God gives us the opportunity to experience life's lows,
In order to teach us lessons that we cannot get elsewhere
We could have learned.
C.S. Lewis.
Karma as development.
C.S. Lewis’s opening statement immediately sets the tone: “God gives us the opportunity to experience the low points of life.” To which I can, somewhat sarcastically, add: Great, God or universe, thank you, give me some more of that. Nevertheless, it is no different; Earth is a karmic planet, on which we humans are created in the likeness of the Creator. That likeness is our soul, connected to the Self. Our soul possesses all knowledge but lacks experience. According to Walsch (2024), the soul’s purpose is to experience on Earth what it has full knowledge of. To do this on Earth, the soul needs a body and a mind. The All offers us the unique opportunity to experience and express our Divinity on Earth. With the aim of creating heaven on Earth. However, that is not easy, as the soul does not impose itself on the mind. Often, the ego’s agenda is carried out, rather than our soul’s. When we follow the soul’s agenda, we walk a completely different path than that of the ego, or the same path, but with a completely different experience.
The Light Being on a Journey.
The term “Light Being”, used by Hans Stolp in *Why We Came to Earth* (2003), is apt. Earth is therefore a planet of experience, or more romantically put: a great journey of discovery for the Light Being, where we have free will and the perfection of universal laws is always present. We do not always understand much of what we experience. It is important to be able to accept that it could not have gone any other way. This is how we experience what our Higher Self deems necessary. We receive the experiences that match our vibrational frequency, from which there is no escape. But never as a punishment: it is our own creation and desire to be able to grow as a Light Being on Earth. How we react to events depends on how we think and the meaning we give them. This is about observing the event and the free choice we have from our thoughts and heart. The biggest pitfall is our ego, which compares itself to others. Staying connected to our heart is the key to freedom. Perhaps the most important question is: who am I?
The power of not comparing.
Norma Milanovich and Shirley McCune, to emphasise why comparison is pointless:
Every event in someone's life stands on its own and should not be compared with other things. Because every event has its own vibrational frequency with unique lessons to learn, and should be analysed from the perspective of ‘what can I learn from this situation?’ instead of approaching life from this perspective, people often choose to compare their lives and circumstances with those of others, and it is these comparisons that often lead them to become depressed, because they believe that others are more fortunate than they are.
(Norma Milanovich & Shirley McCune, p.210)
The Parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard, Matthew 20.
The Bible offers a beautiful parable by Master Jesus that fits perfectly with the Law of Relativity. Generally, the parable is explained as “the last shall be the first”. The parable can be summarised briefly as follows: A landowner has a vineyard, and it's time for the grapes to be harvested. The landowner sends his servant to the village to arrange for day labourers for the harvest. Five day labourers work from eight in the morning until eight in the evening (12 hours) for ten euros. Later, another five day labourers are hired for eight hours of work, also for ten euros. Finally, at five in the evening, five day labourers are hired for three hours of work, also for ten euros. In the parable, the landowner is the All, or God. The day labourers symbolise people on Earth during their creation process. The next day, all the day labourers receive the agreed amount, ten euros for 12 hours’ work, ten euros for eight hours’ work, and ten euros for three hours’ work.
Why comparison doesn't pay.
And now the comparison process begins. The day labourers who worked for 12 hours find it unfair that they receive the same wage as the day labourers who worked for eight hours. These find it unfair that they receive the same wage as the day labourers who worked for three hours, despite the agreement being very clear. The day labourers who worked for three hours for ten euros seem to have made the best deal, yet this can be nuanced: they were, after all, in uncertainty all day about whether they would get work. This also applies to the day labourers who were asked in the afternoon. The day labourers who worked for 12 hours had certainty of work in the morning, and also more opportunity to prove themselves. The day labourers who worked for 12 hours were happy when they had certainty of work; when they were confronted with the payments of the other day labourers, dissatisfaction arose. This is what happens when we compare our creative process with that of others: it only leads to dissatisfaction. We place the situation outside ourselves and take no responsibility for our own path, even though we made the decisions ourselves. Moreover, we don't know what the other person's path is truly like. Comparing seems logical, but it yields nothing. It is interesting to ask ourselves: what part of us benefits from comparing? In my opinion, it is our much-loved ego, which benefits from looking for it outside ourselves. Feel what happens when we stop comparing, take responsibility, and focus our energy on what we do want.
The art of focused attention.
Years ago, during a yoga teacher training I was attending, a fitting story was told about being able to hold focus on a goal. This story goes with a yoga pose called the Archer. The story also fits nicely with the Law of Relativity, whereby we tend to lose our focus due to the challenges life throws at us.
An archery instructor is guiding three students. They are in a mountainous area, where a bird of prey has been carved into a rock face. The students are standing on a plateau opposite this carved bird of prey. The instructor calls his first student over and instructs him to prepare himself: to draw the bow, aim the arrow, and then, with the master's permission, to send the arrow towards his target, so that the arrow hits the mark. When the first student is ready to release, the master asks, ‘What do you see?’ ‘I see an eagle, master.’ ‘What else do you see?’ ‘I see the wings and the rocks.’ The master then says, ‘Relax your bow; there will be no shooting.’
The master calls the second pupil to him to prepare and asks the same question: ‘What do you see?’ The pupil replies: ‘I see the head of the bird of prey.’ ‘What else do you see?’ ‘I see the tail, master.’ Again, the master says: ‘Relax your bow; there will be no shot.’ Then he calls the third and final pupil to him. Again, he asks: ‘What do you see?’ The pupil replies: ‘I see the head of the bird of prey, master.’ ‘What else do you see?’ ‘I see the head of the bird of prey, master.’ Again: ‘What else do you see?’ ‘I see the head of the bird of prey, master.’ Then the master says: ‘Release.’ The arrow leaves the bow and hits its mark.
