Yesterday morning, a new co-worker shared with me that she wishes she was pregnant again. Surprised, I asked her, "Why?"
While I could appreciate a woman wanting to have a child in order to bring new life into the world, this yearning somehow sounded different. It sounded like a yearning for the pregnancy experience itself. Generally, pregnancy is not a comfortable experience. So why anyone would crave pregnancy sounded mysterious to me and indeed it was.
"When I was pregnant I had a few very precious psychic / prophetic moments. They felt really special. Also, my overall creativity level was on a much higher level. I was in much deeper spiritual contact than I am now.", She offered.
This was something very new to me. Being a man, I never before considered that pregnancy can bring a woman to experience elevated spiritual states.
My mind flashed to a teaching in "The Gate of Reincarnation" that seemed suggestive of such a possibility, in a closely related scenario (where a mother gives birth to a girl whose soul had previously been attached to her own). Recalling the reasoning behind this teaching, I explained to my co-worker, "Probably the reason you had these experiences is because you were carrying an extra soul within you. Think for a moment, where's the child's soul located while the child is inside of you? Obviously during that time, you're not only carrying the baby's body. You are also carrying the baby's soul - especially during the stages when the body is not formed enough to fully hold a soul. So it makes a lot of sense to me that with the presence of an 'extra soul' you were probably granted additional soul power, heightening your reception to spiritual vibes and elevated spiritual states."
Today, I was a bit concerned that I have never heard from other women that they had similar experiences during pregnancy. Additionally, I found it a bit disturbing that after I posted a quickly written spontaneous version of this story on FaceBook, my co-worker's experience seemed to only strike a chord of familiarity with one of the respondents. Other female respondents did not seem to relate. Basically believing her story, I started to wonder whether there might have been other factors that also contributed to her spiritual experiences.
When I bumped into her during lunch time, she explained that she spent the pregnancy in the serene atmosphere of her family farm in rural Pennsylvania. She was very far from anything urban. Her time was spent relaxing and gardening. In other words, she was in a very meditative and nurturing environment. We both understood that a serene atmosphere combined with the entry of another soul where probably key ingredients in producing these experiences for her.
Reflecting on the exchange, I soon came to appreciate that the special life-long bond between mother and child might get its start from this time when the two souls were so closely connected. When souls are so closely connected, even when they part they never part cleanly. Each always leaves a drop itself with the other.
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This is the quickly written FaceBook version along with the responses:
ReplyDelete"Extra Soul"
This morning someone told me that she wishes she was pregnant again. Caught by surprise, I asked her, "Why?"
She shared with me that during pregnancy she experienced quite a few very precious psychic / prophetic moments where she felt unusually spiritually connected. Also, because of this heightened state of spiritual contact, her overall creativity level peaked.
This was something very new to me. Being a man, I never before considered that a woman can experience elevated spiritual states during pregnancy.
My mind flashed to a teaching in "Gates of Reincarnation" that seemed suggestive of such a possibility. Recalling the reasoning behind the teaching, I explained to the woman, "Probably the reason you had these experiences is because you were carrying an extra soul within you. Think for a moment, where's the child's soul located while the child is inside of you? Obviously during that time, you're not only carrying another body. You are also carrying another soul - especially during the stages when the body is not formed enough to fully hold a soul. So it makes a lot of sense that with 'extra soul' you experienced elevated spiritual states.
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JC: kinda selfish reason to have a child if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteChoni Elchonon Kihleel: Like you I would also hope that she has more reasons for wanting a child. However, the situation taught me an interesting insight.
MSL: After five; B'H" I know what this woman is talking about except pregnancy is difficult physically for many women and we do not crave pregnancy because of creativity; but to be the vehicle for a new soul and its mother; with that being said; with two of my children I did feel the presence of their souls and so did their father; we each had dreams where the souls introduced themselves to us, and afterwards we compared notes and were amazed at the similaritiy of what each had seen. Choni I believe what you have said accurately describes it.
BN: There are also women who construe their hormonally induced mood and thought changes, as well as bursts of physical and creative energy, as spiritual experiences. I agree with JC's comment.
Choni Elchonon Kihleel: I don't necessarily see hormonal changes and spiritual experiences as being mutually exclusive. It could be, but, does not have to be. It's possible that there are biological changes that accompany a spiritual experience. In Kabbalistic terms it's simply the vessel preparing itself to receive new lights.
ReplyDeleteBN: That's a fascinating interpretation. I guess I just tend to be a bit skeptical when it seems to me that someone may be grasping at straws in an attempt to attribute almost everything to spirituality. That's just my personal perspective, of course, and not intended to disparage anyone else's beliefs.
Choni Elchonon Kihleel: I just don't know this person well enough to know whether she's the type to be "grasping at straws" or reporting something genuine. She's a new co-worker and as is typical with co-workers sometimes some very personal information surfaces in conversation, but, the general picture of the person's overall life is sometimes not clear enough to place such personal revelations in their proper context.
BN: It has been my experience that sometimes some people, when they meet new people (whether socially, on the job, or on Facebook) will make statements designed to impress others or attract attention, because they lack self-confidence.
Choni Elchonon Kihleel: However, if you take a look in Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto's "Way of G-d" (translated by Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan) you'll see in the section on prophecy the way he describes what happens to a prophet in the midst of a spiritual revelation (with the exception of Moses). For example, how the prophet's normal sensory functioning shuts down and he or she trances out. It's clear that there are biological changes that accompanied Biblical prophecy. By extension biological changes probably also accompany even later spiritual revelations. This in no way invalidates what's happening. It simply is the vessel undergoing changes to receive a new flow of lights.
ReplyDeleteChoni Elchonon Kihleel: Yeah, I've met new people who gave their best to impress me. Again, I don't know this particular co-worker well enough to know whether this was what motivated her statement. However, it did spark an interesting insight regardless.
BN: Which heightened YOUR spirituality and creativity. It's what I like to call it when someone does an "unintentional" mitzvah.
Choni Elchonon Kihleel: Thank you for sharing your own insight. Lailah Tov.
BN: Laila Tov.
AM: I like you BN :)))
Choni Elchonon Kihleel: Today I asked the co-worker whether there might have been other factors that contributed to such experiences during her past pregnancy. She explains that she spent the pregnancy in the serene atmosphere of her family farm in rural Pennsylvania. She was very far from anything urban and she spent her time relaxing and gardening. In other words, she was in a very meditative environment. So living in this kind of setting combined with the entry into her being of another soul might have been some key ingredients producing these experiences.See More
BN: Complete lack of stress and day-to-day responsibilites can definitely be conducive to looking at any experience more spiritually.
Choni Elchonon Kihleel: True. This is probably part of why Rebbe Nachman preferred that people meditate (i.e. do hitbodedut) in natural settings away from the world of grinding stress and responsibility.
BN: Very valid point. For many people, it is difficult to be able to have the luxury of escaping from necessary distractions like earning a living, family care (children, parents,spouse, and so on. Your co-worker was fortunate to be in a position to have nothing to do except enjoy the experience of being pregnant.
Choni Elchonon Kihleel: I'm among those who have not seen those "luxuries in time" for quite a while. I've been busy with those "necessary distractions". Yet, there was a time years ago when I once in a while had them and often used them for meditative reflection.
BN: Exactly. One must always take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself, or create the opportunity for the right reasons, whether it be for meditation or any other worthwhile purpose.
After reading the expanded version,the final sentence held quite a surprise. Apparently, when you find your bashert, your mother-in-law is also your soulmate.
ReplyDeleteWell, BN you got quite a sense of humor. :) LOL
ReplyDeleteFirstly, a soulmate is the other half of a person's own soul. "Bashert" is Yiddish for "destined". Everyone marries someone whose "bashert", i.e. destined from Above. However, both the "Zohar" and "Gate of Reincarnation" are very clear that not everyone marries their "other half".
However, even if someone marries their "other half", the "drop of self" that stays behind with the mother is probably from the soul's outer garments and not from the soul's essence.
So the mother-in-law is probably not carrying soul consciousness from the soul level which makes her child into someone else's soulmate.
Although it is interesting as a separate aside, based on "Gate of Reincarnation" that Joseph and Zulaicha were probably soulmates and yet, in that life time Joseph ended up with Potiphar and Zulaicha's daughter Osnat. However, in a future life they came back as Joshua and Rachab. In that life time they were able to enjoy being soulmates.
Additional FaceBook comments:
ReplyDeleteAFL: appreciates you insight...especially considering the fact that I was born an orphan and given up for adoption. I now understand that the "special life-long bond between mother and child" starts in pregnancy - "when the two souls were so closely connected." Indeed, I believe you are right that "When souls are so closely connected, even when they part they never part cleanly. Each always leaves a drop itself with the other."
Choni Elchonon Kihleel: Thank you for sharing with me that you found the post very personally meaningful. It teaches me that I never know whom I am helping when I write.