By Dr. Sandy Islands for Conch Color
I invite you to stretch your imagination as you read this. To some, the concepts may be pure fiction, to others; they may touch a cord of truth that invites us to find out more. Eastern religious thought teaches that no one is in our lives by accident, that there’s no such thing as coincidences. The experiences we label as such are really Divine contracts presenting themselves. Let’s open ourselves to the possibility that the intimate relationships in our lives such as family, friends, mates, lovers, close working partners, and even adversaries are all part of our agreement to learn certain lessons on earth. Most of us have had the experience of meeting someone who we felt we knew instantly. They radiated something that was deeply attractive which left us feeling “empty” when they were gone. We might call them soulmates. We were not just destined to meet them, we were required to as part of our Divine contract. No matter how many opportunities to meet them escaped us, our contract provided that we had to meet up eventually in order to complete any unfinished business in the exchange of our souls.
Most of us would agree that changing our lives for the better and helping other people are two of the main reasons we’re here on earth. Without the potential to learn, grow, or be a force for good, life would be a pretty boring affair. When we see what appear to be random events and encounters - positive or negative - as parts of our life-script we’re provided with ample opportunities for spiritual transformation. Some of these transformations may come from a personal trauma or tragedy, serious illness, loss of a loved one, personal or financial catastrophes. We might minimize shifts in our perspective that are motivated by a good book, or the casual comment from a noble friend. When our life plans are suddenly interrupted, we can choose to see these events as Contract Interventions rather than crisis’s that victimize us. We can choose to see events as arbitrary and bad or as blessings that are part of a Divine plan that we need in order to grow.
In my early 30’s, my baby sister who was 25 at the time, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. This event was a wake-up call for me to get out of a self-destructive relationship that I’d been going in and out of. She fought a graceful, valiant battle and made her transition 18 months later before her 27th birthday. As devastating a lesson as this was for our family, her death sent me on a search for the deeper meanings of life, death and life after death that I continue to grow from today. I’ve chosen to accept that her contract brought her to this life and death for those few years to teach our family lessons in grace that we would have never learned without the experience.
Our divine potential speaks to us through our dreams. Dreams reinforce the belief that events are not random but take place by design. We begin to see our lives as laid out in steps and stages arranged in such a way that we always have the opportunity for spiritual transformation which is the ultimate goal of working with our contracts. As we release our need to know why things happen, we begin to look beyond the physical plane, past what the Course in Miracles calls, “illusions.”
It is the fullest expression of our spirit when we discover the depth of our capacity to create and express love, compassion, forgiveness, generosity and wisdom. Please write to Dr. Sandy Islands at sandyislands@hawaii.rr.com