Anthony Forwood
Arm Chair Know-It-All
If we reincarnate on the physical plane again and again, then reincarnation must be a natural function with a purpose. We can see from scientific evidence that species appear to evolve in their physical form over many generations, adapting characteristics that can make living in their environment more accommodating. However, as we currently understand it, this evolutionary process is based strictly on chance, where random mutations that happen to facilitate the survival of the species tend to be persevered, while those that don’t tend to die off.
But where does reincarnation come into this? Is there any better means than relying on random mutations to affect the physical forms that we incarnate into? What effect might our conscious will have on our evolutionary development, if any?
How can any form of random evolution ever take us to higher states of being? What assures that we eventually reach these higher states of evolution, rather than to continuously fall back to a lesser state again and again, or to complete extinction?
And what about those traits that don’t appear to be passed on through DNA, and are only identifiable as personality traits, but which could be of equal or greater advantage to physical traits? I include here such traits as patience, wit, cunning, intelligence, artistic aptitude, altruism, etc.
To begin to understand evolution in terms of reincarnative processes, we have to forget the limitations that Darwinian evolutionary theory proposes. Purely random changes in the physical makeup of a species seems far too chancy, and holds no promises of ever achieving any higher states at all. Sudden changes in the environment tend to wipe out whole species, rather than to propel them to evolve.
It appears that we reincarnate on the physical plane in order to develop ourselves and attain higher states of being beyond just the physical. We can evolve physically, slowly acquiring improvements to our physical form, but we can also evolve in a spiritual sense, improving our inherent nature at a level of being beyond the physical.
How do we evolve spiritually?
Before I try to answer this, I should first establish what I mean by spiritual evolution. Simply put, the spirit is expressed by the will, but it is not the will, it is what directs it. You might have a what people would call a good spirit or a bad spirit, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that you have a spirit, so it isn’t anything to do with good or bad per se. You might be the most evil person in the world, and still have a huge spirit. Spiritual evolution might be measured by how well you can cope in a particular situation and how able you are to overcome new obstacles. Through many incarnations, these situations and obstacles are faced again and again until the lesson is learned. The spirit evolves when it finally learns to deal with it and can thereafter never be limited by it.
[continued...]
But where does reincarnation come into this? Is there any better means than relying on random mutations to affect the physical forms that we incarnate into? What effect might our conscious will have on our evolutionary development, if any?
How can any form of random evolution ever take us to higher states of being? What assures that we eventually reach these higher states of evolution, rather than to continuously fall back to a lesser state again and again, or to complete extinction?
And what about those traits that don’t appear to be passed on through DNA, and are only identifiable as personality traits, but which could be of equal or greater advantage to physical traits? I include here such traits as patience, wit, cunning, intelligence, artistic aptitude, altruism, etc.
To begin to understand evolution in terms of reincarnative processes, we have to forget the limitations that Darwinian evolutionary theory proposes. Purely random changes in the physical makeup of a species seems far too chancy, and holds no promises of ever achieving any higher states at all. Sudden changes in the environment tend to wipe out whole species, rather than to propel them to evolve.
It appears that we reincarnate on the physical plane in order to develop ourselves and attain higher states of being beyond just the physical. We can evolve physically, slowly acquiring improvements to our physical form, but we can also evolve in a spiritual sense, improving our inherent nature at a level of being beyond the physical.
How do we evolve spiritually?
Before I try to answer this, I should first establish what I mean by spiritual evolution. Simply put, the spirit is expressed by the will, but it is not the will, it is what directs it. You might have a what people would call a good spirit or a bad spirit, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that you have a spirit, so it isn’t anything to do with good or bad per se. You might be the most evil person in the world, and still have a huge spirit. Spiritual evolution might be measured by how well you can cope in a particular situation and how able you are to overcome new obstacles. Through many incarnations, these situations and obstacles are faced again and again until the lesson is learned. The spirit evolves when it finally learns to deal with it and can thereafter never be limited by it.
[continued...]