Journey of Souls: Case Studies of Life Between Lives (Michael Newton's Journey of Souls Book 1)

by Michael Newton

Many guides have strange sounding names, while others are rather conventional. I find it interesting that the old-fashioned religious term of having a “guardian angel” is now used metaphysically to denote an empathetic spirit. To be honest, this is a term I once denigrated as being foolishly loaded with wishful thinking and representing an out-dated mythology at odds with the modern world. I don’t have that belief anymore about guardian angels. I am repeatedly told that the soul itself is androgynous, and yet, in the same breath, clients declare sex is not an unimportant factor. I have learned all souls can and do assume male and female mental impressions toward other entities as a form of identity preference.

Dr. N: Do you and Rachel actually look at each other with eyes in a human way? S: (hesitates) Sort of … but different. You see the mind behind what we take to be eyes, because that is what we relate to on Earth. Of course, we can do the same thing as humans on Earth, too … Dr. N: What can you do on Earth with your eyes that can also be done in the spirit world? S: When you look into a certain person’s eyes on the ground—even people you have just met—and see a light you have known before … well, that tells you something about them. As a human you don’t know why—but your soul remembers.

Souls are created in a positive matrix of such love and wisdom that when a soul starts to come to a planet like Earth and join the physical beings who have evolved from a primitive state, the violence is a shock. Humans have the raw, negative emotions of anger and hate as an outgrowth of their fear and pain connected with survival going back to the Stone Age. Both positive and negative emotions are mixed between soul and host for their mutual benefit. If a soul only knew love and peace, it would gain no insight and never truly appreciate the value of these positive feelings. The test of reincarnation for a soul coming to Earth is the conquering of fear in a human body. A soul grows by trying to overcome all negative emotions connected to fear through perseverance in many lifetimes, often returning to the spirit world bruised or hurt, as Case 13 indicated. Some of this negativity can be retained, even in the spirit world, and may reappear in another life with a new body. On the other hand, there is a trade-off. It’s in joy and unabashed pleasure that the true nature of an individual soul is revealed on earth in the face of a happy human being.

I HAVE never worked with a subject in trance who did not have a personal guide. Some guides are more in evidence than others during hypnosis sessions. It is my custom to ask subjects if they see or feel a discarnate presence in the room. If they do, this third party is usually a protective guide. Often, a client will sense the presence of a discarnate figure before visualizing a face or hearing a voice. People who meditate a great deal are naturally more familiar with these visions than someone who has never called upon his or her guide. The recognition of these spiritual teachers brings people into the company of a warm, loving creative power. Through our guides, we become more acutely aware of the continuity of life and our identity as a soul. Guides are figures of grace in our existence because they are part of the fulfillment of our destiny. Guides are complex entities, especially when they are master guides. The awareness level of the soul determines to some extent the degree of advancement of the guide assigned to them.

Dr. N: Since guides seem to have different approaches to teaching, what do they all have in common? S: They wouldn’t be teachers if they didn’t have a love of training and a desire to help us join them. Dr. N: Then define for me why souls are selected as guides. Take a typical guide and tell me what qualities that advanced soul possesses. S: They must be compassionate without being too easy on you. They aren’t judgmental. You don’t have to do things their way. They don’t restrain by imposing their values on you. Dr. N: Okay, those are things guides don’t do. If they don’t over-direct souls, what are the important things they do, as you see it? S: Uh … they build morale in their sections and instill confidence— we all know they have been through a lot themselves. We are accepted for who we are as individuals with the right to make our own mistakes. Dr. N: I must say, I have found souls very loyal to their guides. S: That’s why—because they never give up on you. Dr. N: What would you say is the most important attribute of any guide? S: (without hesitation) The ability to motivate you and instill courage.

When asking for help from your higher spiritual power, I think it is best not to demand immediate change. Our success in life is predicated on planning, but we do have alternative paths to choose from to reach certain goals. When seeking guidance, I suggest requesting help with just the next step in your life. When you do this, be prepared for unexpected possibilities. Have the faith and humility to open yourself up to a variety of paths toward solutions.

The average client doesn’t know if spiritual guides should be placed in a less than divine category, or considered lesser gods because of their advancement. There is nothing wrong with any spiritual concept, as long as it provides comfort, is uplifting, and makes sense to each individual. Although some of my clients have the tendency to consider guides godlike— they are not God. In my opinion, guides are no more or less divine than we are, which is why they are seen as personal beings. In all my cases God is never seen. People in hypnosis say they feel the presence of a supreme power directing the spirit world, but they are uncomfortable using the word “God” to describe a creator. Perhaps the philosopher Spinoza said it best with these words: “God is not He who is, but That which is.” Every soul has a spiritual higher power linked to its existence. All souls are part of the same divine essence generated from one oversoul. This intelligent energy is universal in scope and so we all share in divine status. If our soul reflects a small portion of the oversoul we call God, then our guides provide the mirror by which we are able to see ourselves connected to this creator.