by Mark Pitstick, MA, DC

If you’ve not already, please read . . .

  1. ‘The Great News‘ (article #19 at SoulProof.com/Articles)
  2. ‘Eight Developments for Widespread Conscious Living Now’ (#125)
  3. Greater Reality LIVING Program: Integrating ‘The 8 Developments’ Into Your Daily Life (#72)
  4. Greater Reality HEALING Program: Journeying FROM Deeply Grieving TO Brightly Shining (#82)

The evidence-based information and holistic resources outlined in these articles will help you to:

  • realize your true nature as an eternal being of consciousness / life-force / energy 
  • receive guidance and assistance from highly evolved energies and Source / The Light
  • heal old wounds, release lower energies, and update erroneous teachings
  • create the greatest life YOU have envisioned (YOU = your higher self / soul)
  • help others by sharing your greatest gifts
  • make our world a better place

As enough people do this, widespread personal and planetary change will naturally unfold. 

Do I HAVE To Live Forever?

This article addresses a curious question that I sometimes receive: “Do I have to live forever?”

I say ‘curious’ because, from my perspective, who wouldn’t want to live forever?  Life is so endlessly interesting, satisfying, rich, and wonderful.  I wish I could clone myself many times over and have zillions of lives to explore all the facets of life.  And, no doubt, that will be my reality.

But a relatively few people don’t want that.  My sense is that they have concerns that a person will have to live forever . . .

  1. with the same body.
  2. with the same personality.
  3. during mandatory returns to earth.

I’ll address each of these concerns and share my best current understandings.

Do I have to live forever with the same body?
What ‘I’ are you referring to?  Most people identify very strongly with their physical form even though that’s only a tiny fraction of who and what they actually are.  Who you really are is consciousness / energy / soul/ mind / awareness that can evolve over time.  Your real self can manifest in different ways now and after bodily death.

Your earthly shell will perish someday.  So ‘the same body’ part of the question addresses an energetic body that may reconstitute itself in the exact same human form.  A relatively few people may want the same look when visiting earth again.  But that would limit the range of their experience so I wouldn’t think that would be a common choice.

In addition, we learn as we go and make better choices.  For example, I love being outdoors in the sun and water.  However, my blonde hair and very fair skin prevents that.  If I take on a human form again, I will choose a darker complexion so I can enjoy sunshine more without damaging my skin.

So, no, you don’t have to live in the same body forever.  But you may want to take on that form for different reasons, for example, when you are postmaterial (‘deceased’) and greeting a loved one who recently transitioned from earth.  Visiting dear ones on earth during after-death communications is another example.

I wouldn’t want to go through forever in an older version of this one.  For example, my sixty-seven-year-old earth suit doesn’t have any hair on the head, has hair growing out of my ears, has skin spots, and is half deaf.  What’s up with all of that?!  Do I want to keep those traits for eternity?  Of course not.  But, after dropping this body someday, I will gladly resume that persona briefly so my loved ones on earth can recognize me.

Right now, you are observing Life from a limited earthly perspective due to a limited brain and sense organs.  As such, you can only detect a minute portion of all that exists.  Your understandings of life’s big picture suffer accordingly.  After your body dies, you will be free of those sensory constraints and can better apprehend the fullness of life.

Another reason some people abhor the thought of living forever is because their present state of health and happiness is so low.  That’s one reason I care for this temple of my soul so well.  I sometimes felt depression, fatigue, and brain fog when I ate wheat, sugar, and overly processed or cooked food.  I remember waxing philosophical when someone asked me if I was happy: “What is happiness, really?”  Now I smile at those days because I feel the happiest ever.

Other reasons I feel so much peace and joy now include: loving relationships, knowing who I am, fulfilling my highest callings, letting go of the past, and optimal self-care.  To learn more about how you can fine-tune yourself holistically, see Radiant Wellness.

Do I have to live forever with the same personality?
The short answer is no.  Life always presents exquisite opportunities for growth, learning, and evolving.

However, death of the human form is not a panacea, an instant conversion from a horrible to a wonderful personality.  Certain principles appear to apply whether you are wearing an earth suit or not.  It takes desire to change for the better, persistence in changing habits, and openness to learning better ways of living.  You can learn via gentle nudges or a two-by-four upside the head.  I’ve experienced both and highly recommend the former.

An old story comes to mind.  A very unaware man walked down a sidewalk and fell into a deep hole.  The next week, he took the same route without paying attention, fell into it again, and suffered more injuries.  The following week, he noticed the hole ahead and made a mental note to walk around it; but he forgot and fell into it again.  A week later, he saw the hole and remembered to avoid it.  The next day, he brought signs and orange cones to warn others.  Still later, he arranged a work party to fix the hole so others didn’t suffer.

And that, my friends, is the essence of evolving from an unaware, spiritually asleep, beginner soul to an aware, awakened, and advanced being.  You can change your personality.

That process can occur relatively quickly when you are ready and seek wise teachers to accelerate your learning curve. Which leads me to another story . . .

A student approached a wise teacher and said, “I want to know God.”  The teacher had the student walk into the river with him and suddenly forced the student’s head under the water.  The student thought he would surely drown, but the teacher let him up.  “Why did you do that?” the student demanded as he gasped for breath.  “When you want to know God as much as you wanted to breath,” the teacher shared, “you will see Her soon.”

For most people, the same is true for finding a better personality, the meaning of life, the path to happiness, loving relationships, and the formula for wellness.  I say ‘most’ because some people are in such a deep hole that it’s very difficult for them to reach higher levels of awareness and wellness.  It may require a ‘reset’ – a return to ‘the really real place’ for more intense healing, recharging, counseling, and practice – before returning to earth.

Do I have to return to earth?
We live in a free will universe so you are not forced power to return to earth.  Coming to a place like this planet may not be an optimal choice for certain people with very gentle and sensitive energies.

However, many people choose to come to earth repeatedly because it’s such a fertile ground for service, adventure, growth, learning, and enjoyment.  Consciousness / soul can achieve so much in this dense and sometimes difficult environment.

If you feel like you never want to return to earth, that’s fine.  However, forever is a very long time.  After 10,000 years of perceiving reality from a nonearthly vantage point, you may change your mind.

Some postmaterial persons may choose to remain at what is variously called Heaven / Home / Spirit World.  But they miss the many opportunities inherent in an earthly experience.

Do I retain my individuality after my body dies?
Perhaps the best way to address this very deep question is to share a question I received and my response.

Q: My beloved fiancé died last year.  Some people say that, after the physical body dies, we merge with Source – we no longer retain our individuality.  Doesn’t that view contradict the idea of free will and remove any hope I’ll see my fiancé again?  Also, if that view is true, who are mediums talking to when they say they are connecting with a ‘departed’ loved one? – Nicole

A: Perhaps it doesn’t have to be either / or, that is, merged versus separate.  Michael Newton PhD did a great job of describing how one’s energy may manifest in different ways and – at the same time – never leave Home.  Based on 50,000 Life Between Lives sessions by himself and other therapists, it appears that only 20% or so of a person’s consciousness is involved in an earthly experience.  The rest may perceive other parts of the field of all possibilities as a plant, animal, formed or formless being, or undifferentiated potential.  (The latter would most be like merging with the One.)

Hypothesized postmaterial collaborators (HPCs) have been described independently by ten different evidential mediums who assist the SoulPhone™ Project directed by Gary E. Schwartz PhD at the University of Arizona.  HPCs are reported to appear very much as they did while on earth.  This may occur for two reasons: (1) so earthly researchers can identify and feel comfortable with them, and (2) because HPCs enjoy appearing that way at least some of the time.

Based on systems theory and decades of research, Dr. Schwartz believes PMPs retain their memory, individuality, preferences, sense of humor, love, intelligence, and much more.  To learn more about this, read our book Greater Reality Living.

Some clinical evidence points to the possibility of retain individuality and, at the same time, being an interconnected part of the whole.  Some near-death experiencers report seeing that we are like a separate thread and, simultaneously, an integral part of a magnificent tapestry.  We can, they say, choose whether to experience life from a more individual or merged view – or both.  In my view, both are true whether a person realizes it or not.

As you say, if individuality is completely lost, what hope is there for reunions with loved ones who have changed worlds?  What kind of system / Universe does not provide choices to continue loving relationships and much more?  Lack of creativity and fixed options don’t fit with my experiences of All That Is.

The more you deeply know you are an integral part of Source Energy right now and always, the less important such concerns and questions become.  You know that – however life plays out through eternity – it surely will be fair, safe, meaningful, and magnificent.  My working assumption is that Creator’s design is all that and much more beyond our wildest dreams.

I hope this article helps you consider the following:

  1. You are much more than your body.
  2. Your consciousness / energy can likely be in more than one place at the same time.
  3. You can choose a different body, or no apparent physical form at all, depending on your situation, goals, and desires.
  4. You can always improve your personality. Whether on earth or elsewhere, change it if you don’t like the one you have because – as the old saying goes –  wherever you go, there you are.
  5. You are not forced to come to earth, but you may choose to do so for very important reasons.

                                                       *       *       *       *       *       *       *

    Thank you for telling others about this article!  Your life, and that of others around you, will be more enriched when you:  

    1. read the article again so you really know it.
       
    2. discuss with close family and friends to more deeply internalize it.
       
    3. take action steps that seem right for you.
       
    4. share it with others via social media, discussion groups, and other ways.

    Hugs, love, blessings, and let it shine!
    Mark

    Mark Pitstick, MA, DC
    author, lecturer, counselor, and holistic chiropractic physician; spokesperson, research assistant, and strategic planner for the SoulPhone Project; founder of Greater Reality Living, Healing, Helping, and Sharing Programs

    SoulProof.com    SoulPhone.org   GreaterRealityPrograms.com

    Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is a master’s clinical psychologist, holistic chiropractic physician, and clinical nutritionist.  He has also helped others in pastoral counseling and suicide prevention / education settings.  His goal is to help you know and show that this earthly experience is a totally safe, meaningful, and magnificent adventure amidst eternity. 

    To learn more about the Greater Reality LIVING, HEALING, HELPING, and SHARING Programs, visit ‘Greater Reality Programs’ top tab at SoulProof.com and SoulPhone.org.  Also see  articles #19, 72, 82, 119, 122, and 125 at SoulProof.com/Articles.

    SoulProof.com provides many FREE resources:

    • 8 e-books Radiant Wellness, Soul Proof, The Eleven Questions, Greater Reality Living, The Big Picture of Life, The Afterlife Evidence, Ask the Soul Doctor, and Shining Light Parents Speak
    • 10 audio programs Holistic Breathing; Afterlife Contact; Ask Your Soul, Angels, and The Light; Pre-Birth Planning; Identify and Fulfill Your Purposes AND Enjoy Your Greatest Life; Your Life Review; Appreciate, Realize, and Transform; Love, Acceptance, and Forgiveness; Past Life Regression; Heal and Transform Your Suffering
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    • 25 Radio Shows: interviews with experts on consciousness, afterlife, and creating an optimal earthly experience. These include Wayne Dyer, Brian Weiss, Anita Moorjani, Raymond Moody, Michael Newton, Caroline Myss, and others. 
    • 27 Videos on different pages
    • Monthly newsletters (subscriber sign-up at bottom of each website page)

    Instead of payment, he asks that you: (1) fully use and appreciate the products, (2) share them with others, and (3) help others in ways you feel called, that is, pay it forward.

    The following are also available for a fee:

    • 8 printed books Radiant Wellness, Soul Proof, The Eleven Questions, Greater Reality Living, The Big Picture of Life, The Afterlife Evidence, Ask the Soul Doctor, and Shining Light Parents Speak
    • Coaching / Counseling Sessions with Dr. Pitstick by Zoom to gain answers to your biggest questions and holistic solutions to your toughest challenges.

    Note: This article is intended as a reference source, not to replace professional treatment for physical, emotional, or mental problems.  The author disclaims any liability arising directly or indirectly from the voluntary use of action steps discussed in article. 

    I created this article while ‘wearing the hat’ of a clinician, counselor, and educator.  My statements are based upon some scientific research; much clinical and experiential evidence; my personal experiences; and my best current understandings.  This program does not reflect my roles with the SoulPhone Project since those require solid scientific data for all statements.