Picking Our Parents and Our Life Circumstances (Blog)

[Erin Pavlina]

Use this thread to discuss the following entry from Erin Pavlina's blog:

Picking Our Parents and Our Life Circumstances

[KeithHandy]

I'm confused about my life because it seems like the exact opposite of the scenario you're presenting here. In fact, it's gotten to the point where I've heard so many variations on that scenario that it almost seems like a cliche to me now: we choose abusive families and impoverished conditions in order to be better prepared to make some kind of contribution to the world, some kind of advancement, experience some kind of growth & learning.

I was born into a nice family. An innocent family. A possibly naive family. Nothing abusive, nobody died prematurely, nothing traumatic happened. And yet I go through life with a chip on my shoulder, a constant feeling of something being "not right". I identify more with celebrities who have suffered some kind of loss and go through extreme highs and lows than with those who seem to have a steady and peaceful disposition. In relationships, my sister and I have both gravitated towards people with a history of abuse in their families. Sometimes I think I suffered a trauma in a previous life, but that doesn't make sense if we wipe the slate clean to begin a new one.

[Critical_Scribe]

Hi Keith,

Have you considered that maybe the chip that you speak of is regarding you not having accomplished something? If you overlay the cliche with your situation and apply the rules from the blog, maybe you chose a life free from poverty or anger or abuse, and by doing so have not accomplished any goals?

Certainly if I chose to avoid going to college, or avoid taking a tough job with a high chance of failure, or any number of things that would make a person wonder "what if", I would carry a chip on my shoulder too, especially when I noticed someone else who is successful and maybe possesses all of the things I might have, had I followed through with a path of most resistance.

We can't appreciate peace or harmony or love, joy without experiencing the other end of the spectrum for a reference.

[Jeff Lilly]

Very nice post, Erin. You have a real strength when it comes to clear analogies!

Do you have any insight into why the veil is there in the first place? That is, why do we have to forget everything when we incarnate? Obviously knowing what's behind the veil isn't bad in and of itself -- as you say, it's good to learn that this isn't our only life, that our suffering is temporary, etc. So why aren't we simply born knowing that?

Thanks!!

[annie]

I also believe very much in what Erin says...even though I'm a religious person. So from my paradigm the veil is there as to not interfere with our free will. I think ANY prior knowledge of things are they really are will interfer with the "tests & trials" that will come our way. For those of a religious persuasion...we have to walk by faith. And it’s true that the veil can become very thin at times. But for most of us, the veil remains; it's there to help us learn how we must live & what we can become.

[Hari.c]

Wonderful post Erin.
I have a doubt, before incarnate we decide our marriage partner, kids etc. If my dad decides before his incarnation who are going to be his kids then what is the impact of my decision before my incarnation. Same way if I decide who is going to be my marriage partner then how it impacts my wife’s decision before incarnation?
How is the synchronization happens?
Also one more doubt, if you see general human life we born, get educated, get a job (or do a business), get married, have kids, earn money for the family needs and when the time comes die. This is the routine in most of the cases. So what is the very important thing we could learn from human incarnation that we can’t learn when in the ether?

[Alchemiss]

Originally Posted by KeithHandy

I was born into a nice family. An innocent family. A possibly naive family. Nothing abusive, nobody died prematurely, nothing traumatic happened. And yet I go through life with a chip on my shoulder, a constant feeling of something being "not right".

When I was younger, I would have said something similar. However, I belatedly realized my family was heavily invested in appearing to be perfect when they were indeed quite flawed. I would tune into that "not right" feeling and see if it has anything else to tell you. Things are not always as they appear.

[david2885]

When I read this post, I was reminded of a book I read by Brian Weiss called Same Soul, Many Bodies.

He basically hypnotized people to do regressions/progressions, and found that he could regress them to a certain period before they were incarnated as human beings. He talks about things like the incarnation process where spirits choose the circumstances they want to incarnate based on the growth they want to achieve in that lifetime. He also progressed people into the future (or some of many possible futures anyway), and he has stories of new technologies and human evolution and stuff.

Another person who also does the same kind of therapy and discusses the period 'in between lives' is Michael Newton. You can try listening to an interview of him from the Theatre of the Mind podcast. It's the November 28, 2006 show. Really interesting stuff.

[Crowghost]

Hmmm....
I do know that at the place I am now internally, in respect to where I have been in and throughout my life,..... I'm sort of conducting an experiment of directing or willing where I want to end up.
So far some things that seemed very off-key in realizing some of my ultimate goals are on the horizon. Thay don't yet appear to be lesson oriented, or unsurmountable challenges....but thay are very out of character opportunities.
I don't have fear related in utilizing them, rather it is as if I am taking something of myself that is very valuable, as a trade-off for what will be gained by engaging the opportunities.
That is a first for me.