Embodying Soul: A Return to Wholeness
Part 1: Chapter 3: The River of Forgetting
Dear Reader: As you move through this book, you’ll eventually know right away if the chapter is taking place in the Soul Realm or the Earth Realm. But for now, I’ll just let you know that we’re back in the Soul Realm here, with Séri, my soul, who is coming to grips with where and who she is—thanks to her own soul guide, Rasa. You can imagine it was a bit disorienting at first!
This chapter is an introduction to The River of Forgetting, which is the pathway from the Soul Realm to the Earth Realm (for most souls). If you look at the cover, you’ll see it, beginning from the top left, and flowing down over Séri’s shoulder.
Here is what I think Rasa, my soul guide (or as she introduces herself here, my travel guide) might look like—or, at least, the closest to her that I can find!
~
Chapter 3: The River of Forgetting
I gaze out to the horizon, where a first ribbon of pink and turquoise light appears, dispelling the darkness and inviting me to explore my surroundings. Lilies, orchids, lotuses, and marigolds, sparkling like fireflies, now grow in the once-empty field on my left. As I walk, the terrain shifts from rocky to pebbly to sandy. Suddenly, I hear water rushing below. I look down and gasp, as I see that I am standing on a precipice above a rushing river. My soul body trembles. The river, which has a curvy feminine figure, winds along a narrow gulch yet is deep. The water is so pure that even from up here I see schools of pink salmon swimming upstream and downstream, assuring me that this river is no ordinary river.
I sit down on the ledge of the precipice, my legs dangling over the edge, to consider my options. Postponement of this trip is one option, and cancelation is another, both leading to no immediate negative consequences since I can remain at this level of consciousness, taking pleasure in my palpable connection with Source, for as long as I like. Yet another option is to travel through the cosmos again, staying free rather than entangling myself inside another human skin. These other choices are all far less precarious than the one indicated by the suitcase that has been presented to me.
Feeling hesitant and uncertain, I step back from the edge of the precipice.
“Yoo-hoo, Sëri! Are you here?” asks a lilting voice, as behind me a sequined, disheveled figure emerges through a sliver of light, grabbing at a flurry of papers and books whirling about her.
“Rasa! Oh, what a welcome surprise!” I exclaim as I observe my soul guide, sparking with enthusiasm, draped in exotic colors. Her presence reassures me. I help her gather up the papers and books. Once everything is safely back inside her red sequined tote bag we embrace warmly.
“Yes, dear, it is me!” says Rasa, her boisterous laughter lightening the seriousness invoked by the precipice and the river.
“Oh, you cannot imagine the beginning I have had!” I say, relieved to be able to talk about it with my good friend and soul guide. “First, I could not remember who I was or where; next I nearly fell into the river; and then a strange, humanlike hesitation washed over me, making me wary about taking another trip to the Earth Realm.”
Rasa rests a hand on my shoulder to reassure me and explains, “That was doubt you felt, a particularly human feeling. The forgetting process happened to you last time as well, though you do not remember that now. She pulls her shoulders back, indicates herself with a bejeweled hand, and says, “Meet your official travel guide! I have come to ensure that all your questions and concerns are addressed!”
I instantly relax as I recall that no soul embarks on a journey to the Earth Realm without the insight of another soul who can provide guidance. Without a guide like Rasa, souls would likely move through lifetimes blindly, one after another, like some human beings pass their days driven only by ingrained habit and unconscious routine. “I am most grateful for your companionship, my old friend,” I say, bringing my palms together in front of my heart, “though I am curious why you have agreed to do this and what your own upcoming plans might be.”
She laughs brightly and replies, “When I saw the name Serene Voyager on the list of upcoming travelers, I immediately volunteered to help you prepare for whichever trip you choose next, including the necessary packing. As for myself, I have chosen not to travel too far away from the Soul Realm for some time now as I am developing a new project, which I intend to tell you about later.”
She guides me to the aromatic settee, where I sit with my legs curled comfortably while she sits regally upright, her long, thin bare feet planted firmly on the ground. She looks at me, her green eyes shimmering with love, and asks, “Do you remember that the last time I traveled to the Earth Realm it was you, Sëri, who helped me prepare and pack? This is what we soul friends do for each other.”
I don’t remember exactly, but it rings true that we have helped each other numerous times during this ongoing evolution through human incarnation, offering each other whatever is needed at various junctures of our growth. I smile into her eyes and say, “I sense a profound fatigue, and yes, a feeling of doubt. What I would like most is time to remember more about who I am and, ultimately, what I need to further my own evolving consciousness. That will help me determine where I go next.”
“Well, then, I’ve come well prepared,” Rasa replies, winking and letting me peek at some bottles of wine, snacks, and books tucked inside her seemingly bottomless tote bag.
I grin and reply, “Let us start with the river rushing below the precipice. It is powerful, I remember, but the rest is foggy.”
“That is the River of Forgetting, a life-altering river to be sure, and your divinely selected path to the Earth Realm. When you are ready, you will leap from the precipice, packed suitcase in hand. The river will carry you, gently yet swiftly, to the shores of the Earth Realm. As you transition from the expansiveness of the Soul Realm to the confinement of the Earth Realm, the river will narrow, as will your memory of this place. This river is so powerful and the forgetting so complete that by the time you step out of its embrace and onto the banks of a new life, you may even have forgotten your name. Then it will be time to slip into an ever-changing, always-unpredictable human skin — infant size,” she explains, nudging me playfully.
“I remember the river now,” I say, “but remind me why souls must travel to the Earth Realm through the River of Forgetting. There must be wider paths that leave our memories as souls intact. If humans remembered that their core essence is from the Soul Realm, wouldn’t human life be simpler? Wouldn’t their world be a wiser, more inclusive place if everyone could remember that they said yes to living in human skin with full understanding of what human life entails?”
“Oh, my dear! Those are no easy questions, though they are often the first ones on many souls’ minds upon witnessing the sweeping power of the River of Forgetting. The answer is yes, there are pathways that don’t result in such a complete forgetting, though they are reserved for souls who are traveling to the Earth Realm to become seers or prophets, souls who must retain more of their soul memory to do their work effectively. Your embarkation point is noted clearly as the River of Forgetting,” Rasa verifies, looking in a spiral notebook. “If you wish to understand why most souls must start every life anew, imagine, for a moment, that you stand at a crossroads in human life with multiple paths before you — some of which you have traveled many times and have little left to teach you, and others that have just opened to you and are filled with abundant yet difficult challenges that could lead to increased consciousness. If you remembered all your past lives, you would already know which paths you have walked before and be able to guess at the outcomes on each one so your choices would be influenced by that information.”
“Yes, I suppose it could complicate decisions. Maybe I would take a well-worn path rather than try something new. Or perhaps I might force myself down a new path, skipping a critical remaining piece on a more familiar one.”
“Exactly,” says Rasa, nodding. “So your decisions would be impacted by access to such memory. Souls must forget so they can play the game of life freely, without having any kind of advantage or disadvantage. But no earthly or cosmic knowledge is kept from you permanently when you seek it.”
“Then the amnesia is only temporary? The River of Forgetting’s effects wear off?” I ask.
“Indeed, that is the intention,” my soul mate confirms.
My heart strains, as if against ropes, and I say, “I remember that confining sensation of the Earth Realm. But I also remember that this forgetting is simply a new beginning, an indication to reestablish my connection with the Soul Realm even while I remain grounded in my body in the Earth Realm.”
“Yes, that is called soul embodiment, a process dependent on ego’s partnership.” Rasa answers. “As egos acknowledge and integrate more aspects of their souls into their lives, souls better recall their larger cosmic journey. Then when this symbiotic relationship between soul and ego deepens, the soul more readily offers its wisdom to the ego, who can then share it with others, making the entire planet grow in consciousness and collective community. Strictly speaking,” Rasa says, leaning in like she’s telling me the punch line of a joke, “the soul’s amnesia is only as temporary as the ego’s stubbornness. You remember the ego, right?”
“How could I forget my Earth Realm bodily roommate?” I answer, chuckling.
“A roommate!” Rasa says, laughing. “Yes, that is one way to put it. But since that implies a certain cooperation, I feel it necessary to remind you about the growing obstinacy of human egos across the ages. Especially in the time and place you are set to enter, egos are far more concerned with belonging, control, safety, and success than allying themselves with their adventure-seeking souls. Many humans’ egos have come to see the soul as nothing more than a literary cliché, and the soul’s communication attempts as figments of their imaginations or coincidental gestures. Thus, sadly, egos often base their aspirations on promises of the Earth Realm rather than on the wisdom of their souls.”
“They don’t believe their souls are real,” I add, remembering this challenge. “The Earth Realm has become so permeated with pretenses that few recognize truth anymore, and even fewer honor it. So they push aside their souls, not letting them take up space in the body, let alone guide life choices.”
“But,” Rasa says wistfully, “there are sweet, wholesome times, in childhood especially, when the ego will naturally feel the soul’s love and presence. For instance, even though you will not remember yourself as soul when initially incarnated, your recent connection to the Soul Realm and its gifts, as yet unhindered by social constructs, will allow you to experience an instinctual relationship to the inhabitants and landscape of the Earth Realm.”
“Oh, the joy of a human child!” I clasp my hands together and my eyes glisten in memory.
“It is truly a special time,” Rasa agrees. “But these connections will fade, sometimes gradually and other times all at once. I must remind you that this disconnection, while necessary, is a painful stage in the life of the incarnated soul. Sëri, you are right to consider the many gifts and challenges of the Earth Realm before choosing to take this trip.”
“There is much to consider,” I acknowledge somberly.
“But even in the midst of disconnection, your influence as a soul remains possible, and your attempts at communication may still be successful. I suggest you begin simply, like a bodily sensation for yes and another for no, and then refine your communication style as life goes on,” Rasa proposes. “These seemingly small gestures can plant seeds for later, deeper connection and communication.”
The signals for yes and no should be indisputable, I think. I announce, “For yes, I’ll send a belly flutter that combines excitement with anticipation, along with a tingling sensation in the fingertips or across the skin, such as goose bumps or chills, and a light feeling in the heart upon occasion.”
“And for no?” Rasa asks, scribbling notes in her spiral notebook.
I continue my slow walk as I consider what the signal for no ought to be then say, “Heat, because it can be adjusted from a simple blush to sweaty palms to a body rash, and additionally a heavy, constricted feeling that can easily be distinguished from the ease and lightness of yes.”
“Those are unmistakable signs even a very stubborn ego is unlikely to miss,” agrees Rasa. “But know this, too: the ego must do its part by paying attention to these feelings and ultimately tracing them back to the soul. Just as it is your journey to forget and remember, it is the ego’s journey as well.”
I think about how what Rasa says sounds like a riddle. “So every ego must forget about the truth of the soul so that one day it can consciously choose to remember,” I sum up.
“Exactly. For once, she becomes aware of communication with you — that is when embodiment occurs and the journey of evolution continues,” Rasa affirms.
“She?” I ask, grinning. “So my ego is a she?
“Oops! I didn’t intend to let that information slip out yet! But now that you know, congratulations — it’s a girl,” Rasa announces.
I sit back down to take in this news — what I had already suspected given my developing form in the Soul Realm. I have been both male and female many times in my previous lives, many times. Both genders have brought me to the state of consciousness I am at now and, in the Earth Realm, have had opportunities — some accepted, others disregarded — to make their mark on humanity. But if I am being reborn in the time and place I suspect, feminine energy will be ushering in the long-awaited transformation, influencing with gentle power rather than force. Feminine energy will be tipping hierarchies, disrupting norms, and bringing people together to change the course of humanity forever. I must be a part of that, I decide. But before it can happen I have some remembering and forgetting to do.
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