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    • Why Some People Are Born Aware

      Venus Cycles

      by Diane Brandon

      (Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

      This is what I thought when I was born. I have never forgotten my awareness then or the perceptions I had—and I'm not the only one. There are people throughout the world who remember their thoughts at birth.

      I call this the "Born Aware" phenomenon.

      This phenomenon may seem strange; some people even consider it to be impossible. However, for those of us with these memories, it's not at all strange, and we didn't even consider that other people might think it was odd. After all, it's our norm.

      I describe the Born Aware phenomenon in my book, Born Aware: Stories & Insights from Those Spiritually Aware Since Birth. Those of us spiritually aware since birth have always remembered what we thought at birth. We didn't need to recapture our awareness or memories after the fact through regression, hypnotherapy, or other methods.

      Unusual, Yes, But Not Impossible
      So, yes, it's unusual, but, as those of us with these memories know, it's far from impossible. It makes sense when we consider that our souls had awareness on the other side before we came into this lifetime. We carry into an incarnation on this planet the awareness we had then, which I call the Higher Soul Awareness. (There are exceptions to this, of course. Children who remember their last life are often still in the human persona from that last lifetime. This could be because many of them reincarnated so quickly that they didn't get into their Higher Soul Awareness on the other side. Ian Stevenson did extensive and groundbreaking research on children like this, and Erlendur Haraldsson and others have continued this research.)

      Born Awares, however, came into the present life in their Higher Soul Awareness and thought and perceived accordingly, remembering these perceptions and thoughts. Some of us remember back to before birth (memories of being on the other side, of being in the womb, etc.). Our awareness at birth was quite clear and mature, not exactly what many people might expect a baby's awareness to be like.

      This may prompt the question as to why everyone doesn't have these memories. And it's a great question. Some people may have awareness at birth, but amnesia then sets in. Pain can crowd out the Higher Soul Awareness and cause us to plummet into our human side. If your soul was already in your new body for the labor and delivery, you may have experienced pain during that process—and your spiritual awareness was likely obliterated and replaced by pain and a thrusting into your human side. Some Born Awares may not come into the new body (the baby's) until the birth itself and may have avoided any pain from the labor and delivery. I didn't come in until the birth had occurred, so my Higher Soul Awareness was intact. There are also instances of people being aware at birth, but not spiritually aware.

      Different from Being Innately Spiritually Oriented
      Because this phenomenon seems unusual and is relatively unknown, some people may mistake it for being somewhat aware or spiritually oriented, including those who have always felt spiritual in some way. However, it's a different phenomenon.

      There are many people who have no birth memories and thus were not born aware, yet have always felt some sort of spiritual orientation or a hazy spiritual tug at themselves. They may not remember anything before the age of one or two, or even three. However, nonetheless they always felt a sense of "otherness" and that there was something more than this physical reality and that they didn't really belong here, even if they have no clear memory or idea of where they came from (on the other side). People like this are Innately Spiritually Oriented and they lift the level on this planet.

      Their innate spiritual orientation may be a consistent pull, even though they may not have a conscious spiritual awareness until they are exposed to spiritual or religious material, which they then may absorb like a sponge. They may immediately feel a sort of kinship with such information and a strong sense of, "Yes, this is what I was feeling, but couldn't put into words." There are many, many Innately Spiritually Oriented people on this planet. They tend to be seekers and, at some point, find spiritual material that draws them like a magnet and which they subsequently seek out. They often want to be of service to others and help others and thus may work as teachers, healers, counselors, mediators, etc.

      Those Innately Spiritually Oriented often have some of the attributes that Born Awares have in common, even if they don't have all of them. They are like gardeners on this planet, preparing the ground for light-filled energies and seeding more light and positive energy into it.

      The Born Awares, on the other hand, have a conscious awareness from birth of spiritual matters and this remains intact for us. We were born with the mature, clear awareness of an adult, rather than an immature awareness. We not only know that this Earth is not our true home, but also feel like we're exiled, having to be here for some reason. The Born Awares among us long to be back home. I know that I didn't want to come here again. I have always longed to be back on the other side, which is my true home. This longing is so strong for us that some Born Awares as young children have contemplated suicide in order to go back home.

      Advantages and Disadvantages
      I hasten to add that being born aware is not all bad. Yes, we often don't like being here, and, yes, there are some definite, strong downsides (such as feeling different, feeling isolated, out of place, homesick, etc.). However, at the same time, our experience of being here is hugely enriched by our spiritual awareness. Our memories of the other side, no matter how vague or gauzy, feed us and inspire us. We tend to be naturally aware of spiritual agency in our lives, as well as spiritual purpose, along with other positive benefits. So being born aware is really a mixed bag. We're neither here nor there, with a foot in both worlds. In essence, we're like hybrids.

      Given that this phenomenon is so different and unusual, why does it exist at all? Why are some people spiritually aware since birth?

      Allowed to Be Born Aware
      I strongly feel that those of us who have been spiritually aware since birth have been allowed to be this way—not just for our own experience, but also for what this phenomenon can show and teach others. This may be why we have been allowed to be this way (and we have indeed been allowed to be this way). What further illustrates this is that many of us born aware tend to feel that we're here on assignment.

      Inherent Lessons
      This phenomenon has inherent lessons for others. If you've ever doubted that there's another side or afterlife, or if you've ever felt down and worried about what might happen after you die, the Born Aware phenomenon can allow you to feel relief. I guarantee you that there's an afterlife. The other side is beautiful and so much nicer and more enjoyable than being here. There are many different things that we do on the other side, and it's all beneficial. There's beauty and love and purpose there. We don't feel down there. Instead, we feel inspired and loved and uplifted.

      This is just one of lessons that the Born Aware phenomenon can teach us. One thing that most of us spiritually aware since birth tend to know is that there is purpose to everything that happens on this planet, the bad as well as the good. Most of us, born aware or not, tend to know that good things will often come out of difficult experiences. If you think of your own life and some of the difficult and painful experiences you have had, you will usually be able to see—in retrospect—some of the good that came out of those unpleasant experiences. You may have had new insights. You may have strengthened in some way. You may have gained more compassion. You may have had something new to then teach others. You learned—through experience—that good can come out of bad experiences. Being aware of universal purpose can help to take the pain out of some negative events. Those of us born aware innately know that everything has purpose. We tend to look for what the higher purpose is whenever we hear of difficult events on this planet, especially when there are mass negative events. We know implicitly that something good will come out of them in some way.

      Whenever we hear of a terrible event, whether a huge earthquake or terrorism, those of us spiritually aware since birth automatically shift into our Higher Soul Awareness and look at the event from a higher spiritual perspective in order to chew on what its higher purpose is.

      The Higher Soul Awareness
      Which brings us back to the Higher Soul Awareness itself. It's vastly different from our human persona. It perceives from a higher perspective. It transcends our human side and is not weighed down or contaminated by the problematic aspects of our human side (our fears, our wants, our self-interests, our mindsets, our beliefs, our cultural conditioning, etc.), which can blind us from perceiving objectively. The Higher Soul Awareness takes us back to our soul's awareness on the other side (even if it's not completely intact) and allows us to view things from a higher and more expansive spiritual point of view.

      The Higher Soul Awareness models objectivity, as well as a higher spiritual perspective. It's certainly one aspect of the Born Aware phenomenon that others can learn from, and it brings us many benefits. We can also learn how to groom the Higher Soul Awareness (which I share in Born Aware).

      Everyone and Everything Is Connected
      Another reason why some of us have been allowed to have these memories may be that we were born with the innate awareness that everyone and everything is connected. We remember this from the other side, so it's not just a cognitive awareness, but a memory. We tend less to see differences and tend, instead, to see kindred spirits. We view others and everything as connected to us. Our hearts are open to others—not just humans, but also animals and plants and nature. We love re-experiencing that beautiful oneness through an open heart connection to others while we're here. It reminds us of that soul-inspiring and delightful inter-connection we had on the other side. Having the awareness that everything and everyone are truly connected is an important insight, one that the world could benefit from. This awareness can serve as an excellent counter-balance to all the division and prejudice and condemnation we see in our world. We truly are all connected, in a loving, positive, mutually supportive way.

      So why are some people Born Awares? It's not just for our own benefit. (And remember that there are downsides to being this way.) It's also the way we are supposed to be—at least in this lifetime—because there is purpose to it, not just for our own experience, but also for the lessons implicit in it for others.

      Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2017. All rights reserved.

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    • Double Vision: When Bad Family Members Visit From Spirit

      sendinghealing

      Since my daughter learned to talk, she has frequently claimed that there was a “monster” in the hallway and in her room. Then recently my husband’s uncle died, and two days later, our daughter claimed that the monster was “Dad’s Papa.” I didn’t realize that my husband’s uncle’s nickname was “Papa,” so I was still trying to translate what my daughter was trying to say when my husband became very upset. My husband is worried because though Papa was a second father to him, he was also a dangerous man when he was living. If he is visiting, should we be worried that he may be harmful or dangerous? Also, what do you think of my daughter calling her visitors “monsters?” Thanks for your advice!

       – Jamie

      Dreamchaser:

      The first thing you need to know is that when people pass over to the other world, their human qualities fall away. “Papa” is not a danger to your daughter. He is earthbound because he is trying to atone for his sins from this last lifetime.

      He is not scaring or hurting your daughter in any way. He is actually enjoying the interactions they have with each other. He is sorry that he didn’t realize how special children are when he was living. He will not leave this plane until he feels he has atoned for his sins on earth. He is hanging around your house to try to make peace with your husband and enjoy the company of your daughter.

      Your child is small, and all small children can see the other side. It is just natural for them. Most adults stopped seeing mostly because their parents said things like, “There is no monster in the hall. Stop imagining things,” or “there is no monster in the hall. Stop imagining things.”

      Please don’t tell her that she is not seeing or talking to the entities she says she sees. She is protected by some powerful spiritual beings, and nothing bad is going to happen to her. She also has the sense to know who scares her and who does not, and she only talks to those she “likes.”

      When I was a little child, there was a doll that sat on a stool in my corner.  After the lights went out, that doll would suddenly “transform” into a full-sized person wearing a black cape with a big hood that hung over his or her face. (I never did know what gender it was.)

      I used to holler for my mother to come and see it, and she would tell me there was nothing there. I would then wonder which one of us was crazy. This entity would sit there the entire night long. When dawn started to break, the figure would turn back into my doll. It was not my imagination – I did not make it up.

      The terminology that I used for this when I was young was “black thing.” I am sure that my mother was not sure what this “black thing” was when I said, “The black thing is in my corner.” It could have been a cottonmouth, a spider, or any other thing that is black.

      When I was a little child, there was a doll that sat on a stool in my corner.  After the lights went out, that doll would suddenly “transform” into a full-sized person wearing a black cape with a big hood that hung over his or her face. (I never did know what gender it was.)

      I used to holler for my mother to come and see it, and she would tell me there was nothing there. I would then wonder which one of us was crazy. This entity would sit there the entire night long. When dawn started to break, the figure would “turn back into” my doll. It was my imagination – I did not make it up.

      The terminology that I used for this when I was young was “black thing.” I am sure that my mother was not sure what this “black thing” was when I said, “The black thing is in my corner.” It could have been a cottonmouth, a spider, or any other thing that is black.

      Children have limited vocabularies for everything in life. They don’t know that someone who is standing in their room after the lights go out at night is a crossed-over human being. All they know is if something is in their room after dark and it is not a family member or a friend sleeping over, then it must be something else. She is using a word that makes sense to her. I used “black thing” and she uses “monster.” She just doesn’t know any better words for what she’s experiencing.

      Do not discount what she sees – validate her. I wish you all wonderful sightings.

      *****

      Your daughter is someone who helps lost souls find their way into the light. It’s normal for small children to do this, but since she can talk now, it’s really coming to the surface. Most of us outgrow this ability by the time we’re three or four, but she’ll have it all her life. I hope you and your husband will encourage her to keep on doing this as she gets older.

      The reason she describes some of her visitors as monsters is because most of the ones she sees are grown-ups, and every big stranger looks like a monster to children of her age and size. Most of the visitors are just people, but she sees some angelic spirits too from time to time. They have never been born as humans, and believe me, these guys can be huge!

      “Monster” is a good descriptive word for some of the seraphim. Those guys can be upwards of 10 feet tall, and their wing spans, well – they couldn’t open their wings inside any room in your home. They’re certainly not dangerous; they’re just coming to check on you.

      Your husband’s uncle is with your daughter because he’s trying to make up for all the things he did while he was living. It’s hard for him because he has lots of amends to make. He comes to her instead of your husband because children are better able to suspend disbelief than adults. He tells me that you have nothing to fear from him, and neither does she, as he has left all his bad behavior behind here on earth, and would never do anything to hurt you or anyone in your family.

      In fact, he’s very sorry for the things he did, and he is trying to make it up to you. He has thus chosen to protect your daughter for her whole life. He could have picked any member of the family, but because of his deep love for your husband, he chose his daughter.

      I think this is really a blessing, for he will make sure that nothing evil approaches her in or out of your home. Demons lurk, and he can keep them out of your house and out of her hair! Sometimes dark entities pick on little kids and try to fool them by telling them they’re angels, and he’ll see to it that this doesn’t happen.

      As she gets older, you’ll find she also has a gift for foreign languages, since she’s talking to all her “people” in whatever language they speak now. My own granddaughter is two, and while she won’t speak in English to anyone living (except for me), I’ve heard her conversing in Spanish, French, Greek, Italian, and German! If you hear her babbling to “someone” in a strange language, try to tune in and see if it’s more than babbling!

      You’ll never regret it if you nurture her gift, and her life will be so much more peaceful for your support and understanding.

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