Afterlife (Endings)

by BBella , Wednesday, February 06, 2013, 07:36 (4307 days ago) @ dhw

Maybe we've reached an impasse, maybe not. We were closer in an earlier discussion (copied below) so maybe we can start again from there, or at least keep it in mind.->dhw: The second possible avenue is creative work. I think most artists and writers would agree that their prime source is the subconscious. I can "become" someone different from myself, and yet feel his/her reality so strongly that others may wonder how I can sense and convey that character's thoughts. A sensitive reader will have the same experience as they "identify" with a character. However, I remain myself, dhw, throughout the process, and so does the reader. This is not a new identity, but an ability to temporarily split the identity into real and imaginary selves (a process also vital to empathy). You say: "the subconscious is the go between of the soul identity and earth identity thru which we can be guided in our material life", which could suggest that my subconscious is actually reproducing past events or identities I don't remember. It does make sense, though I have to say it's anything but an ideal scenario for me! 
 
With those words in mind maybe we can edge closer...->dhw: In your previous post you wrote: "The body in which your consciousness resides is what changes over the years, but the conscious/observer/witness of those changes does not itself change." In your latest post to me, though, you write: "I, as you, think of the soul as ever learning by memories gained thru experience. I do see the soul changing and evolving, not like a body changes, but I do see it evolving in the sense of gaining memories thru experience."-In the first quote above I was trying to express how I see the immutability of a self aware conscious soul as "one" unchanging conscious regardless of it's changing experiences (even when it splits it consciousness to experience a brand new experience with no memory of a past or aware of it's subconscious knowledge). In the second quote I am referring to the ability of this same one soul conscious to gather information and learn from it's experiences (whatever they may be).->dhw: What I see as the soul is that part of you that is now thinking, feeling, taking decisions, remembering, inventing, reasoning etc. as well as observing (= self-awareness). And that is what evolves through experience. -I agree. All of those different aspects are me and is my soul. But there is an aspect of my soul that I know absolutely nothing about; my subconscious. And even tho "my" subconscious is me and not someone else, it holds knowledge that is cordoned off from the knowing, feeling, remembering, etc conscious side of me. Why? I believe it's because this aspect of my soul, that I am not privy to, is the part of me that holds the knowledge of my past of before I got here, info I need while I am here, and the knowing how to get home when I leave. It's like an invisible backseat driver that whispers in my ear to tell me the road I am going down is not the road I need to be taking. ->dhw: You seem to be saying that the only survivor from physical death will be the level of consciousness that has observed you thinking, feeling etc. It doesn't think, feel etc. as you do. The only activities it is capable of are observing and remembering, and that detaches it from the person it remembers, i.e. my person.-I'm not sure if that is what I am saying. Let me give an example - let's say I am experiencing death right now (and according to most NDE's) I see my body lying on the bed as I float away from it. I know I am that person lying there, but seeing my body there lets my conscious mind know that I am no longer my body even tho I still feel fully me as if I am still in my body, but I am clearly not. So I leave my body and my home here and now head quickly away somewhere (altho I no not where) yet I feel assured and trust, knowing all is well. And tho I am heading away from my body, my home and my life on earth, I am now more excited about where I am heading than concerned about what I am leaving. ~ I would say, if this was the scenario, the reason I feel assured about where I am heading, is because the subconscious aspect of my soul has now taken over my conscious mind and is guiding me back to the IBT.->BBELLA: We cannot think a thought, have an identity or give orders to the brain/body without the soul giving us life.->dhw: Again your soul seems to be neutral. No, we can't do these things without being alive, but I'm suggesting that the soul is more than the breath of life: it IS the character/mind/identity, the thoughts, emotions, reasonings. -I agree! The soul is definitely not neutral, and I'd like to believe it is even more than our breath and those things you mention above as well as more than this body and this life. -continued...