Month: February 2023

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Question on Suicide: Part 1. Of the Heart

This is a 3-part series of articles, written to respond to a reader’s question.

Part 1 of 3: Of the Heart

Part 2 of 3: Of the Mind

Part 3 of 3: Karma

*******

“I have been suicidal many times in my life. I have studied metaphysics most of my life. I believe that we, along with our guides, plan our next incarnation and the lessons we will take on. If we and our guides plan our next incarnation, can suicide be written into our ‘blueprint’? If so, would this being planned ahead of rebirth, doesn’t that alleviate the bad karma associated with suicide? It seems if it is planned it is part of our spiritual evolution, yes? Or maybe it is the big picture and the bad karma is part of the learning process as well.” V.

I will start this way. You’re asking about a larger topic than you might think. I could write several books to explain. The real answers, or rather, the answers I see and offer, will take one far beyond the questions and topics you are asking about. I do not have every facet and issue related to suicide. I can only offer that which I see.

So, here we go.

Part 1 of 3: Of the Heart

First, I suggest that there are very few people who have not thought of suicide. It is part of the realities of human life. But, suicide is not just a “mind” thing. It is not a “logical” thing. It can be and is a “heart surrounded in unrealized and unrecognized emotions” thing. It can be a “feelings unknowingly overwhelming a person” thing. When injured, harmed or ill, rational thought and logic does not heal the mind.

Secondly, from a different take on it, I will offer that one of the practical spiritual lessons of experiencing the desire to end our life, is to reach a point in our own consciousness where we step back and begin to understand how any human being at all can reach a point in one’s life where we desire to end our life in suicide. When whatever has come forth in life to move us to reach this point in our own life where we desire suicide, we can begin to understand how others can reach points in their life, where they desire it. Ultimately, this practical lesson, can help us to begin to have the compassion within us for others who turn to suicide as their solution. This growing compassion and understanding can serve us greatly as humans in this world leading us to ever more ways to connect to those who are struggling and suffering with suicidal thoughts. 

If we had been judgemental in past lives about people who commit suicide – and many have been extremely judgemental about this, especially the Churches through the centuries – then us now having these feelings gives us a very real perspective to help us have compassion of how difficult it is to deal with this.

This awareness, deeper understanding, and connection are no small things. We gain when we can learn and understand what it’s like for human beings to be human beings with real human turmoil, loss and pain, etc. which can lead to this choice. As humans, the questions related can deal with the despair we feel, the grief we feel, the sorrow and suffering we feel, the experience of being lost in life, the disconnection from others we may experience, as well as the pain of loss of that which we hoped for and sought in our lives. And not all of this is necessarily recognized in our conscious mind all at once. We can be unaware of what drives our considering/grasping at suicide.

When we reach what feels to be the darkest place in our minds and hearts – and possibly finding it to be one of the most alone places within ourselves – then it can become possible to be able to understand why we think that ending our life might end the feelings, sorrow, grief, despair, loss and whatever else which may contribute. Although reaching this newly recognized understanding of humanity from this experience is a seemingly small idea, it has a very big effect on the connecting process of many human hearts. We can easily find that we believe that ending the human experience will end whichever deep black-hole we experience ourselves in.

When we become more aware of this human experience, we can then see what drives humans to believe that stopping this life must be a solution. We can see what drives us humans to WANT the ending of this life to be a solution.

There is loss which we can go through, which we can’t readily identify. We can feel grief which we don’t know where it comes from. We can feel sorrow and pain which we have no understanding why. There are losses in our life – loss of our hope for better in our lives, loss of our intentions, loss of our dreams, loss of our desires, loss of our beliefs about life, and loss of our valuing of different parts of life and on and on. All of these aspects of life are very important to us and for humans, loss of ever kind is felt deeply and impacts our hearts and minds. We even feel it in our bodies.

In our physical life in the physical universe and in our spiritual life in the spiritual realm, it is ourselves who are the voices crying out in the wilderness. We cry out from that place within our own unfinished heart and, as yet, not-fully-discovered mind.

But, coming from this crying out in the wilderness, sometimes, one day in the healing process, we can slowly, slowly learn and recognize the notion that we would never feel any of these things unless we first had an ability to somehow and somewhere have the capacity to grasp there is a God and there is love existing somewhere, and grasping at any/all of this comes from inside our own self – from inside our own heart and from inside our own soul. It is the love patiently waiting and tucked away inside us – and the suffering we recognize we go through connected to a love we can’t even remember – which originally led us to hope earlier on, to have better intentions and beliefs, and to value whatever in life we have found valuable – and have these at the beginnings of our sojourns to experience being human – at the very beginning of our life or lives.

It is the love inside of us which we so many times forget, with having forgotten the awareness that love is our very nature and the center of our life. Yet, the Love at our core of life can help us to find ways, with others’ help, to walk a “seeking for healing” path which can lead, in turn, to reconnecting, communing, and sharing with others, in their lives. It can be these moments, in turn, when we hope that our own healing path of slowly discovering our center, again, that our core awareness of love could help us help our neighbor to come to know they are able to find themselves loved and able to love, eventually, too, thus connecting to an unending circle of help, and then even giving us opportunities to express the compassion we begin to find within us and we have heretofore been relearning (even from the seed of compassion within which we can have for our self.)

All our spiritual lessons will always be centered on and born from loving God, and loving others. Christ’s words, “Love God above all else, and love your neighbor as yourself”, are the words which are the foundation of every spiritual discovery and healing principle. All spiritual teachings flow from the spring of this pure source. For not only is it true that God is Love, but Love is God – the God energy and the God center.  Love is healing because of this.

Our struggles, our pains and our sorrows many times involve, at some level within us, our forgetting that we are asked to bring love with us as we walk through our life, (sometimes one life at a time, one day at a time, and one moment at a time), so that we can know this love is within us, this love can grow within us, and that we can never be separated from this inner healing love. It can never NOT exist as our very being and essence – even if we’re totally clueless about this reality. In addition, in turn, then when we can consider helping another life to learn before their time is up – that they are loved and they now, might know how deep love can reach into every part of us, and out from every deep part of us.

All of us are ambassadors of some kind – whether of harm or of healing. We can be ambassadors of healing, if we are willing to love even one other life, and through the sorrow, the pain, the grief, the despair that we all have known and still know and go through, realize that through all this, we can still love someone or something in life. We can still love, even when we ourselves are on our cross with the nails through our hands and feet, and with the sword piercing our own heart. We can still love when we are in our deepest pain. In turn, any love we give to another is indeed the savior of both of us – is indeed the greatest lesson we can hope to one day grasp – to love God and others – and in turn, this leading to loving the Oneness of all life which begins within our own individual nature.

Loving is always a choice and can be chosen even when we’re on our own cross and we ask, “Father, please forgive us, for we don’t know what we’re doing.” The act of loving is an act of healing and is the act of giving of our self for the benefit of helping others to heal, beginning from ourselves and expanding to more than ourselves.

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We are the voices crying out in the wilderness, “God, please, help me!!!” We are the voices crying out, “I don’t understand!” We are the voices suffering. We are the ones whose tears create streams within our soul so that healing waters, the water of love, may begin to flow forth.

We love, and because we love, we experience sorrow and grief, loss, pain and despair. Just ask any parent who loves their child as that child grows and struggles through life. And in these moments of our strongest pain, we know what it means to need help, and we know what it means, when we realize we’re not alone in these feelings, and we’re not alone in the very moment of needing help.

It is the human condition to know sorrow, pain, loss and despair – a few of many triggers for suicide. Yet, when we are nailed upon our own cross, the challenge is at the greatest – to decide to end our life and take ourselves down off the cross, or instead to turn to the one on the cross next to us, reaching over to Him asking to be remembered, or to let someone else know that today, we/they are together with our/their crosses, in the same way that He remembers us to let us know that on our cross, we are with Him and He is with us. And He will never leave us or forsake us when we are on the life path we walk.

Our greatest lesson is Love and in loving, to join with each other and show whomever comes into our lives that love is real, and love can exist in our life. We are meant to both give Love and receive Love. We are not alone – we are meant to become one more person who can come to learn to love and learn to be loved. In turn, because we can choose to love and seek to show love in real ways, then we are united, and then no longer alone in our life. When we love, we are not alone. In this joining based on loving, we are then in that better place we have always been seeking since the beginning of all times.

It may seem disconnected to the response, but I’ll add this…

God designed us to need one another…
and to learn this is a great lesson learned.

Part 1 of 3: Of the Heart

Part 2 of 3: Of the Mind

Part 3 of 3: Karma

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Question on Suicide: Part 2. Of the Mind

This is a 3-part series of articles, written to respond to a reader’s question.

Part 1 of 3: Of the Heart

Part 2 of 3: Of the Mind

Part 3 of 3: Karma

*******

“I have been suicidal many times in my life. I have studied metaphysics most of my life. I believe that we, along with our guides, plan our next incarnation and the lessons we will take on. If we and our guides plan our next incarnation, can suicide be written into our ‘blueprint’? If so, would this being planned ahead of rebirth, doesn’t that alleviate the bad karma associated with suicide? It seems if it is planned it is part of our spiritual evolution, yes? Or maybe it is the big picture and the bad karma is part of the learning process as well.” V.

Part 2 of 3: Of The Mind

2A:

Depression plays a large part with many suicide decisions. There are an extremely large number of factors which add to depression. Anger, disillusionment, addictions, feelings of being condemned, disappointments, and so many more. I will focus this article on only one of the many. What I will mention here is high expectations of people, of our self, of God, of spirituality, of circumstances, of our understanding of life and of more – both conscious expectations and unconscious expectations.

This is a very seemingly simple facet – seemingly simple in understanding and simple in any depth within the psyche. However, expectations can be buried deep in the unconscious – even coming from our past lives and the beliefs, attitudes and experiences we had during those times. So, with high expectation, too often we are not recognizing or acknowledging that, our expectations of life are driving our perspectives, our beliefs, our hopes, dreams, attitudes, feelings, our subconscious and ultimately our behaviors and decisions when these expectations aren’t followed through or fulfilled – by our self, others, the world or even God and religion.

This non-fulfillment of so many conscious and unconscious expectations can become overwhelming to our spirit and soul. One missing piece of helpful awareness when dealing with a soul’s expectations of existence and life, simply put, is the lack of prayer. No person, no life can grow within through this physical life without God. (I’ll explain this more, a little later.) Prayer – which I define as a reaching for the hand of God – both FOR our self FROM others and FROM our self FOR others is one of the greater catalysts for this connection. We tend to have our highest and most hidden inner expectations of that to which, or for whom, we don’t pray. Beginning this path of exploration and discovery in a simple way – we can begin to see that with our expectations being high, we tend to not consider prayer to be needed or deserved.

I’ll repeat what I just wrote – no person or life can grow within, through life – without God – and with prayer, either for us or from us, we are helped more readily. There are plenty of us who have thought or do think we can go through life without prayer, and plenty that do, but then on the other hand, few of us ever know who has been praying for us, or is praying for us even now as we read this article. In addition, those who are prayed for are helped more readily than those who are not prayed for.

When we don’t include prayer, we are not giving ourselves or others the very real and best help which is needed to face the challenges and difficulties, problems and pain of human life. God created us to need one another. God created us to need Love, prayer, and the Infinite Love of God. We so often tell ourselves that we don’t need any of this. Sure enough, we can exist thinking this way, but denying reality – in this case, denying our spiritual reality begins the path of many serious inner problems. Some of these problems lead us to believe that suicide is a solution. Others of these problems lead us down the road of many destructive and harmful actions – including killing others, as well.

But, existing is not the same as living a growing, evolving life. Exploring our spiritual reality begins the path of enrichment and connection (which is very difficult to make objective – what with it being so personal and unique.) Individually, we can awaken to wonders, connections, and healing beyond what we previously imagined or thought, living a life we had not yet been aware to even think possible – which is why it is more a subjective path rather than an objective path. In addition, the eventual connection to and communing/exploring spirituality with others can show us that there are a lot of us subjective spiritual-path walkers around and connecting up. Yet, at the same time, walking our spiritual path, opens up a whole other box of expectations – related to our religious expectations, our own soul expectations, our expectations of the spiritual path itself, and our expectations of God and spiritual teachers.

When we pray for ALL, and continue to pray for ALL, we can begin to recognize that we are all equal – all life is equal in being valuable, all life is equal in our needs, and all life is equal in importance to and loved by the Consciousness of Infinite and Unending Love – God. We can recognize that All life is worthy of and in need of being prayed for.

We also realize that our prayers may not be easily seen as being helpful. Yet, with continued willingness to and practicing of having faith in God, in others and in our own prayers, the help to face our days’ problems can begin to be felt, and sometimes seen. We can grow to see that our daily life is where we build our relationship with an active God – active in our efforts – who is ready to help us in growing and learning – instead of having the expectation that all of life should be easy and wonderful by default with few prayers and little or no effort.

Part 2B.

[To the questioner] There are several aspects which you mention in your statements which you present and describe here showing what I would consider either a misunderstanding or an incomplete understanding. These aspects are – the planning of our future lives, and the understanding of karma. There are facets of each which you haven’t mentioned which sometimes don’t get considered.

First, consider the concept of “planning of our future lives”, as being a synonym for soul evolution. Now, consider perhaps that there is much more to the “planning” of our future lives, than we are aware of while living our human lives. In addition, planning of each life does not happen at the Earth level in the 5-senses human consciousness level. It cannot take into account the cosmos of who we are, and how each level of our Higher Consciousness must also be involved – something that does not happen at the human level.

Our soul evolution does not get planned by our self. We cannot evolve our self, simply because we don’t have in our human consciousness that awareness of and growth which evolution would lift us into. The highest of consciousness is the guiding force helping us to bring forth our evolution of all things, including levels of consciousness which we cannot physically and psychically hold within our human minds as a human species.

Like the call for a step/leap of faith, we do not consciously have much of that next realm within our minds which we step/leap into, when faith is required. If we did have it in our consciousness, we would not need faith to open our minds beyond our own self-established limits. But, for us to be willing and then to step up into our next level of consciousness, we step off in faith into that which we haven’t yet integrated into our understanding.

The baby being born has not previously been in the world it is being born into. The baby cannot birth him/herself. Higher forces must bring the baby forth, because the baby does not understand the experience and aspects of it. The baby has no concept of any experience except being within it’s one original environment provided by another being – also of which it knows very little.

Humanity, is not at the point where we understand and know all there is to know on the Earth. Our spirit guides, though helpful with the life we live and with seeing future lives, are not the first or last word in spiritual evolution. For they too, are evolving spiritually, and they only can share their own path’s experiences up to that level of growth they’ve reached, with each individual’s path still being subjective to that individual.

Still, our guides of every kind, are indeed helpful, because they sometimes can contribute to guidance from a point of advantage. Just remember, that our guides are many times, many, many times, our friends and family members who we’ve known in life and in previous lives. Likewise, they may be angels, but angels also are on spiritual paths of growth.

The question to consider along with other questions then is: are these the souls we seek to be our source of higher consciousness guidance when they may not have yet gained to the point of providing a comprehensive perspective for a soul-path that is not their own. Who among us knows what is best for another soul? We tend to not always know what is best for ourselves, much less someone else.

Advice we get and give, personally, comes only from that level of learning and growth which we, ourselves, each have reached, and not from the levels of learning and growth which we, yet, have little understanding – in other words, it comes from our own subjective paradigm. Ultimately, who do we approach seeking help on our spiritual path, Aunt Sarah and her understandings, or the Christ within? Both are helpful, or can be. But, each has a different capacity into which their understanding and wisdom expands.

Part 1 of 3: Of the Heart

Part 2 of 3: Of the Mind

Part 3 of 3: Karma

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Question on Suicide: Part 3. Karma

This is a 3-part series of articles, written to respond to a reader’s question.

Part 1 of 3: Of the Heart

Part 2 of 3: Of the Mind

Part 3 of 3: Karma

*******

“I have been suicidal many times in my life. I have studied metaphysics most of my life. I believe that we, along with our guides, plan our next incarnation and the lessons we will take on. If we and our guides plan our next incarnation, can suicide be written into our ‘blueprint’? If so, would this being planned ahead of rebirth, doesn’t that alleviate the bad karma associated with suicide? It seems if it is planned it is part of our spiritual evolution, yes? Or maybe it is the big picture and the bad karma is part of the learning process as well.” V.

Karma, of itself, is neither good nor bad. It holds no judgment of the energy it carries or the form it manifests. It holds no judgment because, in truth, God holds no judgment. This may disappoint a lot of people, but it is people who hold the judgment – each having taken a bite of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The life energy of Karma is the God energy. Karma is as aspect of the mind of God, designed to produce the “exact return” of all experiences which we create. Karma is the act of creating – creating experiences for ourselves and others, both in our own realm and in all the realms of life. Not everyone experiences the same form which karma takes when it manifests, but then not everyone experiences the same form which we initially create (for someone else or for our self).

All things are energy, including thought, action, the environment we’re in, manifestation and everything else. These are not just cliches or words of platitude. Not yet understanding these words, does not mean they are false or fanciful.

All of these items are energy in their essence and ultimately in their manifestation. Karma is the creation of different energy patterns, being “sent” into the Infinite – which includes the Earth, physical Universe, our personal lives, and all realms of consciousness. All of this exists because the Infinite Consciousness of God is its source of existence, and is its essence. Karma is an aspect of the Consciousness of God.

The experience that Neal Armstrong gave to the people of the Earth, is the experience making a circular journey, in some form, for all of life, and eventually back, in some form, to Neal Armstrong to experience, with all aspects and factors present in whatever form is available at some point in time. This journey includes to all life in the Universe. The experience that the 19 hijackers gave to the people of the Earth, is the experience making a circular journey, in some form, and eventually back, for all of life and the 19 hijackers to experience, with all aspects and factors present in whatever form is available at some point in time. This journey includes to all life in the Universe.

There is no judgment innate to Karma – judgement comes from the the current beliefs in duality within the human consciousness/mind. There is no Karmic label of good or bad. There is only the returning home of that which is sent out. The boomerang that is thrown outward is the one that returns home – in some form. (Not always the exact same form, but always with every aspect and factor to address.) There is no judgement to this process. It is the same ripple on the surface of the lake which goes outward that is reflected and comes back. The experience we create for others to be on the receiving end of, is the experience which comes back around in the circle for ourselves to be on the receiving end of – again, not always looking exactly like it but holding all facets. It then behooves us to consider, if we are able to, what the impact we are having on others and how we affect other people. If we feel it’s okay to send out certain experiences to others, whether helpful or harmful, then we are accepting that it is okay for ourselves to then receive the very same experiences upon returning.

With God all things are possible. In fact, only with the Infinite Consciousness of God, are all things possible. With God, Loving kindness is possible. Mercy is possible. Healing is possible. Patience is possible. Tolerance is possible, and forgiveness is possible. With God as our partner, our having a better impact and effect on others is possible. With God, we can “Love God above all else, and Love our neighbor as ourselves.” (Like breathing air is why we can continue to live our human life, the presence of God within our very being, is why we can love, why we can forgive, why we show mercy, patience, kindness, courage and more.) We can only Love God and Love our neighbor as ourselves, because it is the God within us – which is our Self – that does the loving. We love, because God within us, as us, which is us, loves.

The point of this is that all actions we make to happen in the world, impacts all of life, whether it is the gift of lifting people up to the stars; demonstrating life, love, and light; whether its judging and condemning ourselves and others; or bringing people down through destructive ways. This we have called karma.

Ultimately, our path will lead to ever higher realms of consciousness, and this will happen when we create experiences of higher realms of consciousness in the realm we currently are at – in other words, “making a heaven on Earth” for those with whom we have contact to experience. To put it another way, we climb the stairway to heaven by building the stairway for everyone to experience. (Neil Armstrong took all of us with him on his climb to walk on the Moon. Also, this is why we say that Jesus Christ was the example for us all – because He lived the life of Love, and then gave this life of Love to All Life – for all of us to be aware of.)

We strengthen God’s Love in the world, by Loving our neighbors as ourselves. We strengthen the presence of Heaven on Earth by making a Heaven on Earth for the people in our lives in whatever way we can. If we wonder how – it is as has been said many times – Loving kindness, patience, forgiveness, mercy, long-suffering, Oneness, prayer, meditation, brotherhood, faith in the God within all life, trust in the Infinite Consciousness of God, and more.

For anyone who contemplates suicide, I would simply suggest, first get permission from all the people in one’s life. Ask them if this act of suicide would create the same type of experience that it would for the one contemplating it.

… Or would this create a different type of experience in their lives.

If this is only a question of spiritual logic, then these questions are valid to be asked. But, if this turns out to not just be a question of logic, then deeper exploring of the heart and soul could provide much greater insight and much greater answers leading to finding something greater than previously thought possible, i.e. peace of mind and heart, healing of the soul, and/or a greater understanding of our purpose of being alive, just to name a few, if these are sought.

Go deeper. Seek deeper into the soul and the human heart. Never give up the journey into one’s own Self to discover the riches yet existing within the cosmos of one’s own Self. Consider the cosmos of the night sky as an easy to experience reflection of our own depths.

There is no need to guess about God or our spiritual path. God’s will is Love. All spiritual lessons begin and end with God and God’s Infinite Love. There is no separation between the two. The One Infinite God is also Infinite Love. And the Consciousness of Infinite Love does not withhold Love.

These 3 articles (3 parts of 1 article) are by no means all that can be put forth to discuss suicide from a spiritual perspective. As I mentioned, many, many books (possibly even libraries) can be written about these aspects. My own paradigm is that we can learn from our own experiences including the experience of reaching a point where we consider suicide.

Being human, our own experiences also give us insight into human experiences which push us to consider much about humanity including suicide, and in turn, when facing/dealing/healing this, then use that gained insight and understanding for self-exploration on our spiritual path and eventually for helping others to try to move through any experiences which led them also to consider suicide.

Learning only about ourselves and our own life is not the end purpose of the spiritual path. The step beyond that is to rejoin the Oneness of all Life, and release/share the learning into the Infinite (which includes people in our life, and our world.) As we live our life, we are observed by those who learn from our examples – whether “good or bad”. One of the things we can be observed doing, is the human process of learning from our experiences. One of the things we can teach, is wisdom we’ve sought from our experiences and sharing with the world (or one other person) what we’ve learned.

The Individual Human Consciousness is a cosmos as vast as the one we see by looking up into a clear night sky. I’ve said it before – if anyone would like to gain a glance at one’s own consciousness, then look up during a clear night. Try to take it all in. Then realize that the wonders we see in the night sky, we see because it is reflecting our own self. If we don’t grasp this, it is only because we’ve not yet expanded our awareness to that vastness – which can indeed be done by using our own mind with all the capabilities the mind has, including exploring ever deeper into ourselves.

Just don’t forget – after the journey to expand, then to shrink back down when returning to the room and one’s own body.

Just sayin’.

God bless us, Everyone.

Part 1 of 3: Of the Heart

Part 2 of 3: Of the Mind

Part 3 of 3: Karma