Those who say politics and religion don’t mix, don’t understand either one. Ghandi

With the Primary season upon us and the November elections approaching, I thought you would enjoy a Post about everyone’s favorite subject: Politics! Wait. What? I know. Just the word makes many of us sick in the gut. But before you stop reading and think about something more enjoyable (like your next Colonoscopy), let me say that I get it.

For that reason, I have found it helpful to view politics from the vantage point of the soul. The soul has an inner wisdom and an understanding from a much bigger perspective than our egos and troubled minds and emotions.

I begin with a quote from Gina Lake’s newest channeling of Jesus: “Cycles Of The Soul” (which I wholeheartedly recommend.) In the chapter on “What To Do With Differences”, Jesus says: “You often think that your problems stem from differences in races and culture, but the differences in soul age are responsible for more significant differences than race or culture….Your religious and political differences, for instance, are largely related to soul age.”

I use the term “soul age” to refer not only to both the number of human incarnations a soul has experienced, but also the maturity/growth level the soul has acquired as a result of those incarnations.

In our country where Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals are constantly yelling at each other, blaming each other, I find Jesus’ observation extremely significant. We think that it’s our political differences that are the problem. “If only we could change someone’s political views to ours, everything would be so much better”, we may think. “Those damn Republicans! Those damn Democrats! Those liberals! Those conservatives!” Liberal and Conservative media outlets preaching to their choirs, vilifying the other side. Such is our world, and it’s so tiring isn’t it?!

We can get so lost in our political angst that we think politics itself is the problem. When it is something much deeper that supersedes anyone’s politics. We may think of our parents/environment as a source of our politics. While that certainly can be an influence, where does our politics ultimately come from? It comes from our soul age. It’s the ultimate lens through which we look out to the world. It shapes our world view and our responses to what we see and experience.

Why would soul age make such a difference, and how does the age of our souls show itself in our political views? 

*** it’s important to remember that the terms “young soul” or “old soul” do not mean “bad” or “good.” Souls just are what they are in their journey of evolution. Within a young soul, the essence is still perfect. The same potential for love, wisdom,  etc. exists as with an old soul. The young soul will (in it’s own time and way) remember/realize it’s inherent GOoDness.

A young soul: 

generally tends to see things from the perspective of the small, fearful, separate self (ego). It tends to think tribally (who is like me, and who is not.) “God Bless America” or “God bless my race or religion” are important beliefs to a younger soul. While being human, a young soul hasn’t yet grown into (remembered) it’s inherent connection with all that is. Because it sees itself as separate, it often lives in fear. Self-interest is therefore naturally paramount to the younger soul.

A young soul thinks in terms of “us” and “them.” and votes for the one who puts “us” first.

Because  it lives from fear much of the time, young souls are attracted to black and white, clear answers, and politicians who offer them. Gray is not a popular color for the young soul.

Young souls are attracted to politicians who can get them what they want, and promise to provide personal security. The question of the younger soul is: How can my vote benefit me or my personal family or community?

A young soul finds its security in things staying the way they are, and relishes the feeling of control that can bring. The young soul is not a fan of change, and the fear and uncertainty that brings it.

A politician with a young soul:

also lives from fear, and will appeal to other younger soul’s fear and self interest to get elected. In fact, their personal political career and re-election are their top priority. One who lives from this energy can easily get caught up in saying or doing anything to win an election. Appealing to “their base” is of utmost importance, as long as it serves them.

A politician with a young soul will also be attracted to black and white answers, and offers them to those they know are seeking them.

A politician with a young soul will seek to maintain the status quo. In part because of their own fears of change, and also because they know keeping things the way “they’ve always been” appeals to so many.

In contrast, an older soul:

is motivated by an awareness of Oneness, and so is more naturally inclined to think in terms of the Whole. The question for the old soul is: What is best for everyone in our community, state, or country? The inherent knowing of the soul that it is one with everything, has broken into the consciousness of the one living as a human being with an older soul. They remember, while they are being human.

Consequently, an old soul thinks only in terms of US. There is no “them.” There are no “those people” for the older soul. There’s only US. So the older soul naturally includes and not excludes, knowing that if WE are OK, I don’t have to think about this little me I can so easily obsess over.

We see this often in the stories that Jesus used in his teachings. The Parable Of The Good Samaritan is a classic example. His own people looked upon Samaritans as the despised outsiders. They were “those people” for his people. So Jesus intentionally brings the Samaritan into the One circle, by making a Samaritan the hero of his story. While knowing his listeners would be appalled.

Buddha lived in the isolation of his family’s royal wealth, until he got out in the world and saw the suffering of the larger world around him. His soul expanded and matured. This led to his “awakening.”  The word Buddha means “an awakened one.”

The older soul lives in much less fear because it knows it is connected to ALL THAT IS, and will be just fine. It is more free to live from love than fear.

So the older soul instinctively thinks first of the big picture. They’ve moved beyond God bless my tribe and “God Bless (just) America” to “God Bless The World,” and will ask the question, “how can my community, state, or country bless the world? Because after all, everyone and everything is my sister and brother. Literally!

The older soul thinks in terms of how can my voting benefit the larger world around me?

Because the older soul knows it’s security is in God (the One), the older soul is quite comfortable with ambiguity, mystery, complexity, and listening to varying points of view. It’s comfortable with acknowledging “I don’t know. I need to learn more. There’s so much more to learn.”

A politician with an older soul:

can more easily put what is best for the Whole (the community/country I serve) before what is best for their personal political career. A truly old soul is even willing to sacrifice their career for what they believe is right vs. what is popular. They can do so because they are secure within their Source. They know their identity or worth is not defined by a political role they are playing.

A politician with an old soul instinctively thinks and votes in terms of US, and is not afraid to speak of the complexities of issues, and to work with and listen to the other side.

We can easily think it’s their politics that attracts us to a candidate, when in fact we often have young souls and older souls voting for politicians with roughly their same soul age (and not even being aware of it.)

If we pay attention to the media, we can easily walk away thinking, “Ugh. There are mostly young souls in politics!” But these days we are seeing a few old souls in action: standing up for what they believe is right, and a willingness to put their own political careers in peril. They are putting country above themselves.

There are precious few of them as far as I can see, but they’re there. When you spot one, celebrate her or him. It seems to me the percentage of young and old souls in politics is about the same as the general population. With a much higher percentage of young souls.

So what to do with this look at politics from the soul’s perspective?

Well, the soul can help us see what’s really going on in the world of politics underneath all the drama. It can help us see what always supersedes politics. What shapes it. Why we as voters are the way we are. Why politicians are the way they are. And why we’re attracted to one and not the other.

The soul can offer us much grace. Grace to offer those with different political views than our own. When an older soul is frustrated with the politics of a young soul, it is possible to say, “OK. I see what I’m really dealing with here. I see that this person is not “bad”, or “the enemy”, or “evil”, but simply a young soul learning it’s lessons at Earth School.

And here’s the main thing (and Jesus speaks of this in Cycles Of The Soul):

No one can be other than what they are according to their soul age and evolution. It takes many, many lifetimes to grow into an old soul. My Akashic Records say that I’m on life 214 right now. How many lifetimes has it taken you to get where you are in your soul’s evolution?

And no one can evolve or change until they are ready and open to it! We can argue our politics “until the proverbial cows come home,” and we can’t change anyone. Not one iota. All we can do is live love for the Whole, and love someone of a different political persuasion. That’s the only thing that may persuade a change.

At the end of the day (and all during the day), it’s not politics that will be our “Savior.” But the age, growth, and evolution of our soul(s).

But here we are in the here and now. With many big decisions to make in deciding how we will move forward as a community, state, country, and world. With the perspective, wisdom, and grace the soul can provide us, we can at least have understanding of one another and respectful conversation.

I recently met with my Representative in the Minnesota Legislature. She is of a different political persuasion than mine. I wanted to ask questions and understand her party’s point of view, while also expressing what was important to me. To her credit she listened intently and took notes.  I learned she’s a good person who is (like me) trying to do what she thinks is best. I learned a great deal, and walked away the better for it. I’d recommend doing so.

I close with a quote from Jesus in “Cycles Of The Soul”:  “Everyone around you…has a unique perspective on life and on the world that has been shaped by many things, not the least of which is their soul age. You can learn from them and they can learn from you. This is how it is in this enormous schoolhouse called earth.”

We are ALL Love in our essence,

Pastor Tim Tengblad

timtengblad@comcast.net