Addiction

I was listening to James Van Praagh's audio book titled Unfinished Business: What The Dead Can Teach Us About Life. He tells the story about a sister who grieved over her brother's death due to a drug overdose. She felt guilt and responsibility because she looked after him and did not answer a call from him the night he died.

When James spoke to the sister with messages from her brother, it turned out that the brother had returned to the earth to try to learn how to not let substances interfere with the everyday experiences of life. He had several lives where he had addictions and died from overdoses in two other lifetimes. He came back to see if he could beat the addicted personality. It was a test to see if he had grown.

The brother said fighting addiction was tough to learn. When you are high you don't have to be responsible. It's the easy way out with not dealing with stresses and choices in life. You get better with each life opportunity, but he will have to try it again. He told the sister that she should not feel guilt about the addiction or the circumstances.

But next came the part from the brother that I found interesting.

People should make every attempt possible to let go and heal their addictions while in the body, because they don't want to bring that memory or yearning to the other side. It dirties the mind. When we pass over, our cravings go with us. It is much easier to release our physical, mental, and emotional addictions in human form than as spirits, because addictions are part of our human nature. We are more effective in breaking human habits in human bodies.

A.R.E. Meeting for 04/25/11

Leader: Martinaya
Reader: Group Effort

In the "How to Interpret Your Dreams" book, we are in Chapter 4, on page 65, at the section "Applying Dream Themes for Interpretation."

For the discipline this week, keep recording your dreams, and study particular symbols by asking questions using the Gestalt Technique, or find a theme using the Thematic Approach.

A.R.E. Meeting for 04/18/11

Leader: Martinaya
Reader: Greg

In the "How to Interpret Your Dreams" book, we started Chapter 4, and are on page 53, about to begin the paragraph "In the second and third examples..."

For the discipline this week, keep recording your dreams. Next week we will devote the meeting to reading the book. The following week we will go back to recounting dreams.

A.R.E. Meeting for 04/11/11

Leader: Martinaya
Reader: Greg

In the How to Interpret Your Dreams book, we finished Chapter 3 and will begin Chapter 4, "Knowing Ourselves Through Dreams."

For the discipline this week, if possible, select a symbol (dream character, an animal, or inanimate thing) that appears in more than one of the dreams you have recorded. See if the symbol represents itself, or see if it represents a part of your own personality. Finally, if neither, look at the symbol for the possibility of a pun or a play on words.

A.R.E. Meeting for 04/04/11

Leader: Martinaya
Reader: Marsha & Greg

In the "How to Interpret Your Dreams" book, we are still in Chapter 3, and next week will start with the Cayce reading at the bottom of page 46.

For the discipline this week, continue to keep your dream journals, and work with your symbols.