The Four Friends
Once upon a time there lived a woman who was fortunate enough to have four friends. She loved each one of them, but most of all the first one, whom she equipped with rich robes and treated to the finest of delicacies. Nothing but the best was ever enough for this friend.
But the woman also loved her second friend very much and showed her off at every opportunity. Yet, a niggling fear always plagued her that one day this friend would leave her.
The woman loved the third friend, too. This one was her always kind, considerate and patient confidant. Whenever she encountered problems and had to work her way through difficult times, she would confide in this friend and ask her for her assistance, which was never denied.
The fourth friend was a very loyal partner who at all times was making great contributions to everything in the woman’s life, but if the truth were to be known, she did not love her like her other friends. This one was deeply devoted to her, although she hardly ever took any notice of her when her other companions were present.
One day, the woman became seriously ill and she realised that her time on the Earth plane was rapidly approaching its end. Reflecting on the luxurious life she had led, she sadly came to the conclusion: ‘I have four friends, but when I die I shall have to leave them behind. Almost certainly I will have to make the journey ahead alone, without even knowing what is going to happen to me.’
And so the woman decided to bring her sad news to her friends. She went to the first, second and third one and asked them whether they would accompany her. Each time she got the same reply: ‘Sorry, dearest, but when you depart from this plane, I will have to go my own way.’
‘Oh, you faithless ones,’ the woman sobbed and fled into the wide open arms of her fourth friend. To her dismay the woman found that this one had almost completely withered away, looking as if she had suffered from malnutrition and neglect and was in need of comfort herself. Feeling sorry for her, the woman exclaimed: ‘You poor thing! What’s happened to you? Who has done this to you? I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance! Now I will never be able to do it because I am soon going to depart from this plane of life. Looking the way you do, might you like to accompany me?’
The friend’s voice sounded as kind and loving as ever when she replied: ‘I will go with you. I will follow you wherever you go. Now that you are preparing to leave behind earthly life, we can take care of, nurture and get to know each other again.’
Deeply touched by these words, the woman replied: ‘Truly, you are the greatest love of my life, oh faithful one. I am so sorry I almost forgot about and overlooked you in the past. Can you forgive me? Will you show me how to repair the damage I have done to you? I am so afraid of what is ahead of me. Will you help me and show me the way?’
The friend smiled and said: ‘Oh yes, I will. There’s no need to be frightened of where you are going. It’s the world of spirit or light, your true home where you belong. You know it well enough and will instantly recognise it when we arrive. You’ll see and don’t fret over leaving your earthly family and friends behind. You will be able to welcome them, when their time for returning to your other world has come.’
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The four friends are metaphors and the first one stands for our physical body, the outer vehicle we need for each time we are reborn into yet another lifetime on the Earth. No matter how much time and effort we lavish on making our body look and feel good, it belongs to Mother Earth and has to be left behind when our earthly self says good-bye to her and leaves her behind.
The second friend represents our earthly possessions, status and wealth. What applies to our physical body is valid for them. None of them can be taken when we are leaving our present existence behind. The only thing that truly belongs to us is our consciousness and the increase in wisdom and understanding we have gained from the experiences of the lifetime we are leaving behind, which has been added to that of all previous ones. They are ours to keep and we take them with us into future lifetimes and eventually into Eternity.
The third friend represents family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for us, the farthest they can accompany us in earthly life is to our funeral. Yet, by the time this is taking place we shall already be resting and recuperating in the world of light, nurtured and cared for by the ministering Angels. The only way our loved ones can get in touch with us at this stage of our development and theirs is by thought communications.
The fourth and most important friend is a metaphor for our spirit and soul. Although we frequently neglect this aspect of our being in pursuit of earthly wealth, power and the rest of earthly pleasures, they alone are with us wherever life may take us and that forever. So, let’s make an effort to cultivate, strengthen and cherish them as much as we can while we are in this existence, for they are the most precious and noble part of our being and the only one that is going to be with us forever. The soul is the soft and sensitive feminine counterpart of our spirit, our feeling side. Our spirit is eternal and immortal. It was never born on the Earth plane and therefore cannot die.
Created by Anon.
Edited by Aquarius
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The above is part of ‘Words Of Wisdom, Hope & Encouragement’.
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