Since the beginning of time people have searched for the meaning of life. They have asked the questions we have all asked at one time or another: Why are we here? Where did we come from? Does any part of us continue beyond death? And if so, where does that part go when our bodies die?
This search for the meaning of life has led to all manner of teachings and theories about heaven and hell, purgatory and paradise, but still something seems to be missing. In this series we will attempt to offer our own ideas about why we are all here on the earth plane and where we will go when our bodies become obsolete.
Of course, we could never be presumptuous enough to say that our ideas about the meaning of life are any more or less accurate than others that have been put forward. We offer this series simply as one possible explanation for our existence on this planet and in the universe. If you have strongly-held opinions about the matter which are not in agreement with the ideas in this series then you should feel free to maintain them. The universe is a big place and there is room enough for all attitudes, approaches and beliefs.
That said, we do hope that you find this series to be both insightful and valuable as you progress further along the road of your life…
If you are like most people, you probably view the beginning of your existence as the time when you were born on this earth. If you are a little more thoughtful, you might view the beginning of your existence as the moment in which you were conceived by your parents.
Whilst either of these events could be viewed as the beginning of your most recent earthly existence, neither of them are accurate in describing the beginning of your existence as a spiritual being. The fact is that spirit is eternal. It has no beginning and it has no end. Therefore you as a spirit being have no beginning and no end. You have always existed and you always will exist. This is the meaning of the word ‘eternal’.
This view of your existence throws up much more than the question of where you will go when your physical body expires. It also throws up the question of where you came from before your physical body came into existence.
If you study the scriptural texts of any major religion or philosophy, you will find that – in the majority of cases – one point is agreed upon. That point is that, in the beginning – before anything had manifested itself on the physical plane of existence – all that existed was pure potentiality. This potentiality, from which all things were created, is traditionally referred to as God.
Now most people have broken free from traditional views and come to the conclusion that God is not a white-bearded man sitting on a celestial throne and wielding a big cosmic stick. God is simply energy, and can probably be more accurately described as a Universal Intelligence (which may or may not be related to the so-called Dark Matter which many scientists believe to occupy 96% of the known universe). It knows all because it is all. It is everywhere because no place exists without it. It can do all things because it is all things.
Now if all things came out of that one energy which we call Universal Intelligence, then everything which exists in the universe is a part of that Intelligence. On a quantum level everything that exists is energy. In other words, everything you see around you is a manifestation of the same energy. You are energy. Your cat is energy. Your next-door neighbour is energy. All is energy and nothing is not part of the same energy.
So the question of where you were before you were born physically onto this plane is both simple and complicated at the same time. You were everywhere, because you are energy. And where will you go when your physical body dies? You will go everywhere, because you are energy.
