Another book that influenced my life....

The book, Messages from Michael by Chelsea Quinn Yarbo, helped me to understand the differences between us and why some people act the way they do. Below, I paraphrased some information that I found helpful. The information enabled me to understand why some people do what they do; why some people just don't seem to "get it".

  There are five earthly stages of the soul's evolution. In a previous blog, I mentioned that we are all equal children of God who differ only in terms of enlightenment. Here are the  Five Stages of our Soul's Evolution:

We all start out from the heart of Father/Mother God as infant or baby souls.  There are seven levels within each of the five stages of soul evolution on earth and our development depends on how much we learn from our many lifetimes.  We all start out as baby souls  in the first of seven levels. After one, or many incarnations, we can move on to the second level of baby soul. Sometimes, it takes just one lifetime to move onto the next level and sometimes, it may take ten - it all depends on how quickly we learn our lessons in one particular level. We can spend as many lifetimes as necessary in each level until we learn our lessons. Therefore, it could take as many as 70 or more lifetimes in the baby stage before a soul moves on to the next stage of development, which is the grade school stage.  Some souls like to complete each level as quickly as possible while others take their time because they don't want to miss anything.  Take it from one who knows, a soul may be an old soul, but when he/she creates karma, he/she will reincarnate until the karma is balanced.
 
Normally, we complete a level at the end of a lifetime, but it is not unusual to move to the next level in the middle of a lifetime, especially if we didn't have much to complete from the earlier level. My mother was a late teen-age soul who moved into the early mature level this lifetime and it happened after my father died - there was a distinct change in her.  Soul advancement is the accumulation of wisdom from our life experiences; it is not book knowledge.
 
Our fears, whatever they may be, start in the baby stage, and if we don't "get over" them, we carry them over into the next and next cycle of evolution until we overcome them. That's not to say that we don't pick up other fears along the way because we do. Ten thousand years ago in Atlantis, I fell because I didn't have the courage and faith in God to stand-up to a bunch of bullies who wanted to kill me. So, in this lifetime, I agreed to meet the bullies in order to test my faith and trust in God's Plan for me.  In fact, I married the main bully, and despite his threats to kill and destroy me, I divorced him even though he and his minions are trying to destroy me by taking away the retirement benefits I was awarded in my divorce. More than once, my feet have dangled over the precipice only to have someone who owes me karma grab me from falling. And as much as I try to figure out my life and how it is going to change, I can't.  God has a Plan for me and the best I can do is to flow with the rhythm of life and allow it to unfold.

We all may have vestiges of an earlier stage. This is just an outline for you to use to understand that we're not all old souls and why we can't expect a younger soul to act like an old soul. From this information, I gained more tolerance for people - after all, we can't someone of the grammar school stage to understand geometry.....I'm an old soul and have problems with math!  
 
The Baby Stage

1. The first stage of soul evolution is known as the baby stage. The baby or infant soul is the closest to God, yet the furthest away because it does not have a memory of its spiritual identify or purpose.
    
        Some characteristics of the baby stage include:
   
   

• Focusing primarily on survival and since it doesn’t have many past lives to draw upon; strange situations confuse and frighten the baby ego. Fear of everything dominates this cycle.
• Learning rudimentary moral and social codes of ethics.
  
• Viewing him or herself as a little minnow in a pond of big fish.
  
• < >Adopting the religion of its parents without question.
  
• Seeking employment that is menial, sporadic and short-lived (again, no prior skills to draw upon).
• Preparing food that is usually tasteless and overcooked. Because they are fearful of catching everything, their kitchens are usually antiseptically clean.
• Missing the importance of personal hygiene - it may be hit or miss.
  
• Being bitten by dogs who have no history of biting.
• Being frightened of horses and would not be likely to go horseback riding.
• Having an undeveloped sense of humor.
   
           Oftentimes, sex is equated with lust. They are prone to develop allergies to animals because  
           they fear them. Fortunately, no more baby souls are being born.
  
  

1. As earthly embodiments accrue, so does the soul's ability to survive and thrive. The grade school soul becomes more extroverted and forms attitudes, beliefs and habits.
    
        Some characteristics of the grade school stage include:
   
   

• seeing the world in terms of me and many other me’s.

• agreeing until an opposing viewpoint is expressed and then may become baffled, belligerent, angry or hostile.
• wanting to be the big fish in the tiny puddle so recognition may come from being mayor, selectman, police chief, or principal.
• joining clubs – Kiwanis, Rotary, Elks and historical societies.
• seeking higher education, but in a small conservative school, or in trade school setting.
• Believing in fundamental religions and the forces of evil.
• Adhering to strict moralistic beliefs and values regarding what are right and wrong. Differences are viewed with an Archie Bunker type of mentality. Guilt, shame, blame, ridicule and ostracism are used to keep those in line.
• Being uneasy with its sexuality.
• Preparing uninteresting and tasteless food. The habit of equating food with comfort, such as eating sweets to sweeten one’s life begins during this cycle.
• Most old ladies who focus on their bowels are grammar school egos/souls.
• Having a compulsive need for cleanliness.
• Likely to use the court system to vindicate their position.
• Seeking group/peer acceptance.
• Humor can range from slapstick to graphic and explicit – bathroom jokes and crude sexual allusions are popular.
  
  

1. The adolescent or teenage stage is full of contradictions – attitudes and beliefs fluctuate from one extreme to another. The byword of this cycle or stage is achievement and the pursuit of higher education to achieve this goal.
    
         The teenage soul is certain of its ability to survive and thrive in the physical world, so this is a 
           time of much exploration – it’s a period of passion and zeal, much like the physical teenage stage
    
      Some characteristics of the teenage stage include:
   
   

• Expending life, which they exploit in terms of its usefulness.
• Having insatiable appetites.
• Conquering and overcoming obstacles – they try to dominate the elements.
• Riding the rodeos.
• Being out of body is unpleasant for the teenager and it returns as soon as possible. Whether in or out of body, the teenage ego/soul has a very difficult time learning its spiritual lessons.
• Taking credit for all its accomplishments and sees itself independent of God.
• Viewing God as a masculine figure to be feared and placated and is called upon only in dire emergencies.
• Believing that “might makes right”.
• Pursuing recognition, achievements and accolades and wants to be a big fish in a large pond.
• Proving its superiority by being right, in control and having it way. Competition, position and instant gratification are by-words of this cycle.
• Climbing the status ladder is important.
• Having cosmetic surgery done is popular in this cycle.
• Dressing may be extreme.
• Equating love with sex and materialism.
• Indulging in a period of excesses – eating habits may be extreme.
• Using humor to prove its position, which may include mockery, sarcasm and barbs that harass, hurt, humiliate and embarrass.
• Controlling, dominating, exploiting and manipulating abound.
• Being certain of its ability to assume the role of God and determine its destiny.
   
      It is interesting to note that most religious zealots and fundamentalists are in this stage of 
      development.  Unfortunately, there is a great population of teen-age souls in the United States and
      many of them are in politics.
  
  

1. The four stage of ego/soul evolution is the mature cycle. It is during this stage that the soul turns in another direction to find the meaning and purpose of its existence and does so through a more intellectual, peaceful approach.
    
         Some characteristics of the mature stage include:
   
   

• Exploring psychic phenomena.
• Changing its view of God to a more loving and understanding Being.
• Gaining a greater reverence and respect for animals and the nature kingdom.
• Being drawn to quieter faiths such as Buddhism, Unitarianism or Quakerism.
• Pursuing higher education, but not necessarily in the traditional framework.
• Depending on the intellect for all the answers to life’s mysteries.
• Experiencing inner turmoil, which may lead to depression?
• Preparing gourmet foods – their hollandaise sauce dares not to curdle and wine fetishes are at a height at this stage. A mature soul/ego would never serve Zinfandel with lobster, but an old soul wouldn’t hesitate if Zinfandel happened to be his/her favorite wine.
• Riding to the hounds may be a past time.
• Expressing humor in more abstract ways – repartee, play on words, incongruities from in oxy-morons, absurdities, irony and travesty- typify this cycle.
• Equating wisdom with knowledge and power with the ability to fulfill its quest through nonviolent means.
• Realizing that finding God is not an intellectual pursuit.
   
  On a lighter note, pets belonging to the mature ego/soul are often winners at obedience trials.
  
  

1. The fifth stage of development is that of the Old Age Soul. During this stage he/she has integrated its lessons and seldom clings to dogma. He or she is aware of its Divine Nature and purpose for being and makes a conscious effort to fulfill his/her destiny plan. There is a deep yearning to go home to God.
    
     
    Some characteristics of the old soul stage include:
   
   

• Knowing God on an intimate basis becomes a driving force.
• Acknowledging the Presence of God everywhere. God is no longer confined to a church and traditional religious ties are severed.
• Needing to break away from peer group and cultural pressures. Typically, old age souls/egos don’t serve on boards or committees.
• Preferring manual labor and gardening. He or she exhibits great competency and expertise in almost any endeavor because of the skills acquired from their many lifetimes, but may choose an occupation that will not interfere with his/her spiritual quest.
• Choosing a casual and comfortable style of dress.
• Taking the time to enjoy beauty and smell the roses.
• Playing a key role during this stage is laughter, which can be earthy and bawdy.
• Cooking is casual and recipes are sometimes used just as a guideline.
• Riding the trails.
• Expressing self-control over one’s thoughts and feelings. Wisdom is spiritual truth and love is the force that makes the world go round.
• Learning to experience a sense of oneness with all; that is, seeing the God Light in all, and that includes skunks, red squirrels, mosquitoes and even black flies.
• Living by the Golden Rule is the credo for this cycle.
   
    What is interesting is that even nations have ages and stages.
  
  

• India is mostly a baby soul nation with a pocket of late level mature who watch over them.
• Iran, Iraq, Haiti, Ireland, Libya and the Middle East are baby soul nations.
• Japan is a teen-age nation.
• Argentina and Brazil are late baby and early teenage.
• The US is a teenage nation heading towards mature. Bush is an example of a teenage soul, while Obama is an old soul whose Divine Service is to unite the black and white people in this country. Bill Clinton, who is a late mature soul, is the reincarnation of Thomas Jefferson. Hillary is the reincarnation of the black slave he loved and Chelsea is the reincarnation of their illegitimate daughter from that lifetime.
• China and Israel are both teen-age soul nations.
• Canada is a mature nation.
• Saudi Arabia is late young and early mature.
• Mexico is early mature with pockets of old.
• Africa is mostly mature with young leadership.
• Germany (East and West), France and Denmark are late level young and early mature.
• Egypt is mature with some old.
• England is mature with pockets of old and baby.
• Sweden is mid-level mature.
• Lebanon is predominantly mature with some zealous young souls.
• Peru is mid-cycle mature.
• Poland and Italy are late mature.
• Finland and Cuba have a great deal of late mature and early old.
• Russia is late mature and early old, particularly in rural areas.
• Norway is late mature to early old.
• Czechoslovakia is an early old soul nation.
• Iceland is mid-cycle old soul nation.
• Switzerland and Holland are both old soul nations.