Reincarnation as a choice

[sweatervest]

In one of William Buhlman's books (if I remember correctly), there was a mention that some souls choose to not reincarnate into this existence, because it is like a virtual reality game with no easy exit strategy.

That made a lot of sense to me. Despite the "lessons to be learned" and evolving of the soul that some claim to be the reason for reincarnation, it seems like a risky concept. It's not always a pleasant experience for everyone.

So ... even though all that is unclear will be understood in the afterlife (we hope), I still have to wonder what my higher self was thinking? There are times I'm thoroughly annoyed with "it" and plan to give "it" an inquisition, when I'm in a place where I'll get some answers.

Does anyone else ever feel this way?

Yes.
Many, many times I've wondered why I would have chosen to be here. The anawers I come up with are that either I didn't choose it and am here as a quirk of chance, the good points, rare as they are make the rest worth it, or that it is for my own good but I can't see it while I'm here.
I usually settle on the last one, depending on my mood.

[God-Like]

If one has an itch at a point one will scratch it . How the itch comes about could relate to something that arises that one cannot conscioulsly control .

If one pin points what is the cause of the itch then one can prevent further itches .

If we tie in the itch with a cause that stems from within mind and from a past existence then one cannot stem the itch arising nor can one stem the urge to itch .

Reincarnation is similar in that an urge arises to incarnate through something arising in consciousness that prompts one to act upon it .


x daz x

[WhiteWarrior]

I mostly see my higher self as a guy sitting in a couch eating popcorn in the warmth and safety of his own pain free place, watching me stumbling from one grave to the next on a big screen in between flicking over at more interesting channels. If my higher self had anything to do with me coming back here for more anguish, there is going to be blood when I return to the other side. There will be NO encores of this foolishness, I can tell you that.

Sometimes I wonder why I at least chose the harsh circumstances but what one has to recognize if you ask me is that one is one's higher self (if that is the label/concept/description one uses) - so if you are angry at yourself for your own choices why wait until you leave this world to deal with the anger. Why not remove the blockage now so it does not interfere with the rest of your time staying here

Calling my higher self a coward is something I won't do.

The point of reincarnation, to me, is living. The good, the bad, and the ugly. No one's life is perfect. No one life is better than another. It's meant to be difficult and to challenge us. If it was easy, why would any of us come back at all?

I choose to be reborn because of the challenge. Life isn't worth living otherwise.


Blessings,
Sol

[sweatervest]

Letters from the Afterlife, another book I read, had an interesting thought about reincarnation (again if I'm remembering correctly). It suggested that more evolved or enlightened souls chose to be reincarnated and were involved in "where" they would reincarnate. Whereas lesser evolved or enlightened souls were reincarnated without their involvement. They could end up "wherever."

It reminded me of military service, where some might enlist, and have some say in what branch of the military they serve, whereas others would be drafted, and not have any say. Either way, though, military service was not optional. Likewise, in this line of thought, reincarnation wouldn't be optional, either.

Buhlman wrote that some souls, if they can evolve or "ascend" spiritually enough while living in this existence, can achieve a higher level in the afterlife, and permanently escape the reincarnation cycle.

reincarnation is always a choice, but it is a choice that most of us agree to...spirit says that no matter how horrid their lives on earth were, this eventually fades away and all we are concerned with are the lessons we did not learn, the obstacles that we did not overcome and the experiences that we did not experience so we are pretty gung ho to have another go at it.....I for one, intend to kick some butt when I get there, to anyone and everyone who agreed to this Life Plan/Contract that I undertook.......:-)

[Wandering_Star]

I'm an eternal being. What's one lifetime of suffering, in that scheme? What are a thousand lifetimes of suffering, for that matter? Or a hundred thousand?

Here on the personality level, it's easy to decide that you've had enough of suffering and declare you're never coming back. I've done that myself, during my own worst times in this life. I'm sure I even did it as other personalities, in other lifetimes. Yet here I am, back in the saddle, taking another ride on the merry-go-round.

My soul wanted this specific experience. Whether my personality wants to admit it or not, I'm here voluntarily. I not only agreed to this; I asked for it. I had a plan--I was going to learn and grow through the experience of this lifetime, accompanied by other souls who agreed to play certain roles for me (and I for them).

And once I awoke to that knowledge in this lifetime, I stopped feeling like a victim, be it of random circumstance or other people. I also realized I had a say in the matter, even while incarnated. If I really didn't want to come back again, or if I wanted to have an easier time of it in my next life, that was possible. I just had to start making decisions from an eternal soul perspective (as best I can, given the limited processing capabilities of brainmeats) rather than a limited earthling perspective. And I had to keep reminding myself, "You chose this, chica. What are you going to make of it?"

The choices I make in this lifetime will set the stage for my experience in the next one. If I don't want to carry old suffering forward, I can make a conscious decision to change that now. I can choose to embrace that suffering, learn the lessons it has for me, and transmute it. Turn lead into gold, as it were.

So that DIY alchemy is what I'm doing here, in my clumsy, stumbling, earthbound way. And so far, in the process, I've discovered that I really love being here on Earth, experiencing it in this body, and I'm already curious about what form my next experience will take. So yeah, after this meatsuit wears out I'll pick out a new one to come back in. And I'm finally cool with that.

[sweatervest]

That's a positive attitude to have, that one makes the choice to reincarnate and then try to make the best of it.

For me, I'm not yet convinced that I have that much say in the matter. If my higher self is the decision maker, then I believe "it" should provide better technical support, or at least a decent owner's manual to operating in this existence.