My angels gently reminded me that heaven is the home of all souls, no matter what their level of spiritual enlightenment. In heaven, all souls interact with one another at the highest level of their being, with unconditional love, respect, and affection. The behavior of a soul on the earthly plane is usually very different from how it interacts with other souls in heaven. The angels continued to explain that the entire purpose of visiting the earthly plane is to expand existing levels of enlightenment to more fully embody the selfless virtues of kindness, compassion, forgiveness, respect, and nonjudgmental love. The earthly plane is like a testing ground of opportunity that allows us to prove our mettle by working through unresolved issues and to accomplish a life’s work built upon the principle of contributing to the betterment of mankind.
The angels went on to explain that each of us has had lifetimes on the earthly plane in which we consistently acted beneath our level of enlightenment; these were lifetimes in which we were consciously hateful, cruel, insensitive, or prejudiced, even though at the time, we knew better because we had already learned the major differences between right and wrong. My angels suggested that I look inward to remember the opportunities I’d been given in my current lifetime in which I could have reacted with greater wisdom or maturity—circumstances in which my behavior fell short of my enlightenment. I was flooded with memories of experiences and encounters that occurred as I was still attempting to work through a number of very difficult issues.
As I took stock and objectively pondered how I mishandled certain situations, I came to the realization that I certainly would react quite differently now—given the same kind of opportunities—because I’d reached a greater plateau of spiritual awareness. This concept I could easily understand.
The angels continued to explain that human beings become sidetracked very quickly and easily on the earthly plane, and that is what makes irreproachable behavior such a burdensome challenge. Although we all have lofty and sweeping spiritual goals when we first begin a new physical incarnation, we often lose sight of our spiritual awareness, integrity, and self-respect as we’re bombarded with the negativity on earth. It is the responsibility of each soul to transcend human dysfunction, accomplish his spiritual agenda, and help others to do the same.
As I thought about my dialogue with the angels, I began to wonder about what they meant by “acting beneath our level of enlightenment.” Were they referring to the appalling remark I once made to my ex-husband about wanting to run him down with my car? Or were they instead referring to the behavior of someone like Adolf Hitler, who knowingly plunged the world into the Holocaust? When I compared my minor indiscretions to his heinous crimes, I was suddenly convinced of the innocence and acceptability of my behavior. Just at that moment of self-satisfied reflection, an angel named Arthur abruptly introduced himself and began to speak to me.
ARTHUR: “So, you take no responsibility for your actions?”
KIM: “Of course I do. But you can’t compare—”
ARTHUR: “Yes, I can. Bad behavior is bad behavior.”
KIM: “You consider all bad behavior the same? But Hitler—”
ARTHUR: “Let’s concentrate on you for a moment. When you were threatening your ex-husband, weren’t you deliberately trying to hurt him?”
KIM: “I was just momentarily angry.
ARTHUR: (Silence)
KIM: “Well, maybe I was.”
ARTHUR: “So you deliberately fantasized about hurting another human being?”
KIM: “I guess I did.”
ARTHUR: “But you acknowledge that now.”
KIM: “Yes, now I do.”
ARTHUR: “Do you see how one can mature and develop higher enlightenment and also learn to regard others with greater respect and kindness?”
KIM: “Yes, of course.”
ARTHUR: “Since his return to heaven, the soul you mentioned before, the one who was known as Adolf Hitler, has reflected and—”
KIM: “So what if he has ‘reflected’! How could he ever be trusted to return to the earthly plane? It’s utterly amazing to me that he was accepted into heaven!”
ARTHUR: “Where would you have him go?”
KIM: (Silence)
ARTHUR: “Heaven is the home for every soul in the universe. Even someone who fantasizes about crushing the life out of her ex-husband with a two-ton vehicle.”
KIM: “So you’re saying that bad behavior is bad behavior? No matter how small or how significant?”
ARTHUR: “In returning to the earthly plane, each soul assumes full responsibility to better itself and improve the quality of life on earth, where so many remain struggling and in despair.”
KIM: “I work hard to better myself.”
ARTHUR: “When you intend to hurt another human being you are not increasing the level of your enlightenment.”
KIM: “I see your point. But then someone like Hitler really screwed up!”
ARTHUR: “Although he caused untold misery in his lifetime, he did act at his level of enlightenment.”
KIM: “How is that possible?”
ARTHUR: “He had the abilities of great intelligence and leadership. But beyond those qualities, he was extremely limited. His spiritual goals were to address his deep-seated issues of envy, narcissism, insecurity, worthlessness, emotional coldness, prejudice, suspicion, distrust, and insensitivity. So, you see, he did behave at his existing level of enlightenment rather than endeavor to achieve greater spiritual awareness, as he had originally planned. You, on the other hand, are on a much higher level than he was, and so much more is expected of you spiritually. Hitler had the excuse of lower enlightenment. You have no such excuse, however trifling your behavior may seem to you.”
KIM: “I never looked at it that way. So people like Hitler really do have the chance to get into heaven and then come back here to the earthly plane like everyone else?”
ARTHUR: “Of course—like every other soul. The earthly plane is the most productive place for spiritual growth, so it is his only hope for evolving. Eventually, through participating in enough earthly lifetimes, I believe he may become the kind of person who will wish to contribute altruistically to the betterment of mankind.”
KIM: “So, every soul lives in heaven until it can return to the earthly plane and move forward spiritually?”
ARTHUR: “Yes. And before you express such judgmental philosophies in the future about another living being, please remember that every soul is worthy and holy because it was created by God. It is the responsibility of each soul to develop its own enlightenment, little by little, as best it can—without measuring its success or failure by comparison to others.”
KIM: “I guess I really didn’t understand.”
ARTHUR: “Now you have food for thought. Remember that every day spent on the earthly plane is a gift. It represents a precious opportunity to achieve greater enlightenment. With the passing of each day, focus on becoming a better person. I will close now with that advice.”
Initially I was very surprised by what Arthur said, but the more I thought about it, the