“With each of our individual advancements, the group soul of humanity—what we call our collective unconscious—evolves.”
Gary Zukav
Alexandra:
I like how Gary started talking about this chapter from the animal kingdom standpoint because it feels as if it’s an easier entryway into speaking on matters of the soul if someone is new to it or approaching it with skepticism. Then he moves into how the soul ‘appears’ in various dimensions of existence and reality and ends the chapter speaking on the health of our Souls, which I felt he made such beautiful points on. He reaffirms that we are all a micro that is part of a macro and speaks to our divine interconnectedness. But the part that I absolutely loved was when he says “the nature of a group soul can be seen through its manifestations”…can we just sit right there for a second, cuz dang! Is he speaking truth or is he speaking truth tho?! Particularly what’s happening in our societies right now around the globe from starvation, pillaging of natural resources in unsustainable ways, police officers killing civilians, sex-traffickng, mass incarceration, child abuse, plastic pollution in the oceans, species of animals dying off due to our lack of reverence for their homes…I mean I can go on and on but it’s becoming very clear to me that we can call ourselves ‘evolved’ all day long but when we look at our Earth it’s as if we de-evolved, like we receded thousands of years in the opposite direction. Gary referenced in the previous chapters that we can choose to exist in a state of illusion with our tesla cars, nasa space stations, new presidents, reusable plastic bags and so fourth all we want but our planet is speaking loud and clear. A volcano just erupted in St. Vincent and there was yet another police killing that’s spreading across social media like wildfire once again getting folks riled up yet we continue to look at the macrocosm while conveniently ignoring the microcosm, our Souls on this journey called life.
Brandon:
Your observations and the points you stressed were overly meaningful, and the beauty of this project is that we continually choose different topics in these chapters, but it adds to the mosaic that is “Our Agreements”. The initial thought you picked up on was Gary leaning in the direction of separating humans from animals in the fact that humans have individual souls, while animals have only group souls. This led into you brilliantly asking that if we are to judge a group of souls, and in human’s case-collective unconsciousness- by their manifestations, what do the many ill manifestations of (wo)man say about us? The destructive and deadly acts by humans on the planet, flora, air, animals, and each other is well documented. The whole talk about separating humans from animals sparked a thought I had that the difference between a horse and 5-sensory being may be the difference between 5-sensory beings and multi-sensory beings. Are the folk who passionately contribute to the degradation of this world the same species as those who see and identify themselves with all that exist? Of course biologically we are, but spiritually speaking, we may need to study some of Darwin’s teachings on the evolution of a species, and see if that applies to a spiritual and divine level.But you are right, it is hard to deem humans definitively more elevated than any other being by examining the lowest of our expressions and creations.
“The nature of the soul of humankind can be seen through the nature of human beings.”
Gary Zukav
Alexandra:
On p.170 he speaks on how angels “don’t fear death” and that it “sees and lives in light” and in that moment I asked myself could I embody that? Even if just for a day, and build up from there. Like to go about my day being in love, extending love and being in a state of fearlessness and having no doubt about life and not fearing death. Like I really feel that in my heart in a deeper way now. I’ve heard this before in other ways but this time it hits differently! I remember when I worked with youth who were incarcerated, particularly young men, and in their music they would often rap about taking life and not fearing death but when I would look at them, like really look at them, into their hearts I could sense that they had fear about their life and losing it. They spoke of not fearing dying and I believe they were thinking of it in just a literal body dropping to the floor type of way but when it came to them being possibly sentenced I could see the fear in them ‘losing their life’ in that sense. This also made me think about the ways in which we view ‘living’ and ‘dying’ and how you could be dying as a living person. Now does the pain in feeling like you’re dying while you’re living in this earthly realm hurt more than actually dying?
Brandon:
I too desire to have this bold and fearless approach to all I do, and have it wrapped in love. To this date, I can say that I have been only able to generate this energy in glimpses and momentary stretches, as it requires a one-pointedness of mental and psychic energy to sustain it. You know something that I discovered about fear though, that we certainly have to be careful of? There have been times that I have been overwhelmed with fear and uncertainty, that because of the volume of fear that was in my sphere of emotions at the time, it created this numbing feeling. It was parallel to fearlessness, but was not intentional, as opposed to more reactionary. I guess the best way to describe it would be akin to the physical response that is going into “shock.” No one deliberately says I am about to go into a state of shock, as opposed to the body’s involuntary faculties generating this short-circuited dynamic. Any sense of numbing or being desensitized is not being brave or courageous, and we can’t confuse the two. After this exploration of fear and doubt, I will be a lot more intentional and conscious of trying to realize a state and reality where doubt and fear are minimized, or removed completely. To think this is the essence of being someone’s “guardian angel,” as this is not some superhero act, but rather a showing of bravery and assurance.
“Every human being has a soul”
Gary Zukav
Alexandra:
And the combustion of energy that Gary speaks about on p.171 in regards to souls that cannot accept their release from this earthly realm is something I’ve heard on a podcast before, where he speaks on that in-between space, I believe I mentioned it to you before. That brings to my mind the pain that can come when love is so intensely present, depending on your perspective. Imagine that you have transitioned and your angelic guides are showing you your entire life in love and showing you how all of your actions affected yourself and everyone you knew but because we may choose to hold onto the idea of duality, it pains us to see what we left behind or what we “should have” done better or what we wished we could’ve changed but in the realm of pure spirit all there is is love. Hell there are people who cannot accept themselves in love even now and thus they live in a state of stagnation, regret and pain at times! To be able to look back on your life and every detail of how it played out in full love can require some work, that’s for damn sure, but the liberation from being confined to our earthly ways of seeing things that comes from a full acceptance of love opens a freakin’ box of internal wholeness that no vitamin, sea moss gel or keto diet can give your body.
Brandon:
This organically moves into a dual question of how does life serve the soul? And, what is the health of my soul? I don’t think I could have come up with two more “soul-stirring” questions if I had stepped out of a 2 week meditation in a Buddhist temple. Starting with us looking at transcending our dependence upon our physical being, and relying on the guidance of the soul, I don’t think that it must be either/or. First off, it is a reason why we are on this physical plane, which is to create and manifest this Divine Consciousness in physical measurements. This body and reality we exist in, time and space, is to be the vehicle in which we see and perceive the intelligence of Divine law and order. On an individual basis, we must put ourselves in position-physically, emotionally, mentally-to allow the subtle, yet powerful nudges of our soul to push and pull us. That is to refrain from hostile and destructive thoughts, practices, and conditions. Turning into pleasure chasers, specifically for pleasure’s sake only, selfish, cursory believers of the first thing we are told will absolutely hinder us from being attuned to the truthful teachings of our soul. Being in good shape physically, limiting your intake of harmful substances (drugs, alcohol, and mineral-deprived food) can help you receive the omniscience of your soul, as well as not think that logic and reasoning can solve all your problems, as just because something is logical does not make it true or enduring.
“We are destined to evolve beyond the nature of duality. Duality is that which is understood in time and space.”
Gary Zukav
Alexandra:
YOU ARE DIVINE INTELLIGENCE
Just let that sink in! When I read that Bradon I promise you it sunk in so deep this time around that I really am holding that in my core. I AM DIVINE INTELLIGENCE!
Share with me your thoughts on what Gary says on p.174 about us focusing so heavily on our bodies and personalities and not our souls. I’m even thinking now about how at different stages of my evolution I was so concerned with how my personality was being perceived by this person and that person but I never once thought about my soul outside of the church’s constant questioning of me knowing where my soul would go once I died! But where is my soul going now though, you feel me?! Is my soul evolving in love or fear?
Brandon:
Then you asked how is the health of Brandon’s soul? Of course we are being honest, so I will say that I don’t put as much attention on it as I should. I cannot say that just because I exercise regularly, or am able to engage in moderation when it comes to certain practices and conduct, that this acts as some quality “self-love” to my soul. This is just me, but the best way for me to treat my soul to a good time is to seek out stillness, and a real intense focus on nothingness, as this is how I align myself with my true self. I have to tap into that inner “without form and void,” as the Bible says in Genesis, and come out of that with a reduced captivation on the 5-sensory events around me, no matter how strong their pull and sway. With that being said, I do plan on being more active in creating harmony with my soul, but I wouldn’t say that my soul is out of whack or dormant. Even as I sit in prison, and I want to be free from this condition, I know that my soul is not tied to this place, nor do I bind it with being imprisoned. My soul flows and exists beyond prison bars, gates, and sentences, and readily accepts that with joy.
There are just a few points that you didn’t touch that I want to grace somewhat. Well the most important one is one you did speak on. It is on page 173, and the exact quote is, “you have always been because what it is that you are is God, or Divine Intelligence.” As I read that, I almost wished he led this chapter with this very sentence. He could’ve made his whole book say that one line over and over, and turn that into a mantra/chant if you will. In my spiritual journey, I came to the conclusion that whenever someone would ask me what do I study, or what religion do I practice, I would always say that I am a “Universal Truth Seeker.” In all my studies, this is the destination that all roads lead to. If any religious, spiritual, or philosophical doctrine/culture is not advancing this ideal, then they are short-changing the follower. This Divine Intelligence that we are, is the same force that guides, directs, and integrates our mental, biological/physiological functions. How does a fertilized egg transform into billions of cells that comprise a human fetus? How does the body make quantum leaps in the mind and brain? How does the body take on the supremely intelligent function of extracting nutrients from food, then discarding the wasteful parts without you thinking about it? This Intelligence does this, and these acts are just a morsel of its power and consciousness. Gary’s talk of taking care of our soul, while it is his most “abstract” chapter, it is his most profound and important. The soul is not measured by atomic events, nor faith, but reality. Gary begs us to have a reawakening of our true self, and to allow our soul to not only direct the infinite complexities of the body, but to control health, success, and happiness as well. I must say that Gary hit his crescendo with this chapter, as he became one of those opera singers, hitting the highest notes a tenor can hit talking about our Divine Intelligence. If more people were in tune with this true identity, instead of the many aliases they rock, this world would be in such a better place.
The other statement that Gary made that is deserving of another layer added to it is when he said we must get to a point where we remove the duality of life. I imagine some of the basic dual-faceted parts (good/bad, up/down, male/female, light/darkness, etc.) he hints at must be transcended. The yin and yang actually forms a whole, and we must see the whole. I truly understand this, but I asked myself what other condition or perspective must we transcend? Can we transcend Cause and Effect? Gender? Relativity? Correspondence? These other boundaries that frame existence as we know it on this physical plane, we should include them in this gumbo of transcendence, but also we should keep looking for what other burdens must be shed and tossed.
“It is the health of the soul that is the true purpose of the human experience.”
Gary Zukav
our agreements 