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Seems the best time of the year for A Review of my Brief Series…
Let me begin by saying: this post kicks off a new series. One which I have felt led to explore and one which will ask for YOUR input. I have spoken with many of you over the past few years and have discovered a common ground among us. A subject about which we all have questions, so I would like to open a conversation, but a conversation cannot take place with only one involved. If you find yourself curious about the unknown; if you have had experiences that made you “say hmmmmm”; if you find yourself asking questions to which there are no “rational” answers, then this series may be of interest to you. And although this initial post may be longer than most, I’d like to begin by setting a foundation.
Spirituality is one of those things we all tend to skirt around, wanting neither to tread upon another’s toes (so to speak), nor to put ourselves out on that proverbial limb through expressing what it is we Believe. Even in one of my favourite holiday movies “The Polar Express”, the train conductor is careful to stop his passenger from sharing what it is he Believes, saying: “It’s nothing I need to know.” Somewhere along the way we became timid of spirit, where once we were unabashed and fearless. The crusades are a perfect example and, while it is fundamentally wrong to force anyone to convert their Beliefs to match our own, the fact that we once held our Beliefs so vitally important that we went to such extremes, where now we are often vigilant in concealing them, speaks volumes.
Life, Death, and the Beyond affect us all, every day; yet we do our utmost to avoid those subjects about which we know so little. I Believe, however, that it is through the honest and open communication of what we Believe that we gain understanding. I also Believe that it is not really a matter of who is right and who is wrong, but rather, it is a matter of who is Able to Believe and who is not.
I also Believe that being Able to Believe is an act of courage more than of faith, it always has been; particularly when expressing our Beliefs may have led (or may lead) us down the path of ostracism, cruelty and even death. Not so much has changed on that score (sadly), but this post is not about our hate and the unthinkable things we do to each other. This post is about Believing.
Believing in what, you might ask? Those We Do Not Speak Of, I answer. Those who have lived this Life and passed through Death into the Beyond. Where and what the Beyond is, I am also not here to debate. Heaven, Paradise, Valhalla, Stovokor; it matters very little what you or I may choose to call it. What matters is: are you Able to Believe it exists and that those who pass through to the other side of existence abide there or are you not? If you are Able, an entire realm of possibility opens; as do a myriad other questions in which we may be Able to Believe, or not.
What happens to the Essence of who we are once we pass into that new realm? Do we become pure energy; the perfection of everything we tried to attain in flesh? The final expression of what our Spirits truly Are without the limitation of physical bodies, of fears, violence, doubt, and the calamity they create? Do we move into a place that is Beyond perception or do we simply become a form of energy that our physical beings are not able to perceive, process or comprehend. Taxing questions, to be sure and HEREIN lies the crux of my babbling.
Spirits. Ghosts. Apparitions. Ringwraiths. There are as many names for our Essence once it leaves our bodies as there are names for the realm into which we pass; yet, again, I say, the name itself is not important. What is important is: are we Able to Believe in them or not? Does their existence depend upon our Belief or do they exist regardless of what we are Able to Believe or not? I Believe there is far too much evidence of their Presence to say they do not exist. The argument that we simply wink out and are gone forever seems far less possible than the notion that we do not. There are stories that are passed down from ancient times, tales of ghosts and haunted places; legends of wisps; songs of lost lovers who return for one final touch and the newer, perhaps less intriguing manifestation: the popular televisions shows like Ghost Adventures, Ghost Hunters, and Most Haunted, which lead us to other taxing questions.
Do we find ourselves inescapably curious about “the paranormal” because we try so hard Not to Believe? Do our own Spirits whisper truths to us about those same things that we try to deny? Are we curious because, deep in our Essence, we already Understand, but because of the frailty of our physical being, we are not Able to Believe?
I Believe we must open a conversation about these things, not merely to hash out what we are Able to Believe or not, but so we can discuss other, equally important matters. If Ghosts exist, how do we Perceive them? Can we Communicate with them? Are they Aware of us as well or do they perceive us on the same limited, peripheral basis as we do them? Can we touch the Beyond through Belief alone? Does Love/hate Abide even without physical being and can they Cross the Divide?
These Questions are not meant to be answered, but simply asked; explored, so we might, possibly, broaden our Understanding. I invite you to join me in this exploration and to Share those questions and experiences about which you wonder. Lets Wonder together and explore the Wonder all around us!
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~Morgan~
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Beautiful Original Photography by: Nelleke Pieters at nelleke.deviantart.com
BooknVolume 
Interesting topic. I do think humans have a spiritual side that is too often neglected. I do believe what the Bible has to say about the afterlife and Heaven, but as you pointed out, you can’t force your beliefs on anyone else or force anyone to believe the Bible. I find Greek and Roman mythology (and mythology from other cultrures) fascinating. I think most people wonder about creation and the afterlife and spiritual realm, and it’s natural to have questions, even if there are no definite answers.
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Being curious by nature, I think it’s inevitable that humans will wonder about the imponderable; and perhaps that is the entire reason the mystery is there 😉 to get us thinking about something we would otherwise neglect or discount. I hope you will enjoy the continued discussion, Michelle and add your thoughts to the discussion. Thank you!
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An interesting topic Morgan, one that many people feel might cause a derisive reaction were they to admit that they place any stock in life after death. I think a lot of people who have lost loved ones want to believe in an afterlife and even the possibility of commutation with someone who has died. Thank you for opening this very controversial issue. Well worth a discussion!
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I entirely agree Holly, so many people are ostracized for what they believe, but we all, in the end, believe mainly the same thing. I don’t wish to illicit any negativity through opening the conversation, though sadly that is often the case; yet it is a discussion worth holding. I hope you will enjoy the additional posts and will feel free to add your thoughts to the conversation.
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I think we would like to think there is some way to communicate with a loved one who has passed on. Two years ago a very special friend of mine passed away. A bird nested in my patio eave that winter, stayed for four months. Somehow when I saw the bird I made a connection, I know it was not the “spirit” of my friend or a sign, but It was so coincidental and unusual, having not happened before or since. It was just a result of missing my friend and this very eerie feeling, I think I just wanted to remember him and this beautiful bird appeared and stayed.
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You already know I’m a believer in the beyond and those who still linger behind. Lately, I have been finding coins about my home, some say a sign that a loved one who has passed is watching over me and making sure I I know. I’ll take it. I love this series. Glad to see it brought back to life ❤️
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I never heard that saying about the coins, but I have frequently found coins in my path throughout my life…and most vividly I remember finding 7 pennies shortly after a very painful separation. It made me smile then, knowing the significance of that number, and it does even more so now 🙂 Thank You for adding your voice to the conversation…enjoy the upcoming posts and please feel free to continue to Share 😉
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Interesting post, Cynthia, and a fascinating conversation. I used to believe quite adamantly in certain elements of spiritual existence at the exclusion of others. I believed quite firmly in life after death and denied the existence of a sentient god with the same vigor. As I grew older, I came gradually to the conclusion that I don’t “know” these things. Really that I don’t know much of anything. My understanding of the universe is incredibly limited by my organic brain and its ability to perceive and create order.
What developed over time, with the realization that my perception of what “is” is so limited, is a belief that anything is possible. God might exist, it might not, afterlife may exist or may not, we may be an alien experiment, there may be parallel realities, ghosts, guardian angels, lingering souls, magic, energy guides, time travel, evil spirits, rebirth, a collective consciousness. I don’t know, so how can I confirm or deny?
This openness to possibility has been quite freeing. I don’t find myself having to argue a position or defend a belief. I’m free to live based on the present, the now, according to values that matter in this reality, values of love, kindness, thankfulness, generosity,forgiveness, and compassion.
I hope this added something to the conversation. Thanks for the opportunity to share. 🙂 ❤
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Your thoughts do indeed add to the conversation, Diana and I am so happy you shared them. I agree with you that the possibilities of what may truly exist or what in reality may be far exceed what we generally accept and that is the mystery that fuels curiosity. Yet I also agree that this reality and those values you mentioned are equally, if not more important, to Live Peace and Harmony in order to engender it around us.
Thank You for sharing your insights. I do hope you will continue to do so as the series progresses. 🙂
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Very interesting indeed. There is a lot of evidence, of their existance. However I think it would be difficult to have a conversation with a spirit. One thing is for sure, writing about them, and reading about them often produces excellent literature.
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I have always been intrigued, so dove into this series with an open mind and curious spirit…or perhaps the opposite. A Curious mind and an Open spirit. Either which, I appreciate you adding your voice to the conversation and hope you will find the upcoming posts equally interesting.
I think you are correct…conversing with those we do not speak of would be/is the most difficult thing of all.
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All humans believe something about “spirituality”or whatever one chooses to call it even if they are not a believer in God or some other divine being. The fact that they don’t believe in such things as those that you mentioned is in and of itself a belief. Their unbelief is a belief because they BELIEVE that there is no God. And so I find it fascinating that humans are hard wired to believe in something or the lack of it and of course for me my belief is in Yahweh, the Creator of all that is. But I don’t want what I believe to be an affront to anyone else. Scripture tells us we are to try to make believers of all men and if someone would like for me to explain to them what Christianity is all about I am more than willing to do so. But I also respect their unwillingness and thus leave it up to the Lord to soften their hearts and open up an avenue for an encounter with His presence. As believers all we can really do is sow the seeds of our faith, and then let the Lord water them, and then sooner or later just like the seeds I sow in my garden they germinate and seek the light. So not only should we sow seeds, words of faith and belief, but we are also to be the light those seeds need to break their shells, germinate, and then blossom into all they are meant to be. As an ex-teacher I find that teaching by example is far better than throwing words at people. My faith journey was derailed in my early twenties for several reasons, and for a long time I turned my back on the Lord. I still believed in Him; I was just angry about things that had and were happening in my life. Then with help from a mentor who encouraged me to at least start going to church and listening, the journey began again. But the greatest teacher has been my garden which I started late in life. After watching season after season pass over it and seeing so many miracles and such amazing beauty, I came to realize that we are not the result of a random explosion of atoms. Certainly there is both good and bad in this fallen world, but that doesn’t limit God’s love and compassion for us. Trials can be and are great teachers that bring wisdom and deepen our faith in Him for He sustains us and gives us the strength to endured the hard times and I always find some kind of rainbow shen the storms have come and gone. So it is that I find divine purpose in everything and in every aspect of life and I’m blessed to witness it day in and day out. I have been the “prodigal son” as it were as well as the lost sheep, and Jesus never lets any of us go so far that He can’t find us and lead us home if and when we are willing to rejoin His flock. That’s why I share my belief and my stories of prayers that worked and miracles I’ve witnessed and pray that it brings whoever’s listening to their own encounter with the Lord of Lords and Lover of our souls. Love, Natalie 🙂 ❤
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Thank You Natalie, Thank You ever so much for Sharing your Seeds of Belief here and adding to the depth and scope of my humble post. I do agree with so much of what you are saying and my Spirit smiles to hear your echo of this Loving Kind Truth. Blessings of Light, my Friend. May those seeds we all sow Reach for the Light and Blossom into a Beautiful Garden 🙂
(you did it again…)
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The word ‘belief’, by its very nature, implies a choice…we can choose to believe in something or dismiss it…and such belief is based upon subjective experience. Whether such experience is gained consciously or unconsciously perhaps does not matter. To be ‘able to believe’, as you put it, is no more than the openness to learn by experience.
Faith accepts through an unnamed ‘knowing’… and, as you rightly point out, few these days are happy to admit to either. Those who do so are often dismissed as cranks or weak-minded…or are the blinkered extremists who see only one path as righteous; their own.
I make no secret of having spent a lifetime studying the Mysteries; not just through books, but through living their teachings. To say that I have spent decades studying magic condemns me to the lunatic fringe in the eyes of many or they see some kind of ‘witchcraft’ or misguided jiggery-pokery. When I write or speak of that Sentience I choose to call the One, or God, such words can be triggers for reaction in others who apply their own definition rather than seeking to understand another perspective.
Words are not the best way to explore the Unseen in any of its manifestations… though they are all we have with which to communicate ideas. Semantics can start wars.
For myself, the Unseen, to use a blanket term, is simply a natural part of our lives that we do not as yet understand. The survival of the soul is, for me, unquestioned. The survival of our individual personalities is another matter entirely.
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Thank You so much Sue for sharing your valuable insights here. I agree with so much of what you say and appreciate you adding your voice to this Conversation, as I hope it shall be; as it really ought to be.
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My pleasure, Morgan. I hope the conversation takes flight.
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I do as well 🙂
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