Probably one of the most controversial and debated words in the English language is the word “soul”. Even dictionaries have confusing definitions without any definite classification. Synonyms include “life”, “essence”, or “self”. Not exactly illuminating, is it? Science allegedly has not been able to prove the existence of a soul nor its weight. (No, it doesn’t weigh 21 grams, as the 1907 experiment by MacDougall claimed).
My own best definition is “the consciousness or awareness that gives us life, i.e. God”. Now before we get sidetracked into a religious discussion, let me explain. Everyone would agree that when we are born, we are aware. We are totally clean slates, without personality, opinions, beliefs, or prejudices. All of that comes later.
I have had five near-death experiences, meaning that my body was lifeless while I had an out-of-body awareness of what was happening to my body. Since I was resuscitated, one could debate how close to death I was; however, I was aware without consciousness. On each occasion, I had no emotion (fear, anger, confusion), and I had no pain.
I am a third-generation trial attorney who has spent the last twenty years researching the brain and neurobiology to find that awareness that was separate from my body. My only conclusion is that this awareness is God, separate from the biological organ known as my brain. Some philosophies call it a “higher self” or “authentic self”.
The key component to this awareness is that it is separate from my personality, my psyche, or my ego. It is not the voices in my head which are constantly debating concepts like right or wrong and good or bad. It is also not my brain which generates emotions from the hippocampus and amygdala. If I had to describe this awareness, it is a connection to something bigger than myself.
Our bodies generate electric and electromagnetic biofields that interact with everything else that is alive. Quantum physics has explained that “entanglement” is the connection of subatomic particles, which states that when a force affects a particle or wave, a corresponding effect will change a particle or wave immense distances away. It is quite possible that the awareness to which I refer is this quantum biofield so that information can be shared throughout the biofield. This would explain intuition and imagination.
Humans have been attempting to connect with this awareness for all of history. “Enlightenment” is the process of releasing the ego to directly connect with this universal awareness. Near-death experiences have historically been a process of ego destruction which leads to heightened understanding and awareness. Many people who have experienced this phenomenon report a heightened sense of connection to all other beings, including myself.
A recent scientific discovery in neurobiology is known as neuroplasticity. This is the ability to change your reality through the modification of thinking processes. When we change our thinking habits, our brains physically change, and we can experience different realities. This is critically important in my work as an energy healer.
We talk these days about the “mind/body connection”. We can physically change our bodies by how we think, and we can change how we think by changes in our body. These can be positive changes or negative changes. Anxiety and stress can have tremendous negative effects on our bodies. “Dis-ease” can also make us negative, doubtful and depressed.
The good news is we can change how we think and change the neural pathways that cause us to think one way or another. The inner conversations that we have in our minds can bring us great wealth and happiness or poverty and depression. It was a great shock when I realized that our thoughts are learned behaviour that was programmed into our minds in our early childhood. “The beliefs we form as children dictate how we think and how we behave. It is our perception and behaviour that creates our reality.
A large part of the personal growth industry (billions of dollars) focuses on how we think and what we think to change what we get. All of this, of course, is of no concern to our soul. My personal experience shows me that the soul is merely an observer without emotion or judgment. It is the biosphere experiencing itself.
Our soul connection is inversely proportionate to our suffering. If we suffer from negative thoughts and emotions (guilt, anger, resentment, fear, etc.), we are completely disconnected from our soul. Our ego (Easing God Out) has taken control, and we are overwhelmed with the dangers of the world. Our soul only sees opportunity, never danger.
Our brain is the cause of this disconnection from our soul. Our genetic ancestors were reptiles and had reptilian brains. The only thing they could do was fight or flee. There was no society, no civilization. That developed when we became mammals, and we developed frontal cortexes. We developed the need for connection with other humans and suffered when we isolated ourselves.
Enlightened beings are rarely born that way. We idolize these people for their superior knowledge and understanding. However, the path to enlightenment is often difficult because we must let go of our almighty ego, which evolved to keep us safe. The irony is that although our ego keeps us safe, it focuses 24/7 on fear. When we are consumed with fear, we suffer. So we have to let go of the fear, which is an arduous process.
Buddha starved himself into a pile of skin and bones before he gained enlightenment. Christ wandered in the wilderness and was tempted by the devil (the ego) before he became enlightened. Many creation stories around the world talk about a battle between good and evil, which all concern the battle with the ego. We struggle with our ego and suffer through life because the ego has distracted us from our soul.
There are several ways to connect with our soul and overcome the distractions of the ego. The way to enlightenment is emotion. This is reverse engineering and a lot simpler than killing the ego.
The first emotion is gratitude. Not just gratitude for the things we like but also for the things we hate. When we can let go of negativity and prejudice through gratitude, we will find joy.
The second is happiness. I believe that happiness is our natural state. When we observe newborns, if their basic needs are met, they will default to happiness. It is inspiring to look into the eyes of an infant, for you can look directly into their souls. Filters created by the ego will form later.
The third is patience. The ego is impatient because fight or flight requires immediate action. Patience is the opposite of ego. When we practice patience, we can overcome the panic of the ego.
Finally, faith and hope are the prodigies of the soul and the victors over ego. When we connect with our soul, we know that everything will be alright. We understand that life is chaotic when ruled by the ego, but with faith and hope, the storms subside and peace controls. When the stuff hits the fan, it is difficult to remember that it is the ego that throws the stuff and turns the fan. It is the soul that watches and learns and gives us faith, hope and joy.
James Gray Robinson
James Gray Robinson is a highly successful lawyer, world-renowned healer, coach, and speaker dedicated to helping people heal and live more fulfilling lives. Hisinnovative program, SHIFT, distills all of his experience and insights into a powerful tool that catalyzes transformation and helps people achieve their goals at an unprecedented pace.
