Read an Excerpt
Soul Comfort
Uplifting Insights into the Nature of Grief, Death, Consciousness and Love for Transformation
By Alistair Conwell John Hunt Publishing Ltd.
Copyright © 2015 Alistair Conwell
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-78535-174-7
CHAPTER 1
Consciousness
Consciousness is the inherent fabric of the universe
Like the invisible air our bodies share in the physical realm, consciousness is unseen yet all-pervasive. Consciousness is the multilevel fabric of the universe. The multiple levels of consciousness can be thought of as ascending floors in a skyscraper. Just as the view of a city would be limited from the ground floor of a 100-storey skyscraper, the view gets better and more expansive if you were to progressively ascend to higher floors. And if you were to go to the rooftop, the 360-degree panoramic bird's eye view would be spectacular. Not only would you see much more of the city, its surrounds and the skyline, you would also gain a completely new perspective of the city and perhaps see things you did not know even existed. So when your loved one's physical body dies, their awareness of the 'ground floor' of consciousness merely transitions to a higher 'storey', either closer to the rooftop or perhaps even to it.
Consciousness is the silent harmony of the universe
Consciousness is a spiritual vibration. As that vibration can have musical qualities, consciousness can be regarded as the silent harmony of the universe or the 'music of the spheres' that the ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician, Pythagoras, referred to. The stronger the spiritual connection between you and your loved one, the greater consciousness is shared at multiple levels of consciousness and the deeper the love between the two of you. That spiritual connection is made at higher levels of consciousness long before our physical lives.
The soul is an indestructible spiritual diamond unaffected by the demise of the physical body
The soul is inherently spiritual in its nature whereas the body is inherently physical. Consciousness enlivens the physical body but it can also exist independently of the physical body. In the same way that our modern technology requires electricity or Wi-Fi (wireless technology) to operate, the physical body requires consciousness to function. If a TV or mobile device malfunctions and becomes inoperable, that does not affect or eliminate the supply of electricity or Wi-Fi. Equally, the death of the physical body does not affect or eliminate consciousness – it simply transforms consciousness by raising its vibrational frequency to apprehend the spiritual realm.
We are not defined by our physical bodies but by our consciousness
The physical body is like a vehicle you may drive (including autonomous or self-drive vehicles that sense the environment automatically and need little more than a destination to be identified by the 'driver'). The vehicle enables you to use the road network and transports you to your destination, yet you are not defined by the vehicle. You have a separate identity to the vehicle. You can enter or exit from the vehicle at any time just as consciousness enters and exits the physical body. Although we identify ourselves with our physical bodies when alive, the physical body is merely the vehicle for which consciousness is the driver. Death is the process of consciousness exiting the physical body. That process is not painful; it is actually liberating and thrilling because any pain or discomfort experienced in the physical body prior to its death ceases, and the transition to the spiritual realm is usually associated with a feeling of travelling at rapid speed as the vibrational frequency of consciousness is raised.
Consciousness connects all beings – before and after death
In life and after death, each of us contributes soul-consciousness to the collective conscious soul of the universe – both its physical and spiritual aspects. Consciousness connects you and your loved one in the physical and spiritual realms. Just as countless water droplets collectively make up an enormous ocean, countless droplets of consciousness collectively make up the conscious soul of the universe. There is nowhere in the universe that is void of consciousness. Even inanimate objects are imbibed with consciousness but of an extremely low vibrational frequency. The nature of the soul is consciousness of the highest vibrational frequency.
The eternal light of consciousness cannot be dimmed by the dark clouds of death
Even on wintery days, the largest, darkest storm clouds cannot completely eliminate the light from the sun. Consciousness, like light, cannot be completely destroyed by the darkness of death. When your loved one's physical body dies, their consciousness is transitioned to an awareness of a spiritual reality. More subtle forms of their ego-consciousness remain at higher spiritual levels of consciousness. The layers of consciousness can be imagined to be like the anatomy of plant seeds. Just as seeds have an outer coat (called the testa) and multiple layers of endosperm that enclose the embryo, consciousness is also multilayered and at its core is the soul. Higher vibrational levels of consciousness are enclosed within the outermost level of ego-consciousness. There are numerous other higher vibrational levels of consciousness that each correspond to a spiritual reality. Each spiritual reality corresponds to a different level of conscious awareness. The death of your loved one's physical body takes their awareness to, or closer to, their core soul-consciousness as a result of the transitioning of their consciousness. But their consciousness is not destroyed. Therefore, your loved one will always remain connected with you spiritually and you with them, even when the physical connection is broken.
Death is the distiller not extinguisher of consciousness
Death does not extinguish consciousness. The death of the physical body actually distils or refines consciousness by dissolving the physical senses and removing only the outermost layer of ego-consciousness. Consciousness is distilled just like water is distilled through vaporization. In both cases it is a purification process. The higher forms of ego-consciousness retain memories and personality traits that characterize us as physical beings. So only a small aspect of your loved one's identity dies with their physical body. Each of us functions at all the higher levels of consciousness simultaneously; but for most of us, we can only be fully aware of the physical reality because our senses block out our awareness of the spiritual reality and higher levels of consciousness. Your dreams and intuition sometimes give you access to those higher spiritual levels of awareness where you interact with your loved one and other people you know regardless of whether their physical bodies are alive or dead.
Consciousness is shared on many levels
There are countless levels of consciousness between the outermost layer of ego-consciousness that inhabits the physical body and soul-consciousness. At each progressively higher level of consciousness there is greater awareness of the universe and a deeper sense of spirituality because awareness moves closer to soul-consciousness. Soul-consciousness equates to universal awareness of all levels of consciousness in the eternal present moment. However, most of us have full awareness of only one level of consciousness at any given time until awareness of soul-consciousness is achieved. You share consciousness with your loved one at many corresponding levels of consciousness and it does not matter if their physical body is alive or not.
The higher the level of consciousness, the deeper the love
The layer of ego-consciousness is strongest in the physical realm because it is created and sustained by our five senses. At each subsequent higher and distilled level of consciousness, the influence of the ego is diminished and the influence of the soul is enhanced. As soul-consciousness is the most unified form of consciousness, the inherent nature of the soul is love. So, the enhanced awareness at progressively higher levels of consciousness takes you to deeper levels of love. Therefore, the spiritual connection of consciousness and love between you and your loved one progressively deepens at higher levels of consciousness.
Consciousness connects you to someone not the physical body
The connection between you and your loved one remains unbroken after their physical body dies. Your memories, thoughts and, above all else, love connects you and your loved one as conscious beings at many levels of consciousness higher than the consciousness awareness we have in the physical realm. Nothing physical can break that connection of consciousness because it is inherently spiritual. The death of your loved one's physical body only breaks the connection of the outermost layer of ego-consciousness. While the connections at many higher levels of consciousness remain, the mutual love between you and your loved one remains.
Consciousness is not trapped by time and space
Time, space and consciousness are interrelated and create our four-dimensional physical world (i.e. length, breadth, height and time). Time, space, matter and gravity are physical-realm manifestations of consciousness. It is consciousness that underpins time, space, matter and gravity. In the spiritual realm, physical matter does not exist and there are greater distortions in linear time, space and gravity. At the highest level of soul-consciousness the concepts of time, space, matter and gravity do not apply because that level of consciousness is deathless, timeless, wholly unified and all-pervasive.
The past and the future are illusions created by the brain trapped by the concept of linear time
Linear time comprises a past, present and a future with each aspect following the other in a forward linear fashion. But time is 'rubbery', not like a rigid one-directional 'arrow'. Even many laws of physics can function perfectly well if linear time is reversed. The brain creates the illusion of one-directional linear time simply to make sense and order of reality. Although physical reality requires the linear flow of time, spiritual reality does not. At the highest levels of consciousness, there is no past and no future, no beginning and no end, no birth and no death – only conscious awareness of the eternal present. Consequently, the perception of time depends on the vibrational frequency of consciousness. Time is an entirely subjective experience. The higher your vibrational frequency, the slower the flow of linear time. At the highest vibrational frequencies of consciousness, linear time slows or 'stretches' to the point where the past and future dissolve into only the present moment. Therefore, the concept of death only applies to your loved one's physical body and to only one small aspect of their ego-consciousness. Your loved one's higher levels of consciousness do not die when their physical body dies. And, of course, neither will yours.
Thoughts are not hindered by time and space
Communicating through thoughts with your loved one in the spiritual realm is just as easy as communicating with them as if they were in the physical realm. The brain creates the four-dimensional physical reality by slowing and filtering consciousness. Written or spoken language requires the illusion of linear time because language is linear, and it must be for it to be coherent. But thoughts are not linear because they are constructs of consciousness only. It is perfectly understandable and normal for you to want to talk to your loved one silently or aloud (if aloud it would be prudent to do it alone so others do not question your sanity). Whether your loved one has a physical body or not is irrelevant for communication because the soul is omniscient and hears everything.
CHAPTER 2
Love
Love is an inherent principle of the universe that death cannot destroy
Love inherently acknowledges the interconnectedness and the oneness of souls that cannot be broken when a physical body dies. Love is a universal law that mirrors the all-pervasive law of gravity. Love is a spiritual force that connects all beings in the same way that the invisible force of gravity binds planets into orbits around stars, and galaxies into orbits around black holes. Love is a union of consciousness, and consciousness is a unifying force like the law of gravity. The physical and spiritual realms exist like an endless timeless ocean of consciousness. The ocean of consciousness is wholly unified so the universe, both its physical and spiritual aspects, is essentially a spiritual ocean of love. All sentient beings are inherently spiritually connected, to varying degrees, because we all swim in that universal spiritual ocean of love. As sentient beings, we are all driven at multiple levels of consciousness to love and to be loved. Love, in all its light and dark shades, shapes your life, the life of galaxies and the life of the universe. As soul-consciousness is your and your loved one's inherent essence, your and your loved one's inherent nature is love.
Love is the face of the soul
Cohesion and adhesion are the inherent properties of consciousness in a similar way to how cohesion and adhesion are the inherent properties of water. Water naturally seeks seamless union as droplets, pools, lakes or even oceans. Likewise, the nature of consciousness is to always seek union through love with other equivalent levels of consciousness. At the physical level, ego-consciousness will seek union with an equivalent ego-consciousness while soul-consciousness will seek union with an equivalent soul-consciousness. And it is the same for the countless levels of consciousness in between. These unions at corresponding levels of consciousness can be imagined to be like the perfectly horizontal 'rungs' that connect, at corresponding points, the two long vertical strands in the double-helix twisted ladder structure of DNA. That multilevel union of consciousness is the basis of love. The nature of consciousness is to always seek union through love. In that sense, love is the face of the soul. So the corresponding levels of purer ego-consciousness above the physical level remain connected between you and your loved one. The strength of your relationship with your loved one reflects the multiple levels of consciousness that both of you share and connect on.
Love is unity and oneness – in life and after death
As it is when two individual water droplets merge cohesively and there is no possibility to identify the original two droplets in the larger merged droplet, it is the same with our love relationships and the consciousness each of us brings to those relationships (no matter what the type of relationship). When you and your loved one connected in a union of love, the shared unified consciousness between the two of you became greater than the individual droplets of consciousness that each of you brought to your relationship. It would be impossible to identify which 'droplet' of consciousness is yours and which is your loved one's. That love union of consciousness is a unity that exists in life and after the death of their physical body.
Love is a spiritual attraction of consciousness between you and your loved one
Love is the mutual attraction and unification between you and your loved one at one or more corresponding levels of consciousness simultaneously. Love is a deep emotional, and even deeper spiritual, connection between you and your loved one. The attraction can encompass all levels of consciousness from the outermost layer of ego-consciousness through to soul-consciousness. At the physical level, the outermost aspect of ego-consciousness is strongly influenced by emotions, whereas higher levels of consciousness are more strongly influenced by the universal soul. If you believe that your loved one is your 'soul mate', it is likely that both of you share unified consciousness at many levels above the outermost layer of ego-consciousness. In general, you will share consciousness on many more levels with your family members and romantic partner than with friends or acquaintances. As your loved one's ego-consciousness at the physical level is only one aspect of ego-consciousness, there remains many more higher and purer levels of their ego-consciousness that are unaffected by the death of their physical body.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Soul Comfort by Alistair Conwell. Copyright © 2015 Alistair Conwell. Excerpted by permission of John Hunt Publishing Ltd..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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