Why the Dead Watch Over Us

[Photo Credit: Marc-Olivier Jodoin on Unsplash]

When I began attending a spiritualist church here in town, there was a lot to take in, as the supernatural slowly became natural, the extraordinary ordinary. For instance, I was learning that those who have passed on remain, in their essence, the people they were when we knew them in the flesh. If there are angels' wings to be handed out, or further development and personal growth in store for them, it doesn't happen on the first day. So, what do they do with the rest of their time?

One of the things they do, I learned, is watch. Spiritualist ministers are committed to bringing messages of hope and love from the other side, and one of those messages, that's been repeated in almost every reading I've heard, is that the dearly departed continue to watch over us. It's meant to be reassuring. I've thought of it many times since, though, that at any given moment of the day or night a loved one may be watching me. I've never actually known if they were there. They don't announce their presence to me as an apparition, say, or as a chilling rush of air. So, it feels more like they're spying, and this doesn't comfort me as it should.

For what purpose do they watch us, I want to know. Is it for them a kind of entertainment? Is it a way of slowly weaning themselves from the affairs of this life for whatever glories await them in the next? Is it for our sake, perhaps? Does it change anything in our lives that they're watching from the vantage point of theirs? When we fail or fall, can they do anything but watch the disaster unfold? And does their watching affect the outcome, even subtly, like the beating of a butterfly's wings in South America somehow altering the weather on the Canadian Prairies?

In the absence of answers, or of the kind of empirical evidence that might lead to answers, a recent experience has convinced me that their watching does offer us this: a connection to the divine wisdom that is the source of everything, which we experience as a deep soulful pull that is always trying to get our attention. Any change in our circumstance can only come about if we're willing to change, there being free will and all. But the watchfulness of the dead serves as a silent reminder to us of who we are and why we're here, inspiring us to get back in the game.

In this week's episode of The Mystic Cave, I share a true story with you. It's called "Great Aunt Gladys and the Dakini Sky Walkers." It has to do with an election, a visit from a relative who's passed on, and some divine encouragement. The experience has led me to the conviction that, in the end, it's a good thing that the dead watch over us. We may still have to face all the challenges of this world, but we don't have to do it alone.

To listen to this week's episode, just click on the Play button below.