The Spiritual Meaning of Life Challenges

[Robert Schwartz]

So often, when something “bad” happens to us, it appears to be purposeless suffering. But what if our most difficult experiences are actually rich with hidden purpose – purpose that we ourselves planned before we were born? Could it be that we choose our life’s circumstances, relationships, and events?

In my research for my book Your Soul’s Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born, I found that the answer to this question is a definite yes. Working with four of the most gifted mediums and channels in the country, including one who is able both to see and to hear our pre-birth planning sessions, I’ve examined the pre-birth plans of dozens of people. These people planned such challenges as physical illness, having handicapped children, deafness, blindness, drug addiction, alcoholism, losing a loved one, and severe accidents. Courageously, they planned these challenges for purposes of spiritual growth.

Of the many people with whom I’ve spoken, there was only one who did not plan his challenge before birth. Yet, like everyone else, he did choose it. In Bob’s case, he made his choice shortly after birth, when an accident occurred in the hospital. The following comes directly from Bob’s session with the medium (Staci):

“The [spirit] guides were immediately by Bob’s incubator side, waiting for him to slip out of body and into that state of consciousness where the spirit or astral body is released. They knew it was going to happen quickly.

“My spirit guide wants us to start with the chessboard, the planning board. It’s a chart on which the steps of growth and development are plotted through one’s life, so that the soul has a visual reference. This board is like a flow chart. A flow chart is a question. If the answer is yes, you take one path. If the answer is no, you take a different path.

“When this accident happened to Bob in the incubator . . . the phrase I’m hearing is ‘back to the drawing board.’ Bob and two of his spirit guides got together and went back into the room with the planning board to diagram the alternate path that would be taken to still achieve the soul’s goals for this lifetime.

“They’re showing me the instant he [Bob] found himself back in spirit in the planning place…..very disoriented by this rapid and huge change and surprised to find himself there. He did not realize what was happening to the infant body. He recognizes his guides, trusts them implicitly, and is totally willing to be guided.

“I’m hearing one of the two guides, who is speaking for both of them, telling Bob that there has been a mishap in a procedure and that Bob’s brain has received too much oxygen. Bob appears to be in a state of shock about this—quiet, eyes wide, pupils dilated, numb and glum.

Spirit guide: The nurse involved in the operation of the tubes attached to your crib, where your physical body is even now, has made an error and has allowed too much of the elemental oxygen to flow through. This has elevated the oxygen levels in your brain, and damage is occurring.

“I see them showing Bob his eyes, the baby’s eyes. Bob’s spirit, while attached to the baby’s body, is out of the body. As they speak to him through telepathic thought, his mind’s eye sees those eyes. They show him the damage and how the eyes will look as he proceeds through childhood and into adulthood.

Spirit Guide: There is no damage to the brain; it is to the eyes. There is an increase in your intelligence. Though it is a minor increase, it will serve you well. You now have the option to reevaluate your plan for your life to see if these changes will serve your purposes. If you so desire, you may withdraw from this body, return to us, reevaluate a new host family, and draw up new plans.

“Bob fires off a lot of questions rapidly to his guides. He asks about his ability to walk. He wants to be reassured that his body will still be able to function as he expects. They assure him that it will. Then he asks:

Bob: What about my work?

Spirit Guide: This will be accomplished.

Bob: Will this handicap impede my evolutionary process in this lifetime?

Second Spirit Guide: Let’s see.

“Between the guides and Bob, in the middle of the air, is the planning board for his old life on the bottom, a transitional planning board above that, and above that the board for Bob’s life as it will be after this change. These boards are like a hologram—filmy in appearance, not solid. Their thoughts create these boards and draw lines on them. Lines represent the process of growth.

“A diagram forms. There are little branches along the way. Some of them are houses. For example, the home his family occupies at the time of his birth, the home they move to, and the places he occupies in adulthood, even college, are mapped out on this board. It all happens very quickly.

“With their thoughts, they move elements from one board to another. The first thing they take from the original planning board to the transitional board is his mother.

Spirit Guide: Let’s begin with your mother. She will remain in this life with you and will continue to be your mother.

Bob: That’s good.

“Bob looks reassured. He takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh [of relief].

Spirit Guide: Your father . . .

“They move him from the original board to the middle board.

Spirit Guide: He will still be with you.

“Very quickly other elements are moved—family pets, relatives, things like that. They all go to the transitional board. As the guides move these elements to the transitional board, they also appear on the top board.

Spirit Guide: These elements are unchanging and will remain a steady influence, focus, and force in your life. But your teachers will change. This school [points to a school element on the lower board] is no longer relevant because of your condition. You will now be going to this school [points to a school element that suddenly appears on the transitional board]. This school will serve your needs best and will give you the guidance you need to live in the world under these conditions. Next, let’s take your friends.

[End excerpt]

As Bob’s session with Staci continued, we heard he and his spirit guides do a great deal more planning regarding many different aspects of his life. In the end, Bob decided to accept the additional life challenge of blindness rather than return to spirit to plan a new life.

I believe that an awareness of how we plan our life challenges can completely change the way we view them. Wisdom may be acquired in a more conscious manner; negative feelings are replaced by acceptance, forgiveness, peace, and gratitude.

Ultimately, regardless of our challenges, we deepen our appreciation of life as a soul-expanding, evolutionary process.

* * *

Robert Schwartz is the author of Your Soul’s Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born. A free PDF with a large sample of the book is available on Mr. Schwartz’s web site at www.yoursoulsplan.com. The book may be ordered on that web site and on Amazon. It is also available through your local bookstores and libraries.

Author Bio

In a personal session with a medium in 2003, author Robert Schwartz was astonished to speak with nonphysical beings who knew everything about him - not just what he had done in life, but also what he had thought and felt. They told him that he had planned many of his most difficult experiences before he was born. Realizing that a knowledge of pre-birth planning would bring great healing to people and allow them to understand the deeper purpose of their life challenges, he devoted the next three years to studying the pre-birth plans of dozens of individuals. The extraordinary insights that emerged speak to our heartfelt, universal yearning to know . . . why.

[Nick the Pilot]

Robert,

I once heard (not from a Theosophical source, but from a very good psychic) that, when people choose which body to reincarnate into, that retarded bodies are much in demand. Living a life as a retarded person is a huge challenge. It is a great opportunity to burn off a lot of bad karma. My psychic friend said that whenever a retarded body becomes available, there is always someone willing to take the body. Because of this, I have come to admire retarded people in a new way. The "true person inside" should be commended for having the courage to volunteer for such a difficult reincarnation.

[bupanishad2012]

Interestingly, I once heard a Mormon express nearly these same sentiments. The outcome was the same as in Theosophy: one grows by one's challenges. But, that would be a hard decision to make it seems to me. I feel "crippled" enough by my own inadequate and overbearing body, and I'm only partially disabled.

Please be sure that I am not a Mormon advocate in any way even though I bring them up a lot. Some of their ideas are quite close to Theosophy, and once in a conversation with some of them, they were convinced that I was a Mormon because so many of our metaphysical ideas were similar. When I dropped the Theosophy "bomb" on them, they backed away very quickly. LOL

[Nick the Pilot]

"...they were convinced that I was a Mormon because so many of our metaphysical ideas were similar. When I dropped the Theosophy "bomb" on them, they backed away very quickly."

--> One of the most important things we can teach is religious tolerance, and encourage people to have a religion that different from ours, if that is what they really want. (I believe that all good Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, etc., are all making progress towards enligthenment. Mormons do not?) I can hope that Theosophy is setting enough of an example for universal brotherhood throughout the world.

[bupanishad2012]

Note well, I never disagreed with them or questioned their intentions. I just startled them by my conclusions. (See my other Posts on whether Mormons can advance spiritually. Yes, they can.)