Doubting Darwin

02.01.05 (2:48 am)   [edit]
  MSNBC.com

Doubting Darwin
How did life, in its infinite complexity, come to be? A controversial new theory called 'intelligent design' asserts a supernatural agent was at work


By Jerry Adler

Newsweek



Feb. 7 issue - When Joshua Rowand, an 11th grader in Dover, Pa., looks out from his high school, he can see the United Church of Christ across the street and the hills beyond it, reminding him of what he's been taught from childhood: that God's perfect creation culminated on the sixth day with the making of man in his image. Inside the school, he is taught that Homo sapiens evolved over millions of years from a series of predecessor species in an unbroken line of descent stretching back to the origins of life. The apparent contradiction between that message and the one he hopes someday to spread as a Christian missionary doesn't trouble him. The entire subject of evolution by natural selection is covered in two lessons in high-school biology. What kind of Christian would he be if his faith couldn't survive 90 minutes of exposure to Darwin?


But many Americans would rather not put their children to that test, including a majority on the Dover School Board, which last month voted to inform students of the existence of alternatives to Darwin's theory. Eighty years after the Scopes trial, in which a Tennessee high-school teacher was convicted of violating a state law against teaching evolution, Americans are still fighting the slur that they share an ancestry with apes. This time, though, the battle is being waged under a new banner—not the Book of Genesis, but "intelligent design," a critique of evolution couched in the language of science. And in this debate, both sides claim to be upholding the principle of free inquiry. Proponents of I.D., clustered around a Seattle think tank called the Discovery Institute, regard it as an overdue challenge to Darwinism's monopoly over scientific discourse. "To say, as Darwinians do, that everything has to be reduced to a chemical reaction is more ideology than science," asserts Discovery's John West. Opponents, led by the Oakland, Calif.-based National Center for Science Education, regard I.D. as an assault on a basic principle of the Enlightenment, that science must explain nature through natural causes. "Intelligent design is predicated on a supernatural creator," says Vic Walczak, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union, which is challenging Dover's introduction of the concept into biology classes. "That's not science, it's religion."


Walczak calls the Dover case, which has not yet come to trial, "Scopes Redux 25"—the latest episode in the never-ending struggle to reconcile the Bible, Charles Darwin's "Origin of Species" and the First Amendment. The last round was touched off when the school board in suburban Cobb County, Ga., added stickers to its new biology textbooks warning students that "evolution is a theory, not a fact ... [and] should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully and critically considered." "If you see that out of any context, you'd think it sounds reasonable," observes law professor Edward Larson, the leading historian of the Scopes trial and its aftermath. But the wording, he says, encourages confusion over the everyday meaning of "theory"—akin to "hunch"—with the scientific meaning, a systematic framework to explain observations. Evolution, which deals with events that no one was around to witness, will always be a "theory."


The other salient point about the sticker, Larson says, is that it singles out evolution for critical analysis, among all the potentially controversial views to which students might be exposed. Marjorie Rogers, the parent who led the campaign for the sticker, says her motives were purely to "expand the teaching of science in this area, and to correct bias and inaccuracy in the textbooks." But five other parents who didn't see it that way sued the board to remove the stickers. On Jan. 13, after a three-day trial, federal district court Judge Clarence Cooper ruled for the parents and ordered the stickers removed. Noting that Rogers "identifies herself as a six-day Biblical creationist," Cooper concluded that any "informed, reasonable observer" would know why the sticker was there, and "interpret [it] to convey a message of endorsement of religion." The board plans to appeal.



Ironically, this battle was touched off when Cobb County bought new textbooks that actually covered evolution, after years in which the subject was largely ignored. The same kinds of struggles are cropping up in towns in Wisconsin, Arkansas and elsewhere, as school boards try to implement state curriculum standards mandated by Congress. All sides are keeping a close eye on Ohio, which last year adopted standards including an incendiary phrase about "critically analyz[ing] aspects of evolutionary theory." Kansas, which in the November election handed the anti-evolution forces a 6-4 majority on the state school board, is due to review its standards in February; five years ago, the state was widely ridiculed for eliminating evolution from the required curriculum entirely. The only thing lacking for a full-scale culture war is involvement by the national conservative movement, which has treated it as a local issue. That could change, though. Republican Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania, who wrote an op-ed article supporting the Dover School Board, says he regards evolution as one of the "big social issues of our time," along with abortion and gay marriage.


The Cobb County decision was a blow to the new tactic of attacking evolution with objective, scientific language. The Discovery Institute, which sent materials and offers of help to Cobb County but was not involved in drafting the sticker, takes pains to distinguish its critique of Darwinism from the Biblical fundamentalism espoused at the Institute for Creation Research, near San Diego. The view that the Earth was created by God within the past 12,000 years is thriving at the institute's museum, where school groups study murals of men cavorting with dinosaurs, before the beasts were wiped out by Noah's flood. The institute's vice president, Duane Gish, a biochemist, has managed to fit every observation from paleontology, astronomy and nuclear physics into a theory derived entirely from the Book of Genesis. The problem for Gish is that, although polls consistently show that nearly half of all Americans believe in the Biblical account, it has been a loser in the courts since 1987, when the Supreme Court (with Justice Antonin Scalia and Chief Justice William Rehnquist dissenting) struck down a Louisiana law calling for equal treatment of evolution and "creation science."


Soon thereafter, I.D. burst into public awareness with the publication of "Darwin on Trial" by Phillip Johnson, a Berkeley law professor who underwent a midlife conversion to evangelical Christianity. As a scientific theory, I.D. is making only slow progress in overcoming evolution's 150-year head start. Johnson and his followers seek to overturn two of the central precepts of evolution. The first is universal common descent, the idea that every living creature can trace an unbroken lineage back to the same primitive life forms, which arose billions of years ago from nonliving matter. Biologists, armed with the powerful tool of molecular genetics, overwhelmingly accept this view. Nevertheless, I.D. proponents are seeking to undermine it, mostly through popular books like "Icons of Evolution" by Jonathan Wells. Wells dissects some of the most famous textbook examples of evolution, such as the way peppered moths adapted a new color pattern for better camouflage after pollution killed the lichens on tree trunks. "There is a lot of ambiguity and dissent about the lines of evidence," insists Stephen Meyer, director of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. "It's in the scientific literature, and we think students should know about it."


The second concept is natural selection, which holds that the entire complexity and ingenuity of life has evolved by the accumulation of small random mutations. Changes that help the organism survive in its environment, like the different shapes of the beaks Darwin observed on the birds of the Galapagos, are more likely to be passed on. Repeated over many generations, the process produces not just finches but naturalists to watch them. Many people have struggled with the philosophical implications of this theory, and entire disciplines of science are dedicated to working out its details. I.D. proposes an intuitively appealing alternative, that the living world reflects the design of a conscious, rational intelligence.


The classic illustration is the eye, which seems to depend on all its manifold parts working in concert. How, then, could it have arisen by a series of discrete steps? Evolutionary biologists respond that even a primitive light-sensitive spot has survival value, and have tried to show how a series of small improvements could eventually build the complete organ. With the publication of "Darwin's Black Box" in 1996, biochemist Michael Behe moved the argument to the cellular level, using examples such as the immune-system response. They exhibit what he calls "irreducible complexity," meaning that all their parts are necessary for them to function at all. This, he says, is the hallmark of intelligent design.



But I.D. has nothing to say on the identity of the designer or how he gets inside the cell to do his work. Does he create new species directly, or meddle with the DNA of living creatures? Behe envisions as one possibility something akin to a computer virus inserted in the genome of the first organism, emerging full-blown millions of generations later. Meyer's view is simply that "we don't know." He declines even to offer an opinion on whether people are descended from apes, on the ground that it's not his specialty. The diversity of life, in his view, is a "mystery" we may never solve.


For Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education, there's no mystery about what I.D. proponents believe: "It's another way of saying God did it. It isn't a model of change; it isn't a theory that makes testable claims." A 2002 resolution by the American Association for the Advancement of Science called I.D. "an interesting philosophical or theological concept," but not one that should be taught in science classes. In fact, the Discovery Institute doesn't call for teaching I.D. in school either, only the "controversy" over Darwinism. But most scientists don't believe there is one. The institute's "Scientific Dissent From Darwinism," whose operative sentence reads "We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life," has been signed by about 350 scientists. (AAAS has 120,000 members.) Scott's organization has circulated a countermanifesto asserting that "there is no serious scientific doubt that evolution occurred or that natural selection is [the] major mechanism ... " As a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the late paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould, they signed up only scientists named Steve. At last count they had 528.


The real stakes, though, go beyond what high-school students are taught about Galapagos finches. To accept I.D. is to admit a supernatural process into the realm of science. In fact, that's just what I.D. proponents want to see happen, a revolution—or counterrevolution—again st what Johnson calls "methodological naturalism." "Is it the obligation of the scientist to come up with a materialist explanation of phenomena, choosing among an artificially limited set of options," Meyer asks rhetorically, "or just the best explanation?"


Behe points out that while most Christians accept a God who set the universe in motion according to natural laws, evolution raises more difficult existential questions. People want to feel that God cares for them personally. British biologist Richard Dawkins has written that Darwin's theory "made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist." But that's not what most Americans want for their children. Margaret Evans, a psychologist at the University of Michigan, has studied religious beliefs in children and seen the appeal of creationism. "We are biased toward seeing the world as stable and purposeful," she says. "I don't know what to believe," one parent told her. "I just want my child to go to heaven."


Well, so does the pope, but the Vatican has said it finds no conflict between Christian faith and evolution. Neither does Francis Collins, the director of the Human Genome Institute at the National Institutes of Health and an outspoken evangelical. He wrote recently of his view that God, "who created the universe, chose the remarkable mechanism of evolution to create plants and animals of all sorts." It may require some metaphysical juggling, but if more people could take that view, there would be fewer conflicts like the one in Dover. In the debate over I.D., both sides acknowledge that most scientists accept evolution, but they agree that scientific disputes are not settled by majority vote. School-board elections, however, are.


With T. Trent Gegax in Dover, Pa., Joan Raymond in Ohio, Jill Sieder in Atlanta, Jamie Reno in Santee, Calif., and Catharine Skipp in Miami


© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.



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2 Comments

three of swords

01.31.05 (7:24 pm)   [edit]

The image of the three of swords is a painful one, full of dark undercurrents that could pull one under into the nether world of ones soul.  For me the three of swords of represents the experience that no matter how good we are, no matter how hard we try and again no matter how true we are to another it can all fall apart.  Relationships do not work out, the dishonest often get the advantage and we are often overlooked at work or perhaps at home.  Life is not fair and this causes us great sorrow and suffering.  It is what causes us to say “WHY ME?” It is a time to understand that there are no guarantees in life, bad things happen to all of us and being good has nothing to do with it.


 


The three of swords is connected to the “Empress” and the “Hanged Man” in the major arcana and it is there that we can delve into the lessons that the three of swords can bring us in our walk through life.


 


The Empress represents the great Mother, the one who understands and who will speak up out of compassion for the people who are under her and her husbands rule.  I suppose mothering, while often looked upon as comforting and unitive in actual fact the exact opposite is often the reality behind this archetype, since separation from the mother is the beginning of our ability to grow in self awareness and from that the ability to choose  the road that we wish to take in life.  The feeling of oneness with the “mother” while acceptable for the infant is pathetic if it continues into adulthood since it makes independence impossible.  So when bad things happen we have to look back and see were the seed of this ending was planted and allowed to grow.  Each person has to find a way in which to embrace this experience of expulsion and try to grow and enter into a wider understanding of the world.


 


The hanged man is the experience that flows from what was expressed in the above paragraph.  This card shows a man suspended by one foot over an abyss; in one deck it shows a man crucified upside down.  The “WHY” question will often bring into the light our beliefs and with it the choice to either deepen them to the realities of the world, or to reject them since life does not work in the way we would like.  In truth we are all hanging over the abyss, the unknown, and one day we will fall head first into the abyss we call death where everything will be taken from us. 


 


I suppose one lesson to be learned (as a believer) is that while God is love, and although God truly dwells with us, it is wrong to think that God is provident in the often childish ways that only set us up for disappoint.  Life is for growth and the pain that comes from the journey is most likely just as important as the pleasant aspects of life. 


 


Since we are often shocked into facing reality I don’t think there is anyway we can prepare for this experience at least on the emotional level; however on the level of faith and trust in God preparation is possible.  Pain cannot be avoided but the level of suffering we experience can be lessened by our focus and state of mind.


 


Peace


mitch


 


 

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Two of Swords

01.30.05 (5:55 am)   [edit]

Continuing the journey we come upon the “two of swords” a card that I find interesting and one that I like to meditate on from time to time; I find that in times of stress it is a grounding card for me.  The figure in the two of swords is sitting in a very upright position with two swords crossed over his or her chest and at first glance seems to be in repose and at peace.  However on closer observation one begins to notice a certain tension that is present and it would seem that caution is needed in approaching such a person. 


 


After the moment of clarity that the Ace of Swords gives, and after all the plans to learn from past experiences and not to relive them, it is time for the journey upon the road to continue and for the wheel to begin turning again.  Why does a card that says “peace” show a figure that could come across as perhaps dangerous in some undefined sense?  Well one obvious reason is the two of swords!   The sword could be a rest or they could point to an inner struggle that could become manifest in the outer world of personal relationships, where anyone within striking distance would be a target.  I suppose that finding peace of mind on any kind of level that is permanent, would take a great deal of focus based on years of practice and discipline.  I often speak of the wheel, the number 10 card in the Major Arcana of the tarot, and for me one of the most powerful symbols in the whole deck.  It shows how our feelings, emotions which have a strong bearing on our thoughts (if left unchecked) will continually pass from one state to another, from joy to sadness, from love to anger and resentment, from excitement to being bored…..round and round and round we go and where it stops no one knows….of course it does not stop.  The two of swords can be the beginning of true insight in the nature of the mind and how important it is to remain in the moment, to be able to be aware of the inner tension and chaos and also of the peace and also of moments of integration without being sucked into them since they are transitory by nature and will fade into something else


 


The two of swords if truly a state of awareness, is situated in the center of the wheel which never turns but simply “is” and in a constant state of rest and peace, though the actual experience may not be peaceful much of the time.  Insight brings with it responsibility and a loss of the ability to make oneself a victim, it leads to the understanding that being present to the moment, observing ones state of mind will allow the holding of that inner tension that leads to peace with oneself and others in the long run.  In the short run one will appear peaceful to others.  That is because clarity is present and the luxury of blame is taken away, one takes full responsibility for the inner reactions that life draws from us; it allows us to ask the proper questions that need to be asked, it allows us to focus (if we are on a spiritual path) on the presents of the “Beloved” and to seek grace and healing and objectivity in the present moment.


 


In order to do this all fear of the many different states we encounter has to be let go of.  The tension of the two of swords will give us the strength to be able to “bear” the very burden that we can be to ourselves without becoming a burden to those around us; for if we do not keep the battle within were only true peace can be found we will take it to those around us and be at war a war that cannot be won, since others will not change for us, nor should they.  It also saves us from harsh judgments that are often false and based on a narrow understanding on how others should be or how they should act around us.  Others are not there for our inner comfort but are teachers who hold up a mirror that shows us our own reflection.  It is often a hard task to actually understand what is being shown to us since we project onto others the very things we dislike or hate about ourselves but will not face; so others are forced to carry our own burden and then we punish them for it.  We can do this since much of our judgments of others are true, what is often not understood we are in reality judging ourselves.


 


The two of swords is related to both the “High Priestess” and “Justice” in the Major Arcana.  The High Priestess represents the ability to see inner connections by intuition and gives a broad understanding of the undercurrents of life.  Justice also is based on balance, in not coming to conclusions to quickly, in not believing first reactions which lead the mind to make judgments that are often unfair and most likely based on the compulsive and defensive side.  In other words these kinds of thoughts do not come from the center of the Wheel but from the outer edges which are in constant motion and turning.


 


Peace comes with a price, but one well worth paying.  Life has to be faced and the tensions have to be lived through without seeking to escape by blaming those “outside”.  Blame can give at best only a fleeting feeling of peace, but since it is not based on anything real it will only complicate matters and put off the lessons to be learned and the healing and insight that comes from them.


 


Peace


mitch

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ace of swords

01.29.05 (1:19 am)   [edit]

Before I discuss the Ace of Swords I need to make one more comment about the Major Arcana.   The first card in the Major Arcana is called the Fool and it is a “O”, it represents us all as we start on our journey and like all symbols it has both a “positive” and “negative” side.  For instances to be called a “Fool for Christ” is different from simply being called a “fool” for living ones live without any regard for consequences.  So being a “fool” can either be “wise” or “foolish” and perhaps both sides come to the fore as our journey in live continues. 


 


The ace swords is the beginning of the suit that represents “thinking” and because it is often our thinking that gets us in trouble the swords have a good number of “negative” cards.  By negative I don’t mean “bad” but simply how we experience some of the ups and downs the suit represents.


 


I suppose if I need to give the feel of the ace of swords it would be like experiencing the first spring morning after a hard winter.  A morning that feels like everything is alive, young and new.  New life abounds with all the promise that it implies.  It is a time of insight and hope, were the past is contemplated and lessons learned from past mistakes or wrong turns.  It is a time also for deep spiritual insight and deeper clarity about the road one wants to take.  I suppose it could also mean an experience of the “Holy Spirit” for those whose faith is central to their lives.  The ace points to a time of reflection without action or actual choice being needed. A time when one stops being a victim and blaming others.  This comes from taking responsibility and being willing to do what is necessary to improve ones life by striving to be more objective and rational in how life is approached.   To get help if necessary so one does not slip “back” to a life of merely reacting and blaming others for ones troubles; it is also a time for truly letting go of the kind of guilt that only leads to remorse but not to conversion.  True guilt is based on an understanding of what needs to be done after mature responsibility is assumed for ones life.  Of course these reflections have to be brought to bear on ones life and that is were the dificulty arises.


 


The ace swords also has a “negative” side, a side that will not allow one to move forward and by that to hopefully find freedom from the cycles that we can all get trapped into.  Instead of taking stock of ones life and striving to be more objective and fair the “reverse” ace of swords is turned on to oneself not in reflection but in resentment and perhaps self-pity.  Instead of learning and moving forward both in the spiritual realm and in the world of everyday realities one sets the stage for the cycle to continue and perhaps to cause the wheel to turn at a faster pace.  Like I said above the only way to change course is to take stock and to put responsibility were it is needed.  This of course is not magick since self knowledge is not a path of “peace” but of increased inner tension as one grows in the ability to make mature choices.


 


The Ace is connected to two Major Arcana cards; the Magician and the Wheel.  The Magician stands before an Altar and on the altar are the symbols of the four suits in the minor arcane.  The Magician is a man of the intellect who knows how to use his intellect, emotions, intuition in a way that allows his life to move forward and upward in the outer world.  This does not mean worldly success since many successful men and women lose a lot on their way to the top.  Worldly success could entail the loss of family, friends, innocence and even ones soul.   The power the Magician (in its best aspect) represents being informed by the Holy Spirit, the power to use ones gifts in accord with ones conscience and deepest desires.  The Magician reversed is one who loses his soul for worldly advantages at the expense to what is truly important and leads to joy, not just in the other world but also in this one.  For instances greed  is something we are all subject to can never be satisfied, it is a hard talk master that if allowed free reign can completely take over ones life and exact a high price; literally the loss of everything in the end that has any true importance.


 


The Wheel is always turning and until ones learns the lesson needed we are bound to its grinding influence on our lives.  The Magician can find a way out of this dilemma by delving deeply into the soul and bringing clarity to the situation and allowing us to learn and take responsibility for our lives.


 


The Tarot if used for insight always leads one to take stock of oneself and lessens the need to “change” others; an impossible task in any case.  The deeper we grow in self knowledge the less we seem to need to focus on the problems of others.  The paradox is this leads to actually having better relationships with others and also acceptance of who they are without the need to change or criticizes.


 


My next post I will deal with the “2 of swords” often called “peace”, however like I said lessons are often learned slowly so the journey through the swords suit is difficult.  The mind and out thought patterns can lead us into all kinds of trouble.


 


Peace


mitch


 


 

2 Comments

aces and the tarot

01.28.05 (6:07 pm)   [edit]
I would like to start off by writing about the aces in the Tarot deck. The tarot is made up of 4 suits, swords, wands, cups and pentacles. Each suit has 10 cards and they represent a different part of our human make up. Swords equal thinking, wands deal with intuition, cups with emotion and pentacles with everyday life and how we use the other three elements in dealing with it.

Each suit deals with a cycle, and each turn around the wheel leads us little by little to hopefully learn from our past experiences and to lead us to break out of negative destructive cycles . If a positive cycle it helps us to deepen our insight and to lead a better more productive life. The tarot are only cardboard pieces of paper and have no power at all; it is our intuition that leads us to make proper use of the tarot. Of course if one wants to project some sort of power onto the cards problems could result since one would allow the sub-conscious and irrational to run and possibly ruin ones life. The point is to keep the rational part of the mind and the irrational in balance.

Also the four suits (the minor arcana) or connected not only to each other but also to the major arcana and this connection can lead to a greater understanding of the depth of the minor arcana in learning to deal with ones inner life.

The aces or like a seed that marks the beginning of a journey and like I said above one that has been taken many times before, and until the lessons that need learning are learned the journeys will continue.

In the aces are the potential blessings and pitfalls of the journey and the more we understand the better we are able to become more objective in how we handle life, love and the more practical things of life. Of course for many the tarot is nonsense and so for them the tarot is useless; for others the tarot has power and for them the tarot can become a snare. For those who look upon the tarot as a tool it can lead one to inner wisdom and insight.

In my next post I will start with the Ace of swords and each post after that will deal with the whole suit one card at a time with references to the major arcana. I am doing this mostly for myself but if anyone is helped by it then that will be a bonus.

Peace
mitch

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primitive I am

01.20.05 (2:35 pm)   [edit]

 




When I lived in Gulick Heights in Panama the children in the neighbor used to form into groups, almost like tribes to be honest. The ‘tribes’ were made up mostly of boys of the same age, and we would have little wars with some of the other “tribes” who lived in the area. I remember that we would go into the jungle and find ‘weapons’….well they were really clubs. I had a really good club made of hardwood and had a large knot at the top and slimmed down the closer you got to the bottom. It was funny the change that would come over me when I would pick that club up, it was like I changed into something primitive almost primal, I wanted to charge something, to fight to express aggression and did not feel any kind of fear. More to the point; I think I felt like a cave man (well perhaps) who was ready to go to war or to hunt, both of which could be dangerous which made me hyper alert to danger, real or imagined.

We would go to war with other groups and fight, but no one ever really got hurt we weren’t that far gone. One day we were fighting a group when they broke away and ran into some saw grass. Saw grass is a tall green plant with sharp sides to it which could cut your bare skin if you were not careful. Well they ran in the grass and hunkered down and stayed there. So the kids in my group lined up, there was 8 of us I think, got our clubs and someone yelled, “ready aim throw” and we threw our clubs into the saw grass. We got some hits, there were some tears but in the end we all went down to swimming pool and played together. I think what keep us in control was the fact that grownups were simply around, sort of a mitigating influence on us…..the fear of punishment also helped on a more conscious level……I have often wondered what would have happened if say no adults were around for some reason, how far would we go. Morality is not highly developed in young children so without guidance it could have gotten ugly.

I remember year’s later reading the book the “lord of the flies” which is about a group of children…. from almost toddlers to teenagers and the effect it had on them to be left on their own without adult supervision. . It is not a book to read for pleasure but more for insight into our more primitive impulses that our being part of society keeps under checks most of the time. The cartoon TV show “recess” sort of deals with this in a humorous manner, you have the grade school kids who have a king of the play ground more or less benign, and then the pre-schools kids who can come across a little more malign, very primitive and in one episode a little scary. Of course this is TV for children and does not go as far as it could go if it were a cartoon for adults.

Even as an adult, an old adult (56) I still get that primitive wanting to go to war and hit someone over the head feeling…. it is like just holding onto a sword or spear propels me back thousands of years to some primordial ancestor who had to be that way just to survive. The problem today is that kind of thing is not needed anymore but the propensity is still there.

Knowing that about myself I can understand why we have so much war today; there is a deep part of us that longs for it, irrational yes, harmful to humanity yes, self destructive yes……but none the less there. I wonder if we will ever be able to channel that primitive force within into something constructive and healing instead of destructive and wounding.

I think one reason I still love heavy metal music even at my time of live is that the primitive beat still allows me to somehow channel that feeling into movement, allows it to come to the surface so that I can express it. The more primitive the music the more I seem to like it, the deeper the base guitar and the harder the drums beat the more I can fly with the music and go into a trance sort of. I don’t loose touch with reality or anything, but music for me has a lot of power and I am sure that I am not unique in that. I also love other types of music and each is used to get me in touch with other areas of my live. Some allow me to feel the softer more tender sides of who I am and I find that just as helpful as heavy metal. Perhaps this shows that I am not that integrated in my inner life and need music to help me get in touch with that; in other words I need help. I am more comfortable with the more aggressive types of emotions so they are more readily available to me but the tender side of me is more hidden, at least on the level were I can feel it; when I do it is very healing for me. People do not experience me as angry. I think the reason for this is that I am aware of my tendency to get angry,, so I work on it and that self awareness allows me to use it in a constructive manner and if I fail to apologies if I said or did anything stupid. People are more aware of my tender side than I am, being unaware of it much of the time, it sort of leaks out and other feel it around me….strange isn’t it?

Peace
mitch

2 Comments

belief (?)

01.18.05 (6:42 am)   [edit]

Sometimes I wonder what it is that I desire?   I like to say that God has always been central in my live but as I get older I sometimes wonder.  Is my faith just a habit (?), something that I just “have”, something that I take for granted?  Faith is a “knowing” but it is the something that cannot be proven or shown to someone who does not have it.  Do I know that there is an after life (?), well no, I believe there is one but to say I know for a fact that we somehow survive death somehow in a way that I cannot comprehend would be false, unless of course I was one of those who had some sort of experience that proved to them that they will indeed survive death.  My faith in God is deep, sort of part of my bones…….is DNA responsible for this (?), why is it that some cannot believe in God and others like me cannot not believe in God.  My faith is like my breathing, in and out, something normal but not always easy; sort of like breathing, at least for me.


 


My path towards the Beloved is more like four steps forwards and five steps back, slow and winding but nevertheless moving forward, or called by grace to move forward.  I am still dragging a heavy load after me, things I need to divest myself of and but find it very hard to do; things I hold on to like a life raft I guess.  No matter how much I want to, there are parts of me that I can’t seem to just let go of and allow my life to be truly free in my faith walk.  God seems to draw close when I am at my lowest, drawing me back to the path with an infinite patience that almost brings me to tears.


 


This morning I was thinking about my relationship with God and I suddenly had this picture in my mind of me kneeling before the light in total surrender, this causedmy heart to cry out for the freedom that I desire, but feel chained down unable to fly at this time.  Held back by a chain or by a mere thread is still being held back. 


 


God simply “is” and I share in the “is-ness” as a gift of God’s love for me; we all share in that and it is together that we will all make that journey back to God, in the embrace of a love that none can conceive or even begin to comprehend.  I have no idea what infinite love is or unconditional love for that matter but I believe that that is the love that God has for each one of us.  I am beginning to understand that my failures are just as important as my successes in my spiritual life, what is important is to simply to keep moving forward no matter what my mind, feelings or emotions tell me to the contrary.


 


Some atheist thinks that faith is a cop out, but from my experience it is the exact opposite.  It is not a path of surety but of hoping against hope and not giving up no matter how dark the path gets or how many dead ends I seem to run into.  Perhaps the closer we get to the light the more of our brokenness is shown to us.  Perhaps that is what leads us to have compassion for others and a lessening of the need to judge or condemn since self knowledge leads us to understand others.  To make the choice (and I could do it) that God does not exist and this life is all there is would not be a hard thing for me to do, it would be freeing.  I don’t find my faith a burden but my faith leads me to understand that I am responsible for my life and that death is not some escape into oblivion.  We are eternal and we must all face what we do and have down.  I think this is necessary for us to be able to see other as truly another self, and whatever I do to others I do to myself.  God will bring us to love no matter the price or pain that we encounter along the way; God with us means just that, we have a companion who dwells in the depths of our heats and whose love will pursue for all eternity and will not let us rest till we surrender into true freedom.  Perhaps hell is a state of making a choice to close oneself off from God for eternity, a choice that is free.  I hope no one makes that choice and that is my most fervent prayer.


 


So the bottom is I believe in God but don’t know for sure that God exist.  Faith is not surety but a hope that is often strengthened by experience.  I cannot not believe in God and I feel that is a grace, but this has led me to understand that atheist simply cannot believe.  For those who don’t have faith  is something that I don’t need to judge in anyway but to give them the respect that they deserve as fellow travelers in life…… moving towards death and perhaps something beyond.  Life is for the living and I have only good will for all, since it is a rough ride for all of us.


 


I think we argue about the God question with arguments that we use “after” we come to some sort of decision about the existence or non-existence of the God.


 


 


Peace


mitch


 


 

0 Comments

Dr. Kubler Ross and the NDE

01.13.05 (3:56 am)   [edit]






Dr. Elisabeth Kϋbler-Ross

 

Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the Swiss-born psychiatrist and author who gained international fame for her landmark work on death and dying, died in her suburban Phoenix home on August 24, 2004. She was 78. Read the news articles about her passing and the Tribute to her by PMH Atwater.

In 1999, Time magazine named Elisabeth Kϋbler-Ross as one of the "100 Most Important Thinkers" of the past century. I might add that she is also the "First Pioneer of the Final Frontier Called Death."

Elisabeth Kϋbler-Ross was recognized as one of the leading authorities in the field of death, dying and transition. It can be said that she was the one responsible for creating this field of study. She was the author of several books including: On Death and Dying and Life Lessons. Another book of hers, On Life After Death, collected for the first time information drawn from her years of working with the dying and learning from them what life is all about, in-depth research on life after death, and her own feelings and opinions about this fascinating and controversial subject. The following is an excerpt from her book in which she described one of the most interesting near-death experiences she has encountered.










My most dramatic and unforgettable case of "ask and you will be given," and also of a NDE, was a man who was in the process of being picked up by his entire family for a Memorial Day weekend drive to visit some relatives out of town. While driving in the family van to pick him up, his parents-in-law with his wife and eight children were hit by a gasoline tanker. The gasoline poured over the car and burned his entire family to death. After being told what happened, this man remained in a state of total shock and numbness for several weeks. He stopped working and was unable to communicate. To make a long story short, he became a total bum, drinking half-a-gallon of whisky a day, trying heroin and other drugs to numb his pain. He was unable to hold a job for any length of time and ended up literally in the gutter.

It was during one of my hectic traveling tours, having just finished the second lecture in a day on life after death, that a hospice group in Santa Barbara asked me to give yet another lecture. After my preliminary statements, I became aware that I am very tired of repeating the same stories over and over again. And I quietly said to myself: "Oh God, why don't you send me somebody from the audience who has had a NDE and is willing to share it with the audience so I can take a break? They will have a first-hand experience instead of hearing my old stories over and over again."

At that very moment the organizer of the group gave me a little slip of paper with an urgent message on it. It was a message from a man from the bowery who begged to share his NDE with me. I took a little break and sent a messenger to his bowery hotel. A few moments later, after a speedy cab ride, the man appeared in the audience. Instead of being a bum as he had described himself, he was a rather well dressed, very sophisticated man. He went up on the stage and without having a need to evaluate him, I encouraged him to tell the audience what he needed to share.

He told how he had been looking forward to the weekend family reunion, how his entire family had piled into a family van and were on the way to pick him up when this tragic accident occurred which burned his entire family to death. He shared the shock and the numbness, the utter disbelief of suddenly being a single man, of having had children and suddenly becoming childless, of living without a single close relative. He told of his total inability to come to grips with it. He shared how he changed from a money-earning, decent, middle-class husband and father to a total bum, drunk every day from morning to night, using every conceivable drug and trying to commit suicide in every conceivable way, yet never able to succeed.  His last recollection was that after two years of literally bumming around, he was lying on a dirt road at the edge of a forest, drunk and stoned as he called it, trying desperately to be reunited with his family. Not wanting to live, not even having the energy to move out of the road when he saw a big truck coming toward him and running over him.

It was at this moment that he watched himself in the street [sic], critically injured, while he observed the whole scene of the accident from a few feet above. It was at this moment that his family appeared in front of him, in a glow of light with an incredible sense of love. They had happy smiles on their faces, and simply made him aware of their presence, not communicating in any verbal way but in the form of thought transference, sharing with him the joy and happiness of their present existence.

This man was not able to tell us how long this reunion lasted. He was so awed by his family's health, their beauty, their radiance and their total acceptance of this present situation, by their unconditional love. He made a vow not to touch them, not to join them, but to re-enter his physical body so that he could share with the world what he had experienced. It would be a form of redemption for his two years of trying to throw his physical life away. It was after this vow that he watched the truck driver carry his totally injured body into the car. He saw an ambulance speeding to the scene of the accident, he was taken to the hospital's emergency room and he finally re-entered his physical body, tore off the straps that were tied around him and literally walked out of the emergency room. He never had delirium tremens or any aftereffects from the heavy abuse of drugs and alcohol. He felt healed and whole, and made a commitment that he would not die until he had the opportunity of sharing the existence of life after death with as many people as would be willing to listen. It was after reading a newspaper article about my appearance in Santa Barbara that he sent a message to the auditorium. By allowing him to share with my audience he was able to keep the promise he made at the time of his short, temporary, yet happy reunion with his entire family.

We do not know what happened to this man since then, but I will never forget the glow in his eyes, the joy and deep gratitude he experienced, that he was led to a place where, without doubt and questioning, he was allowed to stand up on the stage and share with a group of hundreds of hospice workers the total knowledge and awareness that our physical body is only the shell that encloses our immortal self.

Quotes by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

And after your death, when most of you for the first time realize what life here is all about, you will begin to see that your life here is almost nothing but the sum total of every choice you have made during every moment of your life. Your thoughts, which you are responsible for, are as real as your deeds. You will begin to realize that every word and every deed affects your life and has also touched thousands of lives.

As far as service goes, it can take the form of a million things. To do service, you don't have to be a doctor working in the slums for free, or become a social worker. Your position in life and what you do doesn't matter as much as how you do what you do.

Death is simply a shedding of the physical body like the butterfly shedding its cocoon. It is a transition to a higher state of consciousness where you continue to perceive, to understand, to laugh, and to be able to grow.

Dying is an integral part of life, as natural and predictable as being born. But whereas birth is cause for celebration, death has become a dreaded and unspeakable issue to be avoided by every means possible in our modern society. Perhaps it is that in spite of all our technological advances. We may be able to delay it, but we cannot escape it. We, no less than other, non-rational animals, are destined to die at the end of our lives. And death strikes indiscriminately -- it cares not at all for the status or position of the ones it chooses; everyone must die, whether rich or poor, famous or unknown. Even good deeds will not exclude their doers from the sentence of death; the good die as often as the bad. It is perhaps this inevitable and unpredictable quality that makes death so frightening to many people. Especially those who put a high value on being in control of their own existence are offended by the though that they too care subject to the forces of death.

Dying is nothing to fear. It can be the most wonderful experience of your life. It all depends on how you have lived.

For those who seek to understand it, death is a highly creative force. The highest spiritual values of life can originate from the thought and study of death.

Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death.

How do the geese know when to fly to the sun? Who tells them the seasons? How do we, humans, know when it is time to move on? As with the migrant birds, so surely with us, there is a voice within, if only we would listen to it, that tells us so certainly when to go forth into the unknown.

I believe that we are solely responsible for our choices, and we have to accept the consequences of every deed, word, and thought throughout our lifetime.

I didn't fully realize it at the time, but the goal of my life was profoundly molded by this experience - to help produce, in the next generation, more Mother Teresas and less Hitlers.

I say to people who care for people who are dying, if you really love that person and want to help them, be with them when their end comes close. Sit with them - you don't even have to talk. You don't have to do anything but really be there with them.

It is not the end of the physical body that should worry us. Rather, our concern must be to live while we're alive - to release our inner selves from the spiritual death that comes with living behind a facade designed to conform to external definitions of who and what we are.

It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth -- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had.

I've told my children that when I die, to release balloons in the sky to celebrate that I graduated. For me, death is a graduation.

Learn to get in touch with silence within yourself and know that everything in life has a purpose.

Live, so you do not have to look back and say: "God, how I have wasted my life."

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.

Should you shield the valleys from the windstorms, you would never see the beauty of their canyons.

The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity and an understanding of life that fills them with compassions, gentleness, and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen.

The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well.

There is no joy without hardship. If not for death, would we appreciate life? If not for hate, would we know the ultimate goal is love? … At these moments you can either hold on to negativity and look for blame, or you can choose to heal and keep on loving.

There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub.

Those who learned to know death, rather than to fear and fight it, become our teachers about life.

Throughout life, we get clues that remind us of the direction we are supposed to be headed … if you stay focused, then you learn your lessons.

Watching a peaceful death of a human being reminds us of a falling star; one of a million lights in a vast sky that flares up for a brief moment only to disappear into the endless night forever.

We have to ask ourselves whether medicine is to remain a humanitarian and respected profession or a new but depersonalized science in the service of prolonging life rather than diminishing human suffering.

We make progress in society only if we stop cursing and complaining about its shortcomings and have the courage to do something about them.

We need to teach the next generation of children from day one that they are responsible for their lives. Mankind's greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice. We can make our choices built from love or from fear.

We run after values that, at death, become zero. At the end of your life, nobody asks you how many degrees you have, or how many mansions you built, or how many Rolls Royces you could afford. That’s what dying patients teach you.

When we have passed the tests we are sent to Earth to learn, we are allowed to graduate. We are allowed to shed our body, which imprisons our souls …

When you learn your lessons, the pain goes away.

You will not grow if you sit in a beautiful flower garden, but you will grow if you are sick, if you are in pain, if you experience losses, and if you do not put your head in the sand, but take the pain as a gift to you with a very, very specific purpose.

Instead, the goal of life becomes not to elude death – but, because one’s fears do not center so much on it, rather to live in concert with it. After an NDE, the survivor finds a new lease on life; she/he is more willing to try new things and to fit as many things as possible into it because she/he is no longer so afraid of what will happen at death. After the NDE, life is more cherished, and the relationships that gave that life more meaning are emphasized upon. The NDE encourages growth and exploration; its acknowledgment helps for those in a society to desire continued testing of the limits and possibilities of life.












"I've told my children that when I die, to release balloons in the sky to celebrate that I graduated. For me, death is a graduation." - Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross




3 Comments

my friend Phlip

01.11.05 (4:07 pm)   [edit]

Philip is one of the men that I take care of.  At this time he is in last stage  Alzheimer’s, so he is pretty much bed ridden.  He can still carry on a conversation it is just I can never really know what we are talking about; which is fine.  I just go with the “flow” so to speak and let him take the lead in this dance, and when I do this things are fine.  After all what he really needs is a presence that he knows (at least on some level) and trust.  Yesterday after feeding him, and joking, and getting him to laugh, he did something that never happen before, he looked up at me and pulled me down and gave me a big hug.  It was quite touching and funny because he did not want to let go.  So I had to tell him about four times that I really needed to do some other work so he finally let me go and gave me a beautiful smile.  I don’t know if he is always responding to me since he will sometimes call me by his brother’s name, and once called me Mary, which got a good laugh from my co-workers.  Let me tell you with my long beard I would make for very ugly women.   In any case no matter who I am for him at any one time it makes him happy and that is the main thing.


 


Tonight he was excited because Placid had his door open and the TV on, and Philip thought that it was real and wanted the people in Placid’s room to come over and talk to him.  I came in and pulled up a chair since all my chores were done and we had one of  our talks that go “everywhere”.  We talked about taking the cars upstairs since that it where it belongs and then about letting the priest do their job, then he talked about his father coming in to see him and talked about work; again I was just along for the ride.


 


He has learned a trick.  Last night he found out how to raise his head and feet with the bed controls and he was having a good time raising both all the way up and then back again.  Drove the Nurse on duty batty, so we had to turn down the head raise function but left the leg one on so he could have at least half the fun and it seemed to please him.


 


I have been taking care of Philip for over ten years and it will be a source of sadness when the Lord finally calls him home.  I am so happy with my work and thankful that I have been called to do it, to try to make their final part of their life’s journey a little more pleasant and happy.


 


Peace


mitch

2 Comments

Delegating

01.10.05 (3:31 am)   [edit]

Delegating


 


I am going to begin this post by making a black and white statement which I know will not be something that is "real" in the real world that we all experience everyday. 


 


I think that there are two types of leaders one type delegates and the second type micro manages his charges.  I suppose that both types of leadership have their share of strengths and weaknesses, and I am at a point in my life were I am rethinking my style of leadership..... that worked in the past but is not at this time; so change is needed.  At this time I am trying to change how I lead and it is causing me some stress but I think it will get better as I get more proficient at it.  One of my co-workers is having a little trouble with this but I feel this will work itself out.  We talk, or at least try to since communication is hard at the best of times, so when there is tension and stress it can become more difficult.  Also my co-worker is a very intelligent woman so there are different perspectives that need to be understood; which is difficult since I tend to find women interesting to say the least in how they process ands interrupt events. 


 


Being for the most part a global thinker I find it easy to delegate if I have respect and trust in the one who works for me; in fact I tend to over delegate and this is becoming more apparent to me at this time.  The stress level at work is risen a few notches in the last few months and I have to face the fact that I am to blame for a good deal of it.  I am not saying this out of guilt but as a simple fact, and this has spurred me to do something about it.  My co-worker is having some trouble in understanding this and we are in the midst of trying to understanding each other better.  I also need bone up on my listening skills so I can be fair to her.


 


My co-worker is a very competent nurse, organized, resourceful and a very good office manager.  For the last year I have known that the stress level at work has risen and when I tried to communicate this to her she would down play it; to my shame I went along with her and I think failed to live up to my responsibilities as her supervisor.


 


We had a meeting last week with our business manager, and it was a very good meeting and was pleased with the honesty of my co-worker; in her letting us know of her struggles with the job.  This has lead me to understand that I need to get more involved, be more present and not allow myself to let her carry the whole load by herself. 


 


It is hard to find the 'mean' in this regard but I am going to give it a good try.... to give her more support, to be more present etc.  Because of my ability to delegate I tend to take on too many responsibilities and because of that she has suffered. 


 


I feel good about this since hopefully it will bring more balance not only to the work place but also to my own inner life.  I love my job and have concern for those who work for me and really need to focus more in this area of my live and perhaps let some other things go.  Also I miss the hands on part of the job and this will allow me to get back and do more of that.


 


One thing, people cannot be taken for granted and their gifts and weaknesses need to be accepted and worked with and thru I guess. 


 


Peace


Mitch


 

2 Comments

the purpose of the "life review" in the NDE

01.07.05 (5:12 pm)   [edit]

 


I have been studying the NDE for many years and in my opinion the "life review" is the most important aspect of this phenomena.  This article was taken from the web site on NDE's created by Kevin Williams.    & nbsp; Peace Mitch


The Purpose For the Life Review


There are many reasons for the life review and all of them are very important. The life review has been described by many to be the single most enlightening experience they have ever had. Here are some of the purposes of the life review according to experiencers profiled on this website. Life reviews are for the purpose of:


(a) General instruction about life and death


(b) Learning an incredible amount of knowledge about yourself such as why you are the way you are - the motives behind your actions and its impact on others - how you affected others from their perspective - how you affected others from God's perspective - how you could have done better - how your actions, both right or wrong, causes a chain reaction that affects one person to the next like a circle of dominoes until they return to you.



(c) Discovering aspects of yourself which are not compatible with life in the spirit; and how to correct them



(d) Evaluating your soul development


(e) Evaluating your progress of completing your mission


(e) Evaluating important events in your life to attain soul growth


(f ) Evaluating your life to determine your place in the afterlife realms



Life Review Mechanics


The method of reviewing your life has been described in many different ways. Why there are different methods for this process is anyone's guess. The theory I have about everything that happens after death is that we either get what we want, get what we expect, get what we need, or some combination of this. The important thing is that life review experiences have more in common than they have differences. Life reviews have been described as:


 


(a) Viewing a movie of your entire life.


(b) Viewing a movie of important segments of your life.


(c) Viewing a video of knowledge concerning your entire life.


(d) Viewing a panoramic view of your entire life.


(e) Viewing a vivid, three-dimensional color display of your entire life.


(f ) Viewing hundreds of television screens with each screen showing a home movie of one event in your life.



(g) Viewing a three-dimensional hologram of your life in full color, sound, and scent.


(h) Viewing scenes of your life in little bursts.


(i ) Viewing scenes of your life flitting from scene to scene.


(j ) Viewing scenes of your life at a tremendous speed.


(k) Viewing scenes of your life in fast-forward.


(l ) Viewing scenes of your life in a way that can be slowed down or paused in order to focus on a particular detail of your life.



(m) Reliving your entire life with scenes of your life projected around you.


(n) A feeling like a dam has burst in your mind and every memory has flowed out.


(o) A religious figure or higher being initiating the review.


(p) Having the review occur when getting in close proximity to the Being of Light.


(q) A higher being reading from a Book of Life (for Christian experiencers).


(r ) A higher being reading from the Akashic Records (for Hindu experiencers).


(s) Standing before a Council of Elders who are seated at a table.


(t ) Having the review take place in a domed room with square screens up and down the walls and on the ceiling.



(u) Having the review take place in a amphitheater the size of a sports stadium filled with light beings who will observe your review.


 


Characteristics of the Life Review


The life review is an amazing experience that has many interesting characteristic - not all of which are found in every life review. The following is a list of some of those characteristics.


 


(a) Instantly becoming everyone you came in contact with in your entire life (feeling their emotions, thinking their thoughts, living their experiences, learning their motives behind their actions).



(b) Reliving every detail of every second of your life, every emotion, and every thought simultaneously.



(c) Re-living the way you dealt with others and how others dealt with you.


(d) Viewing a few special deeds in your life.


(e) Replaying a part of your life review to focus on a particular event for instruction.


(f ) Viewing past lives and/or your future.


(g) Feeling a strong sense of responsibility.


(h) Feeling a sense of judgment or self-judgment (often these feelings transform from judgment to self-judgment).



(i ) The review is a fact-finding process rather than a fault-finding process.


(j ) Your motives for everything will be as visible as your actions.


(k) The negative events you expected to see did not show up because you had a change of heart.


 


The Being of Light in the Life Review


During the life review, while in the presence of the Being of Light, it is impossible to lie to yourself or to others or to the Light. In the Light, there is no place for secrets to hide. But it is not God who judges us after we die. In the presence of the Being of Light, some people may judge or condemn or punish themselves. There is no judgment except the judgment we might level at ourselves and even this we shouldn't do. God's standard is pure love and our lives will be compared to this standard in the light of God. Pure love is serving God and others without having self-centered motives for doing so. The life review is the perfect experience for the Being of Light to reveal to people how they have measured up to this standard and their mission in life. The following is a list of characteristics of the Being of Light during life reviews. Sometimes the Being of Light is accompanied with other light beings and for this reason the so-called "Being of Light" will be referred to as "they".


 


(a) They can fill you with a love that is beyond description.


(b) They can eliminate any negativity you may feel from viewing your life review.


(c) They may ask questions concerning your life and how you felt about it.


(d) They may rejoice when love is displayed in your life.


(e) The entire heavenly hosts may thank you in unison for your deeds done out of love. The entire heavenly hosts may thank you in unison for your deeds done out of love.



(f ) They may applaud you and let you know that God approved of your acts of unselfishness and caring.



(g) They may suffer and/or feel sorrow for you about something you did.


(h) They can pause the review for awhile if you are upset to strengthen you with love.


(i ) They witness everything you did in secret.


(j ) They take into consideration various aspects about your life when it comes to evaluating your life; such as, how you were raised, what you were taught, the pain inflicted upon you, and the opportunities missed or not received.


 


Questions and Responses From the Being of Light



The Being of Light asks the experiencer a question or a series of questions to elicit a response that is then projected in the three-dimensional form of the life review. Sometimes this Being and/or other light beings respond to the experiencer's life review. The following is a list of some of those questions and responses.


 


(a) Any question they ask will be answered during your review.


(b) They ask questions to elicit a response from you.


(c) They already know the answers to the questions they ask you.


(d) "What have you done with your life?"


(e) "How much did you love during his life?"


(f ) "Did you love others as you are being loved now? Totally? Unconditionally?"


(g) "How much love did you give others?"


(h) "How much love did you receive from others?"


(i ) "What did you do with the precious gift of life?"


(j ) "Why did you choose the particular parents you have?"


(k) Responding to an event in your life, whether good or bad, by saying: "You are doing wonderfully."



(l ) "We are here to support you."


(m) "Continue to do good work, and we will help you."


(n) "You are part of us, and we are part of you."


(o) "We stand ready to come to your aid when you need us, and you will."


(p) "Call us. Beckon us. We will flock to you when the time comes!"



Insights Concerning Our Deeds That Are Reviewed


God is concerned about deeds - not creeds. This fact becomes crystal clear during a person's life review. Many experiencers have expressed the astounding realization that life on earth is a gigantic test for which our deeds will be graded during our life review. The following is a list of insights concerning our deeds relationship to our life review.


 


(a) Our deeds which may seem unimportant may turn out to be more important than we can imagine on the other side.



(b) Our deeds which may seem important may turn out to mean nothing.


(c) Our deeds which we thought were very good, will not be if done solely for yourself.


(d) Our deeds which we give no second thought about might amaze us when we learn how very much it meant to God.



(e) Our deeds which are most valuable are those that express love in a greater, purer and unconditional manner.



(f ) Our greatest deeds are not usually done with bold actions, but in small acts of kindness toward others.



(g) Our deeds which count most in life are the little things because they are more spontaneous and demonstrate in a better manner who we really are.



(h) Our deeds carry repercussions that affect many lives.


(i ) There are no wrong deeds.


(j ) There are deeds that do not enhance positive spiritual growth.


(k) We are very powerful because our innocent deeds can have a powerful affect on others, even though we are completely unaware of it.



(l ) All our deeds in life affects the evolution of the souls around you.


(m) The choices we make in life matter deeply.


(n) What we give out is what we receive.


(o) It is impossible to forgive others if you can't forgive yourself.


(p) Howard Storm was given the following insights from beings of light after his life review when he was fearful of returning to earth life and afraid he would make mistakes again:



Mistakes are an acceptable part of being human. We are here to make all the mistakes we want because it is through our mistakes that we learn. As long as we try to do what we know to be right, we will be on the right path. If we make a mistake, we should fully recognize it as a mistake, then put it behind us and simply try not to make the same mistake again. The important thing is to try our best, keep our standards of goodness and truth, and not compromise them to win people's approval. God loves us just the way we are, mistakes and all. When we make a mistake, we should ask for forgiveness. After that, it would be an insult if we don't accept that we are forgiven. We shouldn't continue going around with a sense of guilt, and we should try not to repeat our mistakes. We should learn from our mistakes. God wants us to do what we want to do. That means making choices - and there isn't necessarily any right choice. There are a spectrum of possibilities, and we should make the best choice from those possibilities. If we do that, we will receive help from the Other Side. (Rev. Howard Storm)


 



Insights of Love From Life Reviews


The overwhelming consensus among experiencers is that love is supreme. Love is where we came from. Love is where we will return. Love is what life is all about because love is God. Life on earth is like being in school - our lessons in life are mostly about love. Thus, during the life review experiencers are often given profound insights about love which they are allowed to bring back to share with the rest of us. Here is a list of some of them:


 


(a) A simple smile has the power to start a chain reaction of love that can spread throughout the entire world and alter the course of history.



(b) Who you are is the love that you share; and that love is God.


(c) The simple secret to improving humanity is this: know that the love you give to others is equal to the love you will have when you die.



(d) Pure love is God's measuring stick that is used to measure all of our actions.


(e) Love is the message we receive from our life review.


(f ) Loving others unconditionally as we love yourself is the most important thing we do in life.



(g) We must love ourselves unconditionally before we are able to love others in the same way.



(h) Loving others is really the only thing that matters in life and love is joy.



Insights Learned From Life Reviews


Along with insights of love, life reviews offer insights on virtually an unlimited amount of knowledge. But because love is the dominant aspect of life on the Other Side (as well as in this life to some extent) it is insights on love that are seem to be more important. The following is a list of some of the important insights, other than on the subject of love, learned from life reviews:


 


(a) Our entire life is one big test which we will be graded on during our life review.


(b) Our life review will teach us who we really are.


(c) Our life review will show us how and why we became the way we were in life.


(d) Everything about us and our life will make sense after a life review.


(e) We are on display our whole lives.


(f ) Life is very important because it is significant in determining how far you can go into the light.



(g) Some of the opportunities we are given in life is orchestrated by Higher Powers.


(h) The more we learn, the more the doors of opportunity are opened to us.


(i ) We are living behind a curtain our whole life and at death this curtain is lifted and the floodlights shine on us.



(j ) There are really no mistakes in life because all of our experiences are ways for us to grow.



(k) We need negative experiences as well as positive experiences in life.


(l ) Every negative experience allows us to obtain a greater understanding about ourselves so that we can make better choices.



(m) Before we can know joy, we must know sorrow.


(n) God's overriding desire is to purify us no matter how much suffering it takes to achieve it.



(o) We come to earth to have a human experience.


(p) Life is a golden opportunity to live a spiritual life in a dark world.


(q) All events in our lives are significant; even those we consider insignificant will bring us great enlightenment.



(r ) Everything we learn from a life review we have already known; we just forgotten it.


(s) You may feel accountable for everything you do for the rest of your life after having a life review.



(t ) We should learn to understand ourselves from the perspective of many lifetimes of evolution and soul growth where all the negative karmic debts we owe others can be dissolved.



(u) Our lives will be absolutely wonderful if only we choose to have a positive affect on others most of the time.



Examples of Life Reviews


Carter Mills saw himself when he was a child and killed a mother bird with a sling shot. At the time, he was so proud of that shot; but during his life review, he felt the pain that the mother bird's babies went through when they starved to death. (Carter Mills)


Reinee Pasarow described how the most positive thing she did was to give special attention to a not so lovable boy at a summer camp so that he would know he was loved. During the review, she said this act of kindness was more important from her viewpoint of expanded awareness than if she had been president of the United States or the queen of England. (Reinee Pasarow)


After his review, Hal felt there is something missing. Because of this, the Being of Light takes him to a heavenly library where he was allowed to learn more about his life. He was shown a document that appeared to be about the size of a business card and described his entire life. Because the Being of Light did not want to interfere with Hal's free will, he was not allowed to see all of it. (Hal)


Sherry Gideon was shown her future as if in a movie. She was told that she was a healer sent to earth to pave the way for others to live. She will also open healing centers for women and children. She was also shown a future event where she would help a man who helped her during the difficult times of her life. She was shown why we are all here in the world. It is to have a human experience. She was told that if it was religion, we would all be hoping the religion we chose was the right one. She was told that we are not here to kill each other, but help each other rise to a higher level of love. (Sherry Gideon)


Grace re-experienced an event in her life when she was a child in class. Her teacher had set three special cards on a table which were to be awarded for a spelling bee they were to have. When everyone left for recess, Grace stole one of the cards. Later, she felt sick with guilt and put the card back when no one was there. Grace's re-experience of this event made her remember everything about that situation. What really impressed her was her awareness at that time of how very wrong that action was. Although she made amends for it then, she felt her teacher's dismay at having the card missing. Grace realized that other children saw only two cards on the desk for the spelling bee, not three. What she realized perfectly was that her actions carried repercussions that effect many others. (Grace Bubulka)


When Ned Dougherty's life review began, he was overwhelmed by the process and the feelings of love directed at him from the audience. As events of his life were displayed, the audience would cheer for him and convey their love for him. They were saying things such as, "You are doing wonderfully. We are here to support you. Continue to do good work, and we will help you. You are part of us, and we are part of you. We stand ready to come to your aid when you need us, and you will. Call us. Beckon us. We will flock to you when the time comes!" Ned became confused by all the attention. There wasn’t anything wonderful about the way he had conducted his life. He wondered how he can be doing wonderfully when he tried to murder someone that very night. Ned was then spiritually rescued from the negative thoughts he was having. He was told that he mustn't think such negative thoughts there. He was told that only positive thoughts will be heard there. Nobody can hear his negative thoughts. He must be positive to perform his mission. (Ned Dougherty)


RaNelle Wallace was shown how a friend of hers was given to her from God to guide and help her. But RaNelle saw instead how her own mistakes and uncaring attitude ultimately mislead her friend and propelled her into new mistakes and grief. Next, RaNelle saw another episode in her life when she was asked by a church leader to visit a particular woman to check up on her occasionally to see if she needed help. Because the woman was filled with such negativity and bitterness, RaNelle never went to see her. She didn't think she could handle her attitude. Now, she saw that the opportunity to help her had been orchestrated by Higher Powers and that she was just the person the woman needed at the time. Now, RaNelle felt the woman's sadness and disappointment because she did not complete this mission. It was a responsibility that would have been a benefit to RaNelle as well. (RaNelle Wallace)


Dr. Dianne Morrissey's life review experience:


As her life review continued, she was shown two very special deeds she had performed in her life. As these scenes were displayed before her, every emotion she had originally felt returned in full force. She also felt as if God and the angels were honoring her for performing these deeds. Love and joy surrounded and ran through her. She felt as though she was being hugged by God.


The first deed she witnessed was when she helped a woman pushing her stalled automobile. Afterward, Dianne left in a hurry because she was afraid of getting a ticket. In Dianne's haste, she didn't give the woman a chance to thank her. While reviewing this scene, Dianne was filled with indescribable feelings of love, which seemed to be directed at her from the angels.


The second deed she witnessed was a scene she'd forgotten about. She saw herself as a teenager working in a convalescent hospital. She helped feed an elderly woman when no one else wanted to do so. She had grown fond of the old woman despite the old woman's unsavory behavior. When this deed was displayed in her life review, she felt as if every loving spirit in God's kingdom was thanking her in unison. She was amazed that such an act could have meant so much to God - and to her. She felt humbled and very honored. She communicated with the light beings telepathically. As she viewed the scenes of her life, she felt as if she were absorbing many books all at once with perfect clarity. (Dr. Dianne Morrissey)


Thomas Sawyer's life review insights:


"I wish that I could tell you how it really felt and what the life review is like, but I’ll never be able to do it accurately. I’m hoping to give you just a slight inkling of what is available to each and every one of you. Will you be totally devastated by the crap you’ve brought into other people’s lives? Or will you be equally enlightened and uplifted by the love and joy that you have shared in other people’s lives? Well, guess what? It pretty much averages itself out. You will be responsible for yourself, judging and reliving what you have done to everything and everybody in very far-reaching ways. Very small, seemingly inconsequential things such as the day when I, nine years old, walked through Seneca Park and loved the appearance of a tree. In my life review I could experience a bit of what the tree experienced in my loving it, two little photons of love and adoration. It was somewhat like the leaves acknowledging my presence. Can a tree experience that? Yes, it can. Don’t go kicking trees anymore! You do have that effect on plants. You do have an effect on animals. You do have an effect on the universe. And in your life review you’ll be the universe and experience yourself in what you call your lifetime and how it affects the universe. In your life review you’ll be yourself absolutely, in every aspect of time, in every event, in the over-all scheme of things in your lifetime. Your life. The little bugs on your eyelids that some of you don’t even know exist. That’s an interrelationship, you with yourself and these little entities that are living and surviving on your eyelids. When you waved a loving goodbye to a good friend the other day, did you affect the clouds up above? Did you actually affect them? Does a butterfly’s wings in China affect the weather here? You better believe it does? You can learn all of that in a life review! As this takes place, you have total knowledge. You have the ability to be a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a psychoanalyst, and much more. You are your own spiritual teacher, maybe for the first and only time in your life. You are simultaneously the student and the teacher in a relationship. My life review was part of this experience also. It was absolutely, positively, everything basically from the first breath of life right through the accident. It was everything. During this life review I experienced what I can only describe as "in the eyes of Jesus Christ." Meaning, I watched and observed this entire event as if I were in the eyes of Jesus Christ. Which means unconditionally." (Thomas Sawyer)


Rev. Howard Storm's life review experience:


Howard's whole life review was a lesson during which they were trying to teach him. During some events, they slowed the review down to zoom in on it. All of the things that he worked to achieve, the recognition that he had worked for in elementary school, in high school, in college, and in his career, meant nothing in this setting. Howard could feel the light beings' feelings of sorrow and suffering, or joy, as his life’s review unfolded. They didn’t judge him, but he could feel judgment. He could sense all those things they were indifferent to. For example, they didn’t consider his high school shot-put record. They just didn’t feel anything towards it, nor towards other things which he had taken so much pride in. What they responded to was how he had interacted with other people. His entire review would have been emotionally destructive if it hadn’t been for the love he felt from the light beings. Anytime he got upset during his life review, they would turn it off for awhile and just love him with a tangible love that can be felt through his entire being. Because his life review would keep tearing him down, he would feel their love every time. Despite all this, seeing his selfishness and hypocrisy made him nauseated. But through it all was their love. When his life review was finally over, they asked Howard if he had any questions. Sometimes they would replay the part of his life review in order to answer his questions. (Rev. Howard Storm)


Dannion Brinkley's life review insights:


"When you have a panoramic life review, you literally relive your life, in 360 degrees panorama. You see everything that’s ever happened. You even see how many leaves were on the tree when you were six years old playing in the dirt in the front yard. You literally re-live it. Next you watch your life from a second person’s point of view. In this life we’re taught to be sympathetic toward others. But from the second person’s point of view, you’ll feel empathy, not sympathy. After that, you literally will become every person that you’ve ever encountered. You will feel what it feels like to be that person and you will feel the direct results of your interaction between you and that person. You know the story of the Book of Judgment? Guess what? When you have your panoramic life review, you are the judger ... You do the judging. If you doubt me, believe this: you are the toughest judge you will ever have." (Dannion Brinkley)


Laurelynn Martin's life review experience:


During her life review, she relived an event when she was five years old and teased another girl to the point of tears. Laurelynn then felt exactly what the other girl was feeling. Laurelynn realized how the girl needed love, nurturing and forgiveness. Laurelynn then felt a love for this child that was so deep and tender, it was like the love between a mother and child. She realized that by hurting another person, she was only hurting myself. It was an experience oneness with everyone.


Another event she relived was similar to the previous one. As a child she made fun of a scrawny, malnourished asthmatic kid who eventually died from a cerebral aneurysm. The kid once wrote a love letter to her which she rejected. In her life review, she experienced his pain of being rejected. At the same time, she felt a tremendous amount of love for this boy and herself. Her life review connected her with him in a way that went beyond the physical. It was a connection that was felt at the level of the soul. She saw how the boy had a vibrant, bright light burning inside of him. She felt the strength of his spirit and vitality. It was an inconceivable moment especially knowing how much he physically suffered when he was alive. (Laurelynn Martin)


David Oakford's life review experience:


His life review began by witnessing the initial circumstances that occurred before being born that resulted in him being the person he was. The spirit beings asked David how and why he picked these particular parents. David didn't know where it came from but he told them what they wanted to know. They agreed with him. David picked his parents to help them on their path as well as to achieve his own learning.


David re-experienced his own birth and how he left heaven to become a helpless infant. He experienced his parent's love and their anger. He saw all the good and bad episodes of his life. He felt all of his emotions and the emotions of others he had hurt as well as loved. From all of this he learned that it matters deeply what choices we make on earth.


When his life review was over, the spirit beings in the room asked him questions concerning what he saw and how he felt about his life up to then. He knew that he had to provide an honest assessment and that it was impossible to lie. He hesitated when they asked him whether he affected others more positively than negatively. He thought about lying. Instead he told them that he could have done a better job, but he was not finished with his mission. Because of this, David told them he wanted to back and finish his mission. They spirit beings agreed. (David Oakford)


Christian Andréason's life review experience:


I saw four translucent screens appear (and form a kind of gigantic box around me). It was through this method that I was shown my life review. (Or rather I should say my LIVES IN REVIEW!) Without ever having to turn my head, I saw my past, my present, my future and there was even a screen that displayed a tremendous amount of scientific data, numbers and universal codes. I saw the beginning of my known existence as a Soul and saw that I had existed Spiritually long before this incarnation -- where I am now a male human known as Christian Andréason! In Heaven, I undeniably saw that I had lived an innumerable amount of lives. Yet, what I saw went way beyond our comprehension of what we think reincarnation is. So, I am not exactly speaking of being born again and again on this planet alone. I saw that it is a big Universe out there and God has it all organized perfectly. Each of us is sent where we can obtain the best growth according to our Divine purpose. (Christian Andréason)


Betty Eadie's life review experience:


I was led to a room, which was exquisitely built and appointed. I entered and saw a group of men seated around the long side of a kidney-shaped table. I was led to stand in front of them within the indented portion of the table. One thing struck me almost immediately; there were twelve men here - men - but no women.


The men radiated love for me, and I felt instantly at peace with them. They leaned together to consult with each other. Then one of them spoke to me. He said that I had died prematurely and must return to earth. I felt them saying it was important that I return to earth, that I had a mission to fulfill, but I resisted it in my heart. This was my home, and I felt that nothing they could say would ever convince me to leave it. The men conferred again and asked me if I wanted to review my life. The request felt almost like a command. I hesitated; no one wants their mortal past to be reviewed in this place of purity and love. They told me that it was important for me to see it, so I agreed. A light appeared to one side, and I felt the Savior's love beside me.


I stepped to my left to watch the review. It occurred in the place where I had been standing. My life appeared before me in the form of what we might consider extremely well defined holograms, but at tremendous speed. I was astonished that I could understand so much information at such a speed. My comprehension included much more than what I remember happening during each event of my life. I not only re-experienced my own emotions at each moment, but also what others around me had felt. I experienced their thoughts and feelings about me. There were times when things became clear to me in a new way. 'Yes,' I would say to myself. 'Oh, yes. Now I see. Well, who would have guessed? But, of course, it makes sense.' Then I saw the disappointment that I had caused others, and I cringed as their feelings of disappointment filled me, compounded by my own guilt. I understood all the suffering I had caused, and I felt it. I began to tremble. I saw how much grief my bad temper had cased, and I suffered this grief. I saw my selfishness, and my heart cried for relief. How had I been so uncaring?


Then in the midst of my pain, I felt the love of the council come over me. They watched my life with understanding and mercy. Everything about me was taken into consideration, how I was raised, the things I had been taught, the pain give me by others, the opportunities I had received or not received. And I realized that the council was not judging me. I was judging myself. Their love and mercy were absolute. Their respect for me could never be lessened. I was especially grateful for their love as the next phase of my review passed before me.


I was shown the ripple effect, as they described it. I saw how I had often wronged people and how they had often turned to others and committed a similar wrong. This chain continued from victim to victim, like a circle of dominoes, until it came back to the start - to me, the offender. The ripples went out, and they came back. I had offended far more people than I knew, and my pain multiplied and became unbearable.


The Savior stepped toward me, full of concern and love. His spirit gave me strength, and he said that I was judging myself too critically.


"You're being too harsh on yourself," he said.


Then he showed me the reversed side of the ripple effect. I saw myself perform an act of kindness, just a simple act of unselfishness, and I saw the ripples go out again. The friend I had been kind to was kind in turn to one of her friends, and the chain repeated itself. I saw love and happiness increase in others' lives because of that one simple act on my part. I saw their happiness grow and affect their lives in positive ways, some significantly. My pain was replaced with joy. I felt the love they felt, and I felt their joy, and this from one simple act of kindness. A powerful thought hit me, and I repeated it over and over in my mind:


Love is really the only thing that matters. Love is joy!


I recalled the scripture that said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (John 10:10), and my soul was filled with this abundant joy.


It all seemed so simple. If we're kind, we'll have joy. And the question suddenly came out of me: "Why didn't I know this before?"


Jesus or one of the men responded, and the answer was ingrained in me. It sank into the deepest part of my soul, changing my outlook on trials and opposition forever: "You needed the negative as well as the positive experiences on earth. Before you can feel joy, you must know sorrow."


All of my experiences now took on new meaning. I realized that no real mistakes had been made in my life. Each experience was a tool for me to grow by. Every unhappy experience had allowed me to obtain greater understanding about myself, until I learned to avoid those experiences.


So the review quickly changed from a negative experience to a very positive one. My perspective of myself was changed, and I saw my sins and shortcomings in a multi-dimensional light. Yes, they were grievous to me and others, but they were tools for me to learn by, to correct my thinking and behavior. I understood that forgiven sins are blotted out. It is as if they are overlaid by new understanding, by a new direction in life.


My review was over, and the men sat in stillness, radiating their absolute love for me. The Savior was there in his light, smiling, pleased with my progress. The men then conferred again and turned back to me.


"You have not completed your mission on earth," they said. "You must go back. But, we will not compel you; the choice is yours."


Without hesitation, I said, "No, no. I can't go back. I belong here. This is my home." I stood firm, knowing that nothing could ever make me choose to leave."


One of the men spoke, also firmly. "Your work is not complete. It is best that you return."


I was not going back. I had learned as a child how to win a fight, and now I employed all those skills. I threw myself down and began crying.


"I won't go back," I wailed, "and nobody is going to make me! I'm staying right here where I belong. I'm through with earth!"


Jesus stood not far from me, off to my right, still glowing in his brilliant light. He came forward now, and I felt his concern. But mixed with his concern was a sense of amusement. He still delighted in me, understanding my moods, and I sensed his empathy for my desire to stay. I arose, and he said to the council, "Let us show her what her mission involves."


Then turning back to me he said: "Your mission will be made known to you so that you might make a clearer decision. But after this, you must decide. If you return to your life on earth, your mission and much of what you have been shown will be removed from your memory."


Reluctantly I agreed and was shown my mission.


Afterward, I knew that I had to come back. Although I would hate to leave that glorious world of light and love for one of hardship and uncertainty, the necessity of my mission compelled me to return. (Betty Eadie)


Biblical Support For the Life Review


NDEs often involve seeing your entire life reviewed after death - every thought, word and deed.


But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Matt. 12:36-37)



There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs. (Luke 12:2-3)



During the life review, there is no judgment from God.


Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son. (John 5:22)



As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words, that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. (John 12:47-48)



The only judgment that exists is self-judgment. After death, we enter the light of God where all is made known. Having your true inner self revealed (realizing that you are a part of God) can be hell for those who have been motivated mostly by negative forces in life. Having your true inner