A Spiritual Question Answered: Why?

Why would any Soul choose to be born in adversity?


Disclaimer: I am a Spiritual person, and I read, follow, have taken courses by, and am a member of two organizations which are founded by Neale Donald Walsch, the author of the Conversations with God (CWG) series of books. While I don’t agree with precisely everything as written and do read other authors, I find much of CWG confirmed what I already believed and it has shaped my being a Spiritual Activist.


On another site I visit regularly, the question came up about why any Soul, prior to its incarnation here, would choose to be born into adversity. I felt compelled to reply, and what follows is my answer, in full.


I feel a need to add my own personal experiences here as an example that may help you understand.

I was born into a large Catholic family, where my parents' families attended the same local parish, went to the same schools, and played in the same Bridge Club. Even with this close contact and my parents expected to get married, my mother and her family didn't know about the mental illnesses that run in my father's family. And, since most mental illnesses don't begin to show symptoms sometimes before young adulthood (or because my father was adept at hiding it), none knew he was abusive or would develop classic narcissism and sadism.

The "world" my Soul chose for me was one where I became the sixth of seven children. By then, my mother was a functional alcoholic and my father was severely mentally ill, with the abuse of us kids worsening with each child. As the sixth, there was incest, torture and brainwashing.

Fortunately, when I first read CWG I was already on the other side of some long-term, intensive therapy. Otherwise, my reaction might well have been similar to yours. Why would any Soul agree to be born into such circumstances? Was it nuts?!??

My Soul was born to those particular parents with those particular siblings under those particular circumstances for more than one reason. The first obvious one is that I am the reason my father walked away from us. Literally. I broke the cardinal rule—keeping the family's secrets—one day when I was seven and a friend's mother picked up on something in our playing Barbie. All I said was, "Sometimes he hits when he gets mad," but it was enough for her to confront him. He charmed his way out of it, but then turned on me. When he did so, he completely lost control—his biggest fear, as he was all about controlling everything, but especially himself. When he suddenly realized it, he stopped. Soon after, he'd moved out. Since he was in the process of trying to prove my mother unfit and get full custody of us kids, I feel I saved us from additional abuse, and the youngest from any at all.

The second reason my Soul picked these circumstances for this life was so that I had something for which I had find acceptance and from which I had to heal. The acceptance was a mental exercise and the easiest part. I had, after all, survived it. In doing so, I developed creative coping skills one wouldn't expect a young child to master, but I did. I also came to understand the depth of my father's illnesses, which later helped me with my own. The healing was more emotional. It was, after all, my own father who had done these very vicious things to me when he was three times my size and was supposed to love me.

Once I healed emotionally, I found I wasn't quite done with it all. I needed to heal Spiritually—to stop being so angry with God for having placed me in those circumstances. CWG helped a great deal with that. Now I see that, without the darkness I was born into, I couldn't have appreciated how bright my own Light is. I don't say I'm grateful, but I give credit where credit is due. I wouldn't be who I am today without my father, and I feel blessed to be who I am.

There's even a third reason I was born into those circumstances, which I do on an "as it happens" basis but which I'm working on formalizing. People need to hear my story. They need to know that, no matter the circumstances, they can be overcome, appreciated, and even seen as blessings. I've done it in support groups and one-on-one, but am now writing a book and developing a website, each of which will not only share my story but also the tools I and others have used to become what I call a "Riser"—someone who may get knocked down but who learned how to get back up.

I don't know if there will be other purposes that will later reveal themselves, but these three, plus my connection with and my own understandings about God and Life, are enough to make me certain my Soul knew what it was doing and why.

I hope this helps.

Love and Blessings Always,
~Annie

Annie Stith (aka Spiritual Annie)

Written by

Spiritual Activist; Writer who "paints pictures with words"; Currently working on an autobiography that focuses on healing tools. Soon: Website!

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