“Why would a soul choose to incarnate into a body that is not fully intact? For example, there are babies born deaf, or blind, or with Down’s syndrome, etc. Are these souls being punished for something they did in a previous life? Does the soul know it’s being born into a body that is crippled or sick?” – Kiely
This is a question I am asked frequently and it’s a good one. I will share my beliefs about this and you can decide if this resonates with you or not.
First, I believe we choose to incarnate, that it is our soul’s choice, not the choice of Source/God. We choose to come to Earth when we desire to experience physicality.
So no one is sending us here against our will. No one is forcing us to incarnate. No one is sending us here to suffer.
When the soul decides it’s ready to incarnate, a body must be created for it. That’s where the DNA of the parents come in. The physical vessel that will house the soul is created by the parents and is subject to the physical laws of our universe.
So the parents’ DNA might create a very healthy body for the soul or something could be a little off and the body that is created is damaged in some way.
The soul then has a choice about whether it will stick with the body that has been created for it, or whether it will abandon its course and try again later, with the same parents or different parents.
The parents also have a choice. Sometimes the parents know in advance that the vessel is severely damaged and they choose abortion.
Sometimes the vessel is healthy, but there are birth injuries. Sometimes the vessel is healthy and the birth is just fine, but the genetic code of the vessel leads to a childhood cancer like leukemia. Sometimes the vessel is healthy, the birth is fine, the genetic code is intact, but an accident causes the body to become damaged and the person is then crippled for life.
At any stage of the process, something might happen to the body that makes living in it more difficult or painful than anyone intended for it to be.
It happens. But it is not happening by some Divine Plan. It happens because our vessel is a shell and our soul is the peanut, and sometimes “contents are damaged during shipping.” Sometimes the body is battered, beaten, diseased, or injured. That’s the chance we take when we incarnate.
The soul knows there is a possibility of damage occurring but chooses to take its chances anyway, because the desire for physicality is strong and because the soul is not afraid to suffer.
The condition of the body is ultimately not what causes suffering; it’s our reaction to it. That’s why there are happy people on the planet who are paralyzed, and depressed people on the planet in fully functioning healthy bodies.
There are many souls who choose to exit before they are born, some because the body will be crippled and some because the family circumstances are not what they desire. But there are many who push through, take their chances and appreciate the opportunity to be physical.
You may hear other spiritual teachers say “it happens for a reason.” I don’t agree with that. I believe it happens because of physical law and then you find a reason for it so it’s easier for you to cope with your circumstances. Some people cope well and others succumb to dark thoughts.
But the bottom line is that the condition of the body is determined by DNA, not Divine Plan.