Excerpt from "Know Your Soul: Bring Joy to Your Life"

Now that we have covered the Soul’s origin, structure and purpose it is time to discuss how the Soul oversees and interacts with the Personality to accomplish its intent. Some things are directed by the Soul and some are carried out by the Higher Self (HS) in service to the Soul.

More than 20 years ago, David Schwerin (one of the authors) had the chance to have a monthly channeled discussion with his Higher Self and the Higher Self of Diana Muenz Chen (called Lady Diana). Diana Muenz Chen (the other author) did the channeling.[1] David’s spirit guides were present at these meetings and contributed their thoughts when appropriate. These “meetings” were recorded. Below are some interactions Diana and David have experienced with HS and Soul; all are aimed at learning and growing spiritually.

Right after one channeled session began, HS informed David that his Soul was reviewing other incarnations to see what it could bring forward to help him in this life. Not all skills and talents acquired in other incarnations can be incorporated into your current life. Only those things that will help you learn and overcome past wounding and are most pertinent to your current tasks are brought forward. Your physical body doesn’t have the capacity to include all past learnings and skills. His Soul determined that the positive aggression, displayed in prior incarnations, could be enhanced in this life. Accordingly, David’s Soul decided to add it to his Personality attributes. David didn’t fully understand the reason behind this decision, but he gratefully accepted the help.

Here is an example from a different perspective. Just before David began another channeled session, he was diagnosed with Lyme disease. He had heard about people who had the disease, some of whom were suffering severely, but he didn’t really know much about the condition. Nonetheless, David was concerned and quickly saw his doctor and began taking the prescribed antibiotics.

While the Lyme had been diagnosed in a timely manner, it was, nonetheless, a severe case. When he communicated his concern to HS, he was told the healer who worked with him in spirit would help minimize the condition. Shortly after the healing part of his session began, he could feel strong energy coursing through his body. The energy healing for the Lyme condition continued for many sessions. It is now many years later and he is unaware of any significant effects from the disease.

Between the healings and his body’s ability to adjust to residue from the tick bite, David’s life seems to be back to normal. Nonetheless, he wondered where he had been exposed to Lyme ticks so he could avoid the area in the future. He was told that contracting this disease was no accident; he was purposely susceptible. His body naturally attracted the tick to force him to look more deeply at the internal workings of his body. Once the purpose of the disease was understood, the healers were able to mitigate it.

More difficult lessons may require tougher, more challenging experiences that are not always viewed favorably by the Personality. From an expanded perspective, these “less pleasant” experiences, such as disease, injury or loss of a loved one are exactly what is needed to wake you out of your lethargy. Without the harsher experiences, you can remain set in your ways. We all must be shaken out of our emphasis on physical comfort and prioritize spiritual growth and development. You are a spiritual being. The physical plane is merely a brief way station, where you can become distracted by the myriad shapes, colors, flavors and fragrances and all the choices you can make and directions you can go. David relates a personal experience that illustrates the importance of acceptance even when the experience is painful or embarrassing:

A few years ago, I began playing a racquet game called pickleball. It is a relatively new sport and I quickly found that I enjoyed it and had a reasonable amount of skill. Pickleball is played on what looks like a miniature tennis court with a net down the middle of the court and lines showing the outer limits of the court plus other demarcations. A plastic ball and small, solid paddle replace the stringed tennis racket and rubber ball.

One day while playing a game with three other people, I was standing at mid-court waiting to return a ball hit towards me. The ball was hit to my left side and a little behind where I was standing. I started to move backward to be in position to return the ball. As I was moving back, I seemed to lose control and my momentum continued to propel me backward. I soon realized I was heading straight for a concrete wall about 15 yards behind me. There should have been plenty of room to stop my momentum before hitting the wall. Nonetheless, before I knew it, I hit the wall with a loud thud and fell to the ground, completely dazed. My head was bleeding, and my left hand hung limply at my side.

Players and bystanders rushed to see how badly I was hurt, and someone called for the rescue squad. The next thing I remembered was being hoisted into an emergency van with sirens blaring. For most of the 15 minutes it took to reach the emergency room, I kept wondering how this had happened. There certainly seemed to be plenty of room and time to stop the backward momentum. Why wasn’t I able to stop? I couldn’t understand what had just happened.

At the hospital emergency room, I was immediately taken for x-rays of my left wrist and head. The doctor told me that my wrist was broken in three places and applied a soft cast. He gave me the name of an orthopedic surgeon to contact for further treatment to my wrist. I also received multiple stitches in my head. Everything was happening so fast; I didn’t have time to think or berate myself for my clumsiness, something I might otherwise do.

What does all of this have to do with the Soul? That question never occurred to me either during the incident or for the next few days. I did, however, have a session scheduled for later that week. Once the session started, Diana’s HS greeted me with her usual inquiry, “how are you doing?” Before I could get very far with my status report, Lady Diana informed me that what had happened was neither a mistake nor an accident. My Soul had collaborated with my body to create circumstances that resulted in my broken wrist and my badly bruised head. I needed to know why.

There were several lessons that I was meant to learn from this experience. First, it was no accident that it was my left wrist that was broken. The left arm represents reception and I would now have to be receptive to help with daily chores such as bathing, dressing and driving. I would also need help from a physical therapist as I relearned how to use my left hand, which had been surgically repaired with several screws and plates. In the balance between giving and receiving, I recognized that I found it easier to give than receive. Now I would learn to be more balanced. In addition, I had the opportunity to accept and surrender to what is. Surrender and acceptance are important life lessons that often go unheeded by human beings. If you don’t learn these lessons before your transition back to Spirit, your Soul creates circumstances that encourage you to surrender. For example, you may contract, or more accurately create, a disease that reduces your ability to control some bodily function. To avoid this result, it is best for your Personality to surrender and accept all of life’s experiences with humility and gratitude. As HS keeps reminding me, everything that happens is purposeful.

Besides breaking bones in his hand, David broke the metatarsal bone in his right foot about a year before this incident. He was told that this was no accident either. The experience was meant to slow him down. The “accident” occurred when he was trying to do too much too quickly. While the broken bone did slow him down, he didn’t fully absorb the lesson, nor did he surrender to what his Soul was telling him to do. When you don’t learn a lesson the first time, the experiences get more intense until you finally learn what is being conveyed. The longer you wait, the more difficult the lesson. When you come to the end of your life and still haven’t learned to surrender and accept, you may “create” a debilitating illness that takes away your ability to control events. Then you have no choice but to surrender. David is intent on learning what his Soul is trying to teach him so that more draconian lessons can be avoided.

What David has learned is that the Soul always has the Personality’s interest in mind, despite evidence to the contrary. It is not easy to endure some of the experiences needed to move you in the right direction. It is common to kick and scream while going through various “accidents,” diseases and relationship issues. Life’s not fair, the discomfort is unbearable, the loss is intolerable, the situation doesn’t make any sense. These are common responses; David’s expressed them from time to time; you’ve probably felt that way, too.

The truth is your Soul can be trusted to do exactly what is needed to acquire self-knowledge, accomplish the given task and contribute to life. Since we do not see the whole picture, or connect cause and effect, we may view what is happening as unpleasant or fearful. There are no accidents or mistakes and, therefore, nothing to fear. Life is a joyful experience once we trust and surrender to our Soul’s guidance and direction.

Reincarnation in the Same Body (RSB)

Although David didn’t realize it at the time, his June 2010 session with Lady Diana was going to be a bit out of the ordinary. As usual, the session started with a message from Higher Self, but the message did not follow the normal “next step” pattern. Lady Diana told David that his Soul had determined he completed his agreed upon tasks with a good grade. Therefore, it would normally be time for him to return to Spirit. As he listened, his curiosity and anxiety escalated.

David’s Soul decided that, instead of “dying,” he would engage in a reincarnation in the same body (RSB) also known as a reincarnation in the same lifetime. He had never heard of this concept but later discovered the topic discussed in some detail in Pathwork lectures 230[2] and 255[3]. As disclosed in the Pathwork lectures and as told to him during this session, new tasks would be given to him while he also worked on completing some unfinished business. In other words, David was being given a new lease on life as well as a new purpose or task and told to carry on.

Lady Diana described this change in purpose as something that would help him accelerate his development. It would bypass the need for the shift in consciousness that would normally occur when a current incarnation terminated. Sometimes those undergoing an RSB see their outer life circumstances change dramatically. In David’s case, his interests, activities, environment and attitudes would not significantly deviate from what he had been accustomed to, but additional tasks would be forthcoming.

The Soul oversees this reincarnation process and is closer to and more involved with the Personality than at other times. The RSB process consists primarily of dissolving the individual’s Line of Purpose (LOP) and building a new one. You will recall from chapter 1 that the LOP is the line of communication between the Soul and the Personality and holds the individual’s life purpose. The LOP is like the backbone on which the human energy system is stabilized and energized. In other words, it is the foundation for the various energy bodies.

RSB is an organic process involving preparation, integration and completion phases as the cells of the body adjust to new vibrations. The total process may last from less than a year to several years. During this process, one tires more readily than usual. Significant energy is expended to dissolve the old LOP and then to construct a new one. David was told that powerful energy will flow through the body at night, usually disrupting sleep. So, it was recommended that he take a nap in the afternoon. It turned out that David got very little solid sleep during the process and, therefore, the naps were crucial.

For approximately 18 months, David was told by his HS during each session what part of the LOP was being dissolved and re-established. He learned how this transformation would affect him physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. In one session HS informed him that his LOP was shifting in his pelvic region and his lower chakras were struggling to adjust to the changes. He’d feel off center and there would be a cloudy feeling in his lower chakras while the LOP was getting stronger. Mental defenses might arise, and fear and anger could surface. After a few days the cloudiness would clear up. It was also recommended that he should practice grounding throughout the day. He was told that he would now be able to participate more fully in life’s unfolding drama.

In another session, David was told his third chakra (located around the solar plexus area) was undergoing changes. This shift would also affect his LOP, changing how he viewed life and the choices he was likely to make. His sense of self would be stronger. He was reminded that negativity could hold him back; any judgments he had about “mistakes” he thought he made should be released and replaced with positive thoughts about what he does well.

One new task David was given, as a result of his RSB, was to explore all aspects of forgiveness—forgiveness of himself as well as others. According to some, the act of forgiveness can only be fully understood at the Soul level. Without viewing the full picture, including all past traumas and other experiences, it is impossible to understand anyone’s motives or behavior. Despite his obvious lack of complete vision, David set out to learn all he could about forgiveness.

Why, you may ask, should anyone care about this obscure process called reincarnation in the same body? Is there any benefit to learning about this? First, for those who want to accelerate their spiritual development, being aware of one’s life task and working to fulfill it is critically important. It is the completion of the life task that makes RSB a possibility. To determine if you are on track with your task, ask yourself, “Do I feel content and fulfilled with my life?” If not, you may want to seek guidance to redirect your focus and priorities.

Second, RSB saves a great deal of time and effort. The energy expended when leaving a body and undergoing another birth is avoided. Third, because RSB accelerates the evolutionary process by reducing the number of incarnations a person requires, it is likely to become more common in the future. Having an awareness of this possibility, for you or a loved one, may prove to be very helpful.

Summary

The Soul’s journey can be temporarily thwarted when the Personality exercises its free will and moves counter to the direction that the Soul desires. To bring the Personality (the Soul’s ambassador or representative) back into alignment, the Soul has countless tools: disease, relationship conflicts, loss of a partner or loved one, etc. They all capture the Personality’s attention and motivate changes in beliefs and behavior. When the Personality stays in alignment with the Soul’s intention and completes the task agreed to prior to birth, joy and fulfillment will be the likely result.

Diana Muenzchen: In 1986, Diana began to channel professionally and has had a private practice since that time. She presently channels her Higher Self affectionately called Lady Diana, and also Archangel Michael. Since 1986, Diana has expanded her skills to include the following credentials: Interfaith Minister, Barbara Brennan Healing Science graduate and teacher, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and Core Energetics Therapist.

A couple highlights of Diana’s career: She taught Anatomy of the Soul workshops, a curriculum developed by Archangel Michael, to Columbia University psychology graduates in 2014 and 2017; starred in an NBC prime time television special with co-anchorwoman Sue Simmons featuring Shirley MacLaine; and established a channeling school in Toronto, Canada.

To further people’s connection to the spirit realm, Diana and Archangel Michael direct a channeling school called “The Open Heart School,” which was founded in 1988. They firmly believe that everyone can learn to communicate with the spirit realm. They continue to lead many different types of classes to assist people to grow spiritually.

As an adjunct to the school’s curriculum, Diana and her spirit guides authored the channeling textbook entitled Channeling: The Heart & The Art. You can view The Open Heart School classes and details about her channeling book on Diana’s website at: https://www.dianamuenzchen.com/

David Schwerin has an MBA in finance and a Ph.D. in religious studies. He is the author of Conscious Capitalism: Principles for Prosperity and Conscious Globalism: What’s wrong with the world and how to fix it.

The books have been published in the U.S., Brazil and China. He has written several dozen articles and currently writes a blog and editorials for the Times of India at www.speakingtree.in. He served on the board of several non-profit organizations and was President of The Institute for Ethical Awareness and Chairman of Pathwork Press.

For more than forty years David has studied with two international mystery schools; first with Builders of the Adytum and for the past 25 years with Pathwork, an international non-profit organization based on a profound body of psycho-spiritual wisdom. He is a trained Pathwork teacher and has helped introduce Pathwork to China. Since 2015, David has participated in a program offered by Archangel Michael to help deepen one’s connection to their Soul. David was also at the forefront in introducing socially responsible business practices to China. Professor Wenhua Nan wrote a book that was published in China in 2018 entitled, A Study of Schwerin's Thought on Corporate Social Responsibility.

David has been interviewed by numerous newspapers and magazines as well on television. He has given lectures, workshops and keynote presentations in the U.S., India and China, including over 3 dozen lectures to government officials, businesspeople and academics in dozens of Chinese cities. He was appointed an Honorary Director of the Corporate Social Responsibility Research Center at Suzhou University of Science and Technology and a guest professor at Tianjin Normal University. His personal website is www.consciousthinking.com.

You can purchase the book at Amazon, Kindle and www.dianamuenzchen.com for $9.99