Chapter Excerpt:  The Crossover

 

We will begin by filling in a few blanks today, began Barney one morning a few days later, and it suddenly occurred to me that we were not so much speaking here and there in bits and pieces, but actually having one long, multilayered conversation. This was something I would continue to experience, not only with Barney but with a great many other animals. In short, I was becoming aware of an underlying continuity that was not dependent upon the passage of time as we ordinarily know it. Call it a growing familiarity with tapping into a stream of consciousness in which time is nonexistent; as such, one is free to come and go and still continue the same conversation as if no time has passed at all.

 

Let us first look at the notion of reincarnation, said Barney. On a larger scale, this is simply a form of shapeshifting. Within this viewpoint, the connection between bodily forms is achieved with spiritual consciousness—which is a different vibratory level of what you are used to as everyday consciousness. We could also call it soul, or atman or even Buddha-nature, though these all ‘hold’ the concept in slightly different forms.

 

Let us call this soul consciousness ‘essence’ for this talk. All essence is One, though the way in which each essence learns and experiences reality at slower moving vibratory levels is different. Though, of course, to explain this in terms of duality, we are necessarily shifting meaning already—another reason why experience itself is a much better teacher in this regard.

 

Upon death, an individual essence ‘wakes up’ (a bit) to another form of reality and ‘remembers’ (to some degree) its other options of form. Some mistakenly think that death is a huge awakening, as if All That Is is suddenly known. It is not my experience that this is the case. Rather, it is as if each essence ‘awakes’ according to its own level of awareness. It is true that, generally speaking, being without form allows for a faster learning since one already has the advantage of seeing/feeling/being essence and not being so caught up in the illusions of form. However, illusions still exist. 

 

Many essences choose to express themselves as a light body. Certainly this is helpful to some degree, as essence is comfortable with the physical earth body and seeks to find another, but there is also a degree of humor here, for there is no real need for form. One can just as easily move as light or sound or any other energetic vibration. So, the choice of a light body is an initial shapeshifting from death. It is much easier to shapeshift in this realm, yet you would be surprised that it is not practiced more often. Old habits from physical form die hard, I suppose we could say.

 

After a period of learning, clearing old ties, releasing what can be let go of, and so forth, one may begin to strategize about another life and, thus, look to form. What is the best form (body) to re-enter the physical world? There are many to choose from, and again, this is only limited by one’s level of awareness. Some do not choose to see beyond their own ‘tribe’ so to speak. Others get very imaginative.

 

In the end, one’s choice of form is directly related to one’s choice of teaching and learning. There is often a dual nature of awareness that incarnates, for earth is a planet of high duality, and so one part goes in to teach and another to learn. Often they work in concert, together, and that crossover is a very interesting space in which one has direct access to the multidimensional world of spirit. At that point, one has a sense of one’s essence. It is at that point where physical shapeshifting can occur, and it is at that point where miracles are also possible.

 

Barney took a pause. Do you have a question here?

 

Only one? I wondered. "Are you saying that it is only at the crossover of teaching and learning where you have access to this? Or could it be any point at which you are doing two things at once?"

 

Intent is key. For example, talking on the phone while working at your computer does not have the power of intent I am talking about. To some degree, you are simply using part of yourself on the phone and part of yourself on the computer. But you are not consciously aware of underlying connections. 

 

What I mean when I speak of this teaching and learning intersection is a state in which you are consciously aware that you are both serving others and others are serving you. This is often the beginning of consciously opening to the multi-nature of incarnation. It is as if you are aware of essence speaking through you as well as essence speaking to you. Of course, from a larger perspective it is always you talking to you, though that is hard to grasp in a physical modality. Do you understand?

 

"Well, maybe it is like this right now. When I really feel into what we are doing, I am aware of a deeper force speaking through me, but also a part of me which is listening, just as I listen to your words and type them on the computer."

 

Exactly so. It is a crossover in which you are aware of the crossover. You are aware for a moment not only of you, but also of me and of the underlying force or energy or essence which moves through both of us. If you stay with that—if you release yourself into that—you will begin to feel that energy of ‘you’ and ‘me’ and ‘underlying force’ not as separate or as a division but as one continuous flowing movement. In discerning that flow of movement, you open to the nexus of our communication. Moreover, you are that. You begin to feel yourself as that movement; you come to know yourself as part of that flow, and you ‘be-come’ that—which is, of course, none other than you! 

 

My brain was beginning to hurt.

 

It is often easier to do this with animals because we tend to be more aware of this essential connection. But the challenge is to do it with those of your own kind. That is why ‘form’ is such a huge illusion for humans. Look at your society and see how you have built form into such an important illusion: how you look, in what type of house you live, how much money you make, what you do, etc., etc., etc.—every little thing becoming such a huge concern…So much energy put into these illusive forms!

 

"Sounds like you are laughing about this, Barney," I said.

 

Laughing in a good way. For the focus on illusion is also creative. I have lived some lives as a human, though mostly in a tribal society where form is not as important. Then again, don’t think for a moment that tribal societies don’t also value form; it is simply used in another way. So, I do know of the pull of form and how it can hoodwink one so completely that it both shields one and keeps one from really getting to the treasure underneath.

 

Why do you think it is that all treasures are buried or hidden away? It is a reminder to dig deep, to find the key. Look to early myths and fairytales when learning how to find the treasure. The treasure is compared to wealth because—again—that is the power of the illusive form! True wealth has more to do with connections than it does with sitting alone in a room of gold. Even money works this way—it only has power through exchange, though there are so many who want to keep it for themselves, hoarding it. Why? Fear, once again! Fear of death, fear of releasing form—when the real joke is that you can only grow and learn and experience joy by dropping form, by experiencing many forms and by reveling in the joy and beauty and fun of form until you at last get bored with that and decide to play with form in yet another way—until, perhaps, you begin to work with nonform—and that is another discussion. 

 

And with that, Barney sent me off to meet experience, the grand teacher, once again.