In one of my Afterlife groups, the notion of soul groups came up. One person was pushing back on it because first of all there may be people in our families we don’t want to see in the afterlife. And, there maybe be people outside of our families who we would rather be with in the afterlife. So, the idea that we can only be with certain people and we might be stuck with people here who are family, but intolerable was rubbing her the wrong way.
My first rule of any doctrine like this is I’m not super dogmatic about it. If it doesn’t bring me peace and/or comfort, I let it go. There is no need to torture myself now over what may or may not be in the future based on one guy’s opinion or even several people’s opinions. I trust that whatever the next life holds it will be good. Second, this idea comes from a misunderstanding of who is truly in our soul group. Family members, while often soul group members, aren’t necessarily soul groups members. And a soul group member might just come into your life for a season in this life. So that person you really, really like but didn’t meet until late in life, could be a soul group member. Don’t worry about meeting someone and really, really wanting to be with them and not being able to, or the opposite. According to Swedenborg, in the afterlife, spiritual closeness creates nearness and vice versa. You do not have to be with the people you don’t want to be with and you will be with the people with whom you have affinity.
This got us onto another topic though. Could someone in your family that you really don’t like much be a soul group member? Some believe that we contract before we come here to play roles in each others’ lives. Maybe your aloof father or your abusive mother signed up for that role for an experience your soul wanted to have. Maybe your drug addict child signed up for that role to teach you about compassion. This led to people pushing back. Certainly, no one would have ever planned the abuse or the murder of a child. I understand why this notion would cause people discomfort. And, back to my first rule, if it causes you discomfort, let it go. But….
I have been told by a couple of mediums that Shayna said that her early death was planned and was inevitable. I have also been told that Shayna and I are in a soul group and have lived many lifetimes before. I have been told that we will be together again. If I accept all of that- that this is not my only life, that this life is a small part of a big picture, and that we will be together again is it so unbelievable that we might have planned this for an experience that both of us agreed was necessary for one or both of us? This is impossible to fathom from a meatsuit, earthbound perspective, but from a soul perspective, it makes perfect sense.
Romans 8:28 says: 8 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Some people believe there are no accidents. Some believe that the accidents are useful. And, of course, some believe it’s all just random. I don’t know which of the first two I believe and it’s not really important that I sort it out right now. I do believe that it all, every bit of it, works for my highest good even though it certainly doesn’t feel like it a lot of the time.
