Why are These People in My Life?
We may also ask, “Why am I in their lives?” Relationships are one of the most impactful influences in anyone’s life. We are born into a family, and those people have a profound influence upon us – if only because we are born into their gene pool! But it is much more than genes. Mom and dad or our guardian shape our initial understanding about people and the nature of relationships. In our primary years the original people affect us in so many ways that later reveal their influence when we go off to school or social settings and experience different types of people and interactions. For this discussion we are considering why people are in our lives and we in theirs. To do this, we have to first acknowledge that there are two profound orbs that we function in: one is our inner self and its innate characteristics and experiences. Now we may yell, “Hey wait, I was just born! How can I have experiences?” The answer is preexistence of our souls. I can attest to this from firsthand experience, for I had three children, and each came out of the womb with a different disposition and vibe – my wife and I could feel this the first moment we held them. Furthermore, that initial disposition and vibe played out as they grew into unique individuals. All souls existed prior to physical birth.
The first orb is our soul self, that inner part of us that dreams, reflects, wonders, worries, and seeks to express itself. It was alive prior to our physical life. The second orb is the outer world around us, from the immediate proximity of family and friends to the vast dimensions of TV, the Internet, stories and history, and even rumors and opinions that we hear and see but do not know personally.
We mustn’t forget that each of us also influences others. Each of my children affected me in different ways. When I was a child, my parents were quite different people, so I saw two different attitudes and emotional dispositions. Add to this my siblings which each affected me differently. One made me easy-going and happy while another always made me stressed and even angry. Our souls knew each other prior to this incarnation.
Our inner orb and our outer orb compose our present circumstances. And, we come in with lots of our soul stuff, our own karma, needs, and aspirations. Yet, in this life we find ourselves facing what appears to be an often unfair set of circumstances. Why are these people my initial parents or guardians? Why are these my siblings? Why is he and she my uncle and aunt, my neighbor, my teacher, classmate, and others? What are they all doing in my life? How about my boss, my colleague, are they too somehow intentionally in my life? Is it all just a random swirl of forces that causes us to be in the situations and relationships that we find ourselves in? Thank god the answer is NO! There is a rational cause for these people!
Human philosophies and theologies present answers to these questions, as does ancient metaphysical teachings. The flow of life is guided by some universal laws. Just as gravity holds matter in place, so these other laws hold living beings in their natural place. The first law is attraction. We humans use phrases to reflect our understanding of this law: “birds of a feather flock together”; “like begets life”, and “thoughts held in mind produce after their kind”. The second law is karma, and we express our understanding of this using phrases like these: “what goes around comes around”; “as one thinks, so one becomes”; and “as you sow, so shall you reap”. These two laws are at work all the time, whether we are aware of it or not. Our level of awareness does influence the laws’ continuous activity in guiding the flow of life and all living beings.
As uncomfortable as we may be with certain people, the laws have brought them into our presence. And, as uncomfortable as some people may be with our presence, the laws have brought us into their presence. The conclusion is obvious. Relationships are to be engaged with the intention to enhance, change, or heal the interaction and reaction between our souls. This is the moving force behind our meeting, even if we are the only one improving. Hopefully, others improve by our presence in their lives – but they are free to do as they please. Their attitude does determine ours or affect our ability to grow and move on.
People that make our life better because they are in our life are the grace of our prior interactions with them as souls. People that makes us unhappy, stress us, or challenge us, are in our life as opportunities to resolve and improve our prior soul mistakes, oversights, and negative actions and attitudes. All life seeks to express its highest beauty and wisdom, and especially its purpose for being among the living. It’s all about becoming all we were intended to be. It’s soul growth. The very next person that comes up to us is our opportunity to express our better self or lesser self. The one moves us closer to our soul’s purpose for existing, the other takes us back into the laws of attraction and karma. Let’s not circle back, let’s try to flow forward so as to become our better selves and a blessing to all whom we meet.
This blog is part of our 2020 Enlightenment Series. Members can access all of the available material, which includes an online video and downloadable monthly lesson, in the Member-only section of our website at EdgarCayce.org/members. Not a member? Join now.
