nderf

DTR1975 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2024 3:15 pm If we have made a soul contract with the creator, then that is the answer to the question "Why are we here?" Unfortunately, none of us is born knowing what the terms of the contract say. Nor do we know what the payoff is for fulfilling it. Most of the NDEs I have heard that mention a soul contract report that the person having the NDE was shown the contract, but they forget what it says as soon as they return to their body. So we are left right back at the original question: "why am I here?" Is there a way that we can figure out what we are supposed to do or learn? I am mostly writing this as an attempt to articulate my own thoughts on the matter.

I think we are here to learn stuff we can't learn anywhere else.

HCStewart wrote: ↑Sat Apr 27, 2024 4:41 pm I think we are here to learn stuff we can't learn anywhere else.

I think this is a good point. When we are pure spirit immersed in the Spirit World filled with love, harmony and peace, we do not appreciate a number of things that the physical plane involves, such as courage, determination, unconditional love, forgiveness, partnership, cooperation, making plans, achieving goals and so on.

Near-death experiences illustrate this point. For instance the spirit being that Dannion Brinkley met in his NDE told him that humans are all heroes and heroines, because they have the courage that purely spirit beings don’t have, to go and co-create with God.

If the concept of the Soul Contract is in fact a reality, is there any way that we could logically deduce some of the terms of it in THIS life? Or could we figure out what motivates our higher self based on the things that motivate us now? I don't know.

Hello, Derek. I have recently found some good answers to your question by researching the Japanese word “IKIGAI”. Near-death experiencers often complain that they were shown their life mission but were not allowed to remember it. I think there are many ways we can discover it by working on our core interests, passions and inclinations. I am reading a booklet by Bettina Lemke about IKIGAI which has helped me a lot to focus and research my mission. I am not sure that the booklet is available in English, but I would be surprised if it wasn’t.

For instance I have published seven books about life beyond this life, I have a website where I have shared my opinion on the topic for a number of years, I have offered volunteer online grief support since 2002, but now I have started realizing that I was doing all this out of a need to be of service to others to the detriment of researching the subject for my own puposes. Or maybe my life contract has now changed.

I recommend you research IKIGAI as it can offer a lot of energy and motivation to discover our core life mission.

Thank you Giulia, I'll check it out.

HCStewart wrote: ↑Sat Apr 27, 2024 4:41 pm

DTR1975 wrote: ↑Tue Apr 23, 2024 3:15 pm If we have made a soul contract with the creator, then that is the answer to the question "Why are we here?" Unfortunately, none of us is born knowing what the terms of the contract say. Nor do we know what the payoff is for fulfilling it. Most of the NDEs I have heard that mention a soul contract report that the person having the NDE was shown the contract, but they forget what it says as soon as they return to their body. So we are left right back at the original question: "why am I here?" Is there a way that we can figure out what we are supposed to do or learn? I am mostly writing this as an attempt to articulate my own thoughts on the matter.

I think we are here to learn stuff we can't learn anywhere else.

I think you are right about learning stuff here we can't learn anywhere else. So what can we learn here that we can't learn anywhere else? And why?

Ok Giulia,
I looked up Ikigai. In concept, it roughly translates to a life purpose or a reason for being. Key facets of it are Mission, Passion, Profession, Talent. So if we can define what these areas of our lives are, then we could at least logically assume that they relate to what is in the soul contract. I am going to toss out Profession, because there are just to many variables involved: availability of jobs, socioeconomic circumstances, availability of educational opportunities, and financial circumstances. And there is no shortage of people who hate their jobs, myself included. Now Talent is a mixed bag, and would depend on whether or not the person knows what their talent is. So Mission and Passion would seem, at least to me, to be the most reliable indicators of what is in your soul contract. So you have to figure out what your mission and passion are. I'm am not sure that I know what those are, at least in my life yet.

DTR1975 wrote: ↑Thu May 02, 2024 10:33 pm Ok Giulia,
I looked up Ikigai. In concept, it roughly translates to a life purpose or a reason for being. Key facets of it are Mission, Passion, Profession, Talent. So if we can define what these areas of our lives are, then we could at least logically assume that they relate to what is in the soul contract. I am going to toss out Profession, because there are just to many variables involved: availability of jobs, socioeconomic circumstances, availability of educational opportunities, and financial circumstances. And there is no shortage of people who hate their jobs, myself included. Now Talent is a mixed bag, and would depend on whether or not the person knows what their talent is. So Mission and Passion would seem, at least to me, to be the most reliable indicators of what is in your soul contract. So you have to figure out what your mission and passion are. I'm am not sure that I know what those are, at least in my life yet.

Hello, Derek. Thank you for looking it up and providing your feedback.

Bettina Lemke’s book actually lists a number of exercises to discover your IKIGAI. I don’t want to simplify the concept too much, but here are some of her exercises:

Which are your 3 favourite books and why is each of these books important for you?

Which are your 3 favourite movies or theatre plays and why is each of these important for you?

Analyse your answers and list any recurring themes.

*****

List 3 positive experiences you have recently had.

Analyse the reasons why these experiences were positive.

Analyse any reccurring themes.

*****

Make a list of things you liked to do as a child.
List the reasons why you liked these things.

Make a list of things you liked to do as a teenager.
List the reasons why you liked these things.

Make a list of things you liked to do as a young adult (19/20 year old).
List the reasons why you liked these things.

Now analyse any recurring themes.

TO BE CONTINUED (I will edit this post once I have finished reading the book).

Bettina Lemke recommends that you don’t do all these exercises on the same day, but take your time to carefully consider each section of her questions.

The key work will be analysing recurring themes and coming up with your IKIGAI.

This will probably probably take a while, and a lot of consideration. I know as a kid I always loved animals, seeing them, about them and playing with them. This has been consistent throughout my teens and my adult hood. I have also liked to build and create things. However I haven't had the fortune of working in a career featuring either of these things. Are these something that would figure into a soul contract? I don't really know. As Christian I believe that every person is ultimately created to glorify God. I had hoped that by hooking up with NDERF, I could find a way to serve and bring glory to God. But I am not sure how to do that yet.

I couldn't figure out how to change the CC to English. The only options were french and off.