by Gerrit Gielen

When you make an important choice in your life, you are actually choosing between two possible futures. As soon as you have made the choice, one possible future falls away. Right? Or does that alternative future exist as well, in a parallel world, and is it experienced and lived through by another part of you? According to the”many worlds theory” in physics, every time a choice moment comes up, a split in the universe takes place: the various possibilities coexist in parallel worlds. What, spiritually speaking, is the meaning of parallel worlds and how can we experience this meaning in our daily lives? That is the central question of this article.

Introduction

In the world of science of the 1950’s, the so called “many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics” was formulated. This theory states that as soon as there is a moment of choice in the universe, the universe splits. Both possibilities then coexist in parallel worlds. According to this theory, the universe consists of an infinite collection of worlds. Our cosmos is only one of those worlds. Since the introduction of the “many worlds interpretation”, the popularity of this theory has been growing among scientists. And by way of science fiction books and movies, the theory has also become known to a wider audience.

Although this theory, spiritually speaking, has very interesting consequences, it is a scientific theory. It does not speak of the inner meaning of the existence of parallel worlds. Science does not consider it to be its task to reflect on the meaning and the implications of parallel lives for our day-to-day lives.

What does the many worlds theory imply for our understanding of the soul? What do parallel lives mean to the development of our consciousness? Why does the soul choose to experience one life in various ways?

Parallel lives do not exist independently of each other, but are – as everything in the universe is – internally connected to each other. They all belong to you. As such, they serve a purpose: they enlarge the field of experience for your soul, and with that, the growth of consciousness.

Timelines

The soul experiences the physical world through us. We, as humans, are traveling on one possible road through time. In this context, it is more appropriate to speak of one possible “timeline”, and our current life is one such timeline. At the moment we make an important choice in our lives, a division of timelines occurs. There is the line on which you experience choice A and there is the line on which you experience choice B. We as humans are not aware of the second timeline that we are not experiencing, but our soul is. For her, that second timeline is just as real as the original one.

Not all timelines that spring from the choices we make during our life are equally important for the soul. Some are more defining than others. We can compare this with the days of our lives: some days – our wedding day, the days on which our children are born – are deeply meaningful to us and we do not forget them. Many other days go by routinely and are forgotten. Of course, these routine days also have their function in the whole; they create quiet growth and integration that lead up to those special moments. The same principle applies to timelines.

Timelines split in moments of choice that call up intense emotions. Imagine that after a deep inner struggle you decide to quit your job and dedicate your life to your passion: you become a painter. There is also a timeline where you stay at your office job. Life as a painter is emotionally intense; it comes with fear and insecurity on the one hand and deep inspiration and fulfillment on the other hand. The timeline on which you work at an office and do not take too many risks, is less intense emotionally, but there you also gather valuable experiences. This timeline can be compared to a less eventful day in your life, while the timeline as an artist can be compared to a sensational, memorable day.

Earth as a multi-dimensional house

From the perspective of the soul, the Earth is not a “thing”, not a clump of matter, but a multi-layered realm of experience, a field of endless opportunities in which the human mind can explore itself. The soul is curious and wants to enrich itself with the experience of multiple timelines. It would be a shame to use the magnificent earthly personality with all its potential – you – for only one possibility. That would be an enormous loss of potential. The earthly reality – the Earth itself – was made to eneable us to explore all these possibilities because, again, the Earth is not a thing. At the level of the soul, all possible timelines are experienced simultaneously. The Earth is the vast experiential space in which this whole of timelines takes place.

To understand this, we have to realize that, even according to science, mind – or spirit – is more fundamental than matter. Matter is actually not that material, quantum mechanics teaches us. From a spiritual perspective, matter is created for the human mind/spirit to explore itself in all its endless facets. The goal of the mind is – by experiencing itself in the material world – to become completely aware of its inner potential. That potential is infinite, which is why material reality is also infinite and much richer and more complex than we can imagine.

As human beings, we may have the idea that matter limits us. For instance, we would like to fly as birds, but we cannot, while in our dreams we can. In reality, the material limitations of the Earth realm ensure that we experience certain aspects of life very intensely. To give an example: if we could do anything, and did not have to cope with our vulnerable bodies and human emotions, we would never discover our courage. We need limitations to discover this quality in ourselves. In Goethe’s words: “It is in working within limits that the master reveals himself” (In der Beschränkung zeigt sich der Meister). Because of the limitations of the material world, we need to awaken and nurture inner qualities such as intuition, understanding and courage. We can compare life n Earth to playing an intricate and rich game. All games have certain rules. On the one hand, those rules are limitations, but on the other hand, they make the playing of the game, with all its joy and excitement, possible.

On other timelines of our current lifetime, different aspects of our personality are experienced, which lead to the awakening of other inner qualities. The game is played in a different way there, and the soul enriches itself by absorbing all the various outcomes.

One human lifetime is like a house with a limitless number of rooms. Every room shows us another aspect of our inner reality and is designed to lead to awareness of a specific facet of our being. In this way, the existence of parallel worlds is an instrument for the soul that promotes the expansion of awareness.

The meaning of parallel lives for your present personality

Experiencing parallel lifetimes not only enriches the soul, it also has value for our daily lives. Our soul is experiencing all those timelines and we, as a human being, are connected with our soul. That is why, at a deep level, we are also connected with those other lives of ourselves.

Our parallel lives can inspire us and give us strength. They may be the explanation for unexpected talents, but can also be the cause of misunderstood fears. A continuous energetic exchange takes place between the various timelines. We are a team working on the same project, so to speak.

Some choices lead to a calm and stable life, in which few notable things happen. That timeline can emit a certain calm to other timelines, where life occurs in a more turbulent way.

It can also happen that certain talents are developed on a timeline. For instance, someone decides to live in France and learns French on that particular timeline. On other timelines of that same life, there may be a natural feeling for the French language and culture.

How can we connect with the beneficial aspects of our parallel lives?

Making contact

The following technique can be used to make contact with other timelines:

– Bring yourself into a calm state by physically relaxing in a quiet space. Then in your mind’s eye go back to a moment in your life where you made an important choice. Let go of all judgments you may have about that choice. Just see it as two possibilities; one is not any better than the other. Feel at peace with both possibilities. Accept the existence of both.

– Then imagine that you are floating up. Look at the moment from above. Try to internally raise yourself to the level of your soul. See that two roads stem from that moment, each with its own experiences. One is the road you have chosen, the other is the alternative.

– Focus on the alternative. Feel its energetic charge. What does it radiate? How do you feel there? What experiences are you gathering there?

– Allow those experiences to be; say “yes” to them internally. Feel how those experiences can enrich you and make you stand in life differently. Dive into that other timeline completely for a moment.

– Look at the energetic exchange between your current timeline and the alternative timeline. What can you learn from that other timeline, and what message do you have for that other timeline?

As goes for every guided meditation, continue if it gives you clarity, inspiration, and strength. If it makes you feel uncomfortable, let it go and maybe try again at another time.

© Gerrit Gielen

Translation by Erna Hoek, Frank Tehan and Pamela Kribbe