I channel a group of entities that call themselves The Librarians, who provide me with spiritual clarity and direction. I also sometimes channel my cat, whose wisdom – especially not that he’s near death – is beyond compare.

Lying in my arms during my morning mediation he showed me his various forms of incarnation; a baby seal who was eaten by a predator early in life, and a war horse who was killed by a spear as he gallantly charged into battle. Then he showed me the image of a giggling baby boy with Down syndrome.

“What” I asked him, “is that all about?”

The Evolution of Souls

Gently he explained to me how souls experience and evolve, how they go from being in spirit form to bodily form, and how difficult that transition can sometimes be. A spirit who take the form of an animal has a lower commitment level to being in body, so to speak. Animals are fully sentient beings who have a full range of emotion, yet have very little control over their own destiny. They are not creators of their own lives the way humans are. They are reliant on others and they enjoy and experience the process of life, as opposed to the creation of their own life.

For some, it’s a transition into human form and for others it’s a break from human form. But whatever the direction, the jump from passive receiver and experiencer of life in the present moment to fully sovereign being who is capable of reflection, planning, speech, high-level thought and reasoning, with bodies that are capable of creating and destroying is quite large. And quite intimidating.

It’s like going from driving one of those kiddie-push-cars, where toddlers straddle their cute little car and walk it along with their pudgy little legs, but it’s really the parents holding onto the push-handle who have control, to driving a fully loaded SUV. With no steps in-between. Not many people are ready for that kind of a jump!

Which is where the intermediary steps come in. And Down syndrome is one of those intermediary steps.

The Joy of Being in Different Forms

I was shown how joyful it is for a spirit to be in a body with Down syndrome. The body has so much more movement and function than an animal body! There are words, thoughts, and abilities, yet not an overwhelming number of words or the drive to plan, obsess, or create. The spirit is still able to express as pure, unconditional and joyful love. But there is a bit more challenge to life, there is more planning, more direction, more autonomy and control. It’s the perfect bridge between forms.

If you have ever spent time with a Down syndrome child, you know that they are pure joy and pure spirit. They live in the moment, fully expressing their light. Yet, they have some ability to co-create, ponder, experience regret, and plan. They are in the perfect state of in-between-ness, and there is much we could learn from their experience. How to stay in the present moment, allow love to flow uninhibited through our bodies, and how to open up and receive love without expectation.

To be clear, being human is not for everyone! This is not some hierarchy where some souls are better than or lower than other souls. ALL souls are pure divine love, no matter what form they take. It’s simply that there’s a different level of responsibility and commitment in every different form. Being in any form is much harder than being in spirit form!

Similar to how some of us choose to take on a higher responsibility level at work and some of us choose to take on a lower level of responsibility so we can engage more fully in other areas of life, there is no right or wrong, good or bad. It’s all just choice and experience.

All Expressions of Life are Sacred Expressions

Being a fully sovereign human being who is responsible for consciously creating all aspects of his or her life and emotional experiences is hard. Being in animal form with pretty much zero control over your life experience is also hard. There are many options in between and instead of looking at those options with sadness, judgment, or pity, let’s celebrate them for what they are; glorious, magnificent incarnations of spirit into forms that bridge the gap between humanity and spirit in a way that few of us are able to grasp or appreciate.

Perhaps my cat and I can dance together again one day, both of us in some in-between form. And perhaps by then, our Down syndrome bodies will be revered and celebrated as the perfect forms of divine expression that they are.

Perhaps you could join us there?