On
a TV science documentary, I heard an astronomer say, "There are as many
stars in the sky, as there are grains of sand on our planet's beaches!"
Hard to imagine, but it gives us another perspective as to where our
solar system fits in, compared to the infinite Universe. We are on one
small planet, revolving around a sun, among billions upon billions of
them, reaching out into infinity! As we look into the immensity
of space and see the innumerable stars in the sky, as Spiritists, we
can imagine the myriad of inhabited worlds, each in their own stage of
intellectual, moral, and spiritual development: some of atonement, some
of regeneration, and those of the blessed worlds. On each of them,
souls are continuously incarnating and reincarnating...growing,
progressing, and evolving, just as we do here on our own earth. Some of
us have even been to quite a few of these other planets and many will
visit others in future lives. Each
of these worlds will also have had, and still have, their own religious
"prophets" who will try to teach the inhabitants of their planet the
same unchangeable Universal Truths we search for; those that govern the
entire Universe. Each of them will have spirits who will incarnate unto
their world as their own planet's version of our Krishna, Buddha,
Confucius, Moses, Mohammed, and Jesus and many others; enlightened
spirits of higher spiritual and moral development who incarnate, at
certain times in a planet's history, for the divine mission of bringing
knowledge to the inhabitants, in a way they are able to digest them, of
the immutable Laws of the Creator. This
also means that whatever principles we call "Spiritism" ...have names
as numerous as there are inhabitable planets in the universe.
Nevertheless, "the principles" are the same because the Laws of the
Creator are Universal, Unchangeable, and Eternal! In addition, each
inhabitant (who has a spirit) of every world, shares a common point of
origin and the same final destination, and that is... from and to, our
Creator. Looking
at life (and our planet) from this perspective, how petty and
insignificant seem all our material differences (ridiculous disputes,
problems with gender, race, or national origin, differences in
religion, politics, etc.)! Throughout
the universe, we all have a common origin, and are all spirits equal
before God. Therefore, we should learn from each other, and... help,
serve, and love one another, no matter what!
(originally
published in the November issue of the Spiritist Newsletter by the
Spiritist Society of Florida and reproduced with the author's
permission)