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by Kathryn Andries. The family unit is a complex mixture of personalities who come together to learn, heal, and love. It is the first place we begin our Earthly journey. Even before our soul enters the physical body, we are receptive to the thoughts and feelings of the mother we chose. Family is instrumental in helping us fulfill our soul's purpose by helping us learn karmic lessons and providing an environment in which we can develop our gifts and talents.
Different Roles, Similar Lessons
by Kathryn Andries
 The
family unit is a complex mixture of personalities who come together to learn,
heal, and love. It is the first place we begin our Earthly journey. Even before
our soul enters the physical body, we are receptive to the thoughts and feelings
of the mother we chose.
A soul chooses the period, country, gender, and family into which it
incarnates, seeking the greatest learning opportunities based on its needs. The
family is the most significant of these choices. Family is instrumental in
helping us fulfill our soul's purpose by helping us learn karmic lessons and
providing an environment in which we can develop our gifts and talents. Even
dysfunctional families offer the appropriate lessons. When we accept
responsibility for such choices, we see why we chose our parents.
Our family plays a significant part in the development of our beliefs and
attitudes about the world. Most of our beliefs about the world are formed by the
age of seven. Before this age, children absorb the thoughts and attitudes of the
people around them. If we are to understand ourselves, we must understand our
family.
KARMA AND FAMILY
When we understand our family dynamics, we understand our karmic destiny.
Have you ever heard anyone remark, "I feel as though I've married my mother (or
father)"? If we don't master the lessons offered by our family members, we find
people later in life who mirror our parents, giving us another chance to learn
the lesson. Delving into family memories can sometimes be painful, frightening,
or pleasantly nostalgic. Volatile emotions signal the need to understand family
karma. When we can objectively view family members, our relationship to them,
and our childhood without pain or charged emotion, we will have taken a major
step toward clearing family karma.
Each of us has individual karma. Families have collective or group karma. All
family members learn from each other. Thus, the family unit transforms itself
into a melting pot of individual and shared lessons. When the members are
conscious and communicate openly, the potential for growth and transcendent love
is heightened.
Souls also unite within a family to fulfill a common purpose. Many families
unite to create something such as a family business, or work together as
volunteers for a charitable organization. Creation is a spiritual act; families
that engage in a common creative project usually grow closer.
Family is the first place we learn about giving and receiving; as children,
we are usually receiving. While raising children, parents learn unconditional
love and how to put others' needs before their own. Parents learn to listen to
their children, physically and intuitively. Before children learn to speak,
parents must "tune in" to recognize their needs and thoughts. Most parents agree
that they receive so much pleasure from watching their children grow and learn
that personal sacrifices seem insignificant.
BELIEFS
Our belief system, shaped mainly by our family, serves as the basis for many
of our choices. Consciously and unconsciously, we allow beliefs to imbed
themselves in our mind. Limiting beliefs such as "money doesn't grow on trees"
and "children should be seen but not heard" can greatly limit the expression of
our life purpose. Answer the questions at the end of this chapter to uncover
your hidden beliefs.
SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES
The similar traits and beliefs that our parents shared are most likely the
things we have easily integrated into ourselves. Make a list of their similar
qualities, then notice which ones you have developed within yourself. Take it a
step further and separate them into positive and negative columns.
The differences between your parents may signal areas where you need to find
balance within yourself. Put your mother's qualities in one column and your
father's in another. If you realize one parent was overly serious while the
other was more carefree, look within yourself to see how you vacillate between
these two qualities. Then, find a balance between the two or choose one quality
over the other.
Similarities between Parents
1.
2.
3.
Differences between Parents
| Mother |
Father |
| 1. |
1. |
| 2. |
2. |
| 3. |
3. |
Beliefs Learned from Parents
1.
2.
3.
ANCESTORS
Ancestors and siblings also play a part in understanding the dynamics.
Heredity stretches beyond physical traits such as eye and skin color to
encompass patterns of thinking: we also inherit the thoughts and attitudes of
our parents and other ancestors. The more we become aware of these
transgenerational patterns, the less we act out the unconscious behaviors of our
ancestors. We must look at the entire family tree -- not only our parents -- to
trace the origin of many of our traits.
Each one of us is capable of changing family beliefs and attitudes. By taking
responsibility for changing outdated and limiting belief patterns, we can pave a
more expansive path for future generations to attain greater prosperity. The
progress made by one person will affect everyone else. As with other methods of
self-awareness, the study of family is not meant to place blame for negative
traits. It is, rather, a self-empowerment tool to eliminate what is unproductive
and to develop gifts and talents.
 This
article was excerpted from Soul Choices, ?2002, by Kathryn Andries.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Intuitive Arts Press.
www.discoveryourlifepurpose.org
Info/Order this book.
About the Author
Kathryn
Andries is an expert in the intuitive sciences. A graduate of The University of
Michigan, Body Mind College, and The Berkeley Psychic Institute, a founding
director of the School of Intuitive Arts and Sciences, as well as a teacher,
author and lecturer, she has guided hundreds of people on the path to
discovering their unique mission in life. Visit her website at
www.discoveryourlifepurpose.org
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