Thoughts,
on the
Meaning
of
Life
Why are we alive? Is there anything after death? Is this all there is? What's the point?
Questions many of us ask on a regular basis.
No, this is not all there is, yes there is something after death which also by implication means there is existence before death.
Why am I sure of this? Our Consciousmess is unique, we are aware of our own existence. We can think, question and rationalize. In doing so we recognise that this consciousness is not physical it is ethereal (Celestial or Spiritual). Through this consciousness we can travel back and forth through time using the massive memory banks we call the brain. We can actually experience past events over and over again and visualize the future in as many different ways as we please while remaining, physically, very much in the present. Each individual has her/his own conciousness and consequently creates the reality required to meet his/her own needs. The physical body we find ourselves in is disposable, we use it for our purpose and then discard it.
So where did this conciousness come from? Our consciousness is our soul, our essence if you like. Imagine 16 Billion years ago there was a load of matter so dense it would fit in a coffee mug. There is both negative and positive Energy contained within. Suddenly Positive and Negative become aware of each other and react violently. This awareness is the realtionship between the two and that relationship is the Celestial Consciousnes or Universal Energy that we are all part of. Our Souls came into existence at the beginning of Time. ( I have revised my thinking on this. The Universal Consciousness of which we are all a part, created the physical Universe, therefore our Souls (US) have always been and always will be. See the page Before the Big Bang)
So why the need for a Physical Life? Well, we are currently inhabiting a physical body so we should ask ourselves! We are naturally curious. We come here to experience things. How else can we come to terms with and understand the physical realm without the actual experience? Entering the physical world allows us to question, explore and rationalize exactly what we are and to understand to more profound levels the nature of our existence (the non-physical) and evolve.
Moving on. We have been in existence from the Big Bang. We now have to choose a Physical Life in order to experince a particular Life Lesson to begin our evolution. Before entering we set a specific goal or objective, the goal may be set but the Sacred or Spiritual Path we will follow is not. This enables us to exercise the "freewill" that is so very important to us all and is part of the learning process. The Sacred Path we walk is a meandering one. One that invloves countless encounters with others, some we will know only fleetingly, others stay a while and a few stay a Lifetime. These encounters are opportunities to give and receive information synchronistically sent to gently guide us on our way or reafirm our direction. We can choose to heed or ignore these messages but to ignore them too often could result in becoming hopelessly lost. We should heed these synchronicities as it is our own Higher Self that is sending them! The Higher Self is that part of the Soul that stays "connected" to the Universal Energy or Celestial Conciousness.
The Meaning/Purpose of this Physical Life then, is The Spiritual Evolution of our Soul.
You may be asking,
Why so many religions?
We have to learn as many different aspects of Life as we can, Religions all have a slightly different perspective on Spirituality and therefore serve as an important function in our Spiritual development over the Aeons. Without the original Religions the word "Spirituality" would not be around. Remember, your Spirituality is intensely personal and can only be experienced by you. We can learn in group settings like Churches, Synagogues, Mosques etc but ultimately it is you that must learn your own Life Lessons.
How many lives?
As many as it takes, basically. Some of us will no doubt learn faster than others.
Why are we not all at the same level?
We may all be at the same level and simply learning different lessons although I don't think this is the case. I do think we are approaching a time when there will be a greater awareness of what is going on and it will be the role of the most advanced to show the others the "way" so to speak.
What level am I at?
Alas, I do not know. There are areas where I feel more advanced than others but those same people also seem  to be more advanced than I in other areas. I think it will all balance out in the end.