THE EVOLVED FOLK

In the early days of my search for truth, I spent an inordinate amount of time researching Near Death Experiences (NDE's). The more accounts I read, the more interested I became in one particular aspect common to nearly every story. Almost every person who visited the other side encountered a grand being who radiated the most profound love imaginable. Basking in the presence of this being of light made them feel unconditionally accepted and loved. Sometimes they would meet Jesus, sometimes an unnamed super-being of light and love.

The thing that fascinated me about these higher beings was their tremendous capacity to emanate an all-encompassing love toward and into the person experiencing the NDE. The person relating the account would often go on extensively about how they felt in the presence of this personage as well as how this feeling stayed with them long after their NDE. These higher beings radiated an unconditional love so powerful that it changed the NDEer permanently. The experience almost always altered their perception and understanding of life.

As I would read these accounts I would feel an irrepressible longing to be in the presence of such a being of pure light and love. I wished desperately that I could feel what the person experiencing the NDE had felt: the pure love of God emanating from such a highly evolved being. Whether it was Jesus, God the Father, an ascended master, an angel, a nameless being of light, whoever or whatever it was that these people were meeting in the heavenly realm, I wanted in on it so intensely that I could think of little else.

As I continued in my studies, the more I read about these fascinating NDE accounts, the more I realized that there was something else going on inside me. As I was thinking about this one day, I suddenly realized that what I really wanted wasn't necessarily to stand in the presence of one of these magnificent spiritual dignitaries. What I actually wanted, what the longing and pull inside was really about, was to become such a being. I came to the realization that I wanted to essentially be the guy radiating this tremendous healing love. I didn't just want to be transformed by this powerful love, I wanted to transform the lives of others. I wanted to become a superhero light being of the highest order! I wanted to serve others.

I began to ponder how this was possible. How did these tremendous beings of light become beings of light? How did such highly evolved beings become so highly evolved? How does one become so completely advanced, so fully evolved, that they radiate a pure unconditional love that heals all who come into their presence? Were they formerly a lowly being like me? If they were, how did they get to where they are now? How is this even possible? Did they have to start where I am and learn one step at a time? Could I actually do this? Could I some day, in say, a few million years, actually become such a being? I had so many questions and such a deep longing inside.

As I continued to study, pray and ponder, I began to reach some conclusions. I decided that it took eons for these super-beings to evolve and to grow into what they have become. I came to believe that this path of evolution was experienced through endless lifetimes of growth and learning. I supposed that they were indeed just like me at some point in their evolution. This gave me tremendous hope. Somehow, through extensive experience, growth and learning, they have become superheroes in the realms of love and light. They have become so highly evolved that they have arrived at, and have become, the actual embodiment of the greatest power in the Universe: pure love.

Back here on planet earth, in this extremely low-vibrating realm of snail-paced evolutionary progression, we are each evolving in our own way. We are on our way, far away though it may seem, to becoming beings of immense light and love. We are all on a path of eternal progression toward spiritual superhero-ism, whether we realize it or not. We are all evolving souls, all in our own unique chapter of life's endless book of experiences.

As we walk this path, it may be of interest to note that the Universe is not necessarily in any hurry to bring about our personal evolution. This is fortunate, since some of us may take eons to progress due to our determined resistance to life's lessons. The good news is that the outcome is certain. We are all evolving, thanks to the lessons that Life is bringing into our every experience. How quickly we are evolving is another matter entirely. Fortunately we all get to decide and determine for ourselves how this evolution all plays out. The beautiful and perfect gift of choice lets us progress at our own rate.

Since we are a rather impatient species, especially the current generation, it is important to recognize that there are few shortcuts on this pathway of growth. Progression requires the grind of meaningful and repeated experience. It is not a matter of suddenly and magically being thrust through the pearly gates into heaven. Death does not abruptly transform us into light beings. It does, however, help us to awaken to the extent of our spiritual advancement or lack thereof.

When we pass on to the other side, our sudden enlightenment due to freedom from the heavy mortal veil serves to alert us to the purpose of these perpetual lifetimes of growth. Each time we go through the cycle and then pause to review our experience, we become more determined to come back and try again. From a perspective of clarity we can see the tremendous value in progressing through our mortal experiences. We want to get it right. We want to truly learn from our life lessons rather than resist them. We want another chance.

Through repeated experience, we eventually learn that the purpose of our existence is to evolve. In truth, we can't help but evolve. Experience is our teacher. Every lesson in life, no matter how seemingly insignificant, is ultimately designed to teach us how to become highly evolved beings. The path to this evolved state, as well as the end goal, is profoundly simple. It is unconditional love. Getting there, of course, requires consistent practice.

The chapters that follow provide suggestions and observations regarding how we are meant to grow through the experiences life brings. They serve as a gentle reminder that everything we go through is a lesson. All of our experiences, especially the unpleasant ones, are ultimately given as important steps in our eternal evolutionary development. I am convinced that if we see them as such, our evolution into pure love and light might take merely thousands of years instead of the customary millions.

We are all here to learn something specific to this particular lifetime. We all have a different path and a different purpose. We have all been sent here to earth school, and school is definitely in session. We also have a choice in...