Introduction from The Spirit and I: The Evolution of Soul. Copyright 2009 (PDF edition) by Bernard Willemsen. Introduction There is a natural drive within each and every one of us to expand and grow. It is often suppressed, however, by our reluctance to look beyond what we were taught and allowed to see, imagine and explore. Through teaching and conditioning, we become like caged animals that react in predictable ways when the cage is suddenly opened. A few swiftly run out and never look back. Others cautiously venture outside, become disoriented and frightened, and quickly return to its security. Still others stay in the cage, staring at the open 1
The Spirit and I: The Evolution of Soul door that is beckoning to them, paralyzed with fear, perhaps uncomprehending. This struggle between our conditioning and the soul s drive to grow creates serious disturbances in the body psyche our physical/sexual aspect, and the psyche self our intellectual/spiritual aspect. * The result of these energy disturbances is a wide variety of physical and psychological problems. But before we can even begin to free ourselves from this struggle, we need to understand something about this natural drive, as well as its vehicle, the human body. We also need to understand the changes that occur to that drive when the body dies and the spirit continues on its evolutionary journey. This drive has been variously described as soul, essence, inner self, heart, spirit, psyche, and God within. Whatever we choose to call it, however, many of us fail to accept it as the core of our being or recognize its importance in our lives. We prefer to take ourselves at face value, as solely physical creatures, rather than as psychic or spiritual * See Willemsen, Don t Water the Stick: The Path of the Psyche, 1998. In Don t Water the Stick, we used the phrase psyche self to refer to the energies associated with the soul, and body psyche to refer to those associated with the physical body. In this book, we will refer to the former as spirit, because our focus will be on the identity after it leaves the body. 2
Introduction beings in a physical period. It seems that our Western society begins and ends with the physical dimension of life. But without an awareness of the invisible yet powerful energies that drive us, and the way our own patterns of thought direct those energies, we will inevitably encounter obstacles in our lives that we have no means to overcome. When we view ourselves as primarily physical beings, we cannot learn to use the psyche as a means of healing ourselves or maintaining good health. By saying I am sick rather than my body is sick, we put ourselves at the mercy of forces and circumstances beyond our control, whether they be viruses, bacteria, medical procedures or anything else. Without an awareness of the spirit that carries on after the body dies, we are unable to prepare for our own spiritual lives. Nor can we offer assistance to those spirits that remain in the physical world, unable or unwilling to move on, or to those people troubled by spirit interference. Without knowledge of the psyche and the spirit, we limit our understanding of life and its purpose. Many of us don t know why we re doing what we re doing. We behave like puppets, unable to find our own voice or develop beyond prescribed limits. And when we don t grow, neither does the soul. For many people, the existence of spirit is a question of belief rather than one of knowing: we either 3
The Spirit and I: The Evolution of Soul believe in spirit or we don t. Having an experience of spirit does not necessarily make us into knowers either. We often distrust our experiences or feel confused by them. At a cocktail party many years ago, I was with a group of people who were talking about child development. I didn t know the people very well and felt awkward because I had nothing to contribute to the discussion. Having raised my own children, I had many experiences I could have shared. But because I had never studied psychology, I chose to remain silent. Suddenly, I heard myself speaking. It was as though I were standing some distance behind my body, while someone else was using my voice. After a few minutes, the speaking stopped and I was back in one piece again, looking around at the faces now staring at me in astonishment. I felt anxious, wondering what exactly I had said that surprised everyone. At that moment, a woman in the group spoke up. I ll never forget her words: Well, that s as good a summary of Freudian theory as I ve ever heard! I was embarrassed. I didn t know what she was talking about, never having heard of Freud. I managed to smile, but immediately went to find the hostess, whom I knew quite well. I took her aside and asked her to explain what Freudian theory was. What had happened to me? Who or what had taken over my body and spoken with my mouth? 4
Introduction At the time, I was totally bewildered and quite upset. I even wondered if I was going crazy. At the same time, I replayed what I could remember of the scenario over and over in my mind, feeling oddly pleased that I had impressed everyone with my knowledge, yet knowing full well that I could not take credit for any of it. That was one of my first experiences of the spirit world. I was still far from becoming a knower, however. I would continue to vacillate between believing and disbelieving what had happened to me for a long time to come. The experience did, however, cause me to remember and reflect upon something that had happened years earlier when I was a teenager living in Amsterdam. My mother had received a letter from her elder sister, my aunt Marie, who lived in Rotterdam. Marie wrote that she had seen their mother, Rose, who had been dead for many years, at the foot of her bed. Rose told her that Ton Marie s husband, who had died some years before was on his way back to pick up their 20-year-old son, Anthony. Marie was terribly upset. Some years earlier, Anthony had had an accident that left him paralyzed. His health deteriorated so much that it seemed he would not survive. However, over the following few years, while still in hospital, he somehow managed to regain his strength and recover some of his physical capabilities. He was doing so well that the doctors decided that he 5
The Spirit and I: The Evolution of Soul could soon live on his own again. It was during this time that Anthony s mother, my aunt Marie, saw the spirit of her own mother at the foot of her bed. A short time later, my mother received a second letter from her sister. In it, Marie wrote that their mother had again appeared to her. This time, she told her that Ton was very close by and that she could do nothing to prevent what was about to happen. Marie was beside herself and decided that she would go to Utrecht to see Anthony, even though she had just been told that he was about to be released to live on his own. After reading Marie s letter, my mother decided to travel to Utrecht to be with her. When my mother arrived in the nursing home, she found her sister at Anthony s bedside. Marie told my mother that a day after the visitation, while she was preparing for her journey to Utrecht, she had received an urgent message from the doctors saying that her son had become critically ill. My mother and her sister kept vigil beside Anthony, praying that he would recover. Then, Marie saw her husband s spirit. Knowing what that meant, she cried out, Go away, Ton! Moments later, Anthony sat up in bed, reached out for his mother s hand and shook it, saying, Goodbye, Marie. Then he lay down and died. When my uncle Ton had passed on some years before, he too had sat up in bed, clasped his wife s hand, and said, Goodbye, Marie. 6
Introduction Many people have stories like this one to tell, but usually they are only whispered about, and then, only to trustworthy friends. Why is it that we are so reluctant to accept them as reality? Perhaps, like the caged animal, we need the reassurance of finite and measurable boundaries. The non-physical world has neither. Perhaps we need control over the people and objects in our environment in order to feel safe. But I think the main reason why it is so difficult for us to accept the reality of the spirit world is that we believe that the spirit is different from us. Just as we fail to understand that we are spirits and that the body lives within our psyche selves, so too do we fail to see that the physical period of our lives is a part of the much larger life cycle of the spirit identity. In Don t Water the Stick: The Path of the Psyche, we explored the shaping of the ego out of the soul s drive. We also spoke about Carl Jung s concept of the shadow side of the self the part we would rather not know about and how its continued suppression affects our state of mind and, ultimately, our health. In this book, previously published under the title Beyond a Shadow, we will follow the path of the spirit. We will discover how hidden parts of the self become visible as a result of the spirit s enlightenment, allowing the spirit to fulfill his karma while serving humankind. Many people are searching for meaning and purpose in their lives. They want to transcend their handicaps and limitations, to feel connected 7
The Spirit and I: The Evolution of Soul with something beyond themselves, and in doing so find peace of mind. There is, however, no way we can bypass or sidestep our fears; they will continue to haunt us and obstruct our path. It is only when we embrace the whole of the terrain of our lives, including its physical, psychic and spiritual aspects, that we can avoid stumbling over the bumps along the way. Once we find the courage to penetrate and illuminate the shadowy recesses of our psyches, recognizing our anxieties and conflicting feelings, we can step beyond them to the joy of being and the knowledge of who we truly are. As we come to know that there is no death, but only continuous growth and evolution of the soul, we will no longer be driven by random external forces but by purposeful internal ones. The Spirit and I * represents my truth as I ve come to know and live it. My intention is that it be seen as a call, not for the automatic acceptance of what has been said or written, here or elsewhere, but for the recognition and appreciation of one s own authentic experiences, whether they be visions, intuitions or inexplicable knowings. * This book is based upon a series of lectures that I gave in Winnipeg in the 1980s and 1990s, through Creative Retirement Manitoba and various departments of continuing education, entitled The Spirit and I. In this new edition, I have returned to that original title. 8