Joanne's StarTeacher Blog

As we say good-bye to the year 2022, there are many aspects to consider. First, there are the happy moments where we were in joy and can remember events, persons or places with gratitude. In addition, there are moments that weren’t so happy; in fact, they may have been sad, trying or challenging in which we were tested in soul growth. How do we appreciate all of these moments as we leave the past year behind? How to be in gratitude and appreciation for both the good as well as the not so good is the topic of this article.

In order to provide a background for my thoughts, it’s necessary to lay the foundation of my philosophy which essentially comes from years of study both at the Edgar Cayce Institute as well as my Jewish upbringing.  We are first and foremost, souls in a body, not a body with a soul. Why is this different? The body is just a vehicle to allow the soul to learn and grow. It is the soul that comes first. During conception, and when the time is right for the soul to enter the body which may not be at the same time, the soul having made a contract with these two people that become the parents to provide a developmental environment for this entering soul. We have therefore chosen our parents to provide us with this platform on which we can learn the lessons set out for us during a particular lifetime. To dive into a deeper understanding, I refer you to the study of the Kabbalistic Wheel of Gongelah in which each soul gets many chances to achieve perfection throughout multiple lifetimes. One’s good deeds move forward with the slightly more perfected soul after each lifetime.

For the purposes of this article, let’s just assume the nature of the soul in the body. Thus, once we add in free will and lots of chances to “get it right”, we have events that turn out ok and some that just don’t work out the first time, or even the second time. This may pertain to work, health, relationships, finances, etc. This concept relates to all aspects of one’s life.

Looking back over this past year, there are many events and personal interactions which I remember that cover a full spectrum of emotions. Even within one relationship, there were wonderous times and times when I was very upset or felt tested. All of these interactions led to me gaining a better of understanding of myself. Those situations which were challenging required me to sit and think about why it bothered me so much and therefore, what was the lessons that I was supposed to glean from it? Sometimes, I had to journal and really ponder why what seemed like a really nice person initially would suddenly act in anger, be cruel or in some other hostile behavior when I felt that I was being just me. Now here’s the rub. Perhaps there was something that I did to create the situation, or perhaps it was just part of my karma to learn to deal with difficult people. I suspect that the latter was the case.

It’s important to figure out what one’s purpose is in any particular lifetime so that one can judge if a particular event, person or situation was challenging us for the getter or worse. Was that situation helping us to move forward even with all the difficulties? Or was it just another bad choice to be involved at that particular time? I really believe that we are called into interactions not by chance but by divine guidance and always with a reason. We often can’t see the forest for the trees, so we need to sit quietly and figure out what’s going on in order to learn the underlying lesson.

There have been some situations where I was just planning to go out dancing or to visit a town and I bumped into a new person who turned out to be just the one to help me find my way, befriend me for a time or hang out for a while. There are many situations that have happened like this. I was at the Edgar Cayce Institute for a program in October (the Ancient Mysteries Conference) and walked into the snack room during a break to find only one other person in there. We started a conversation and ended up spending the rest of the conference hanging out together. At the end of the program, we went our separate ways. We were meant to interact, chat, and even have dinner together one night to be friends, but just for those couple of days. It was pleasant and I could accept it as such. I have gone to other countries and had people hang out with me just for the program there. In this case it was for the conference.

Another time, I decided to visit Richmond for a dance program. I had always wanted to visit the Virginia Fine Arts Museum and so had the chance to do so on this overnight trip. I saw an interesting exhibit about guitars used to tell stories in paint or other artistic mediums as well as their Art Deco gallery. This particular Friday evening was a special event with a tango lesson, live music trio and some time for tango dancing with local dancers. During this time, I met a man who looked familiar yet we couldn’t recall how we may have met. Was it in this lifetime at another dance when he visited my area or was it feelings from a prior lifetime? In any case, there was that feeling of knowing each other which we both felt and caused an instant attraction which led to much talking and dancing together during the course of the evening. I went back to my hotel feeling quite good regarding all that I had taken in, including my museum visit, the wonderful dinner I had in their restaurant, as well as my dance experience.

The next morning, I began my trip back home which normally took two hours; unfortunately, there was construction as well as an accident-causing serious delays. I then saw a text from my new friend from the night before. As I was still in traffic, driving slowly I decided to call stating how bad the traffic was. He immediately, asked me where I was and it turned out that I was driving right past his exit! As I get very motion sick in traffic, I was looking for a place to pull off, so when he told me to “get off and come to visit”, I decided to do just that. Unexpectedly, I was directly to his home and enjoyed an afternoon until the traffic died down. Was it just coincidence or providence? I do believe that I was divinely guided for what ever reason to spend more time with this man. Nothing really came of it although we did go dancing the following weekend only to find that our lives are headed in different directions. That being said, it was a very nice interlude for the week that we interacted. There is a time and a place for everything and sometimes only a small time that two people meet. We can be grateful for that time that we shared and not be upset that it didn’t work out for more. Should I even be grateful for the traffic since it was the impedance for me to have a lovely afternoon?

There was another not so pleasant situation where a friend pretended to want more in a relationship in order to gain my guidance to learn to dance. When someone is misled and used, the results may seem like the one person gained the upper hand but in reality, they really just gained negative karma. In the end, they will have to pay for what they did. There is pay back for all of our actions, both good and bad. Thus, we have to atone for what we have done to others.

Let’s look at some situations where finances were concerned. Over the last few months I was renovating my kitchen and several hic cups caused unexpected expenses. There was the demotion wherein mice droppings were found that led to my attic being cleaned out. The bad news is that it cost a lot to have the work done but the good news is that I have all new insulation. The contractors left wood in my garage which rubbed one of my tires causing it to tear on the road. I had to have not one tire replaced but all four due to the age of the tires. The bad news is that it cost a lot to replace the tires but the good news is that I have all new tires to drive during the winter. There is a good side to everything where we can be grateful. It has been an expensive year, yet I still can be grateful for each challenging event.

I wish you the best for your year in review and many blessings for the year to come. As always, comments are welcome.