Introversion

The greatest key to inculcation of divine virtues is introvertness. Introvertness necessitates speaking only what and when we must which saves time and energy. Where talk is useful. I take part with enthusiasm and delight. Otherwise great benefit exists in staying in silent remembrance. Introvertness does not only refer to being physically silent but as much as possible having attention on one's internal stage and progress. Likewise extroversion does not only refer to attention-seeking behaviour but essentially to having one's attention pulled by people, things and circumstances thus creating an inner vacuum. The process of yoga takes the soul from sense-gratification to blissful awareness. The basis of freedom from vice is the love of the incorporeal, the eternal. No devotion, pilgrimage, occult power or exercises are greater than the purifying effect of love for God based on knowledge of Him. Without love, spiritual endeavours further bondages. Without knowledge they can be dangerous.

Who am I - Meditation Commentary

Positive Qualities

Every scene of the drama calls upon positive attitudes such as humility, tolerance, compassion, mercy, sweetness, cheerfulness, contentment, patience and fortitude. These are the shock absorbers in life ensuring the smooth and easy passage. The world of the Golden and Silver Ages is the world of positivity. I must incalcate that positive approach in this birth. The method of acquiring these qualities is to see and imbibe only the goodness of others. When I know I still lack something myself, will I concentrate on the faults of others and ignore my own? Since Shiv Baba is the source of all goodness, I learn to drink only from that One. The goodness I see in others was created by Him. I learn not to drink the dirtiness of human flaws and weaknesses but to have love for all and pure vision towards all. By loving God, I feel complete and natural and easy with everyone. I am helping in God's work of re-establishment of the new world.

How To Leave The Influence of Body-Consciousness

If there is one vice present others are not far behind. So too, if there is one positive quality it can take the soul forward to perfection, gradually embracing all other virtues on the way.

By focussing on my virtures, not stay on my defects, they will strengthen. Beacause the destination in Raja Yoga is high, defects are bound to apprear. If, instead of becoming unhappy, I look at my strong points, without ego or body-consciousness, and seeing them as gifts from God, they will take me far beyond negativity.

The negative approach of trying to tackle the vices is like a little boy trying to plug up all the holes in the wall of a dyke. Eventually he runs out of fingers and toes to block the holes and is unable to stop the flow. The positive approach is to take God's help. I go beyond the defects that keep appearing, bey seeing myself more and more in the mirror of His qualities.

What else but virtue can I give to God? Only the love that is in my heart. I am then able to serve the world with honesty. If the soul says, "It's too difficult to carry on", Shive Baba will say, "Who told you to go alone? Just sit in my lap and I will carry you. You are like a child learning to walk, who wants to leave its mother's hand but falls over. Stay in my lap and I will take care of you." The soul takes the positive approach and goes on inculcating positive natural qualities. Automatically, the vices are replaced by virtues.

It is sometimes difficult to realise that any problem or disturbance I feel is because of the influence of the vices within the self. No-one or nothing external can really upset me, but I upset myself. By not blaming anyone else if I am unhappy I free myself. The more I become free from body-consciousness, the more tolerant and accommodating I become. Because I am no longer intellectually in bondage to my own identity, I no longer categorise others according to physical criteria. I don't try to impress them with my qualities but with the qualities of my highest Father.

Knowledge of God and His acts impresses upon me that I am His heir, the inheritor of His qualities. When I know God and His most beautiful form and abode, I can develop to my maximum potential and thus experience constant happiness.

Forms Of Body-Consciousness - Laziness

When the weight of past sins is heavy it produces a type of spiritual sluggishness that hampers the effort to change thought, words and actions. The laziness on a subtle level deludes the soul into imagining that "Everything is alright. There are no problems. I'm OK." The soul rejects the impulse to make internal efforts. There's an expression in India that spiritual endeavour "isn't as easy as going to your aunty's house". Many desist from practices like meditation after only a few tries because laziness pulls the soul towards complacency which it mistakes for contentment. Laziness, you could say, is one of the main perpetrators of a negative state of mind, robbing zeal and giving birth and sustenance to the other vices. All of the above negative forces surface in the mind at any appropriate situation unless the soul is in the sweet remembrance of the true Mother and Father. When I know myself from God, these vices and their offspring such as sloth, vanity, jealousy, fault-finding, etc are intruders into the original texture of the soul. In front of me, I can see a state of complete freedom, and it is a state definitely without these negative forces.

Forms Of Body-Consciousness - Anxiety And Worry

In the natural state there are no ripples of gloom. I am perfectly peaceful and content. Nothing disturbs me. In ignorance I am worried when expectations meet disappointment, when someone to whom I am attached goes away or has an accident. Worry saps the life-energy and drains away courage, zeal, reason, memory and happiness. As a yogi, the only worry I have is forgetting God and my relationship with Him.

Forms of Body-Consciousness - Fear

Fear exists only when we are body-conscious. It is the result of attachment to the physical body, identity, possessions or status. If I am fearful, any harm that the body may be subjected to may cause me to lose my sense of distinguishing between truth and illusion. As a yogi, I know and understand how the soul is related to this body and to this world. I understand completely that death or loss is nothing but a change of circumstances which can be viewed impartially and with complete security. My life is in God's hands and my actions are according to His directions. I am resolving my karmic account so I have nothing to fear from the consequences of my past actions. Fear of an unknown future, which is common to most, is replaced by the assurance that everything I am doing in yoga is guaranteed to have a positive result for eternity.

Forms of Body-Consciousness - Greed

The natural state is one of sharing and self-satisfaction; to have nothing but to have everything. With greed, I build walls of material possessions within which I run around in circles in the race of self-aggandisement, accumulating this, acquiring that.

Greed robs the soul of its dignity as it becomes lost in the pleasures of the senses, especially taste and colour. The greedy soul, stripped of its royalty, attempts to substitute inner wealth with material things.

Greed for food, possessions, power or ambition, hinder the development of spirituality in the soul. The greedy soul can never be content. I have "greed" only for the wealth of knowledge and the love of God. I can appreciate beautiful things but I have no desire to own them. True natural love brings calmness but greed is a fire that burns within and agitates the mind to constantly search for things to acquire and accumulate.

Dadi Janki On Science And Spirituality

Watch this.

Forms of Body-Consciousness - Anger

Anger is the negation of love, which indicates that the angry soul actually needs love. It burns the soul and others in connection with it and disturbs the natural state totally. People mistakenly believe that anger can bring a situation under control thereby creating a "satisfactory situation". But when I am not satisfied with myself I cannot be satisfied with others nor can I satisfy others.

Anger is a spear that wounds feelings. When I react with anger, all I am really doing is damaging myself as well as the other. When there is preoccupation with selfish desires, plans and motives, the soul lays itself open to anger attacks or its related forms: envy, jealousy, impatience, annoyance, irritability, disgust, backbiting, sullenness, violence, contrariness, sulking. Each time anger is expressed, harmful secretions flow through the metabolism causing many physical disorders, such as ulcers, heart trouble and psychosomatic problems.

Forms of Body-Consciousness - Ego Or Arrogance

Thinking highly of one's wisdom, wealth, physique, beauty, experience, social status or family creates the delusion, "I should be loved or respected for these things." This self-love, or rather conceit, removes all sense of reality and generates many false notions. On top of that it usually backfires. Searching for respect and regard through a glorified image of myself, will not find it. It just breeds discourtesies. I think that the whole world revolves around me and should listen to my opinions. Both the "superiority complex" and the "inferiority complex" ("I am the best", or "I am no good") are forms of arrogance because the thought process is egocentric and the repeated word "I", "I", "I" is predominant. Because of internal confusion of identity, the soul wishes to find security by winning the attention of others.

The natural state is love for one's true self and others. Ego is love for the physical identity and its temporary masks. Even though we suspect we are weak, we seek to prove our strength before others. As yogis we redirect this self-love to God and through that love-bond, we are able to love all others and maintain our self-respect. We remain unaffected by praise or insult. The soul no longer sees the world relative to itself. It can see others in their own right and naturally respects their opinions. In the ego-centric state I am the "sun" and others are my "planets" but in the yogic state God becomes my "sun" and I see all others in relation to Him rather than in relation to me.

Forms Of Body-Consciousness - Attachment or Possessiveness

Pure love is spiritual. Its misplaced forms are attachment and lust. But people regard attachment as the "glue" that keeps the household and family unified. In reality, the people or things that I consider as "mine" end up as my captors binding me in a net of worries and fears. The people or things that I cling to through attachement are compensations for the insecurity of the soul to lost in matter. Spiritual love is unconditional but attached love imposes so many conditions according to the likes and dislikes of the parties involved. Instead of being the thread of happiness and unity as it is supposed to be, it is the cause grief and anxiety within any relationship.

For example, a child is born and the parents think, "This is our child, thank God." Yet if the child were to die they would weep and become lost in a maze of negative thoughts, none of which could bring back the child. In this case, the "child" is the body which has died not the soul. The parents are not the creators of the personality, the soul, but only of its vehicle. The soul is the child of God and no human soul has the right to own another through the words "my" or "mine".

In this case, as with lust, we can also see that the basic motivation behind attachment is selfishness. I place importance on a relationship only because I feel there is benefit in it for "me". In body-consciousness those benefits are illusory, transitory. A yogi clings to the attributes of God and becomes unburdened from the subtle chains of attachment to limited things and beings. He becomes unlimited, unbound. The natural state is one of comprehension and freedom and no possessiveness, or "my-ness".

Attitude Can Influence Our Lifespan

Since we spend a major portion of our lives at a job, our attitude towards what we do influences our lifespan. Mind you, it is not what we do, but our attitude towards it which matters.

Two men were moving some stones to erect a church. When asked, "What are you doing?" One answered, "I am lifting rocks." The other said. "I am helping to create a temple for God." This visionary approach to our job, realizing the long-term impact it has on people and the world, is superior to the short-term, 'How soon can I get out of here' approach. The better approach facilitates greater motivation, accomplishment and enjoyment. These positive emotions will have a positive impact on our long-term health.

If our attitude towards work or people is negative, we will not enjoy our work and adversely undergo stress. It is not the work but the attitude which causes stress. People spend hours on their hobbies and yet never get tired.

Take from Self-Empowerment by Bridget Menezes

Why Does the Soul search for Peace, Love and Happiness?

The search for true values is a constant preoccupation. In body-consciousness we mistakenly think that the physical world and physical relations can provide peace, love and happiness. However these are not the properties of matter, not of the physical identity, but the true characteristics of the soul. This has to be realised.

Imagine a scene in which you are surrounded by all your favourite things; food, music, fragrance, scenery and companions. Just about to enjoy your meal, the telephone rings and you are told that a person close to you has just dies. Instantly, that scene of "favourites" melts into an insipid and superficial experience. Something has happened that shakes the soul and it can no longer enjoy those things. At the same time it finds itself inadequate in the face of the bad news as understanding and power are missing. Life is full of experiences such as this and it becomes clear that physical things are not the sources of peace, love and happiness, but that understanding and inner strength are.

One of the basic facts of human psychology is that we do not seek or desire something that has not been experienced previously. For example, if one has never tasted a mango, there cannot be a burning desire to have a mango. This suggests that desires might be arising from previous life experiences. Infact, it is impossible for a human being to act or desire outside the field of his or her own experience. The search for peace, love and happiness is so fundamental to the human spirit because these are the original and true qualities of the soul itself.

Forms of Body-Consciousness - Lust

Souls are points of light without gender. Love is natural between them. Seen in this light, lust and frustration are only due to a lack of real love. Transitory sexual enslaved enjoyment is nothing compared to the loss of awareness it entails. We understand that there can be no lust between souls.

I see all others with pure brotherly vision. I love the soul, not the outwardly shape and form of the soul's body. Lust robs me of physical and spiritual strength and leads me even more deeply into sense-gratification. Trapped in the world of flesh and bones I am a slave to colour, form and touch. Throung the loss of reason and self-awareness, I fall into attachment.

The curtain descends on my power of discrimination as the intellect is weakened. Lust is a feeling that waxes and wanes. As it waxes, correspondingly, spiritual vision and understanding dims. As it wanes I come back to my senses. The desire to satisfy the sexual craving is perhaps the most basic of instincts related to body-consciousness. The egocentric desire to safisfy, basically the sense of touch, robs the soul not only of its reasoning power but also of its self-respect.

When there is the realisation of the power of the soul and of the opportunity to be an instrument for world benefit, sexual desire can be sublimated easily. As the soul is involved in uplifting others, assisting in their spiritual birth, the constant preoccupation with sex and its ramifications, that normally assails someone living in the Iron Age, fades very naturally. Eventually the emotional storms that accompany it cease. In fact, when the sense organs are used in service of others, the karmic reaction is that they are purified.

The Benefits of the Knowledge of the Cycle

In meditation the soul is able to fly above all limitations and sees and feels the reality of the Golden Age. If the soul allows itself to slip back into ordinary every day consciousness, just by seeing and relating to the impure world around it, it may feel that the Golden Age is a fantasy. However if there is true soul-consciousness and the experience of the original stat of the soul, then the aim and object is attained. In a cycle we are merely becoming what we were. In a cycle the past is the future, and the present is the future.

Inspiring Stories - A Beautiful Flower

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read, beneath the long, straggly branches of an old willow tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down. And if that weren't enough to ruin my day, a young boy approached me, all tired from play. He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, "Look what I found!" In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, With its petals all worn- not enough rain, or too little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away. But instead of retreating he sat next to my side And declared with overacted surprise, "It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you. "The weed before me was dying or dead, not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and replied,"Thanks, just what I need. But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason or plan. It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see he was blind. I heard my voice quiver, tears shone in the sun as I thanked him for picking the very best one. "You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play, unaware of the impact he'd had on my day. I sat there and wondered how he managed to see A self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree.

How did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight.

Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see The problem was not with the world; the problem was me.

And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine. And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose And breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose.

And smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand, about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.

Confluence Age - The Age of Illumination

When there is the absolute decline of practised truth, it is then necessary to re-establish the world of truth. The one eternal Seed, the one who is able to perceive all events of all time periods, comes to reveal the story of our history. It is a story of long ago but of only yesterday. That story of a world of truth, of love, joy and purity stirs deep feelings from the long buried past in our hearts; how these original divine human beings danced their way gradually into the stage of distress and then searched to re-discover that world. What were living memories had faded into forgotten dreams. But now the vision of a united and spiritually regenerated humanity, something that all religions have dreamed about, is given concrete existence in His teaching and yoga with us.

Iron Age - The Age of Death

The search for something higher is becoming desperate, as impurity and decadence become extreme. Human beings by this time are totally chained to the vices, creating unlimited sorrow and unrest. It is the age of utmost decline in moral, ethical and spiritual values. Conditions of chaos and anarchy under the guise of democracy have totally overtaken the system of divine monarchy. The masses are continually being incited on the basis of differences of language, religion or political belief. People are against themselves, others and nature. The world is divided and power games are rife. The actions of caring group may benefit some but it is always at a cost to others.

Religion as a basis for living is supplanted by scientific thinking. Science is a "god" which reduces everything to material values. Perverse thnking permeates all levels of society. The poor are against the rich, blacks against whites, brothers against sisters through obliviousness of our common origin. There is total disruption in family life, which is reflected in the community, in the city, in tha nation and in the world.

Towards the end of the Iron Age all conditions become extreme. Society becomes degraded and dehumanised. The persuit of material ambition is held as the sole aim and object of existence. "Eat, drink and be merry" is the catchphrase of the masses without thought for consequences.

Respect is replaced by conceit, mistrust and sexual promiscuity. There are many demonstrations and revolutions. Power changes hands rapidly and in the final hours of the Iron Age, the weapons and equipment are manufactured which can bring about the physical transformaton of the world. Souls are liberated from their bodies and return to the soul world. The river of history has run its full course.

Copper Age - The Age of Duality

This age is the beginning of recorded history. The virtuous state, or the ability to perform truthfully, has been lost and that missing gap has to be filled in. Thus the search to gain back the lost paradise begins, though is is truly "lost". The elements of nature combine to produce changes of catastrophic proportions, so much so that even the buildings are buried to such a depth that architectural traces are only now being discovered. The ways and acts of the deities, however, are remembered and they become the figures of our myths and legends, devotion and worship.

The original race is shattered over the face of the earth. Some of these "pockets of civilization" become isolated and in such hostile conditions rapidly degenerate, forming "primitive" or "tribal" societies. Large groups of immigrants from India emerge in Egypt, Sumeria and Babylon, still carrying remnants of the most elevated culture and technology the world has ever known. However, unable to meet the challenges offered by the harsher conditions, they too experience rapid decline. We find a preoccupation in the mythologies of all the major, ancient civilizations about a "lost paradise" and the "beautiful gods and goddesses" who ruled there. Pantheism proves that our ancient civilizations are descended from the original deity civilization.

Ideologies emerge in an effort to rationalise and revert the fall that is occurring, but no-one has sufficient power to bring the tatters of humanity back together. Such attempts have instead served to separate various cultures ever more.

Silver Age - The Decline

Inevitably the slow decline of things starts to be noticed. As spring imperceptibly creeps into summer, the Golden Age paradise becomes a "semi-paradise", a Silver Age.

Its beginning is marked by the changing of dynasties; from that of Lakshmi and Narayan to that of Rama and Sita which lasts 12 generations; this is remembered as the "Moon Dynasty". The deities (so called for their divine actions) are discharging their original power and qualities through their actions which effects the whole kingdom. Comparing the Golden Age and Silver Age is somewhat like comparing the effect of the sun on colours at full-light and its effect at half-light. The colour and beauty of things are still there but their richness is a little dulled.

In the relationship amongst souls there is still pure love, but the population is increasing, the kingdom is expanding and for convenience is divided into principalities. Material resources are therefore being spread more thinly over a wider area to meet a greater demand. The souls who entered this play are gradually becoming attracted to the things of the senses. Material beauty first allures the soul more and more in each successive birth, into the world of the senses and sensual desires. Though there is hardly any negativity or sorrow, the quality of all things is a little less. There is a difference in the degrees of bliss, power, purity and prosperity.

Golden Age - The Age of Truth

In the beginning, each member of society plays exactly that role for which his or her natural qualities are best suited. Some have the qualities to be rulers and others have the qualities to be subjects. It is a hierarchical society based on divine virtues. This means that different roles are based upon intrinsic qualities and not on false notions of grandeur and social inequalities. Because each soul plays the role to which it is best suited no one complains or covets the role of another. Though there are rulers and subjects, there is neither enforced authority nor submissive subordination. The rulers are simpy those who have the greatest virtues and natural wisdom.

The system is held together like a perfect, crystal lattice. Everything is at its highest stage of purity and beauty. Concepts such as value, profit and loss, misery, poverty, sorrow and death do not exist. In a society whose members have much more that they need, trade and exchange are carried out mainly for distribution purposes. With such universal prosperity, and internal and external harmony, shortage and the misery it entails are unimaginable.

The system of the Golden Age is not a conscious philosophy in practice but rather a natural manifestation of a society whose members are in the highest state of natural soul-consciousness. They instinctively feel their realities as souls and not bodies. Being soul-conscious they are automatically the masters of their sense organs and of their environment.

This picture is not the idealized paradise; it does not pretend a perpetual youth of blissful innocence. It is the peak of human civilization in every field of human endeavour; teaching, music, government, drama, linguistics, painting and science. Science is such that it comprehends and harnesses the forces that govern this planet without destroying or polluting the environment. It is the purest use of science and technology at its highest level.

Only the best materials are used in the construction of perfect architecture, the best that nature can provide: gold, diamonds, rubies, etc. The world is a garden in which the seasons vary slightly. Art, dance and music are at their most expressive. There are no norders of land, sea or air. The soul is in perfect balance with all others. Everyone enjoys good health. There is no need for laws or law courts. The only law is love.

The Story Of The World Drama

Contrary to popular theory, our ancestors were neither monkeys nor cave dwellers but human beings who had a deep and natural understanding of the world they inhabited. The original population was small though growing slowly. This period we have termed as "prehistory" simply because written and reliable records of things and events started only about 2,500 years ago. The first age in which everything is at its highest level of purity can be called for simplicity's sake, the Golden Age. That is followed in sequence by the Silver, Copper and Iron Ages and ultimately there is a period of transition from old to new, impure to pure which can be called the Confluence Age.

Be Mindful of the Law of Cause and Effect

Values are neither physical nor material in nature, yet people attempt to obtain them through material things. It is like trying to build castles in the air but beginning at the top instead of with the foundation.

Today, everyone is expressing unhappiness in one form or another. Who is responsible for this sad situation?

No one actually. If we understand the laws of creation, then we know we are responsible for our own state of being. The first law is that everything is created new. Nothing old can be created. You cannot build an old house, nor bake stale bread. Ignorance of this law is why many people grumble when they are unhappy;

By understanding the law of cause and effect, there will be fear within us of causing harm to others either through our words or our actions. Whatever we do to others, comes back to us. If we keep this in mind, we will be safe and stable.

Taken from a book entitled "Self-Empowerment" by Bridget Menezes

The Cycle of Time

In recorded history, time has always been an enigma. To some, time is merely a regulator. Everything they have to do is divided into hours, minutes and seconds. In the modern world it is normal to be slaves to time. To others, time is seen as a continuous subtle thread to which all events and scenes are tied. Whichever, time stands as the measure of processes. Though time is not tangible, it can be understood. The nature of time can be described by the processes which it measures, or in other words, the processes which take place within time.

All the processes of nature are cyclic; day and night, the four seasons, the phases of the moon, the motion of the planets, the cycles of water and carbon, etc. Yet scientists still cling to the idea that historical time is linear, that there was at some moment a beginning.

Human beings thought that the earth was flat until it was discovered that one could travel in a straight direction for a certain distance and arrive back at the same point. So after the invention of the telescope and the voyages of the great navigators we had to change our understanding of the world, and in this way all subsequent scientific theories have continued to change and become more refined. Through the "apparatus" of meditation and spiritual knowledge we penetrate new dimensions and come to a cyclic understanding time.

One theory that scientists have postulated is that this is an expanding universe in which originally all matter was densely concentrated, and there was a great explosion since which time all matter has been expanding outwards. This is called the "big bang" theory. One thing this theory overlooks, however, is the most basic of all cosmic principles; the law of cause and effect. What was the cause of this "bang"?

One the other hand, most would agree that time and space are infinite. Even the symbol of infinity, the figure eight written sideways, suggests something that has no beginning or end. One can safely say that the law of cause and effect operates forever. Each point in the cyclic flow of events gives cause to the next point, until eventually it arrives at the same point that it begins from. Time as a cycle is the only possible way that we can bring infinity and the law of cause and effect together and tie them neatly into one "unified field".

World History Is A Drama

The interplay between souls, nature, God and time is what constitutes the cycle of world history. We shall call it the world drama. God is the director, the souls are the actors, nature is the stage and the movement of the drama is time.

The drama is the story of human souls, their rise and fall, victory and defeat, happiness and suffering, knowledge and ignorance, liberation and bondage. It is the story of the play of good and evil forces and of the different stages through which the souls pass in five different epochs. It is a story of how the souls mistakenly identify themselves with their perishable bodies and how this leads to a decline in all levels of human activity. This decline then reaches its extreme until souls turn again to God and restore their former spiritual heights. Decline, consequences of the law of cause and effect, the emergence of vices, the increase in worship, the advent of pure souls as founders of religions, the emergence of many religions, the growth of fanaticism and confusion, war and disease, and finally the liberation of souls from their self-created bondages; these are the salient features of the drama.

Just as in an ordinary drama, an actor, wearing a suitable costume, acts out his part at a predetermined time, so in the world drama, the soul-actors perform their roles, each at their assigned "cue". This role lies dormant in the soul in the form of impressions, until the right time period triggers the qualities inherent in the soul and it makes its appearance on the stage.

Those impressions become thoughts, which are then translated into words or actions. The total role of every individual exists in latent form within the soul while the soul is in the oul world. When the soul appears in the physical world, theat role begins to manifest. The soul begins to act and after the accumulation of birth upon birth of action, it eventually becomes trapped in their consequences. It forgets its own origin, and is instead bound by various identities, objects, ideologies and relationships, and starts to search for a way out of them.

The world drama, or world history, is but the collective play of all the individual parts of the soul-actors. The soul awaits in the soul world, "backstage" until the situation is conducive for it to enter the drama. Once each soul is here, it must remain until all souls have come onto the stage. At that time there is major transformation and all sould except for a few return home to the soul world. And the drama begins again. The only possible way that life can thus eternally continue is if time is cyclic.