Covenants — the Seeds of the Soul

By Stephen Thomson

Over the years, I heard people in the spiritual community talking about covenants, made between God and us. The more I listened; I started to understand what people were saying. The suggestion is that each of us has a soul-based purpose or life mission, which we agreed to accomplish in accord with Divine will. Talk about goal setting! Certain agreements are made before we are reborn, as to the scope of the work we will accomplish over the course of our current lifetime. As we enter into a new life, our path is focused in a specific direction and moves forward over the years according to this plan. This seems like a clear explanation. But trying to understand what may be our own covenants, is a major issue behind understanding our life purpose and is not always easily discernable. And then there is the question about our covenants and how they relate to our being alive during this important time in the history of our world.

The concept of covenants is deeply rooted in all forms of religious tradition. These can refer to an agreement between members of a congregation to live their lives soley on the basis of the principles of their religion, as an example. There are also covenants that setout the basis "right" living. The Talmud of Judaism is example of a religious guide, which defines a whole range of observant living. Further more, the underlying spiritual truth conveyed by the idea of covenants is that God is and that there is a "living" exchange between God and each of us. In order to participate in a life with a personal relationship with God, just as we do with other relationships, there are rules governing behavior and agreements on course of action.

Perhaps the transfer of covenants from religious doctrine to the spiritual community came about in response to people needing a bridge between religious doctrines and their newly found spirituality. In the West, a major issue needing some reconciliation centers on belief in reincarnation, one of the most contentious issues between spiritual thought and religious doctrine. This does appear to be a bit of a contradiction, since the laws of reincarnation come to us through the Hindu Religion, which is the third largest faith on the earth. In fact, during the early years of Christianity, reincarnation was a part of the Christian Doctrine. In the teachings of Judaism, there are also veiled suggestions to reincarnation, primarily in the writing by Qabalists. As for the Christian Church, the doctrine of reincarnation was removed during the First Council of Nicaea in AD 325. What seems to be the most often agreed upon theory is that the Church wanted followers of the Christian way to believe they needed to get all their spiritual work done in one lifetime. In relationship to reincarnation, the idea of covenants seems to merge with the concepts of karma. The common thread is a belief, regardless of the content or source, that there is a part of our lives that is already scripted.

Whether we are talking about covenants or karma, most of us bristle at the thought of our lives being fated. One of the hallmarks of being a spiritual person is the freedom we insist upon, to believe in a way that is free from the restraints of Doctrine, or the influence of any other mortal. The idea of our days being preplanned or even numbered feels counterproductive, as we enter a spiritual journey, marked by the overcoming of limitations in our consciousness. To suggest there is nothing we can do in the face of life events feels static and seems as if we are robots walking around on a path clearly laid out in advance. The inherent appeal of our spiritual journey is the idea of being co-creator of a plan that is more like a work in progress, rather than being like a statue in a museum.

The idea of covenants or a soul plan has been a source of great interest to me. To have a hidden agenda of sorts in life has always seemed very exciting and compelling. Yes, there are the obvious elements to each of our lives that we are working toward purifying. Yet, the idea of digging and searching for the hidden treasures of life has been far more interesting to me, than say a owning a car or a house, as an expression of who I am. To think there is something in life beyond the obvious and everyday knowing, seems far more interesting and worth dedicating my life to knowing and understanding. When questions arise within me about my spiritual journey and my covenants, ultimately I am lead to more than just my relationship to everyday life.

In my mind, the idea of covenants has also created another way of thinking about my path in this lifetime. This includes seeing all the biographical information, the content of my current life, as a spiritual man in a material world as the manifestation of my covenants. Using the concept of covenants for contemplation or journaling, has also become an important source for self-evaluation of my journey. This is the stuff I find myself returning to time and again. These are the questions about whether or not I am fulfilling the dictates of my soul. And if I am living a life that honors the spiritual beliefs I hold as valid. Or, am I acting in a way each day the supports my ever-evolving soul?

The idea of the covenants is also the basis for speculation as to why we are here at this time. What are the possible covenants we have entered into, regardless of our age, for the benefit of our own spiritual advancement and the world? Are we here to do something important on behalf of all humankind? Is the place and space we hold benefiting our soul? For example, I remember Drunvalo Melchizedek sharing with me his memory of the physical experience of reincarnating into this lifetime. In addition to that clear memory, he also knew he was coming into this lifetime to work. Not just in a physical way, but also with the greater work to be done on behalf of all of humankind. And work he has. I am sure most of us would like to have a clear memory and knowing of what it is we are here to do, like Drunvalo.

To have a clear understanding of the content of our spiritual path is what we are searching for in our lives. Knowing our truth and living each day in the light of our first-hand knowing brings credence, focus and clarity to our lives. We can do this by searching for our soul-based covenants in the deep held beliefs we carry as to the nature of our life journey. In short, it is made up of the parts of our lives that we hold passion for and creates a high level of motivation toward action during our lifetime. These covenants are our path and what we are here to experience, as well as to contribute to our planet.

There is another way of considering the idea of covenants and how it plays out in our lives. In this example, it can be far more difficult to understand because of what can appear as a contradiction of events in relationship to our core beliefs about ourselves. There are times we can find ourselves the focus of some very confusing, hurtful and emotional experiences. For example, we can find ourselves in the center of a real firestorm. People are angry with us; we have broken our own personal standards of behavior and feel as though we have let ourselves down. If we think about the circumstance around a set of events, it is almost impossible to understand how things got so out of control. In these instances, we may be acting as Divine agents, the vehicle for several people, through a series of events, to learn about them. Through us, energy is filtered, to create the right conditions for a perfect storm. In response to the events that follow, we can feel as though all our work has been invalidated and entertain thoughts that we are not the spiritual person we aspire and believe ourselves to be. The cloud of smoke can take time to lift. Perhaps in time the gifts of the events will become clear and we can see the role we played and the gift of self-knowledge gained by others.

This brings us to today. We are all alive during one of the most incredible eras in the history of humankind. That includes the next few years, which are being heralded by the most intense period of prophecy, perhaps ever known to humankind. Each of us in our own way is trying to figure out exactly what this means to us and to the world around us. We don't have long to wait to really begin seeing firsthand the next steps along the way. The news each day is filled with more than enough proof of the changing conditions on our planet and the nature of being. There certainly are earmarks of history repeating itself and we don't have to go back far in time to discover similar patterns, especially where the financial balance of our world is concerned. Yet, on a personal and spiritual level, it feels like changes in our lives are coming in a more significant way than we can imagine. During this time, how we act and the effort we put into holding thoughts for peace, love and harmony in our world is certainly a covenant each of us have and aspire to manifest.

Here are some questions to meditate on or journal during the next month:

Do you believe you have covenants with God?

What do you think your covenants are in this lifetime?

As you move through each day, how are you honoring your covenants?

What do you need to start doing, stop doing or begin doing to honor your covenants?

About Stephen Thomson

Steve Thomson is a writer, teacher, and psychic, well-known throughout the United States. He leads workshops about metaphysical practices, including meditation, expansion of the psychic senses, spiritual magic, the Tarot, and the Kabbala. He also guides journeys to sacred sites around the world. For over 20 years, Steve has been a member of the Rosicrucian Order AMORC and he has been a student of Paramahansa Yogananda's, Self-Realization Fellowship for over 10 years. His book entitled The Secret Key is available through our website. He is currently working on a new book entitled Discovering Your Spiritual Truth — A Primer for the Path — Things to Think About, Meditate On and Journal, which will be available by the end of 2007.

You may write Steven personally at Steve@stephenthomson.net
or visit his website: www.stephenthomson.net