by Mark Pitstick MA, DC
If you’ve not already, please read . . .
- ‘The Great News‘ (article #19 at SoulProof.com/Articles)
- ‘Eight Developments for Widespread Conscious Living Now’ (#125)
- Greater Reality LIVING Program: Integrating ‘The 8 Developments’ Into Your Daily Life (#72)
- 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.
LGBTQI and Spirituality
I am honored to write about spirituality as it relates to people whose sexual orientation is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, or intersex (LGBTQI).
Over the years, I have known many co-workers, friends, and family members who are not strictly heterosexual. Without exception, they are among the most loving, creative, intelligent, caring, and humorous people I have known.
Ever since I was old enough to think for myself, I was puzzled by the overemphasis on differences among people. In the 60’s, I saw riots and cars burned as our nation struggled about racial equality. In the 70s, I saw ‘straights’ judging ‘hippies’ — and vice versa — in part, because of differences in hairstyle and dress. People from different countries, religions, and even sports teams were condemned by some as different, unimportant, or enemies.
Today, LGBTQI folks face prejudice and mistreatment because of one relatively very minor factor — their sexual orientation and/or anatomy.
I use the term sexual orientation because, in my opinion, it’s not a choice. As anyone who has worked in pediatric hospitals knows, a variety of anatomical variation exists at birth. Similarly, genetic, hormonal, neurological and psychological differences result in a rainbow of sexuality. Visit Born Gay to view factors about the ‘choice or not’ question that will, no doubt, be endlessly debated by some.
Academic research aside, unbiased observers can see that human sexuality is not a simple matter. It might seem easier to view life from an unexamined perspective, but ignoring the shades of gray that exist actually causes more problems. In reality, a spectrum of sexuality exists and various individuals fall along that spectrum.
Most importantly, the LGBTQI people I have known stress they would never choose to undergo the judgment and ostracism they received. Sometimes they have been shunned and banned from their families. Families have been painfully split apart when one parent finally comes out of the closet.
Homosexual couples often cannot enjoy the same privileges that married heterosexual couples do. Most unbelievably, LGBTQI people – family and friends of you and me – have been beaten or killed solely because of their sexuality.
Who would casually choose a lifestyle given the likelihood of such rejection and hatred?
Societal objections to non-heterosexual orientations are supposedly based upon concerns about the family as an institution. However, well-run studies have shown that children of same-sex partners are just as happy and healthy as those of heterosexual parents. Likewise, the percentages of different sexual orientations for children of same-sex parents are similar to those of heterosexual couples.
Religious objections to LGBTQI people are often based on the Old Testament story recounted in Genesis 19. You can read this curious tale – that has changed mightily over the millennia – and make your own conclusions about whether it is a good source of guidance.
Fear of differences was understandable and important for early humans. Cave dwellers had to distinguish between clansmen and members of warring tribes to avoid injury and death. Survival depended on staying close to others who were alike and familiar.
Later in history, farmers and laborers who produced offspring were more likely to survive because of their children’s labor and, later in life, protective abilities. For these reasons – blessings from religious institutions, familiarity, and stability – laws and customs developed to support heterosexual family units.
In the 21st century, however, such limitations are not as important for physical survival. Instead, close-mindedness to diversity has now become divisive and destructive – physically, emotionally, and spiritually – to the evolution of humanity. Many bereaved parents that I work with report that their teenage or twenty-something children chose suicide because of conflicts and judgment about being their sexuality.
For those with awakened hearts and minds, the high road about this topic is very clear. Whatever the reasons for a person’s sexual orientation, it is none of your business so get over it! I don’t have to justify why I’m heterosexual; why should it be any different for people who aren’t?
As all spiritual wisdom traditions have taught, what is most important is to love one another. Another key is to observe the updated Golden Rule: ‘Treat others the way they would like to be treated.’ Doing this regarding matters of sexual orientation is clearly overdue.
This is especially important given the hate crimes that have occurred around the world against LGBTQI people. The first incident I was aware of involved Matthew Shepard in 1998. I had glanced at the news about him being beaten, tortured, and left to die. My brain quickly categorized it as ‘yet another senseless death.’ Later, while doing a Holistic Breathingsession, my heart opened and I felt the horrible pain and sadness that for everyone involved felt. I could feel the discouragement, pain, and outrage of the LGBTQI community and anyone with an open mind and heart.
In 2016, the shootings at an Orlando nightclub took the lives of 49 people and wounded more. Judgment and mistreatment against people who are different was a factor in that and other shootings. Some fundamentalist churches support such violence by claiming that God is making His will be known.
The Creator and Sustainer of All Life that I know through personal experience and contemporary evidence doesn’t work that way.
During thirty years of research for the book and documentary film Soul Proof, I came across several interesting topics regarding spirituality and sexuality. Researchers such as Michael Newton, Ph.D., founder of Life Between Lives, noted that souls may choose to be different from ‘the norm’ while on earth because of the opportunities for personal growth and service. Challenges and difficulties can build spiritual muscles much like strenuous exercise builds physical muscles. LGBTQI people may have selected, on a soul level, the possibility of being different for those or other reasons.
Brian Weiss MD states that patterns developed during other times and places –past lives or simultaneous realities, for example – may influence how a person lives in this earthly experience. For example, if a soul experienced life as a female for several earthly visits in a row, that could carry over and influence desires while incarnating now as a male. As such, the person today may feel more like a female even though he has male genitalia and hormones.
Over time, different cultures have recognized LGBTQI people as unique and possibly embodying two different souls simultaneously. The term’ two spirits’ was used for individuals who exhibited androgynous characteristics. Indigenous tribes, including American and Canadian Indians, recognized the special nature of these souls.
Non-heterosexual people with fundamental religious backgrounds may fear that they or their loved ones are destined to hell forever. These concerns are ridiculous for several reasons when viewed in light of the Soul Proof evidence and contemporary understandings:
- God isn’t a big judgmental fellow in the sky but, rather, the source and repository of all love, peace, wisdom, power, and bliss.
- We each are one with this One right now and always—no matter who and how we are.
- Do we really think that the Creator and Sustainer of the cosmos cares about the sex life of people on one tiny planet out of trillions?
- A physical and eternal fiery hell doesn’t exist.
- Heaven and hell are degrees of awareness that you are a beloved part of Source, and your predominant thoughts, words, and deeds.
I and eleven consciousness experts – Raymond Moody, Caroline Myss, Anita Moorjani, Gary Schwartz, and others – discuss contemporary understandings about this and other topics in The Eleven Questions. You also can hear our interviews at Radio Shows.
Quantum physics and field theory provide another perspective on how relatively minor one’s sexual orientation is when compared to the totality of ones being. The human brain is a wonderful receiver of information; however, its limitations have been well documented. ‘Light and energy’ is the most absolute description of what people and all visible life really is. If all the light and energy on earth were the size of Mount Everest, the portion perceived by most humans would only be the size of a golf ball.
This fact points to the heart of the matter. What can be detected by human senses is a very small percentage of our totality. As such, it is absurd and patently ignorant to overemphasize one small detail such as a person’s sexual orientation, skin color, etc.
As the collective evidence in Soul Proof shows, we each are eternal beings of spirit / consciousness / awareness. From a religious and spiritual viewpoint, we are beloved children of Creator. Clinical evidence from documented near-death-experiences report that we each are part of Source right now. From a quantum physics standpoint, we are beings of energy experiencing a tiny fraction of the Field of All Possibilities.
However you look at it, we each are unique and important parts of life who are interconnected in meaningful ways.
This recognition calls for respecting and valuing all people regardless of any trivial differences involving sexuality, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, physical appearance, etc. These are inconsequential details in the grand scheme of things.
More and more people are awakening to our essential oneness. Having shaken off the fetters of fear, they are focusing more on the unique beauty and gifts that each person has to offer. From this perspective, we can love ourselves and others more.
* * * * * * *
Thank you for telling others about this article! Your life, and that of others around you, will be more enriched when you:
- read the article again so you really know it.
- discuss with close family and friends to more deeply internalize it.
- take action steps that seem right for you.
- 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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- 27 Videos on different pages
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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.
