheless feel lucky to be able to know my Guide at all, something most people do not have the good fortune to experience.

As an interesting addendum to this part of my story, I’d like to relate the following experience which occurred some months after the visit when I told Megan of my LBL finding.  I had been reading another book about LBL hypnosis findings entitled Between Death and Life by Dolores Cannon.  In that book it was revealed that there is a place in the Spirit Realm called “The Temple of Healing” also known as “The Chamber of Colors and Light” where souls – including people who are incarnating – can go to receive healing.  When I read this I thought it would be a good idea for me to attempt to visit there for help with my cancer.  So one day while lying in bed I began meditating - I’ve found that since my experiences being hypnotized I can get into a very deep meditative state on my own, sometimes almost semi-hypnotic – and I attempted to “travel” to the Temple of Healing.  For a while nothing seemed to be happening, but then suddenly I perceived myself being in a narrow cylindrically shaped room with stone walls and a very, very high ceiling.  I looked up and way above me I saw bursts and twinklings of various colored lights – green, yellow, blue, white.  I stared in amazement and awe, then I remembered what I had been seeking and in sudden recognition I thought, “So this is the Chamber of Colors and Light?”  And, totally unexpected, in my head I clearly heard Megan’s very distinct voice say, very sarcastically, “Do you see colors and lights?”  I literally laughed out loud.  I had often prayed to my Spirit Guide when seeking help and guidance, but, prior to my LBL hypnosis sessions, the Guide I prayed to was a faceless, nameless abstraction.  Now, after having had the “Chamber of Colors and Light” experience related above, I specifically communicate with Megan when I seek assistance from my Guide.  And I clearly hear her voice in response.  Maybe I’ve gone totally nuts, but I have to say it is a very comforting feeling to have a real person in mind when one prays to one’s Spirit Guide.  As a simple test to see if this mental communication with Megan was real, I mentally contacted her and asked her to do a specific thing during my next real-world visit with her; by the time that visit occurred I had totally forgotten about my request and thus I was not on the lookout for it.  Just as our visit was coming to an end, Megan did the very thing I had requested of her.  It didn’t occur to me until I was in my car on the drive home, and when I realized what had happened I was awestruck! 

In my next posting I will return to the transcript of my hypnosis session and continue the discussion of further things I learned.  Until then…

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XVII

As I said at the end of my previous posting, I’d like to comment upon the situation of a soul having two Guides.  Let me begin by quoting a pertinent section from Dr. Newton’s Journey of Souls: “It is not uncommon to find guides working in pairs with people on Earth, each with their own approaches to teaching.  In these cases one is dominant, although the more experienced senior guide may actually be less evident in day-to-day activities of their charges.  The reason for this spiritual arrangement in tandem is because one of the pair is either in training (such as a junior guide under a senior), or the association is so long-standing between the two guides (as with a senior to a master) that a permanent relationship has evolved.” 

Comparing the above statement to my own personal LBL experience I find it interesting that I noted that Kayla is a young guide-in-training under the tutelage of the more advanced soul Megan.  Even more relevant, I specifically mentioned that “Megan has removed herself a bit from as direct involvement with me as she would have, and Kayla has stepped into that role.”  This corresponds exactly to Newton’s remark that the “senior guide may actually be less evident in day-to-day activities of their charges“.  While these similarities are compelling it must nevertheless be noted that they might very well be the result of my having read that information in Dr. Newton’s book and then recalling it while under hypnosis.  If that is the case then I can honestly say that I had no conscious recollection of having read that information (other than knowing that two guides are possible) and also that my sense while under hypnosis was that I was honestly relating the truth as it pertained to me and my Guides.  But I’ll be the first to admit that it ultimately is a case of which came first, the chicken or the egg?  I obviously cannot say for certain whether the similarities between my LBL experience and the information contained in Journey of Souls indicates a validation of the reality of my experience, or was merely an unconscious recall of information stored in my subconscious and falsely interpreted by my mind as a spiritual experience.  Again, all I can say is that the LBL experience felt quite “real” to me and I did not have any conscious recollection of having been previously exposed to similar information from Dr. Newton’s book.

There is also a lot more I’d like to discuss regarding my nurse Megan.  First let me just briefly break away from the chronological presentation of my hypnosis session and jump ahead to a later section; as I was about to visit the “place of life selection” I made the following additional comment about my Spirit Guide/nurse Megan:  “Megan’s a bit sarcastic.  I find that amusing, but irritating.  Kayla’s more loving and warmer, but not as experienced.  I’m comforted by Megan’s experience – all she knows and all she’s learned.  She offers a lot from that, but she’s also a pain in the ass sometimes.  I lean more towards Kayla.” 

Of initial interest is the fact that it was Kayla who greeted me upon my return to the Spirit Realm (see posting of 11/4/09) after the end of my previous life (i.e., my life as a soldier in WWII – see my postings of 9/5/09 and 9/6/09).  This is totally consistent with my statement above that I seem to favor Kayla because she’s “more loving and warmer” – it would stand to reason that if I do have two Spirit Guides, then the one designated to greet me during my crossover would be the one I felt a greater affinity for; it may seem like a small point but, as with a detective questioning a suspect, it’s the consistencies or inconsistencies in the small points that help to determine the truthfulness of the story (“the devil is in the details,” as they say).   

Over the course of the more than seven years that I have been attending the radiation facility where I first received my treatments I have grown very fond of Megan and I feel that we have formed an exceptional bond - in my posting of 3/10/11 I gave some of the reasons why this is so.  I should also note that this fondness and bonding began long before I became aware of Megan being my Spirit Guide.  Interestingly, our relationship did not start out this way, at least from my perspective; initially I thought that Megan and I would never get along and I expected to have some very unpleasant interactions with her, indeed I would describe our earliest relationship as being borderline hostile.  Now when I look back on those days I am astounded that our relationship turned out as it did, which is totally the opposite of what I had expected.  I honestly find the whole evolution of our relationship inexplicable.  I don’t take well to the people under the best of circumstances, so considering the rocky start with which my relationship with Megan began it’s a wonder that I like her at all, yet the truth is that aside from my wife and my son Megan is the person I most like and respect in this world.  Again, this in and of itself doesn’t prove anything, yet it is an anomaly about which one cannot help but wonder.

In my posting of 3/10/11 I mentioned that I had wanted to tell Megan, during one of my medical appointments, my suspicion that we are members of the same soul group but that we had gotten side-tracked by the discovery that we had grown up in neighborhoods very close to one another and thus we ran out of time before I could mention my theory.  So I had decided to bring up the subject again during my next visit, which would be a full year away.  But it was during the period between those visits that I had gone to Amy for regressive hypnosis and discovered that Megan was not merely a member of my soul group but, rather, was my Spirit Guide.  So, during my next visit with Megan I was extremely excited about telling her this news, although I had no idea how she would react to it.  When I had, on my previous visit one year earlier, broached the subject of reincarnation and past lives with Megan she indicated that she is a strict Catholic and therefore, consistent with Catholic doctrine, she does not believe in reincarnation.  This was a blow to me because I immediately wondered: How can I get her to consider the possibility that we’re in the same soul group (never mind the possibility of her being my Spirit Guide) if she doesn’t even believe in reincarnation?  In any event, on this subsequent visit I bravely broached the subject again: I reminded her what I had begun discussing during the previous visit (which she did recall) and then I launched into what I had newly learned while undergoing LBL hypnosis.  And that will be the kick-off point for my next posting.  Until then…

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XVI

Last time I laid the groundwork for the background information that I felt was necessary in order to make sense of and appreciate the startling revelation about my cancer nurse that would unexpectedly come out of my Life Between Lives hypnosis session.  In that previous posting I explained that prior to my LBL session, or any hypnosis session for that matter, I had independently formed the opinion that Megan, the nurse at the medical facility where I had received my cancer treatments, might be a member of my soul group.  That explains why Megan was the only person, in addition to my wife and son, who I wanted to learn more about during my LBL session.  Basically, I wanted to see if I was correct in my belief that she was a member of my soul group; personally, I was already virtually 100% convinced of this, for the reasons discussed in my last posting.  So let’s pick up in the session where Amy (my hypnotist) addresses this point (this occurs immediately after I talked about my relationship with my wife and son, i.e., right after the transcript portion presented in my posting of 3/5/11):

Amy:  And how about your nurse friend?

John:  I sense she’s an old soul too.

Amy:  Is she in your soul group?

John:  I don’t sense that, but I do sense that she’s someone I know there.  But she’s too advanced to be in my group, I think.

Let’s stop a moment to really consider this – two amazing facts were just revealed here:

First, Megan is not a member of my soul group, in spite of the fact that I was convinced that she was (this situation of having information disclosed via LBL which is at odds with the hypnosis subject’s conscious beliefs offers, I believe, some very strong confirmation of the validity and credibility of the LBL experience – see my posting of 9/15/09 for a more in-depth discussion of the validity of hypnotic regression)

Second, Megan is “too advanced to be in my soul group” – this is of staggering importance in that it indicates that Megan must be an extremely advanced soul.  Recall discussions of the auras radiated by souls in the Spirit Realm from earlier postings (LBL Session Part III, 9/19/09, and LBL Session Part IV, 9/21/09) where it was revealed that my wife’s aura is light purple while my aura is blue; according to Dr. Newton’s findings this would identify my wife as being at the “highly advanced” spiritual development stage and me at the “advanced” stage.  Since my wife and I are in the same soul group and since members of a particular soul group are all at, or very close to, the same development level, the fact that Megan is “too advanced to be in my soul group” indicates that she is at an amazingly advanced level of spiritual development.  I have to wonder: Exactly what color is Megan’s aura?  If I remember correctly, I don’t think that Dr. Newton ever interacted with a soul that was beyond the purple aura level.  But, as astonishing as this revelation regarding Megan is, the bombshell that follows was even more awesome to me, and yet it is perfectly consistent with this discovery of Megan’s extremely advanced spiritual level.

Since, under hypnosis, I wasn’t able to ascertain the connection between me and Megan in the Spirit Realm, Amy thought up a brilliant way around the blockage:

Amy:  Can you ask someone on the Council?

John:  I sense she’s like a Guide, but I can’t tell if she’s Kayla (i.e., my Spirit Guide who met me as I crossed over) or not.  Or another Guide.  Can there be two Guides?

Amy:  Sure.

John:  Yes.  Oh, I think Kayla is a young Guide in training, that’s what it is.  So Megan has removed herself a bit from as direct involvement with me as she would have, and Kayla has stepped into that role.  Megan is still my Guide and came to help me through the cancer, as I thought.  There was no mistake.

So there’s the mind-blowing revelation: Megan, my cancer nurse in my current Earth life, is my Spirit Guide!  I cannot even begin to describe how awesome and incredible and emotional a discovery this was for me; Dr. Newton specifically refers to this as “the emotional intoxication a subject feels when an in-life contact is made with their guide.”  To know one’s Guide while living a life on Earth is amazing and wonderful and, as far as I know, rare.  In fact, one of my first reactions to this revelation was disbelief because I didn’t think it was possible for a soul and his/her Guide to have any interaction in an earthly life, but then I recalled the story (from Michael Newton’s book Journey of Souls) of a woman who, while undergoing LBL hypnosis, discovered that her son in her current life was her Spirit Guide.  Once I recalled that story, I accepted what I learned about Megan being my Guide.   

There are several things I want to elaborate on regarding this discovery.  First, it is odd that as I began to get the “message” that Megan is my Guide I asked, “Can there be two Guides?”  In Dr. Newton’s books it is made very clear that a person can, in fact, have two Guides (see next posting for more on this), and I was well aware of this since I did read his books.  Yet I can clearly recall being momentarily mystified by this realization, and I can also recall why: I had already identified Kayla as my Guide, and I simply found it hard to believe that someone I knew in my current life would be my Guide.  But even as I asked the question “Can there be two Guides?” I already knew the answer as indicated by my reply of “Yes” as Amy said “Sure.”

Secondly, I’d like to comment on my statement that “Megan is still my Guide and came to help me through the cancer, as I thought.  There was no mistake.”  This is referring to what I discussed in my previous posting (3/10/11) about my belief, after rereading the relevant section in Dr. Newton’s book, that Megan came into my life to help me get through the difficult challenges of dealing with cancer – I did not realize that she was doing this in the capacity of my Spirit Guide (I thought she was merely a member of my soul group), but I was correct in my assessment that she came into my life in order to help me deal with my cancer ordeal.  This is what I meant when I said, “There was no mistake.”  I think that it’s interesting that I reasoned this out almost totally accurately on my own, and it’s important to realize that I would not have figured this out had I never read Dr. Newton’s books and been familiar with the details of the afterlife learned therein.  This suggests an important point, and something I feel very passionately about regarding the whole field of LBL research: I think it is extremely important and beneficial for people to read books about LBL and become familiar with what the research teaches us; I believe it can help us evaluate occurrences and circumstances in our lives in a much more meaningful, accurate and useful way.  I can definitely attest to LBL having had such an effect on my life.  Indeed, I can honestly say that I filter virtually everything I experience through an LBL outlook on life; Before I do or say anything I think to myself, “How will I feel going before my Council having handled this situation in such-and-such a manner?”  Once I evaluate a situation in this way I find that my handling of it is usually done in a much better way than if I had simply acted spontaneously or thoughtlessly – I know I will be accountable for everything I do and say in this life and therefore I try very hard to handle things in a way now so that I won’t feel ashamed or guilty when I have to face my actions later in the afterlife.  Also, any challenges that present themselves to me I now look upon as being put there to assist me in my spiritual or karmic advancement, rather that bemoaning my “bad luck” at the hands of a cruel and random fate.  Trust me, life is much easier when you look at it in this way, and the way you conduct yourself will be much better – at least, that has been the case with me.  In my opinion, merely being aware of the facts pertaining to LBL can be a very positive life-transforming experience.  Many, many people who have had near death experiences (NDEs) have found their life transformed in a similar manner, and I think we can realize a similar transformation in our lives without having to undergo a traumatic near death experience; we simply have to educate ourselves about the facts and details of our life between lives, and we can do that by reading books such as those by Michael Newton and/or by undergoing LBL regressive hypnosis.

Finally, I’d like to comment upon the situation of a soul having two Guides, but I’ll save that (as well as some more information about Megan) for my next posting.

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XV

Recall that before Amy and I actually began my LBL hypnosis session we discussed some of the questions and concerns I wanted to address, and one of the key areas I wanted to explore was what roles, if any, the important people in my current life might play in my spirit life (see My “Life Between Lives” Hypnosis Session – Part I, 10/30/09).  I want to note that, as you might expect, the desire to explore the potentially broader roles played by people in one’s current life is very common among people undergoing LBL hypnosis.  This would stand to reason not only because it would be an obvious point of interest but also because the work of Michael Newton and others in the LBL field clearly indicates that the key people in our lives often incarnate with us in various capacities from lifetime to lifetime and are also often members of our soul group; thus it’s no surprise that we would be curious to discover the extent to which this might be true about the people we consider important to us.  In my previous posting I covered the exploration into the roles played by my wife and son (which was actually begun earlier in the session when I first encountered them as I initially crossed over, and then continued at this later part of the session – see my postings of 11/19/09, 11/21/09, 1/26/10 and 3/25/10 for the earlier discussions).  There was only one other person who I wanted to investigate in this regard and that was the nurse at the facility where I received the radiation treatments for my prostate cancer.  If you’re familiar with the other postings in this blog then you know that I’ve mentioned on several occasions that I’m not a very social person and that I prefer to keep to myself (the reason for this aspect of my personality was interestingly and unexpectedly revealed during an earlier hypnosis session which explored my past life as a soldier in World War II – see my posting of 9/6/09), so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the number of people I was interested in looking into was quite small; but what probably is a bit shocking is that one of the people on that very short list would be a nurse at a medical facility where I received treatment.  This requires some explanation, and that explanation turns out to be very relevant to the amazing information about this nurse that was revealed during this part of the session.  So let me give you a little background: 

I received forty-one radiation treatments over a period of nine weeks during the summer of 2004.  The treatments were done five days each week, Monday through Friday, and on one day each week I also sat with the nurse at the facility to afford her the opportunity to see how I was holding up and to allow me to bring up any problems or concerns I was having.  Initially my meetings with Megan (not her real name) were very formal and business-like, but over time we fell into a more casual relationship and I began to feel very comfortable and relaxed when in her presence.  Megan initially struck me as a tough woman but I quickly learned that beneath her business-like exterior there was a very caring person who felt genuine concern for her patients, much more so than any other doctor or nurse I’d ever dealt with.  Also, she would do anything to help her patients in any way possible and on more than one occasion I benefited greatly from her generous assistance.  But most importantly, Megan has the wildest and craziest sense of humor of anyone I’ve ever known.  I can’t count the times she had me laughing so hard that I had tears in my eyes.  The nine weeks of radiation treatments were a living hell in more ways than one, and I honestly don’t know how I would have gotten through it with my sanity intact if it were not for Megan’s kindness, help, and comical antics.  After the treatments ended I continued to have follow-up appointments at this facility, and I do so even to this day.  Over that long period of time I had begun to realize that the feeling that came over me each time I’d meet with Megan was highly unusual, especially for me; I had a feeling of extreme comfort and security, and a very strong sense of “Ahhh, I’m home now.”  This baffled me immensely; yes, I’d obviously grown very fond of Megan for all the reasons discussed earlier, but the feelings I was experiencing were far beyond that.  It was also obvious to me that they were not romantic feelings – it was something much, much deeper and infinitely more profound.  It was particularly uncharacteristic of me to feel this way since I generally don’t like people, even a little bit, and I never, ever put anyone (except my wife) on a pedestal, yet I was having this profound sense of familiarity and comfort every time I was in Megan’s presence.  I began to explore these feelings more and more and I came to realize that I had a strong sense that I had known Megan a long time and that there was a very, very powerful connection between us, far beyond what could be explained by the very limited interaction which was occurring between us (what ultimately became about 15 or 20 minutes once a year).  Since I was a firm believer in reincarnation, I finally came to the conclusion that Megan and I had probably known each other in a previous lifetime; that would account for the strong feeling of familiarity I had with regard to Megan, and the feelings of comfort and security could be attributed to the probability that our relationship in that previous life was a positive one.  This theory seemed to explain all the unusual feelings I was experiencing when in Megan’s presence so I accepted it as being the most plausible explanation; once I’d done that I no longer gave my feelings about Megan much thought and the great mystery had been put to rest as far as I was concerned. 

Approximately six to twelve months later I had been thinking a lot about the afterlife (for reasons completely unrelated to Megan) and I decided to reread Michael Newton’s first two books, Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls.  One day while rereading one of those books I was reading a section which discussed the possible roles played by members of a person’s soul group in that person’s lifetimes.  If a member of our soul group incarnates with us it is usually in a role that is very close to us, generally as a good friend or a sibling.  However, Dr. Newton went on to note that occasionally two members of a soul group may incarnate together in a very limited and temporary capacity, their life paths crossing only briefly and superficially.  This happens, he explained, when one of them is going through a particularly difficult time in his or her life, and the other person temporarily comes into their life to help them through this challenging situation.  When I read this part the book literally fell out of my hands.  I remember sitting there with the book in my lap and saying out loud in an empty room, “Megan.”  It then all became clear to me: Megan and I did not simply know each other in a past life – we were members of the same soul group!  The more I thought about it, the more sense it made; Megan came into my life at precisely the time I was going through the worst ordeal of my life – prostate cancer – and she absolutely was almost single-handedly responsible for helping me to deal with it and get through it.  Also, this explained (much better than my previous theory) why I had such a strong impression of familiarity and comfort when I was with Megan – members of the same soul group are very close to one another and have an eternal connection that runs very, very deep.  I’m not exaggerating when I say that I sat there in awe, utterly amazed and astounded at this unexpected turn of events.  I couldn’t wait to discuss it with Megan.  Actually, for a long time I had wanted to tell Megan about my earlier theory that we might have known each other in a previous life, but at the same time I was a bit apprehensive; I had never mentioned to Megan anything about my beliefs regarding reincarnation or the afterlife, and I had no idea what she believed in that regard.  Also, I was afraid that an attempt by me to discuss this with her might look like some convoluted scheme I had devised to pick up girls – “Haven’t we met before? … like in the AFTERLIFE!”  Nevertheless, in spite of my trepidation, I did bring up the topic with Megan during my next follow-up visit several months later.  

During that next visit I said to Megan, “There’s something I’ve been dying to talk with you about for a long time but I haven’t brought it up because I was afraid you’d think I was crazy.”  She replied, totally seriously, “Oh that’s OK; I’m completely crazy, so don’t worry about it.”  I laughed and then proceeded to tell her my theory; I first gave her a very quick summary of Dr. Newton’s findings, then I told her about the feelings I’d been having in her presence, then I told her about my first theory that we might have known each other in a past life; but before I could get to discuss my suspicion that we were members of the same soul group we were sidetracked by a shockingly unexpected discovery – unbeknownst to either of us, Megan and I had grown up in the same city literally walking distance from one another!  I nearly fell out of my chair when she casually mentioned where she grew up.  “I grew up right near there!” I almost shouted.  Naturally, this discovery led to discussions about our old neighborhoods, where we went to school, etc., etc., so I never got the chance to tell her my thoughts about us being members of the same soul group.  And I would have to wait an entire year (i.e., until my next follow-up visit) before I would get the opportunity to continue our discussion.  But between this visit with Megan and the next, I would undergo several regressive hypnosis sessions – and what I would learn about my relationship with Megan would be even more mind-blowing than my theory about us being in the same soul group.  But that will have to wait until my next posting, so until then…               

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XIV

Well, it’s been a looooong time since my last posting.  I won’t bother going into all the reasons why, but I do want to take a moment to mention that I’m going to postpone the in-depth update on my cancer situation (which I had promised to do at the end of my previous posting).  At that time I had received some good news which seemed to indicate that things had improved dramatically regarding my prostate cancer, and I thought that I could finally breathe a sigh of relief and find some peace for a change (and I also thought that that would be the perfect time to address the whole cancer story in this blog).  Unfortunately, some recent tests suggest that things may not be as good as I had thought (this is one of the reasons for the long break since my last post).  I want to be clear that I have no definitive information; indeed, my experience with prostate cancer has shown that there is very little which is definite or definitive from a medical perspective – PSA results fluctuate wildly and each doctor has his or her own unique interpretation of what this portends; imaging results indicate the presence of something which “may or may not be cancer,” and again the doctors’ opinions vary greatly.  In short, my experience has been like a wild rollercoaster ride with endless lows and highs – bad news/good news/bad news/good news …on and on with no clear resolution in sight – to say it has been emotionally exhausting and psychologically devastating would be an understatement.  So I’m going to hold off on any in-depth discussion on the cancer issue until I learn something a bit more concrete (if ever).

 Meanwhile, let’s return to my Life Between Lives hypnosis session.  My last posting involved a discussion about guidance that I received from my Council to not place undue importance on the past.  The end of that posting actually marked the end of that discussion in my hypnosis session as well.  At that point Amy (my hypnotist) moved the session on to other areas of interest, one of which was the roles played by some of the important people in my current life; in my posting of October 30, 2009 (My “Life Between Lives” Hypnosis Session – Part I), I discussed the questions and points I had wanted to address during my LBL session and I noted: “I also wanted to discover if certain people in my current life also play a major part in my spirit life; specifically, I was interested in my wife, my son, and the nurse at the cancer facility where I was originally treated.”  It is at the addressing of this point where we pick up in my LBL session:

 Amy:  So how about the people in your life?  Starting with your wife.

 John:  My soulmate, definitely.  More advanced soul.  I’m here to bring out her emotions.  That’s her weakness.  I may be a little too flippant or carefree, but she’s too much the other way.  She’s an anchor to me, and I’m wings to her.  I need to be held down, she needs to be brought up.  It’s a good mix.

 Amy:  And how about your son?

 John:  He’s like me.  She’s holding us both down.  She’s keeping us more centered, a lot more sane.

 I want to break away from the transcript here and discuss some of the points that were made during that last exchange.  First, my comments about my wife here are totally consistent with my remarks regarding her from earlier in the hypnosis session, as well as being consistent with the relationship she and I have together in our present lives (see my postings from 11/19/09, 11/21/09, and 3/25/10).  Particularly with regard to us now, my wife is a very serious and “stoic” (her word) person while I am extremely emotional.  And I do feel that, because of these disparate personalities, we complement each other quite well – as I said under hypnosis, “She’s an anchor to me, and I’m wings to her.  I need to be held down, she needs to be brought up.  It’s a good mix.”  We really do have such an effect on one another.

 Second, regarding my son in my current life, again my comments under hypnosis here are fully consistent with my earlier comments as well as with the relationship my son and I have in our current life together.  In my posting from 1/26/10 it was revealed that my son is my best friend in the Spirit Realm and that we have had many lifetimes together where we were very close, and also that we’ve had a tendency to get into trouble together in past lives as well as in the Spirit Realm.  This ties in nicely with my comment above that my wife keeps both me and my son centered and sane.  I think it is also interesting to note that the relationship between me and my wife (and my son) is in full agreement with the aspect of the karmic scheme whereby particular souls incarnate with one another for the express purpose of providing mutual assistance in developing and maturing both spiritually and karmically.  This, to me, provides a degree of validation of the truth of the karmic system: we are paired up with people who possess certain traits and qualities which interact with our unique personalities in such a way as to enable us both to advance and grow.  It is quite an impressive and efficient system.     

 The third and final aspect of this portion of my hypnosis session that I want to discuss at length relates to the revelations regarding my nurse.  I found this portion to be one of the most interesting and meaningful of the entire hypnosis session, and thus I feel it deserves to have an entire posting devoted exclusively to it.  Also, since I’ve said very little about my nurse thus far in this blog, I would also like to discuss the relevant background information necessary to fully appreciate exactly just how profound these revelations were.  So next time I will reveal the amazing fact I learned about my nurse and I will elaborate upon its relevance to my current life and to the broader canvas of the Spirit Realm in general.  Until then… 

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XIII

   Picking up where I left off at my last posting…

 

Amy:  Is there a sense that you’re still carrying judgment of yourself from past lives?

 

John:  Yes!  And even from this life, early on, and I’m not supposed to be.  None of us are supposed to be.  We’re not supposed to do that.  I find that odd but… Huh! And that’s why we’re not supposed to be judgmental of others.  Anything anyone did doesn’t matter.  It’s what we’re doing now.  That’s everything.  I… didn’t see things this way.  I can’t believe it.  Hmmm.

 

Amy:  What?

 

John:  (Laughs).  I thought we learned from the past by looking at the past, and that’s totally wrong.  We learn from the past when the past is the present.  We’re learning then, and once we move on, to look back to it to learn is foolish and counter-productive.  I do that a lot.  That’s not right.  I don’t, uh…  The forest and the trees.  You learned back then, why do you have to learn now?  It’s interesting.  Too much value on the past.  The value on the past is when it’s the present.  Once it’s the past, it has no value; it’s nothing.  Forget it.  Forget about it.  They’re showing me ropes.  I’m tied to my past.  My past is like a wagon, a heavy wagon, and I’m like a horse pulling it.  And the ropes attached to the wagon are what’s holding me back.  I should let it go.  Untie the ropes, cut the ropes.  It’s amazing.  Wow.  Oh, God.

 

OK.  There’s A LOT I want to say about this last section:

 

• First, the emotions I was feeling during this portion of the session, as conveyed by my voice, were quite deep.  When I said, “Anything anyone did doesn’t matter,” my voice had a sense of awe about it, as though this information was a personal revelation to me.  Likewise, at the end when I said, “Wow.  Oh, God,” there was again a sense of being awe-struck, but on an even more profound level, conveying a sense of intense wonderment.  When I listened to the recording, the way I said,”Wow.  Oh, God,” actually sent chills down my spine.  When I said, “Forget it.  Forget about it,” my voice had a forceful quality to it, as though I were issuing a command.  Presumably it actually was a command from the Council to me, which I was now conveying directly (recall my comment in my previous posting that some of the statements which I made during this portion of the session appeared to be channeled).

 

• Second, a point continually made here is that we should not dwell in the past but, rather, it is the present that is important.  While this is not a particularly novel idea I was nevertheless rather impressed with the way it was presented here.  I particularly liked the imagery of me pulling a heavy wagon as a metaphor for how a too-intense focus on the past can hold us back.  I also found interesting the similarities between the wisdom conveyed by my Council and the book “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.  In his wonderful book Mr. Tolle makes the point that living in the present – i.e., the Now – is the surest path to happiness and enlightenment; the past is over and the future is uncertain, so any time spent worrying about either is wasted and pointless.  The guidance conveyed to me by my Council is amazingly consistent with the premise of Mr. Tolle’s book.

 

• Third, I found especially poignant the observation that the fact that the past should not be dwelled upon is the reason why we should not be judgmental of others: We often, if not always, form judgments about people based upon their past actions, but the point that was quite emphatically made by my Council is that the past is over, let it go – “Forget about it” … not only with regard to ourselves, but with regard to others as well.

 

• Finally, as has been the case throughout my entire hypnosis experience, the comments made about me were astonishingly pertinent and accurate.  I really do place an inordinate amount of value and concern and anxiety on the past.  And if I think about it, it is very clear that it is confining and suppressing me.  The advice given to me to let go of the past and concentrate on the present affected me deeply and really has had an immensely positive transformative effect on me.  It might seem obvious and silly to some – hell, it seems ridiculously obvious to me, now – but I guess that’s what I meant when I said, “The forest and the trees.”  All that being said, I think it is very important to note that the wisdom offered by my Council, while directed at me and my particular circumstances, is not exclusive to me alone.  I think it is made quite clear that the advice and admonishments offered are valid for all people.  These are fundamental truisms, applicable to everyone.  As I note in my next statement below, “There are laws that guide this stuff.”

 

Returning to the transcript, Amy asked me, “Can you do that right now?  (i.e., cut the ropes, let go of the past).”  My response, while introducing the caveat that the past is not completely without value, finally brings the concept’s disparate pieces together in a nice, neat package.

 

John:  Yeah!  Once I see it, it’s like insane… oh, oh, God!  No, no, no.  Don’t devalue the past.  The past is not without value.  Just keep it in the right place.  You can think about it; you can recall things from it, but only that – only informational.  There should be no emotional attachment to the past – that’s the point.  That’s the point.  I’m getting it now.  That’s the point.  That’s where I got confused.  I knew I needed to look into the past, but only mentally.  All emotional attachment should be in the present.  There are laws – I knew it! – there are laws that guide this stuff.  We know them, but we forget them.  Very definite laws.  (Big sigh).

 

(Next time I’m going to finally address something I’ve been putting off for a long time: an update on my prostate cancer situation.  Until then…)       

My "Life Between Lives" Hypnosis Session - Part XII

   Picking up where I left off at my last posting…

 

Amy:  You’re next question is, “How successful have I been?”, but I think we just answered that.  (my third question) Is there something that you should be doing that you’re not doing?”

 

John:  Helping others more.  I’m still too selfish.  My desire to be alone is impeding that.

 

Amy:  Do they have any specific ideas about how you can help others more?

 

John:  I’m not supposed to be afraid of people hurting me.  If they hurt me, they hurt me.  I shouldn’t let the fear of that isolate me.  They say too much caution is not good for you.  It’s limiting.  But, at the same time they say I’m right about the influences of others (i.e., the fact that I was easily swayed by the negative influences of others, and that I make better personal choices when I’m left to myself – see my posting dated 4/6/10).  It’s almost like there’s a disagreement on the Council.  Some feel like I should open up more to people, others think I’m right, that I would have exposed myself to making the same mistakes I made in other lives, and the only way I could succeed in the things I wanted to succeed in in this life, I had to limit myself, they say.  I wasn’t wrong.  But I wanted to play it cautious.  That was my plan in the beginning.  My plan for this life.  I wanted to do that.  So I am living according to my plan, more or less.  I foresaw the problems and tendencies I’d get into and tried to prevent that from happening.

 

   I want to interject an interesting observation here: My statement above that “It’s almost like there’s a disagreement on the Council” truly amazed me.  In all my readings about the spirit realm I can’t recall ever once reading about a situation where Council members disagreed over their assessment of the correctness of a soul’s actions in a given lifetime.  I find this fascinating because it would seem to suggest that the criteria by which we are evaluated are not cut-and-dried; apparently even very advanced and wise souls base their evaluations of us on their personal opinions, and, even more incredibly, their opinions can differ!  The implication, obviously, is that whatever principles and norms govern behavior in the spirit realm (and, thus, our lives here on Earth) do not represent an exact science.  The implication of that possibility is extraordinary, and I can’t even begin to imagine the complexities and enigmas that would derive from it.    

 

   Anyway, to return to the session transcript, Amy once again was remarkably prescient and asked the million dollar question that led to what I consider the most enlightening and important information to come out of all my hypnosis sessions:

 

Amy:  How about now?  Do you and the Council feel that you’re strong enough now in your identity that you can come out of your shell a little bit more?

 

John:  That’s exactly what they’re saying: I’m staying in an obsolete mode now. I’ve learned a lot in this life now and developed some pretty strong personality traits, and am at the point where I can deal with this stuff better. And indeed, that’s how I should be testing my success.

 

   Amy then asked, “Is there anything else on this, or can we move on to the next question?”  But there was clearly much more that I – or, more likely, the Council -  had to say on this matter.

 

John:  I have to trust my own judgment.  I was right not to trust my judgment early on, but now I‘ve developed good judgment, very good judgment.  And now my judgment is actually better than that of others.  I’m not adapting well to the changes.

 

Amy:  Maybe you can now actually help people who are having the same kinds of problems that you used to have.

 

John:  I was worse than I thought, but I’m better than I think, is what they’re saying.  I’m judging things too much from past perspectives.  I can’t do it anymore.  It’s not valid.  If we move on, then that’s what counts.  Where we are is what counts.  Where we are now is what counts.

 

   I just want to mention something rather interesting … and eerie.  Somewhere during the last statement above I noticed a very distinct change in how I was conveying the information I was speaking.  It was as though I was no longer relaying the information passed on to me by the Council but rather I was acting as a direct conduit for the Council.  Although I did not comment on this to Amy after the session, it was obvious that she had nevertheless picked up on it too because she said to me, “There were some points in the session where it was almost as if you were channeling the information.”  And that is exactly how it felt to me – like I was channeling the information.  This “channeling” went on for the remainder of my discussion of this particular topic.             

 

(to be continued…)