Talking with a friend who just left the body.

Originally Posted by mac

I guess your minister said that 'tongue-in-cheek'.

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She recognized marriage limits a souls growth, for many..... While she did raise several adopted kids, she had a challenging marriage, and walked out on her abusive husband. That may be a factor.

Yet she felt the soul typically compromised its growth in a marriage, and it's responsibilities,, especially in her generation where women didn't have the opporunities they do now,,,
The vast majority of women do give up their dreams to raise kids.
Become babymakers- housekeepers....for the security of marriage.
Only the most extraordinary can follow their dreams as well.

Many recognize the emptyness after a few years , and seek out activities & friends to reconnect with the missed potential.

I was married 2x yet never wanted the immense responsibility of raising kids...I respect those who do accept the challenge, but it never appealed to me.

Originally Posted by Rin

Tibetan Buddhists talk to the departed for days in order to give them gudining instructions. AFAIU there is no communication backwards, I assume the dead are very busy and if the Tibetan Book of The Dead is to be believed they would be occupied with what is happening. Therefore the repeated communications.

Well. many many young folks report their deceased grandparent visiting them , while they're growing up, and need the support & love of family. It's very common.

Originally Posted by Henri77

She recognized marriage limits a souls growth, for many..... While she did raise several adopted kids, she had a challenging marriage, and walked out on her abusive husband. That may be a factor.

Yet she felt the soul typically compromised its growth in a marriage, and it's responsibilities,, especially in her generation where women didn't have the opporunities they do now,,,
The vast majority of women do give up their dreams to raise kids.
Become babymakers- housekeepers....for the security of marriage.
Only the most extraordinary can follow their dreams as well.

Many recognize the emptyness after a few years , and seek out activities & friends to reconnect with the missed potential.

I was married 2x yet never wanted the immense responsibility of raising kids...I respect those who do accept the challenge, but it never appealed to me.

"She recognized marriage limits a souls growth, for many....." This suggests a very personal take on the issue, not one found in the religion and philosophy of Modern Spiritualism and not related to her situation as a Spiritualist minister.....

As you remark, her personal difficulty with marriage might have influenced her outlook. Apparently she didn't see anything positive in what she knew of marriage and yet - in line with the words of spiritually-ascended teachers - suffering often has the very opposite effect on spiritual growth.

The aspects of raising children and being housekeepers in no sense limits spiritual development - indeed such experiences are to be found nowhere in the etheric. Sure the personal freedom to be had presently in this physical dimension was less available in decades past but that argument could be extrapolated to also include a lack of understanding of matters spiritual before Modern Spiritualism's philosophy emerged....

Your own choice not to become a parent is purely that - a personal one. But it does not change the unique situation found here in the physical.

Originally Posted by Rin

Tibetan Buddhists talk to the departed for days in order to give them gudining instructions. AFAIU there is no communication backwards, I assume the dead are very busy and if the Tibetan Book of The Dead is to be believed they would be occupied with what is happening. Therefore the repeated communications.

It's been taught by spiritually-evolved teachers that the impact of strongly held beliefs and/or conditioning here in the physical can be carried over into the etheric, any such influence constraining the 'liberation' of an individual thus influenced. Hence those conditioned by Buddhist teachings could be expected to believe that, quote, "guiding instructions" will be forthcoming from those they have been taught/conditioned by.

It's likely to be that way for many other faiths and religions where ritualised teachings and worship occur.

Originally Posted by mac

[]This suggests a very personal take on the issue, not one found in the religion and philosophy of Modern Spiritualism and not related to her situation as a Spiritualist minister.....

As you remark, her personal difficulty with marriage might have influenced her outlook. Apparently she didn't see anything positive in what she knew of marriage and yet -
.[/color]

Religion-philosophy is irrevelent to one's direct perception. And it's not accurate to say she didn't see ANYTHING positive in marriage.

She chose spiritualism as it was the only religion that acknowledged spirit communication... was never ordained as she had issues with the religion's doctrines, and didn't want to be bound by their belief system...as to what she could teach.

Yet she was highly respected by those who met her, at Spiritualist conventions.

Pretty much all of us were there, because Birdi was an extraordinary influence-teacher, rather than because we loved Spiritualism... in another country she would likely have been a yogi guru-saint.

Anyway, I agree about ideas regarding Tibetian thing... the belief system may have limited the potential for after death communication.

Don't wanna get into marriage-relationship debates, as that's a whole other topic.

Originally Posted by Henri77

Religion-philosophy is irrevelent to one's direct perception. And it's not accurate to say she didn't see ANYTHING positive in marriage.

She chose spiritualism as it was the only religion that acknowledged spirit communication... was never ordained as she had issues with the religion's doctrines, and didn't want to be bound by their belief system...as to what she could teach.

Yet she was highly respected by those who met her, at Spiritualist conventions.

Pretty much all of us were there, because Birdi was an extraordinary influence-teacher, rather than because we loved Spiritualism... in another country she would likely have been a yogi guru-saint.

Anyway, I agree about ideas regarding Tibetian thing... the belief system may have limited the potential for after death communication.

Don't wanna get into marriage-relationship debates, as that's a whole other topic.

"...She chose spiritualism as it was the only religion that acknowledged spirit communication... was never ordained as she had issues with the religion's doctrines, and didn't want to be bound by their belief system" Was it, then, accurate to speak of her as a minister as you did?

OK it was the impression I gained from what you wrote about her take on marriage....

The marriage/relationships was a significant influence on your friend it seems - the reason I mentioned it....

"Pretty much all of us were there, because Birdi was an extraordinary influence-teacher, rather than because we loved Spiritualism... in another country she would likely have been a yogi guru-saint."

You suggested earlier that she was a Spiritualist minister though... That's what sits so uncomfortably when you speak about, quote "....she would likely have been a yogi guru-saint" because Modern Spiritualism doesn't have any such thing.

Outside of Spiritualism I wouldn't argue that point but within it I'm just pointing out it doesn't fit.