A Little About Spirit Captive in Flesh

[bartholomew]

This is quite a common consideration in most religious circles although the details are seldom spoken of from the viewpoint of the soul. It is much more usual to do so from the standpoint of the man. And… very often matters of spirit are defined as being of two opposites. We find in Christianity that God in heaven is opposed to Satan on Earth. We might even come to consider the two to be equals. When this is the case it becomes easy to see why so many say that we are born into sin (and must be redeemed).

This is a short topic which has little to do with Christianity though. In mentioning it we gain a point from which we can better describe our spiritual natures. Can we begin by reaffirming that our spiritual selves are not in any way derived from nor are they subservient to the personality. They are superior to anything in the physical plane.

Our lower, non spiritual selves are products of genetics, experiences, environment and astrological influences. And… contrary to some authorities in the field, we humans do have a degree of genetic memories common to all others in our line.

Our souls are quite independent of any of this. They are the (more) eternal component of a human being. They are born to their own plane and there they stay while projecting into physical bodies here on Earth. But they are connected, in real time, to us in a very dynamic way.

It’s not too hard to imagine that our rational minds will guide us in the lower worlds while, at the same time, a degree of moderation is provided by both this and our souls. These influences are often thought of as being voices of consciences. Indeed those who think to be our spiritual guides are often our own souls. But it is also true that we have guides. We also have friends whether they may be currently incarnated or not who are capable, and often do, communicate with us. The medium for these communications is usually the mid range of the astral plane coupled with the lower mental. Communications via these avenues are often referred to as being psychic events.

The idea which is central to this topic is the way that our two natures so often express. They, in the common person, tend to mix sometimes in what may seem illogical ways. For instance a man may misbehave while at the same time, alternately, express high spiritual ideals. This is often seen and accepted even though it may be ascribed to some devil whose business it is to temp us. This tends to be common. What harm is there in metaphors? None. When it happens it is up to each of us to recognize it for what it is and then to make “amends” through the application of learned wisdom.

As a person ages physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually she or he will have discovered that the learned trait of self discipline is that quality which helps us to “keep to the right” as the Christian gospel song says. And, at the same time we might seek, gather to ourselves a store of merits which will, hopefully, offset those times when we fail in our duty to ourselves or others. This used to be more common in Christianity than now but it is still quite common in many Buddhist inspired religious practices. The giving of alms and/or the spinning of a prayer wheel are two examples. But supposing we gather wisdom to ourselves as well?

One of the very best ways to avoid the pitfalls of the lower planes is to keep ourselves clean in a physical and spiritual sense. It is to this end that many religions forbid alcohol or mandate certain diets. In new age terms if we can manage to keep our vibes high we will be poised for progress. But… the opportunities for failure and setbacks are still present.

The last point I wish to make and maybe the reader will agree… is that as we strive to the higher spiritual roads our lower natures will often color what is thought resulting in some small misuse of a wisdom gained. This happens to us all. It is a part, an essential one, of the dynamic of life.

How to manage such things? It’s not really so hard to do. The first thing is to realize the nature of the waters in which we swim and to hold to one course of another as best we can. The wise who, through the ages have spoken of such things tend to agree that if a man or woman can manage to keep on course at least seventy percent of the time great progress will be made towards a successful life.

Only the adepts and master souls among us will seem to be immune to what is spoken of here. In truth though, they are also susceptible to failures. Even they must be on guard. The great master soul, Jesus, fought this very same battle until he finally won through during his famous solitary time in the desert. A metaphor of being tempted by Satan is used. No matter.

And the struggles are often more than just situational. Sometimes we will have some chronic disease the managing or which requires we learn and apply self discipline. Sometimes this is almost more than we can bear. No matter the boulders thrown before us we will succeed. When we manage success will will find that our spiritual natures, our souls, have moved closer to us. Now control of the lower is greatly enhanced. This event is one of the more important of all the spiritual initiations about which references can be found in both Christian and spiritualist writings. Indeed there are many atheists who learn the very same lessons. And why shouldn’t they?


Bartholomew