Your Soul's Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born

by Robert Schwartz

Would you like to understand the deeper spiritual meaning of physical illness, parenting handicapped children, drug addiction, alcoholism, the death of a loved one, accidents, deafness, and blindness?
 
Your Soul’s Plan (which was originally published under the title Courageous Do We Plan Our Life Challenges Before Birth? ) explores the premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, before we are born for the purpose of spiritual growth. Through compelling profiles of people who knowingly planned the experiences mentioned above, Your Soul’s Plan shows that suffering is not purposeless, but rather imbued with deep meaning. Working with four gifted mediums, author Robert Schwartz reveals the significance of each person’s life plan and allows us a fascinating look into the “other side.”

Each personal story focuses on a specific life challenge, organized by type for easy reference. Accessible both to those familiar with the metaphysical aspects of spirituality and to the general reader, the moving narratives that comprise Your Soul’s Plan help readers awaken to the reality that they are transcendent, eternal souls. With this stirring book as a guide, feelings of anger, resentment, guilt, and victimization are healed and transformed into acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, and peace.

Robert Schwartz is also the author of Your Soul’s The Healing Power of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born , which explores the pre-birth planning of spiritual awakening, miscarriage, abortion, caregiving, abusive relationships, sexuality, incest, adoption, poverty, suicide, rape, and mental illness. There’s also a chapter about the pre-birth planning we do with our future pets.
 
Robert Schwartz is a hypnotherapist who offers general Spiritual Guidance Sessions, Past Life Soul Regressions, and Between Lives Soul Regressions. Visit Robert online at www.yoursoulsplan.com.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Self Help, Personal Development, New Age, Metaphysics

325 pages, Paperback

First published March 24, 2009

About the author

My books Your Soul's Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born (2007), Your Soul's Gift: The Healing Power of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born (2012), and Your Soul's Love: Living the Love You Planned Before You Were Born (2021) explore the premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, before we’re born for purposes of spiritual growth.

Your Soul's Plan contains stories of people who planned physical illness, having handicapped children, deafness, blindness, drug addiction, alcoholism, losing a loved one, and severe accidents.

Your Soul's Gift explores two topics that don't necessarily fall into the challenge category: spiritual awakening (though certainly an awakening can be challenging), and the pre-birth planning we do with our future pets. Those of you who love animals will be particularly touched to see how they agree to support us in our upcoming incarnation. The book also explores the pre-birth planning of miscarriage, abortion, caregiving, abusive relationships, sexuality, incest, adoption, poverty, suicide, rape, and mental illness.

The information about people's pre-birth plans was obtained by four gifted mediums and channels. The books present the actual conversations people had with their future parents, children, spouses, friends, and other loved ones when they planned their lives together. For readers, suffering that once seemed purposeless becomes imbued with deep meaning. Wisdom may be acquired in a more conscious manner; feelings of anger, guilt, blame, and victimization are replaced by acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, and peace.

Author Bio

In a personal session with a medium in 2003, I was astonished to speak with nonphysical beings who knew everything about me - not just what I had done in life, but also what I had thought and felt. They told me that I had planned many of my most difficult experiences before I was born. Realizing that a knowledge of pre-birth planning would bring great healing to people and allow them to understand the deeper purpose of their life challenges, I have since devoted my life to the study of pre-birth planning.

Please visit me online at www.yoursoulsplan.com

Reviews

[Maria Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

¿Crees que tengas una misión de vida? ⠀
⠀
Si me lo hubieras preguntado antes de que este libro llegara a mí, seguramente te habría dicho que no lo sabía; que se habla mucho de todo esto y que, de ser así, yo me habría perdido en algún punto de esa misión. Sin embargo ahora sé que todos, sí, todos, venimos para aprender, y que el camino que elijamos para hacerlo depende de nosotros. Claro, sin olvidar que ese "depende de nosotros" viene a significar que lo escogemos antes de nacer. ¿Te imaginas escogiendo a tus padres, a tus hermanos, a tus profesores, amigos y enemigos? ¿Decidiendo dónde estudiarás, con quién te casarás, cuántos hijos tendrás o no? Dicho así suena extraño, lo sé, y hasta cuesta de aceptar, pero una vez entras en este fascinante mundo de la mano de Schwartz, empiezas a pensar que, bueno, de ser así, ¿qué quieres que te diga? Qué descanso, por lo menos ahora sabes por qué estás dónde estás y con quién estás. Y si no te gusta lo que ves, cambia de ambiente, de persona, de lugar... Se feliz!

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your Soul’s Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born by Robert Schwartz (www.yoursoulsplan.com) explores the premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, before we’re born for purposes of spiritual growth. The book contains ten true stories of people who planned physical illness, having disabled children, deafness, blindness, drug addiction, alcoholism, losing a loved one, and severe accidents. The information about their pre-birth plans was obtained by four gifted mediums and channels. The book presents the actual conversations people had with their future parents, children, spouses, friends, and other loved ones when they planned their lives together. For readers, suffering that once seemed purposeless becomes imbued with deep meaning. Wisdom may be acquired in a more conscious manner; feelings of anger, guilt, blame, and victimization are healed and replaced by acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, and peace.

[Gaile · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with great interest as I am deaf myself and somewhat in the dark as to why I would have planned this.

[Iona Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book.

By means of communication through mediums and channels, Robert Schwartz examines the subject of pre-birth planning by having these interview angels, spirit guides and the souls of selected persons exposed to severe life challenges. We are given access to pre-birth conversations and thus gain “direct” information regarding how we arrange difficult life events beforehand with all the involved persons.

Six types of challenges are dealt with, a chapter being devoted to each. These are physical illness, parenting handicapped children, deafness and blindness, drug addiction and alcoholism, death of a loved one and, finally, accidents.

I was previously aware of the concept of pre-birth planning, but this well-written book has illuminated the matter clearly for me and I have been much comforted by reading it. Partly, I have myself considerable health challenges and have been aware of the fact that they had meaning, but have now been confirmed of this. The book has comforted me. Also, the book has taught me to respect brave persons I encounter who I understand have chosen their hard lot in life for purposes of growth.

In the first chapter about physical illness, we meet Jon, who chose both to have AIDS and be gay. Jon planned the experience of having AIDS, not just for his own learning, but for the growth of his entire soul group. The progress we as personalities make on the Earth plane expands both our individual souls and every soul in our group. “The disease of AIDS is about splitting a desire for unconditional love with the belief that one does not deserve it.” Jon came down to his life to heal shame – the belief that he is not deserving of unconditional love.

The author asks an angel what it would say to someone with AIDS who is trying to understand the deeper spiritual meaning. The angel replies “Remain very open in your heart. Follow that which comes only from the heart, and in this way many healings will occur on levels that are beyond your understanding.” I feel this is valuable advice.

Of the souls in Jon’s soul group, Jon agreed to be the one with AIDS, while the others were incarnating around him to judge him, reject him and refrain from providing him with unconditional love.

AIDS “points to a pattern of self-hatred among humankind … movement away from light, and a belief in the Self as the body and separate from All That Is.” AIDS is healing humanity.

We also hear about Doris, who suffered from self-loathing and had a toxic self-image. She developed breast cancer. Through her illness Doris learnt the correct use of sexual energy, acceptance of the female form and self-love.

Doris’s cancer is neither a failure nor a punishment. It is a form of healing, not illness,

“As Jon and Doris released shame and self-loathing and chose instead to love themselves, they made it easier for every person on Earth to replace self-judgement with self-love.” They created a vibration or resonance of love that radiated well beyond their immediate sphere. “By surmounting the challenges we planned before birth, we create a resonance that heals humanity.”

In the chapter about parenting handicapped children, we hear the story of Jennifer, who has two handicapped boys, one with Asperger’s Syndrome, bipolar disorder and ADD, the other one with severe autism and who is blind.

The two boys were brothers in a previous life, where they also were Nazis. They chose to come back “communicationally disabled” to learn what it is like to have the truth and be unable to communicate it, since before “they had the truth and deliberately buried it.”

In the chapter about deafness and blindness we are given the story of Penelope, who has been completely deaf since birth, She knew she was meant to be deaf “to better understand the neglected”. The medium, Staci, finds out that being deaf gives Penelope the opportunity to be more in touch with her “inner experience, intuition, thoughts, even the physical symptoms and feedback” her body gives her. It helps her to know herself.

We also learn about Bob, who is blind. His life plan was designed to give him a deeper understanding of self-love through both its lack and the experience of its subsequent creation.

The chapter on drug addiction and alcoholism is particularly illuminating, since this is a group whom we often judge, wondering why they don’t just pull themselves together and refrain from submitting to their addiction. The persons involved planned not only their addiction, but the specific addictive substance. We are told that for those addicted to drugs it is “essential to honour your past, know yourself, learn about who you are, and then love yourself”.

We learn to see drug addicts not as such but as courageous souls who undertook the life challenge of drug addiction to learn self-nurturing.

Pat, the alcoholic, had carried into this life the energy of fear. His plan was that fear would cause alcoholism, which in turn could lead to a healing of fear. He planned not only his alcoholism but the surmounting of that addiction. He had lost his connection with the All That Is, with God, with his own divine nature and spirituality. The return to seeking and achieving spiritual connection is motivated by the total lack of it, which the alcoholism causes. This was a classic learning-through-opposites life plan.

The chapters on the death of a loved one and accidents are equally instructive.

I found the book as a whole to be thoroughly illuminating, insightful, informative, satisfying, comforting and perfectly expressed. I would absolutely recommend this book to everyone. It is one of the most important books I have read this year, in fact, ever.

[María Greene F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. El tema es muy interesante, y me ha tocado leer harto de él... debido a la típica crisis existencial adolescente, que me vino hace más tiempo del que quisiera recordar, y que no alcanzó a verse reflejada en Goodreads. Creo que entonces me leí TODO lo que había para leer sobre el sentido de la vida, y los por qué y cómo y cuándo de TANTAS VISIONES Y RELIGIONES, que al final colapsé, porque mi conclusión hoy es tan amplia que solo podría definirse como "libertina", jajaja.

Eso dirían algunos.

Hablando en serio, acabé con TODOS los libros de esa sección, en la biblioteca de mi barrio. Tanto que los bibliotecarios me conocían. Creo, incluso, que me tenían compasión, porque en vez de leer las novelas de moda y los "Crepúsculo" etcétera, pasaba con la nariz hundida en textos de lo más oscurantistas (algunos). Muchas veces me sugerían con ojos ansiosos el último hit, que yo ni siquiera tenía la bondad de llevar a mi casa, como para al menos tranquilizarlos un poco (muy mal, María Paz). Creo que respiraron más profundo cuando dejé de ir... aunque lo hice más porque se me acabaron los libros, que porque se me hubiera acabado el interés, jajaja.

En fin, que la idea que éste libro desarrolla no es nueva para mí. Y es muy interesante y, además, me la creo... me la creo que uno planificó las cosas más importantes antes de nacer. A mí también me han sido familiares personas y eventos que no tenía cómo conocer, y también pienso que es posible que en verdad el asunto viniera desde antes, o incluso desde después, por el carácter intemporal del tiempo, valga la redundancia. Que todos nos conociéramos desde siempre, y para siempre, entrelazante por el mismo absoluto... algo hermoso y angustiante, para mí, a la vez.

Pero esta entrega en particular... no me mató. Es interesante, sí, pero el enfoque... es demasiado, demasiado amable. Tal vez no estoy tan evolucionada como para entenderlo, ni menos aceptarlo, porque el que absolutamente cada desgracia, absolutamente cada cosa, sea planificada y elegida para "mejorar la conciencia global"... ay, no sé. Me suena hasta condescendiente... además de poco creíble, a lo político cuando es capturado en algo malo y alega que "lo planeé desde el principio".

Además, están todos los casos tan endulzados que uno (yo) llega a creer que el sentido de la vida es incluso masoquista... viniendo a ella solo para elegir las mejores tragedias. ¿Era realmente necesario llegar tan lejos? Roza el mal gusto, según yo. Es como patrocinar una película gore. Hasta el terrorista que puso una bomba y causó casi la muerte de uno de los testimonios, era un "ser de luz" porque tuvo "la bondad" de bajar sus vibraciones al nivel de causar algo así, y así permitir que "los otros experimentaran el amor en sí". Me hace sentido a cierto nivel, pero en otros... Quizá podrían haber incluido algún caso que no fuera tan extreme, porque todos y cada uno de ellos son absolutamente dolorosos. Terribles.

No sé. No sé si yo necesito tanta acción y tanto dolor, para recordar "quién soy". No sé si me interesa hacerlo, si ha de ser tan horroroso. Y esto, queridos espíritus y guías y ángeles, NO es una invitación a "hacerme saber". Porfis no. Tal vez si hubieran elegido casos un poco menos entusiastas... por así decirlo.

Jajaja. Quizá sí me falta evolucionar. Soy demasiado sensible al sufrimiento humano, para ser, justamente... un ser humano.

Algo bueno del libro es que realmente ha de ser un consuelo para muchos, especialmente para quienes han visto el lado más oscuro de la vida. Sea o no cierto todo fue planificado... a efectos prácticos eso ni siquiera importa, dado que el alivio es real, y quienes lo lean han de tener después una vida mejor. Y, en ese sentido, cumple.

Pero no es mi favorito del tema. Los libros de Brian Weiss, mucho más controversiales (a mi parecer, solo porque son más famosos) son mucho mejores, y me hicieron sentir mucha más noción de justicia. Aunque la justicia, en el mundo del absoluto, no exista, porque no hay nada que no sea injusto, entonces no puede percibirse a sí misma, y ¿puede existir algo que no se percibe? Etcétera.

No sé, a veces me asusta leer cosas así. ¿Y si es cierto? No sé si quiero ser en un universo, una realidad así.

Pero, a la vez, tampoco se me ocurre una alternativa.

*****
RELECTURA: Junio 2022.

No sé si se me abrió más la mente estos últimos años, o si ando en un ánimo más esperanzado y dadivoso, pero esta vez el libro me gustó mucho más. Creo que lo que me molestó la vez anterior no fue tanto el intento desesperado por encontrar un sentido (que quizá de hecho lleva al sentido - o quizá no), sino que la manera azucarada en que se hacía un resumen final de cada caso. Cada participante fue definido como la personificación de alguna cualidad y, si bien entiendo el espíritu amable y consolador del autor, me pareció demasiado.

Esta vez le encontré harto más sentido y además lo pasé mejor. La verdad es que uno nunca sabe. Y hay otra cosa que dice con lo que me sentí identificada: con pensar, ante cada dificultad, más que "por qué me pasó esto", un "por qué decidí meterme en algo así" (jajaja). Es algo que yo aplico desde hace muchos años y lo cierto es que, a veces, en el punto más enredado de algún vericueto, sangrando y sufriendo, pienso "estas circunstancias locas suenan como a algo que organizaría yo" y si estoy de ánimo hasta me da risa.

Es algo parecido a lo que me pasa con la carta astral, si es que verdaderamente existe (que en mi opinión es bastante exacta): cambia mucho el lado difícil según la perspectiva. Si uno piensa que LE TOCÓ TRANSITAR por la mega montaña, uno se angustia... pero si uno piensa que, por algún motivo, uno decidió antes de nacer pasar por esa experiencia y que lo planificó CON SUPERVISIÓN... es diferente.

En fin, le daría de hecho entre 3 y 4 estrellas, pero buéh, todos sabemos que Goodreads no deja puntuar a medias.

No hay citas porque es copia física.

[Sverre · Rating 3 out of 5]

This material is what sceptics would call delusional and fundamentalists term as demonic. I think this is an honest effort but those of us who have explored multiple dimensions of the soul's journey, as provided by various sources, would find the concepts in this book comprehensible but not easily compatible with spiritual sensibility.

From this side of the veil, from an ethical, moral and karmic perspective it does seem to go against the grain to put ourselves in the position of superior judgment, delegating instant forgiveness--even commendation--to ourselves or others when committing ignorant, hateful or evil acts. This book can give readers the feeling that as far as our earthly lives are concerned we are often merely puppets in a predetermined game of chess in which free will is given little opportunity to function. I can't help but be a might cynical in respect to this material's emphasis on the frequent goodness of badness. It reminds me quite a bit of the god of Neale Donald Walsch in which moralistic relativism is a strong suit and we are not to attempt to second guess the Grand Scheme of things. It is difficult for me to picture a woman--being one of the "enlightened" ones--who has just been brutally raped, turning to her attacker and saying something like: "I am sure this experience was something I needed and our souls both agreed to, so thank you, and God bless you..."

I found this book well worth the read for curiosity but not one I will treasure. Those who find soul research interesting would be much more challenged by the concepts in "Michael for the Millennium" by Yarbro. I much prefer the works of Michael Newton and the Edgar Cayce legacy. May truth be wherever we find it!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I think this is one of those rare books that will change my life. I'd read a book on this subject before, Journey of Souls, which was trying to be more objective and scientific, so I was ready for this one. I definitely recommend this to anyone going through a difficult time.

[Tusk]

One book that never leaves my coffee table, or even my briefcase when I travel, as I consider it one of the most important tools of my life, Robert Schwartz' "Your Soul's Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born" brings summation, understanding, compassion, affirmation, and most importantly courage to the forefront.

This book is a miracle.

Not everyone is ready for this information. Yet when it comes your way, expect to be changed -- or not -- personally, it has given me great confidence after one of the most challenging lives imaginable.

Beyond mere words, it is a gift to the world and if you feel you are questioning your place in this existence I would encourage you to find it. It makes a valuable gift to friends who are coping with challenge; thank you to Robert Schwartz for making it happen.

Keep teaching us, Robert.

Christophe Johnston
Portland, OR

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book while taking Metaphysical courses. It disucsses reincarnation, and how our soul's plan what they need to grow to perfection. We choose the situations we are born in, to balance our karma and gain the experiences we need to do so. We also do this in "Soul Groups" so if you feel like you know someone the first time you met them, they were likely a part of your life in a different incarnation. This was a very interesting read.

[Cobus Koekemoer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I urge everyone to read this book. Just by knowing there is a bigger picture (truth) and by expanding your perspective, your physical life in general becomes more meaningful and your attitude towards your life and everyone you encounter will change for the better. You will become aware of what is truly important and stop "sweating the small stuff." Open yourself up to the truth - you've got nothing to lose - only to gain tremendously.

[Veronica Arango · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es un libro muy recomendado y popular pero personalmente no lo encontré tan interesante. La forma en que está escrito me parece extraña, llegando a ser algo falsa. No porque no crea en el tema de las reencarnaciones (“Muchas vidas, muchos maestros” está entre mis libros favoritos), sino por la forma en cómo se cuentan las experiencias. Incluir a “mediums” se me hace que le quita credibilidad a los relatos; además de ser un poco repetitivo

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shakespeare said that all the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. This author goes one step further and says that we helped write the play, especially our own part. Whether you believe that or not, this book emphasizes that karma means not punishment, but opportunities, with useful insight in recognizing those opportunities in our own lives.

[Saiisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love recommending this book to my clients who are looking for answers to some of their situations or choices in life. It's a fascinating read with 10 detailed case studies, and it's impossible not to find parallels or answers to some of your own questions.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book....if you believe in reincarnation, if you believe your energy moves on and never dies this book will be a mind blowing experience. Only one other book resonated with my heart and soul and made me feel like I had found a guide book for living as a human and it was The New Earth, this books shows us why we are who we are in this lifetime. Love Love Loved it.

[Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely Material to Awaken your Soul Memory! You Chose this Life, and are thus the Designer of your Pre Destiny!

[Shikha Rawal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides details of pre-birth planning - i.e. prior to taking birth, you plan your entire life journey (including who you’re going to meet, choosing your parents, choosing your life challenges etc). To some extent, I have read similar material in other books. While I do not know this to be true on a personal level, I do definitely consider this to be a possible truth. The examples illustrated in this book have been summarised in other books as well such as Many lives, many masters by Brian Weiss where he uses past life regression therapy to decode past pains and individual issues.

The book (as stated in the title) instructs the reader that nothing happens as a chance occurrence and that we plan our challenges in life. This revelation to some extent frees you from persistently questioning “why me?” if you have faced tedious life situations and helps you in building a positive narrative for life. This book however opens up a lot of questions in my mind such as:
(a) major atrocities such as world wars and natural calamities are planned? And if they are then which soul would like to undertake the responsibility of killing millions of people (such as Hitler, Stalin) and what would be their learning?
(b) given that soul has all the love and learning embedded within itself, why do we take birth and suffer lack to know love? Cause going back to the spirit form we would again know love.
(c) the conversations in the spirit form between guides and souls are always amongst one or two people. What about incidents like a plane crash where several hundreds die or a 9/11?
(d) If we can choose from the challenges we face in life then where does the cause and effect law of the universe set in?
(e) so many people including myself don’t act in everyday life in a manner that we arranged for these challenges prior to birth and hence our responses to these life situations may also not be positive. Wouldn’t this create more karma as we would not really act from a POV of all knowing but rather as reactive? Some more details would be helpful.

For anyone interested in spirituality and spiritual books, this is a good read but I do have lots of unanswered questions.

[Ebru · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a long time ago. I gave it away out of gratitude. Wish I could give an in-depth recommendation... Know that if you are a person earnestly seeking for spiritual answers, for your mind to be changed and world-view to be enriched, if the concept of soul families and pre-birth intention appeals to you, this book is for you. It did my heart so good.
It will give you higher perspectives on any struggle (diseases, addictions, having disabled children, loss of Loved Ones, etc.) whether or not you feel personally relates to you *or could* - in the end you will be flourished with tangible insights and breathtaking love for the Intelligence behind, and look with new eyes at the old, and feel greater devotion to all stories and growing souls, yours included. I remember the touching impact Penelopes story had on me.. they were all honestly healing big time.
I consider it a memory gifted to the One on his conscious path back home, encouraging forgiveness and letting go.
I can only say: If you hear the calling, go for it. ❤
Books like this are like a secret. They may not be for everyone. But for those they are their beauty will be revealed inevitably.

[Katrine Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was life changing, referred to me from my life partner who is convinced this life is not the first we've interacted on. Very thought provoking read. Highly recommended.

[Tyler Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I already believed in reincarnation. Now, I believe I planned my life before I was born.

I was born physically disabled, thanks to lead poisoning when my mom was pregnant with me. I have VACtERL Association (it's an acronym aka I got a lot of medical issues), among other things. I thought I was a bisexual girl at 13... at 35 I have come to realize i'm a straight trans man. What i'm about to say makes that sound weird, it's complicated ok. I'm not explaining it all here.

I've had a husband, who I did love, who passed away in 2021, just 30 days after my grandmother did. Me and my husband were moving at the same time to our own house. First one not rented. And at the same time he was very sick, no health insurance, and I was learning i'm autistic. My husband and grandmother seemed to be the only people at the time that accepted me as trans and the only people I felt safe to be myself around. All that happened in the span of 30 days and because it was January, I can even say less than a month. January 17th she died. Late January/Early February we moved in. February 10th was my birthday. February 14th he went to the ER. February 16th, he died.

I've been in a house fire in 2012 when I was 23. I've been abused, by multiple people. I was raised Christian, was intrigued but banned from Wicca - got caught reading a book at 13 - spent a few years trying to be an atheist, only to be even more depressed than I already was with how wrong that felt. A disabled, in rare and embarrassing ways, queer kid being told i'm a sin for my attraction. I'm a sin because I just can't pray hard enough for God to heal me. I couldn't be a good little straight Christian girl. A disabled queer? EW! NOT HERE! NOT IN CHURCH! Eventually I found my way to Wicca as an adult. Eventually even starting to heal my religious trauma. I'm still working on it. This book doesn't have a religion or domination by the way. It's just spiritual, if you have an open mind.

I unwanted to unalive myself for about 20 years. Now that i've transitioned? I don't want to anymore. I want to live. Despite living in constant pain. In this lifetime? I don't know what a minute without pain is like, and I won't again until I die. I was born with, and will die with, constant chronic pain. But for the love of God don't pity me. As this book says at one point, pity isn't love or respect. I've had about 20 surgeries, and will need more. I need medication to live. I have to go slow with things, and it's frustrating living in "crip time". I've felt like a burden to those around me.

My disabilities and medical issues and neurodivergencies remain, yet, i'm no longer depressed. I'm living my truth finally. It was starting before this book, this book is just helping me along even more.

I also have aphantasia. When I learned that a knee jerk reaction was "Oh no, I can't be spiritual after all. It's visualize this and visualize that and now I know people are being literal." Before I knew about aphantasia I thought stuff like "picture this" was a metaphor, after all, seeing stuff in your head, while awake? That's just insanity, no one actually literally sees stuff in their head. It's just metaphors. That's what I thought until I was almost 30.

I already saw aphantasia as a gift. I have ptsd, but I know it would be worse without it. My brain works just fine. Aphantasia doesn't stop me from doing anything and it certainly doesn't cut me off from spirituality (like some people would actually have me believe). I recently learned (not through this book) about claircognizance. I get strong feelings at times, even knowing things to the point of tears. How? I don't know. Now I know the word for it. I feel things. Deeply. I just have to trust the feelings.

I don't have all the whys to my life, but I know they are there. And I know my purpose. Or at least part of it. I used to think I wouldn't make it to 30. I'm 35 now and I don't think i'm going anywhere anytime soon.

I believe we are all one. The universe, the Divine, experiencing itself. Learning and growing. We are all, love.

If you have an open enough mind, I highly recommend this book.

[Andra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mereu m-am întrebat de ce exista oameni surzi, autiști, cu handicap, cu boli, accidente și așa mai departe. Cartea mi-a oferit o perspectivă la care cred ca nu m-aș fi gândit niciodata, aceea că, ne planificăm viețile înainte de a ne naște, iar lucrurile rele si semnificative din viața noastră sunt hotărâte de noi, înainte de a ne naște pentru a ne dezvolta spiritual. Practic, ne alegem lecțiile. Nu știu dacă cred întrutotul ce am citit, am nevoie de timp sa procesez, însă cu siguranță aș recomanda cartea.

În limba română o găsim "Suflete curajoase" (Robert Schwartz de la Editura For You), însă nu am găsit-o pe goodreads.

[Mark Wenz · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's shocking that this book has a composite score of 4.33 stars, higher than The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Sound and the Fury, or Huckleberry Finn. What a joke. First of all, I simply don't buy the content. My wife has recently passed, and I have been deriving comfort and solace from reading some of the classics in the NDE (near death experience) and spiritual genres such as Life After Life by Dr. Raymond Moody, To Heaven and Back by Dr. Mary Neal, Proof of Heaven by Dr. Alexander Eben, and The Light Between Us by Laura Lynne Jackson. Each of these books seemed credible, sincere, believable, and written for the purpose of raising the spiritual consciousness of its readers.

This book simply doesn't rise to that standard. First of all, the content seems contrived. Schwartz makes it sound like a loose group of souls casually sit around a table before being incarnated and chat about what atrocities they'll experience during their lifetimes so that they will "grow." He relates ten cases and enlists the help of four supposed mediums and psychics while also purportedly communicating with spirit guides. Didn't anyone find it interesting that all of these people/spirits use the same awkward and stilted syntax when they speak and that the words they use come across as pedantic and stiff? Come on, readers, do a little critical thinking. Everyone sounds like the exact same person spouting the exact same platitudes. Who in their right mind would give this repetitive and poorly presented schlock five stars?

I was surprised by how many endorsements the book received as well, but I'm glad that none of the authors listed above provided one. However, Dannion Brinkley, author of Secrets of the Light, which I did find credible, does provide an endorsement, which highly disappointed me. Really, Dannion?

Perhaps Schwartz is for real and just simply has poor writing skills. But then why use quotes around the speech of all four psychics/mediums and those people and spirit guides supposedly interviewed by him? Do a reading level and syntactical analysis of these quotes, and you'll find that all of the characters, including the author, use nearly identical language, sentence structures, and pedantic cliches. The entire content to this reader seemed fake and contrived.

For this book to be included in the canon of spiritual literature lowers the standards for all books of this genre. This book seems to me like an attempt to make money from a niche market populated by people who want to feel like they chose the course of their lives before they were born. Maybe, but reading this book certainly didn't convince me. Grade: D

[M Johana Areiza · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considero que se presta como recurso con el que pseudoterapeutas pueden revictimizar y justificar lo injustificable, no avanzamos lo suficiente para concluir que nuestras almas evolucionan con preacuerdos que instan al abuso y descartan al amor como base del bienestar.

[Ellyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved gaining the understanding or thought of relaxing since all that we go through serves to teach us and give us more to love in this life!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Subject continues to fascinate me, love learning about the soul, both in religious and spiritual terms.

[Rocio Ferrari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro hermoso. Dudé si darle 5 estrellas o 4 simplemente por el hecho de que a veces tendía a ser medio tedioso, me volví un poco escéptica en el medio y le agarré desconfianza. Pero creo que es el ciclo por el cual tuve que pasar para que el mensaje me llegara bien. Con tiempo. Con dedicación.
El mensaje es hermoso, vuelvo a repetir. He aquí unas cuantas reflexiones que me gustaría guardar:

Aquí la palabra clave es crear. Estoy seguro de que nosotros somos los creadores de todo lo que experimentamos, y que las dificultades no planeadas suceden cuando las atraemos, porque necesitamos la sabiduría que pueden engendrar (en este caso la intuición no nos apartará de ese aprendizaje que necesitamos). Nuestro crecimiento se deriva de las experiencias, las hayamos planeado, o no.

Si los médiums o canalizadores son sensitivos, tienen el don de sentir las emociones de otros.

El canalizador suele "hacerse a un lado" para que otra conciencia pueda hablar directamente a través de él.

Cuando tenemos un "presentimiento" sobre algo, o cuando "simplemente sabemos" que algo es como es, con frecuencia se trata de comunicaciones de nuestros guías, o de nuestra alma.

Cuando los médiums ven y hablan con seres en espíritu, con frecuencia los describen como masculinos o femeninos, pero las almas son en realidad una combinación de energías masculinas y femeninas.

Con cada paso, sentí la curación de viejas heridas. La ira y el resentimiento se desvanecieron, y fueron reemplazados por sentimientos de paz y alegría.

No tienes que estar convencido de esta idea para beneficiarte de ella. Sólo tienes que preguntarte "¿Y si es cierto? ¿Y si realmente planeé esta experiencia antes de nacer? ¿Por qué lo habré hecho?". Simplemente hacerte estas preguntas dará un nuevo significado a las dificultades de tu vida, y te impulsará a un viaje hacia el autodescubrimiento. Ese viaje no exige ninguna creencia concreta en lo que concierne a la espiritualidad o la metafísica, sólo un cierto interés en el crecimiento personal y en la adquisición de sabiduría.

Imagínate un mundo donde solo hay luz. Si nunca has experimentado la oscuridad, ¿cómo podrías comprender y apreciar la luz? Es el contraste entre luz y oscuridad lo que lleva a un conocimiento más profundo. El plano físico nos proporciona este contraste porque es un mundo de dualidad: arriba y abajo, caliente y frío, bueno y malo. El caos de la Tierra aumenta nuestra apreciación de la paz. El odio que podemos encontrar profundiza nuestra comprensión del amor. Si nunca hemos experimentado estos aspectos de la humanidad, ¿cómo podríamos reconocer nuestra divinidad?

El alma es una chispa Divina; la personalidad (el ser humano) es una parte de la energía del alma en cuerpo físico. La personalidad consisite en unos rasgos temporales que existen sólo durante la vida física, y un núcleo inmortal que se reúne con el alma después de la muerte. El alma es algo mucho mayor que la personalidad, aunque cada personalidad es vital para el alma, y muy apreciada por ella.

En gran medida, la personaldiad tiene libre albedrío. Los desafíos de la vida pueden ser, por tanto, aceptados o rechazados.

Mientras estamos en cuerpo físico, nuestra alma se comunica con nosotros a través de los sentimientos.

Cambiar el concepto de uno mismo, dejar de pensar que somos sólo nuestro cuerpo-personalidad, y comenzar a creer que somos almas, quizá no reducirá el dolor, pero aliviará el sufrimiento. Ese despertar es el propósito y uno de los profundos beneficios de los desafíos de nuestra vida. El despertar revitaliza nuestra pasión por la vida, la misma que sentimos antes de reencarnarnos. Es, sencillamente, un motivo de celebración.

[...] todos estamos energéticamente conectados, y nos vemos afectados por los demás.

Nuestra capacidad para afectar al mundo de una forma tan contundente es una oportunidad maravillosa y al mismo tiempo una enorme responsabilidad.

Cuando creamos sensaciones de alegría, incluso si lo hacemos mientras vivimos solos en la cima de una montaña, emitimos una frecuencia que hace que, para los demás, resulte más fácil estar alegre. Cuando creamos sensaciones de paz, irradiamos una energía que ayuda a que terminen las guerras. Cuando amamos, hacemos que amar sea más sencillo para los demás, tanto para los que conocemos como para aquellos que nunca llegarán a saber de nosotros. Quienes somos es, por tanto, algo mucho más importante que cualquier cosa que vayamos a hacer nunca.

Planeamos las dificultades de nuestra vida para alcanzar objetivos concretos. El objetivo común es la sanación; concretamente la sanación de las energías "negativas" que han quedado sin resolver en vidas pasadas.

El karma a veces se conceptualiza como una deuda cósmica, pero también puede ser descrito como una energía desequilibrada con otro individuo.

Un trabajador de la luz es alguien cuyo plan de vida está especialmente orientado al servicio. En general, el término se aplica a cualquiera que esté decidido a ayudar a los demás.

Naturalmente, planeamos las dificultades de la vida, en parte, para nuestro propio crecimiento personal. Como almas, aprendemos mucho entre las encarnaciones, pero asimilamos las lecciones más profundamente en el plano físico.

Cada alma estaba motivada por un deseo de dar y recibir amor, libre e incondicionalmente, incluso en aquellos casos en los que el alma había acordado interpretar un papel "negativo" para estimular el crecimiento de otro individuo. Muchas almas estaban motivadas también por un deseo de recordar el propio amor. Literalmente, somos amor.

Al entrar en el plano físico, somos un amor que se oculta temporalmente a sí mismo. Cuando recordamos quienes somos realmente, nuestra luz interior, nuestro amor, brilla para que todos lo vean. Yo creo que ésa es la razón por la que estamos aquí.

El mejor modo de tratar tus miedos es besarlos en la nariz, porque así desaparecen.

En cada una de ellas, tú y yo hemos decidido cómo nos encontraríamos, y en qué circunstancias nos daríamos la oportunidad de tener esas hermosas experiencias de crecimiento. Realmente, somos lo que en tu reino llamais "almas gemelas". Dos almas de vibración similar, una frecuencia en la que ambos tenemos un color y un sonido que son parecidos.

Los retos y los desafíos son espejos que reflejan neustros sentimientos sobre nosotros mismos. En ese sentido, son regalos. La sabiduría nos permite reconocerlos como tales.

La enfermedad física puede estimular la sanación espiritual.

El alma busca el equilibrio en todas las cosas, incluso en la expresión de las energías masculina y femenina.

Aunque pueda parecer abrumador ser el enfermo, o la persona que cuida de alguien que está enfermo, esto es un escalón hacia algo más. Es un peldaño en la escalera de la evolución.

El espíritu es amor. El universo es amor. Somos amor.

Solo aceptando valientemente la oscuridad podemos comprender y apreciar totalmente la luz.

Como las olas que rompen contra la costa, nuestros pensamientos barren con fuerza nuestros cuerpos. Y tal como las mareas mueven cada grano de arena, del mismo modo nuestros pensamientos giran alrededor de cada célula, imprimiendo en ellas la energía que portan. Aunque puede parecer que nuestros pensamientos ocurren en respuesta a la realidad física, la verdad es que ellos son los que la crean.

Lo que creeis que es una desventaja, es en realidad un desafío que con frecuencia resulta ser una ventaja.

Los temores ocultan el recuerdo de nosotros mismos como almas eternas. Si evitamos esos miedos, el velo se hace más grueso. Si los aceptamos, apartamos ese velo para revelar la valentía del alma que planeó una oportunidad para poder eliminar el miedo.

El amor se incrementa mientras se entrega. Como estas almas son amor, se expanden mientras aman.

En mi estudio de la planificación prenatal, había aprendido que la personalidad tiene libre albedrío, y que puede adherirse a los planes del alma o desviarse de ellos.

Las almas que están en el mundo espiritual son de gran ayuda en nuestros sueños, y cuando estamos despiertos llegan a nosotros a través de las emociones. Aquellos que nos aman están con nosotros siempre, se encarnen o no junto a nosotros. Los lazos del corazón son eternos.

Aprender a aceptar el amor y la compasión es tan importante como aprender a expresarlos.

La importancia de la gratitud es enorme.

La gratitud es una vibración elevada, incluso sagrada, del mismo tipo que el amor, el perdón, la alegría y la compasión.

Ya que nuestra verdadera naturaleza como almas es el amor, consideramos que hemos aprovechado bien nuestras vidas físicas cuando damos y recibimos amor.

Todas las situaciones de aprendizaje, todas las emociones, toda la sabiduría que crea un individuo [en la Tierra] llega a todos los demás que están en tu reino, y además se expande a través de las distintas dimensiones.

Quien mira afuera, sueña. Quien mira adentro, despierta.

El sufrimiento genera un equilibrio energético que, cuando uno sufre, libera energía para que otras persoans puedan seguir adelante con ciertas cosas.

Lo mejor que podéis hacer es liberar los pensamientos negativos, porque lo único que hacen es consumir energía, que podríais estar usando para hacer el bien por el mundo.

[...] a menudo planeamos ser amigos o esposos de otra gente por periodos concretos de tiempo. Como no recordamos estos acuerdos, podemos ver el final de una amistad o de un matrimonio como un suceso negativo. No lo es. Separamos nuestros caminos cuando hemos completado nuestros planes con ellos.

[...] un accidente, con frecuencia no es accidente, sino la causa de un cambio de conciencia en la persona previamente acordado.

La risa es muy curativa. Desencadena una cascada de hormonas que lavan el cuerpo, desechan las toxinas, y provocan la circulación de los líquidos. ¿Altera el ADN? Evita la alteración tóxica del ADN. Es más un mantenimiento preventivo que una alteración. Hay veces en que los pacientes con cáncer pueden hacer risoterapia para sanar a nivel celular, pero eso en sí mismo no produce cambios en el ADN. Permite que el cuerpo funcione en una vibración más armónica y de manera más positiva.

Siento una dulzura en la vida. La siento... en todas partes. Aunque a veces no es evidente y se ve oscurecida por el dolor, siempre está allí, bajo cada dificultad, bajo cada circunstancia. Nuestro desafío es encontrarla en nuestros desafíos.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of all of Robert Schwartz's books. Some favorite passages from this book:

“Not learning a lesson is not failure. Think of it more as choosing to learn it on a different path. Anything can be judged, and anything can be seen from a non-judgmental and compassionate level.”

Souls view karma as an opportunity to balance energy, not as a punishment.

Judgment separates us from those we judge. Separation, in turn, creates fear and prevents us from awakening to a truth we knew before we were born: that we are all one. Each of us is a spark of consciousness in a larger, unified Consciousness, a cell in the hart of one Divine Being. To judge is to separate ourselves from our divinity; to release judgment is to remember it.

All judgment of others is cloaked self-judgment. It is necessarily so. Profound spiritual growth occurs when we bravely pull that cloak away and acknowledge how we feel about ourselves. This process is difficult and requires unflinching self-candor, but its rewards are great.

On the physical plane, where we lack memory of our pre-incarnation choices, we often believe that others inflict experiences upon us. We may respond with fear, anger, hatred, self-hatred, blame, feeling of victimization, or many other emotions that do not reflect our true nature as souls. When we awake by turning within, we remember that we requested these experiences. We are then free to choose different responses, including gratitude toward those who have made our growth possible.

“When people feel sad, they can cry. If they push it within, it will come out as anger. Tears wash the soul.”

[Maria Alejandra López Gutiérrez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nada ocurre por casualidad, y todo forma parte del orden divino. Siempre. Antes de nacer hiciste tus planes, te llenaste de valor a tomar las decisiones para tu vida, y encontrar la manera que esas experiencias que decidieras vivir, fueran de alguna manera además de ayuda para ti, también para otros.

Un libro que recalca mucho la experiencia de la oscuridad, para valorar la luz, para ver ese lado positivo de lo que a ojos de la mayoría resultaría ser un gran desafío: las enfermedades, las adicciones, el alcoholismo, los accidentes o las muertes. Una explicación del porqué en el plan de nuestras almas, hemos escogido este camino o nuestros familiares lo han hecho, porque lo que podría parecer un castigo desde la perspectiva de la personalidad, es una oportunidad para crecer desde el punto de vista del alma.

Me ayudó a entender mis dificultades de salud, porque no fue a pesar de estas, sino debido a ellas que logré entender el para qué de mi experiencia de neumonía. Pues la única manera de entender la lección era con un gran desafío (cómo mencionan en el libro)

Te gustará leerlo, si:
💫 Quieres entender porqué tu alma ha escogido algún desafío particular
💫 Te gustaría ser más empatico con los dolores o sufrimientos de los otros

Sin oscuridad, sin contraste con la luz, no podemos apreciar totalmente la luz que vemos.

Porque siempre habrá un lado positivo consecuencia de las desgracias.

[Divya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book slowly, over many weeks, giving myself time to digest and mull over the matter - reflecting as I was reading through.
This book is centred on the basic premise that all the worlds a stage, we write the play, especially our own part in it, to learn certain lessons, that help in spiritual evolution, the quicker you learn, the more you discover about life and living.
The closest I’ve come to reading matter like this is 10-15 years ago - a book by Dr. Brian Weiss called Many Lives Many Masters, a psychologist, that uses past life regression in therapy with miraculous results. While that book was more like this happened and then this result ensued, this book went more into the why, what were the lessons learned, how this can be applied to more people at large. So while nothing in this book was earth shatteringly new material, there was something refreshing here. I liked the format of stories, it was very impactful. I like the emphasis on life lessons that were woven into stories through the book. I felt like some more information on how he found people to interview and how he found the people who made his book possible was lacking - it could have added more context. And some stuff seemed repetitive. But overall, lovely read. I’d highly recommend to people interested in their spiritual evolution.

[Almu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lectura que me llegó de forma casual a través de una compañera de trabajo, a raíz de una dura situación personal que he pasado y sigo pasando.
Al principio lo cogí con muchas ganas, no sabía nada acerca de la planificación prenatal y luego leyendo varios casos, capté varios conceptos e ideas interesantes. Me gustaba porque me daba respuestas, que no había encontrado por otras vías. Pero hubo un momento que si lectura me resultó repetitiva, así que lo dejé en "stand-by" durante un tiempo.
Al final lo he terminado centrándome en los casos parecidos a mi situación personal y sí lo recomiendo, porque se pueden extraer varias ideas interesantes, no conocidas por la gente en general, y que de saberlas, puede que muchas creencias cambiasen.

Un 8/10

[Shelley Seitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ask and you shall receive. Recently I asked the question, “why do the people I love get cancer?“ The answer to that question and so many more are in this book.
Over the past several months I’ve received a lot of messages from my guides, and so many of those messages are also relayed in this book, which brings me so much confirmation that I’m on the right path. This book has changed my entire outlook on life for the better. If there were more stars available, I would absolutely give this book all of the stars. If you are ready to broaden your life perspective, open yourself to all of the love available to you, and see the beauty in absolutely everything, read this book.