Re the Theosophists' view I reference below "All of us are reincarnated over many lifetimes and each of us will experience what it's like to be rich, what it's like to be poor; what it's like to be respected, what it's like to be scorned, and so on . . . including, naturally, each of us will have some of our lives as women and other lives as men.": This view of reincarnation has always seemed nobler - more worthy of an artist - to me: God is taking each of "us" on a universal tour to experience all the highs and lows of life. If the Advaita-Vedantans are right and "we" are actually the One Self pretending to be many different individuals then that accords perfectly with this interpretation of reincarnation. The common view that if we're good, we earn a cushy life next time around is pretty vulgar really. And the more "spiritualised" version that we're paying our dues towards arhat status is really just the idea of meritocracy projected onto the Cosmos.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon wrote: > > Charlie was definitely a believer in Theosophy. As I remember it( his explanation), we change from one sex to the other every three incarnations. The first incarnation of the opposite sex drags old tendencies from the previous birth with it. The second birth in that sex is more balanced,  while the third incarnation is more of an exaggeration of that sex. The super masculine man or the super feminine woman. So naturally, the next change, brings with it, impressions from the previous birth which was exaggerated. This would mean that all these experiences are natural for everybody to experience from life time to life time. And of course, how we treat one another going through theses phases of evolution determine our own fate. Do unto others as you would have done unto you. Pile-on all of our other karmas and hang-ups and god only knows how it's going to be expressed. Who knows why someone feels they are in the wrong body? That could be untangling a > mess that you'll never figure out. > > > > ________________________________ > From: Share Long sharelong60@... > To: "FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com" FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Friday, August 23, 2013 4:43 AM > Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Pfc. Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years > >  > > Answer to your serious question: we shall see. As to your other comments; on a more mundane level, it's clear that we all have masculine and feminine aspects. For example, we all have estrogen and testosterone flowing around in our bodies. Given the ever expanding nature of the universe, it makes sense to me that a variety of expressions with regards to gender will be the rule rather than the exception. > > > > ________________________________ > From: Seraphita s3raphita@... > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2013 7:22 PM > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Pfc. Bradley Manning sentenced to 35 years > >  > That was the Theosophists' line. They said that all of us are reincarnated over many lifetimes and each of us will experience what it's like to be rich, what it's like to be poor; what it's like to be respected, what it's like to be scorned, and so on . . .  including, naturally, each of us will have some of our lives as women and other lives as men. > > The thinking was that if you were a woman in a previous life and had just now incarnated as a man you could have homosexual tendencies this time around. Or if you were a woman and your next reincarnation was scheduled to be as a man you might have lesbian tendencies. (And various changes on that theme.) > > What's neat about the theory is that it recognises that homosexuality is "unnatural" (most people's initial gut reaction?) but it justifies the orientation as being "supernaturally" ordained. Nice one! (It's a mirror image of the usual liberal approach that any sexual orientation is natural and so acceptable.) > > Serious question: now that Bradley/Chelsea has requested the new identity does that mean that liberal outlets like CNN will call her "Chelsea" while conservative outlets like Fox will call him "Bradley" in their news coverage? > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "sharelong60" wrote:>> I think it was Mike Dixon who had what I think is a plausible explanation from Charlie Lutes: that a person is carrying non physical gender qualities over from a previous life time. > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" authfriend@ wrote:> >> > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Seraphita" wrote:> > >> > > - In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" wrote:>> > > Manning says she's always been a woman in her mind/psyche.> > > > > > This Manning "chap" becomes more embarrassing by the day.> > > From the Wiki article on the US Military and gays I read:> > > While restrictions on sexual orientation have been lifted, restrictions> > > on gender identity remain in place due to Department of Defense> > > regulations; transgender Americans thus continue to be barred from> > > military service.> > >> > > Sorry Chelsea - you're in the wrong line of work.> > > > Not any more. > She's been dishonorably discharged.> > > > She said she joined the Army to try to overcome her sense> > that she was a woman. Now that the trial is over and she's> > out of the Army, she's decided to go for it.> > > > FWIW, research is increasingly showing that gender dysphoria> > has biological causes. It's beginning to look as though a> > man, say, doesn't want to be a woman because he's screwed> > up, but is screwed up because he wants to be a woman.> > > > It's hard to imagine what it must be like to feel you're in> > the wrong kind of body and to know that everybody thinks> > you're someone you know you aren't--and for this to be the> > case from the time you were a very little kid. That would> > mess with anyone's mind.> >> >
