The Purpose of Life: Answers from the Soul and Tools for Spiritual Growth

Linnea

A Seeker’s Prayer

Give me the eyes to see the truth,

Give me the heart to feel the truth,

And the courage to follow its Light.

Let my search for truth and knowledge

Lead to the wisdom of love,

The desire to be helpful to others.

The Edgar Cayce Companion

CHAPTER ONE

Introduction

If you are reading this book, you have many unanswered questions. You may wonder how to find meaning and purpose in life and how to make sense of what is happening in the world. When you have questions, the natural response is to seek answers. People who ask questions are not satisfied until they find answers that make sense to them. As such, these unique individuals become seekers and what they seek is the truth. You are a seeker.

As a seeker, you want to know why bad things happen to good people. You want to know why babies die, why people are raped and murdered and why thousands, even millions, of people die in tragedies. You also wonder why God would allow millions of people to lose their jobs, how hard-working people can lose their homes, and why terrorists exist. You want to know why so many Earth changes are happening and what you can do about it. You want to know why God allows tragedies to occur. As a seeker, you may also be searching for your purpose in life and you want to know what happens to you after you die.

You may be a seeker who attends a church, synagogue, mosque, or temple. You may have no religious affiliation at all. Whatever your background, you are searching because you have not found answers to life’s questions that make sense to you. You have not found answers to your questions that fit together in a cohesive, consistent way. For example, you may believe in a loving God, but cannot reconcile this with all the pain and suffering in the world.

This book provides a guide to help see life and view the world from a spiritual perspective. Understanding that pain and suffering have meaning and purpose provides you with the opportunity to rise above situations. It allows you to glean objectivity, which in turn, can help calm you mentally and emotionally. This book answers over fifty existential questions. It contains what I believe are universal spiritual truths. Ultimately. I do not know if the content of this book represents The Truth, but it contains over forty years of my own search for answers and it is my hope you will find some peace and comfort in its pages. And while you may not resonate with all the concepts in this book, I hope you will find at least one piece of the puzzle you have been looking for.

In addition to answering existential questions, this book also contains over fifty tools for spiritual growth. The tools are designed to help you touch your soul – to tap the Divinity that is within you. These tools will help you remember who you are and they will help you learn and grow spiritually. They will also help you psychologically by learning how to keep calm, centered, and emotionally balanced no matter what you come up against. These tools will help you negotiate the trials and tribulations of the years to come, as people move from a sense of entitlement to gratitude. These tools will also help you learn to live in harmony with others while honoring their diversity. Ultimately, these tools will not only help you grow spiritually and psychologically, but they will help you thrive by bringing more peace and harmony into your life, and thus to the world.

It is my hope that within the pages of this book, you will find hope, peace, and inspiration. It is my hope that you will understand that everything in life has meaning and purpose. It is my hope that you will feel that God is love and that you are a child of God with a spark of Divinity within you. It is my hope that by the end of this book, you will know how to tap your own Divinity, and in so doing, you will open a window into eternity and the truths of the Universe. I trust you will enjoy the journey.

Test everything; retain what is good.

1 Thessalonians 5:21

CHAPTER TWO

Finding Meaning and Purpose

When you find meaning and purpose in life, everything becomes vibrantly alive. You are able to look at yourself and the world with new eyes. You will feel calm, centered, and secure. Life will no longer toss you about like a boat drifting at sea. You become who you really are and live life accordingly. In this chapter, my theology or my view of God and the world is described by answering a series of age-old questions. What gives you meaning and purpose in life? If you are unsure, perhaps in these pages you can find some answers that speak to you. I recommend that you question everything and retain only what resonates as Truth to you, for ultimately, we all must find our own meaning and purpose in life.

Questions From the Mind and Answers From the Soul

Is there a God?

Yes, there is a God. There are many gods and goddesses, but there is only one God. It does not matter what you call the Creator, be it God, Mother-Father God, Goddess, Great Spirit, Holy Spirit, Universal Spirit, Allah, The Source, The Presence, Yahweh, or The Light – there is only one Divine Creator. There is only one Divine energy, a Divine Light that created and continues to create all that is and ever will be.

Who created God?

God was not created. God has always existed.

What are the attributes of God?

First of all, it is difficult to describe God in our limited human form. No matter how hard we try, any attempt to put human parameters or attributes on an energy form that is so vast and limitless is virtually impossible. That said, I still feel it is a helpful exercise. So, what are God’s attributes? I view God as a perfectly loving, all-knowing, and multi-dimensional energy that does not have a gender and who exists in, through, and around us. I also feel it is helpful to imagine what God would be like if God were in human form here on Earth. I believe doing so is a helpful tool and sets standards to which we can aspire. Therefore, if God were alive and in body here on Earth, I believe that in addition to being unconditionally loving, all-knowing, and multi-dimensional, God would also be non-judgmental, compassionate, and forgiving. God would be joyful, giving, patient, and grateful. God would be have integrity, and be disciplined, humble and faithful. In fact, God would embody any attribute we can imagine that is of the highest thoughts and behaviors.

I do not believe in a vengeful or judgmental God. I see God as the exact opposite of that. God is love.

Where is God?

God is within you. You have a spark of the Divine Light within you. You are a child of God. You are a Divine Being of Light and love. The God within is also called the I AM presence. Some people call this presence their soul, Higher Self, or God-self.

So where is God? God is within us and all around us. God is in the spirit realm and on the Earth plane. God is everywhere. God can be seen not only in humans, but in animals, trees, plants, and all of nature. God is in the planets, stars, moons, and suns. God is in the galaxies and the universes. God is in, through, and around us. God is love and God is everywhere.

Wait a minute! If God is everywhere, why is the most powerful way to God by going within? God is everywhere and is in all things. That is why we can feel connected to God when we spend time in nature, when we go to church, or when we pray. However, I believe we must ultimately tap our own Divinity within ourselves to feel the ultimate connection to God. Spending time in nature, church, or prayer can be gateways for us to feel the Divinity within us. These practices, among others, can be helpful tools for tapping our own Divine essence.

Is there only one way to God?

It has often been said that there are many paths to God, but only one way. I believe this to be true. I, too, believe there are many paths to God, such as Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Native Americanism, Taoism, Shintoism, and Metaphysics – to name a few. All pathways and religions can lead to God if they focus on loving kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and non-judgment. If we could master these traits, we would not only find our way to God, but we would create heaven on Earth.

I also believe that regardless of one’s religion, we all are children of God and as such, we all have a spark of the Divine within us. I believe that if we tap this Divinity within us we can find our way back to God.

Why did God create the natural world, such as the universe, Earth, souls, humans, animals, plants, and insects?

God chose to create the natural world because God is love and in order for love to be experienced it needs to be given and received. There needs to be an other. So God, in an expression of Her love, divided Herself and created souls. God created all souls at the same time.

Each soul that was created was unique in its own way – each one as beautiful as the next, but different, as every snowflake is different. Each soul was created with the attributes of love, peace, bliss, and free will. So God created trillions upon trillions of souls, all of whom were in a constant state of love, peace, and bliss. Eventually, souls, having their own consciousness and free will, wanted to experience more things than love, peace, and bliss, and Earth was a planet where other feelings and ways of being could easily be experienced. On Earth, souls could experience being rocks, plants, and animals, or if they were really brave, they could be human.

On Earth, humans actually have four bodies with which to work. These four bodies are the physical body, the mental body, the emotional body, and the spiritual body. Each of these bodies gave souls ample opportunities to have all sorts of experiences – some that were of love and some that were not of love. The souls in human bodies on Earth also had physical and universal laws with which to contend, thus creating more challenges for the soul. Some of the major lessons souls chose to experience were forgiveness, compassion, and non-judgment – to name a few. So, God created souls and all that exists in the pluriverse (multiple universes) as an expression of His love and to allow all living things to experience all that is.

Prior to embodiment on Earth, souls helped create blueprints of their lives with God, so they could experience what they wanted to experience. Built into this blueprint or contract were many opportunities to experience free will and choice. Souls also agreed to help each other experience different lessons by giving the other something to forgive, to feel compassionate about, or to be non-judgmental toward. And so, souls began incarnating on Earth and other places as well, with the goal of becoming more and more God-like.

Once on Earth and in a physical body, a curious, even unthinkable phenomenon began to happen – souls were finding it difficult to remember who they were. After all, they now had physical bodies to feed, clothe, shelter, and keep clean. Their bodies also had natural desires of their own that the souls had to contend with. The souls had mental bodies – minds with their own thoughts and perceptions. The souls had emotional bodies with all sorts of feelings. Of course, their spiritual bodies were present, but seemed harder and harder to grasp. But God had confidence in these souls and trusted that through their free will and experimentation, they would figure things out. God had confidence that they would eventually remember who they were and they would acquire many redeeming attributes along the way.

Another action God took was to create a veil between the Earth plane and the spirit realm, so souls could not remember what they had agreed to learn on Earth. Why would God do this? First, it would be too overwhelming for people to remember everything they contracted to do, especially as children. Secondly, remembering the plan in detail could severely compromise their ability to exercise free will. Thirdly, souls might spend too much time in the past and not focus on current life lessons and situations. And lastly, if the veil between worlds was not in place, people may go crazy by experiencing too many dimensions at once. Souls were not, however, left stranded without help. As part of the design, souls were given ample opportunities to make choices that would allow them to experience what they came here to learn. They were also given much guidance along the way either by God directly or through spirit guides and angels.

So, God not only created souls and sentient beings, like humans and animals, as well as, insects, plants, and rocks. God created universes, galaxies, solar systems, stars, moons, suns, and planets. God created everything we can and cannot see. The means by which God created all these things varied. Sometimes God used a Big Bang to create and sometimes God used evolution to create. Sometimes God would just create beings and places already evolved and perfectly formed. Once again, God created us and all that is as an expression of His love.

If all souls were created at the same time, why do there seem to be old and young souls?

Even though all souls were created at the same time, there appear to be old and young souls because of the rate at which souls choose to develop. Some souls have chosen a fast track for their development by reincarnating as soon as possible from one lifetime to the next. They are called old souls. Other souls may rest longer in between lives. I like to say they are on the installment plan. They are called young souls. There is no right or wrong, good or bad, in these decisions. However, souls who choose to experience more lifetimes more quickly eventually move into being their God- selves more rapidly than those who move at a slower pace.

Therefore, old souls embody more characteristics of those who have had more life experiences and they tend to tap the Divinity within themselves more quickly than others. Old souls embody characteristics such as compassion, forgiveness, non-judgment, and trust in God. They also easily recognize spiritual truths and shy away from the dogma of religions. They are souls who have been all races, both genders, and all religions. They are souls who have lived in poverty and wealth. They have been victims and victimizers. They have fully experienced what it means to be human in all its forms. As such, they are nearing the end of their incarnations on Earth. There are also some old souls on Earth who did not have to return to Earth to balance karma, but who chose to return to help others.

Young souls tend to have difficulty consistently being kind, loving, and nonjudgmental. They may have prejudices or biases. They tend to see things from a black and white, right or wrong perspective, rather than the perspective of spiritual lessons and spiritual growth.

Are humans born sinful?

No, humans are not born sinful. We are, however, born with a personality, a predisposition, if you will. We are also born with free will. It is fascinating to ask mothers about their children; they all say, Each child was different from the day she or he was born. She or he had different personalities and dispositions. Science also supports the role of genetics in creating personality traits.

I also do not believe in sin. I believe we can make choices that bring us closer to God or we can make choices that take us farther away from God. Each choice has meaning and purpose and can serve as an opportunity to learn and grow. The word sin denotes judgment, which is inconsistent with a loving God.

How does God interact with the natural world?

God created all that exists. In reference to Earth, when it was formed, She also created natural laws, Universal Laws, and gave humans free will. God intercedes on Earth – with the planet itself and with human beings – only if it is consistent with our highest good. God does, however, help us choose our next incarnation. For example, prior to embodiment on Earth, and in conjunction with God’s input, we each agreed to a basic blueprint of experiences for our lives. Within that blueprint are a myriad of choices that take us down various paths, which in turn, lead to other choices.

We are given ample opportunities to learn the spiritual lessons we came here to learn. Our existence here is all about our soul growth, which includes being of service to others. We will receive interventions from God, through our spirit guides and angels, only if it is in our highest good to do so. For example, our guides may prevent us from getting into a car accident by delaying us at work. They would only do this if it were not in our highest good to experience the car accident. Similarly, they may help us heal from cancer if it in our highest good.

In reference to natural disasters, God could, of course, intervene and prevent them from happening. But God will not do so, if it is in our highest good to experience the devastation of such an event. For example, I do believe that, on rare occasions, God may divert a tornado away from a town and into a barren area. Or She may redirect hurricanes or prevent earthquakes from striking at particular times or locations. She may prevent particular people from being hurt. These acts of God are always consistent with the highest good of those souls involved.

Does God communicate with us?

God is constantly communicating with us. There is a wonderful story that illustrates this concept and it goes something like this. Once upon a time, there was a man who lived in a flood zone. It had been raining heavily for days. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings and the local authorities strongly advised all the residents who lived in his area to evacuate immediately. The man heard this warning several times on the radio and TV. But the man had faith that God would not allow anything to happen to him, so he stayed in his home. Then the man heard a knock on the door. The town’s sheriff was there and urged the man to leave with him, as this area would soon be flooded. The man thanked the sheriff but said, I have faith that God would not allow anything to happen to me.

Soon the flood waters came and filled the man’s house. The man was forced to climb onto his roof. While the man was on his roof, two people in a boat came by and said, Climb in, we’re here to save you. But the man declined, for he knew that God would save him. The flood waters continued to rise and started to come up onto the man’s roof. Then a helicopter flew overhead and lowered a ladder so the man could climb aboard to safety. However, the man declined again for his faith was strong and he was waiting for God to save him.

Before long, the flood waters completely consumed the house and the man drowned. When he crossed over, he was met by God in Heaven. And the man asked God, What happened? I have dedicated my life to you and I had complete faith that you would rescue me, but you didn’t. And God answered, But my son, I was with you every step of the way. I sent you radio broadcasts, a TV message, a sheriff, a boat, and a helicopter. The message from this story is clear. God is constantly communicating with us. It just may not be in the form that we expect.

God is communicating with everyone, all the time. The question, therefore, is not to whom God communicates, but who is listening? God communicates through feelings, thoughts, words, and experiences. God also communicates through messengers. For example, let’s say you are having difficulty in some area of your life and you are looking for guidance or answers to your problem or situation. This guidance can come in the form of the lyrics of a song you happen to hear on the radio. Or, perhaps you overhear a conversation that has the answer you were looking for. A friend could call with just the piece of information you need, or a TV show you happen to turn on has a resource or an answer for you. Similarly, you could walk into a bookstore and displayed in front of you is a book that is exactly what you need to help you in some way. Or perhaps, a friend tells you about a workshop that would help you. The list goes on and on.

When we become quiet, and go within, either through meditation or contemplation, God can more easily communicate with us and we can also tap our God-selves for guidance. We can ask God or our God-selves a question and wait for an answer. At first, most often this answer will come in the form of a feeling, but you could also receive thoughts, words, pictures, or symbols. And how do you know this communication is coming from God or your God-self and not your ego, or some fear-based aspect of yourself? When the message comes from God, there is also a deep knowing or resonance that the information is true. The message is also very clear and represents your highest thought.

God can also communicate with us through animals. There is a wonderful book by Ted Andrews entitled Animal Speak, that explains the possible meaning of animals when they appear in your life. For example, perhaps on the way to work, a hawk flies over your head or a rabbit runs in front of your car. You could look up the meaning of hawk or rabbit, and inevitably, there would be information provided that would help you with your life in some way. Another good resource is Medicine Cards, by David Carson and Jamie Sams. These cards have pictures of animals on them and they are accompanied by a book that explains what each of these animals represent. You could look up the meaning of an animal in this book as well, or pick a card to give you guidance on a particular issue. There are many of these types of tools; it is just a matter of finding the one that works for you. The more tools we have at our disposal, or the more symbols we know, the easier it is for God to communicate with us.

God and our God-selves also communicate with us through our dreams. Dreams are powerful tools for Self-exploration, as well as guidance. Our dreams contain answers for us from our Higher Self and from God. Dreams can be a wonderful source of information, as well as a powerful instrument for personal and spiritual growth. There are many good books written on dream interpretation that can teach you how to use your dreams to help you in your everyday life. One very helpful book is The Secret Language of Signs, by Denise Linn. This book contains an alphabetized listing and explanation of possible meanings of the various signs, symbols, and numbers we may encounter in our dreams or even in daily life. Once again, the more tools we have at our disposal, the more symbols and signs we understand and can interpret, the easier it is for God to communicate with us.

What do people mean when they say, Everything is energy?

Everything in the Universe is made of energy. Everything that exists, whether it is a piece of furniture, a tree, an animal, or the air we breathe, is comprised of energy. The matter that we can see or feel, like trees, air, water, or our bodies, can be broken down into molecules which are further comprised of atoms or electrons spinning around protons. These units of energy can, in turn, be divided into smaller or sub-atomic units of energy. These sub-atomic units of energy can subsequently be divided into even smaller units of energy, and so on. We may not be able to see this energy, but it exists nonetheless. Everything that exists is comprised of moving particles of energy, each vibrating at its own rate. Everything is energy.

One characteristic of energy is that it cannot be destroyed. It can change form, but it cannot be destroyed. What is the difference between an ice cube and the water in which it floats? They are made up of the same molecules of hydrogen and oxygen, but the molecules in the ice cube are vibrating at a slower rate than the water that surrounds it. This example demonstrates another characteristic of energy; it vibrates. That means that everything in the Universe vibrates. Additionally, every physical and non-physical thing has its own vibratory rate.

Have you ever noticed that some rooms or buildings feel better to be in? Or that some people are easy to be around, while others seem to give off bad vibes? Have you ever noticed it feels better to be around certain people than others? The same concept applies to music, art, works of literature, or people’s conversations. Everything has its own vibratory rate and the better something or someone makes you feel, the higher the vibratory rate of that person