The question of reincarnation is seldom approached from an objective standpoint but rather from one's imagination, fantasy, or need for self-soothing. In many cases, a belief in reincarnation is a defense against the thought of one's mortality. Let us, therefore, set a higher bar for contemplation by rooting the criteria for consideration in natural laws rather than 'wishful thinking.'

Consider for a moment that everything in the universe has a purpose, and its objective value from the standpoint of God and Creation must depend on how well it serves that purpose.

Ponder the esoteric meaning of Jesus' words in the Gospels, where he states, "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Is it reasonable to think that Jesus was simply giving good gardening advice? No, he was expounding upon natural law by way of illustration.

Nature supports that which serves its purpose according to its design and expends that which does not.

Expressed in the law of three, we find that everything has a 'custodial,' a 'maintaining,' and an 'expendable' aspect.

You may recall from a prior lesson that the human complex requires three foods, which are physical food, air, and impressions, and the process by which the body generates finer hydrogens from coarser ones.

Each of these foods also has an expendable, maintaining, and custodial aspect to it:

All of this begs the question, "if everything in the universe has a purpose and everything is subject to the expendable, maintaining, and custodial criteria of the universe, what is the purpose of human life, and how does this apply to one's possibilities after death?"

The "...tree that bears no fruit..." is an example of a life that has been lived in opposition to its purpose and falls into the realms of the expendable mode of creation. The concept of burning with "fire" in this context represents the reduction of life to its fundamental elements that retain none of the living properties of the tree. It is entirely expendable and is not offered continuance but is merely broken down and destroyed.

Imagine now a tree that does bear fruit but produces no viable seeds and understand that the fruit of a tree is a seasonally-recurring property wherein year after year; the same fruit appears, falls, withers, and dies, but the seeds contained within never take root, and produce a new tree.

This leads us to a concept that is seldom considered when discussing after death. Specifically, instead of reincarnating as a new entity, the possibility also exists after death to incarnate back into one's life in constant repetition. That is to say that upon death, one's essence reincarnates (or rather recurrence) into the moment of one's birth in an endless cycle.

Note: This also explains the feeling of Deja Vu, which is when your higher faculties connect to the print you left in the astral light of the planet thousands of times before during previous recurrences.

See, too, that while a recycled life is entirely unconscious, a recurring life may be semi-conscious of its recurring existence. Understand, too, that a tree that produces fruit has the potential to produce viable seeds, but it is in no way guaranteed. The seed is custodial in the fruit, but it needs to find the correct conditions to become a tree.

Now consider the vast difference between a piece of fruit and a tree. You may begin to understand the equally vast difference between a recurring life and one that is reincarnated and how rare the case may be.

Just as an apple tree may produce 175,000 seeds in the course of its life, and perhaps one or possibly none of the seeds may find the right conditions to produce a new tree. So too, is the scarcity of reincarnation wherein one's entire consciousness, completely intact, enters a new body.

And yet, there is a significant difference between man and all other creatures on the planet: Unlike all other organic life forms on this planet, man is an incomplete, self-developing organism.

One may also conclude by observation that the planet does not need man to be anything more than what it currently is - an energy processing machine. Any further psychological or spiritual evolution that a man or woman desires must come from their efforts. Although it is man's birthright to evolve consciously, it is not required for the continuance of the planet. Therefore, the act of reincarnation requires a conscious effort of the right kind on the part of the human. It never happens accidentally.

Something to ponder: In closing, I would like to leave you with something to think about. Just as the offspring of a tree may live alongside its progenitor, so too can a human reincarnate while still alive in the physical sense.

In other words, it is also possible to live multiple lives that overlap and do so with full awareness and consciousness of it. This explains the mystery of royal bloodlines and the relationship between a master and his disciple in some esoteric traditions.

Many respects,

Pierce!