Michael Newton’s Destiny of Souls: Understanding Soul Evolution

Soul evolution is a concept that resonates deeply with anyone who seeks a higher understanding of their life's purpose and the journey of the spirit.

Today, we’re diving into the extraordinary work of Dr. Michael Newton, the author of Destiny of Souls. In this conversation, we’ll explore the profound insights on how our souls evolve through reincarnation, karma, and spiritual ascension.

Joining us are some of the most renowned thinkers in the realm of spirituality—Dolores Cannon, Dr. Brian Weiss, Paramahansa Yogananda, Esther Hicks, and Emanuel Swedenborg. 

Together, they’ll shed light on the mysteries of life between lives, the process of soul contracts, and the ultimate goal of ascension. Let’s begin this incredible journey of understanding our soul’s evolution

The Nature of the Soul and Its Journey

Nick Sasaki (Moderator): Welcome, everyone. Today’s panel is extraordinary. We have Michael Newton, Dolores Cannon, Dr. Brian Weiss, Paramahansa Yogananda, Esther Hicks, and Emanuel Swedenborg—all pioneers in understanding the nature of the soul and its journey. Our focus today will be on what the soul is and the path it takes through life, death, and beyond. Michael, since much of this discussion is rooted in your work, why don’t you start?

Michael Newton: Thank you, Nick. Through my work in spiritual regression therapy, I’ve come to understand the soul as an eternal and evolving entity. The soul incarnates multiple times, moving through different lives to learn specific lessons. Each lifetime adds to the soul’s growth. In between lives, souls return to a spiritual realm where they review their progress, heal, and plan their next incarnation. The ultimate goal is spiritual evolution, where the soul attains a higher level of consciousness and reunites with the divine source.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Michael. Dolores, you’ve done a lot of work with hypnosis and past-life regression, much like Michael. How does your understanding of the soul’s journey compare?

Dolores Cannon: I agree with Michael on many points. In my work, the soul is seen as an eternal being that takes on various lifetimes to experience growth. What I found through my sessions is that some souls are volunteers, coming to Earth to assist in raising the planet’s vibration. There are also many souls who are working through karmic cycles, balancing energies from previous lives. Each incarnation is a step toward spiritual ascension. Beyond Earth, there are higher dimensions, and the soul ultimately seeks to return to its source—what we might call the collective consciousness or divine energy.

Nick Sasaki: That’s fascinating. Dr. Brian Weiss, you’ve also explored the concept of reincarnation extensively. How does your view align with what Dolores and Michael have shared?

Dr. Brian Weiss: My experiences through past-life regression align closely with both Michael’s and Dolores’. The soul is eternal, and it reincarnates across many lifetimes to learn lessons related to love, forgiveness, and spiritual growth. After death, the soul enters a place of healing and reflection—what some call the ‘life between lives’ state. Here, the soul reviews its previous life, the decisions it made, and the lessons it learned, before planning the next incarnation. The ultimate goal for the soul is enlightenment, which is essentially achieving union with the divine, as Yogananda would describe it.

Nick Sasaki: Speaking of which, Yogananda, you’ve written extensively on the soul’s relationship with the divine. How does your understanding of the soul’s journey fit into this conversation?

Paramahansa Yogananda: The soul, or Atman, is a reflection of the Divine. It is eternal and unchanging, though it appears to move through cycles of birth and rebirth. The soul's journey, however, is not to accumulate experiences or karma, but to realize its oneness with God. The ultimate goal is self-realization, where the soul transcends the illusions of the material world and recognizes its true, divine nature. Each incarnation serves as an opportunity for the soul to break free from the cycle of samsara and achieve union with the divine, or moksha.

Nick Sasaki: Enlightenment and union with the divine seem to be key themes here. Esther, you channel Abraham, a collective consciousness. How does your understanding of the soul’s journey reflect what we’ve heard so far?

Esther Hicks (Abraham): From Abraham's perspective, the soul is pure, positive energy, always expanding and evolving. Each physical incarnation is an opportunity for the soul to experience joy, growth, and contrast. The contrast—what some might call challenges or hardships—helps the soul refine its desires and expand even further. The soul’s ultimate goal is not just to return to Source, but to continue creating and expanding, eternally. The journey of the soul is one of joyous expansion, and the soul’s vibrational energy is always moving toward greater alignment with its higher self.

Nick Sasaki: That’s a beautifully expansive view. Swedenborg, you explored the afterlife in great detail. What’s your understanding of the soul’s journey, especially after death?

Emanuel Swedenborg: The soul, in my view, is created by God and exists eternally. After death, the soul enters the spiritual world, where it continues to evolve based on its loves and affections. The state of the soul in the afterlife is a reflection of its inner spiritual condition. Those who have cultivated love for God and others move into heavenly states, while those attached to selfish loves find themselves in lower spiritual realms. The journey of the soul, then, is about becoming aligned with divine love and wisdom, and this process continues beyond death.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Swedenborg. There’s an incredible array of perspectives here, but I see common threads of the soul being eternal, evolving through lifetimes, and moving toward a state of higher consciousness or divine unity. Michael, based on your research, do you see these various perspectives reflected in your clients’ experiences?

Michael Newton: Absolutely, Nick. In my research, I’ve found that souls describe experiences that align with many of the ideas shared here. Some souls follow a path of reincarnation, as Dolores, Dr. Weiss, and Yogananda have described, working through karma and learning lessons. Others describe experiences of pure joy and creation, similar to Esther’s perspective of the soul’s expansion. And many souls report moving into a realm of love and wisdom, much like what Swedenborg shared. While the specifics can vary, the common goal is always spiritual growth, healing, and ultimately, reunion with the divine.

Nick Sasaki: This has been an incredibly rich discussion. We’ve touched on reincarnation, karma, divine love, and the soul’s eternal journey toward expansion and unity with the divine. I look forward to diving deeper into these themes in our next topics. Thank you all for your insights!

Karma and the Role of Free Will in the Soul’s Journey

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, everyone, for that insightful start to our conversation. For Topic 2, I’d like to focus on karma and how free will influences the soul’s journey. The concept of karma—how actions from past lives affect present circumstances—plays a central role in many spiritual traditions. How does karma shape the soul’s journey, and what role does free will play in that process? Michael, could you begin by explaining what you’ve discovered about karma through your research?

Michael Newton: Absolutely, Nick. In my research, karma plays a vital role in the soul’s journey. From what I’ve observed, karma is less about punishment or reward and more about balance and learning. Souls choose their incarnations and the lessons they need to master based on the energies they’ve created in past lives. For example, a soul that caused harm in a previous life may choose to experience the opposite in a future life to understand the consequences of those actions. Free will is essential—each soul has the freedom to make choices within the parameters of its life plan, but those choices can either accelerate growth or delay it.

Nick Sasaki: That makes a lot of sense. Dolores, your work with regression therapy often deals with past lives and karmic cycles. How do you see karma influencing the soul’s journey?

Dolores Cannon: In my sessions, I’ve found that many people are working through karmic cycles, sometimes over many lifetimes. Karma is like a balancing act. If a soul has caused harm, it might choose to incarnate in a life where it experiences the same or similar harm, not as punishment but as an opportunity to learn empathy and compassion. But karma is not only about negatives—positive actions create positive karma, and these souls may choose lives of service or leadership. Free will plays a huge part in this because, even though the soul sets up challenges before incarnating, how we respond to those challenges is always our choice.

Nick Sasaki: So, karma creates opportunities for growth, but free will determines how we handle those opportunities. Dr. Weiss, how do you see the relationship between karma and free will in your work with past life regression?

Dr. Brian Weiss: I completely agree with what Michael and Dolores have shared. Karma is a natural balancing force that allows souls to learn through their experiences. I’ve seen many cases where people experience phobias, difficult relationships, or even physical ailments that are directly connected to unresolved karmic energy from past lives. Through regression, they’re able to understand these patterns and release them, freeing themselves from negative karmic cycles. Free will is always present—while we may be born into certain circumstances, how we navigate those challenges and grow from them is up to us. It’s this choice that determines whether the soul progresses or remains stuck in a particular karmic lesson.

Nick Sasaki: It seems that karma offers the framework for learning, but free will is what drives progress. Yogananda, could you explain how karma and free will function within the Hindu spiritual tradition?

Paramahansa Yogananda: In Hindu philosophy, karma is seen as the law of cause and effect that governs the soul’s journey through samsara, or the cycle of birth and death. Every action, thought, and intention creates an imprint on the soul, which influences future incarnations. However, we are not powerless. Free will allows us to transcend karma by making choices aligned with our higher self. Through right action, meditation, and devotion to God, we can neutralize negative karma and progress toward moksha—liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Free will is the key to overcoming karma, as it enables us to live in alignment with divine truth.

Nick Sasaki: That’s a profound way to see it—free will as the tool to transcend karma. Esther, from Abraham’s perspective, how does karma fit into the idea of vibrational alignment and free will?

Esther Hicks (Abraham): From Abraham’s perspective, karma as a system of past actions influencing the present is less relevant. What truly matters is your vibrational alignment with your desires in the present moment. Every soul is a powerful creator, and through free will, you’re constantly shaping your reality based on the energy you are emitting. If you focus on joy, love, and abundance, you attract more of that into your life. Karma, in the traditional sense, can be transcended by raising your vibration and aligning with your higher self. The key is to understand that you have the power, through your thoughts and emotions, to create your reality in every moment.

Nick Sasaki: That’s an interesting shift—focusing more on present alignment rather than past actions. Swedenborg, how do you view the balance between karma, free will, and spiritual growth?

Emanuel Swedenborg: In my writings, I emphasize that the soul’s journey is deeply tied to the choices we make, both in this life and beyond. Free will is paramount because God does not force anyone into heaven or hell—souls choose their spiritual path based on their loves and affections. While I do not use the term karma, there is a natural order in the spiritual world where the consequences of one’s actions follow the soul. If a soul has cultivated love for God and others, it naturally gravitates toward heavenly realms. If it has been selfish, it experiences a lower state. Free will, therefore, determines the soul’s ultimate destination.

Nick Sasaki: It seems that across traditions, free will is the deciding factor in how we navigate karma or spiritual consequences. Michael, based on your work, do you find that souls use their free will to resolve karmic debts, or are they bound by them?

Michael Newton: From my research, I’ve seen that souls are not bound by karma in a rigid sense. While there are lessons to be learned and energies to be balanced, souls have complete free will in how they approach those lessons. Some souls choose to face difficult circumstances head-on, while others may take several lifetimes to work through similar patterns. What I’ve observed is that free will is always present, and it’s the soul’s willingness to evolve that determines the speed of their spiritual growth.

Nick Sasaki: This has been an incredibly enlightening discussion. We’ve explored how karma shapes the soul’s journey and how free will plays a crucial role in how souls navigate those challenges. Thank you all for your wisdom on this complex and fascinating topic.

The Afterlife and Life Between Lives

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, everyone, for the incredible insights on karma and free will. Now, let’s shift our focus to what happens after death—the afterlife and the concept of life between lives. Many of you have explored this realm extensively. What does the soul experience after death, and how does this time between incarnations affect its journey? Michael, you’ve done a lot of work with souls in the life-between-lives state. Can you start us off?

Michael Newton: Of course, Nick. In my sessions, I’ve found that after death, souls transition to a spiritual realm where they go through a period of healing and reflection. This is a time when they review the life they just lived, analyzing the lessons learned and the challenges they faced. Often, souls meet with their spirit guides and, in some cases, members of a council of elders, who help them evaluate their progress. After this review, souls spend time in a place of rest or healing before planning their next incarnation. The life-between-lives state is crucial for spiritual growth because it provides the soul with the clarity it needs to understand its actions and prepare for the next phase of its journey.

Nick Sasaki: That’s fascinating—the life review process seems key to understanding the soul’s progress. Dolores, in your work, you’ve also explored the afterlife and the higher dimensions souls travel to. How do these realms affect the soul’s growth?

Dolores Cannon: Yes, Michael and I have found very similar experiences. After death, souls move to various higher dimensions based on their frequency or level of spiritual evolution. The soul first goes through what I call the ‘scanning process,’ where they review the life they just lived. This process is very compassionate—there’s no judgment, just understanding and growth. After the review, souls can travel to different realms—what some might call heaven or higher planes—depending on their level of development. Some souls are ready to incarnate again right away, while others take time to work in the spirit realm, learning and helping other souls. These realms are places of immense love, healing, and learning.

Nick Sasaki: So, the afterlife isn’t just a resting place but a place for continued growth and preparation for the next life. Dr. Weiss, how do you see the afterlife and the life-between-lives state in your regression work?

Dr. Brian Weiss: I’ve seen many cases where clients experience the afterlife as a place of reflection and healing, similar to what Michael and Dolores have described. In my sessions, people often recall being in a realm of peace and light, where they are surrounded by loving guides. The life review process is especially important because it allows souls to understand the impact of their choices—not just from their own perspective but from the perspectives of others they’ve affected. It’s an opportunity for the soul to learn empathy and compassion on a deeper level. After this period, the soul may choose its next life and the lessons it wishes to experience, all while receiving guidance from spiritual beings.

Nick Sasaki: The common theme here seems to be reflection and preparation for the next incarnation. Yogananda, in Hinduism, there’s the concept of samsara and moksha. How does the afterlife fit into the soul’s journey toward liberation?

Paramahansa Yogananda: In Hinduism, the afterlife is seen as part of the larger cycle of samsara—birth, death, and rebirth. When the soul leaves the physical body, it enters the astral realm, where it continues its journey. The astral plane is more refined than the physical, and here the soul can experience higher states of consciousness. However, this is still not the final destination. The ultimate goal is moksha—liberation from the cycle of birth and death. In the afterlife, the soul has the opportunity to grow and purify itself through meditation and service, eventually transcending the need for reincarnation and merging with the Divine. The afterlife is a continuation of the soul’s journey, but it is also a place where the soul can move closer to God through spiritual practice.

Nick Sasaki: So, the afterlife is a crucial step toward moksha, where the soul continues its purification and journey toward liberation. Esther, from Abraham’s perspective, what happens to the soul after death? Is it a place of continued expansion?

Esther Hicks (Abraham): Absolutely, Nick. From Abraham’s perspective, when the physical body dies, the soul immediately returns to a state of pure positive energy and alignment with Source. There is no pain or suffering—just joy and expansion. The soul re-enters the non-physical realm, where it is free from any resistance it may have experienced in the physical world. In this state, the soul continues to expand, always moving toward greater joy and love. There is no judgment, only the natural alignment with the soul’s higher self. Every experience, even in the physical, adds to the soul’s expansion, and this continues infinitely in the non-physical realm.

Nick Sasaki: That’s an uplifting perspective—the soul is always expanding, even in the afterlife. Swedenborg, you’ve written extensively about the afterlife. How does the soul’s journey in the afterlife affect its spiritual progression?

Emanuel Swedenborg: In my explorations of the afterlife, I’ve found that the soul continues to evolve based on the loves and affections it cultivated during its life. The afterlife is not a static place—it is a dynamic environment where souls gravitate toward communities of like-minded individuals. Souls who have cultivated love for God and others move toward heavenly realms, while those focused on selfishness may find themselves in lower spiritual states. The soul’s progression in the afterlife is determined by the purity of its love and wisdom. The more a soul has aligned itself with divine love, the closer it moves to the heavenly realms. In this way, the afterlife is a continuation of the soul’s journey toward becoming more like the Divine.

Nick Sasaki: It’s clear that the afterlife is not just a resting place but an opportunity for further growth, alignment, and healing. Michael, do you find that souls use this time between lives to prepare for their next incarnation? How does that planning process unfold?

Michael Newton: Absolutely, Nick. In the life-between-lives state, souls spend time reflecting on their past lives and the lessons they still need to learn. They meet with their spirit guides and, often, with a council of higher spiritual beings who help them review their progress. Souls are given the opportunity to choose their next incarnation—what challenges they will face, what relationships they will form, and what lessons they will focus on. This planning is done with great care, and the soul is always given the freedom to choose its path. The time between lives is crucial because it allows the soul to heal, reflect, and make informed decisions about its next steps on the journey of evolution.

Nick Sasaki: That’s incredibly insightful. It seems the afterlife and life-between-lives stages are key to the soul’s growth, offering both reflection and preparation for the next phase. Thank you all for your contributions to this discussion!

Preparing for Incarnation: Life Planning and Soul Contracts

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, everyone, for the incredible insights on the afterlife and life between lives. Now, let’s explore the process of preparing for incarnation—how souls plan their next life and the idea of soul contracts. Many of you have touched on this briefly, but let’s dive deeper into the decisions that souls make before incarnating. Michael, can you explain how souls prepare for their next life based on your research?

Michael Newton: Certainly, Nick. From what I’ve learned through regression sessions, souls engage in detailed life planning before incarnating. This process is guided by their spirit guides and sometimes involves a council of elders. Souls review their previous lives and determine what lessons they still need to master. They choose the circumstances of their next life, including their family, major life events, and even challenges they may face. These decisions are made with the purpose of spiritual growth. Souls enter into what are often called "soul contracts," which are agreements with other souls to experience certain situations together—whether positive or challenging—to help each other evolve.

Nick Sasaki: That’s fascinating—so the soul has quite a bit of agency in shaping its life circumstances. Dolores, you’ve spoken extensively about soul contracts and how they affect our relationships and challenges in life. How do you see this process unfolding?

Dolores Cannon: Yes, soul contracts are key to understanding why we experience certain relationships or difficult situations. In my work, I’ve seen that souls often incarnate with groups of other souls—what we might call a soul family. These souls agree to play different roles in each other’s lives, sometimes switching roles across lifetimes. For example, a parent in one life might be a sibling or even a spouse in another. These contracts are created to help each soul learn lessons, often related to love, forgiveness, and compassion. The soul is aware of the challenges it might face, but it agrees to these experiences because they are essential for growth. Even difficult relationships or painful experiences are often part of a soul contract designed to foster evolution.

Nick Sasaki: So even our most challenging experiences are agreed upon before birth to help us grow. Dr. Weiss, you’ve also worked with people who uncover their soul contracts through regression. How do you see this planning process impacting their lives?

Dr. Brian Weiss: I’ve had many clients who, through regression, realize that they are living out agreements made in the spirit realm before birth. Once they uncover these contracts, it often brings a sense of peace and understanding—especially when it comes to difficult relationships or life challenges. For example, someone might realize that a particularly challenging family member is actually a soul they agreed to work with in this life to learn patience or forgiveness. These contracts are not set in stone, however. Free will is always involved, and the choices we make can alter the path. The awareness of these contracts can help people navigate their lives with more compassion and purpose, knowing that the challenges are there for their spiritual growth.

Nick Sasaki: That’s powerful—understanding these contracts can transform how people approach their challenges. Yogananda, in Hinduism, there is the concept of dharma, or one’s duty in life. How does the idea of life planning fit into this framework?

Paramahansa Yogananda: In the Hindu tradition, the soul incarnates with a specific purpose, or dharma, that aligns with its spiritual evolution. This dharma is determined by the soul’s karma, or the actions from previous lives that have shaped its current circumstances. Before incarnating, the soul chooses a path that will allow it to fulfill its dharma and progress toward moksha—liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. The soul often selects challenges and relationships that will help it work through karma and grow closer to God. The key to navigating life’s challenges is to live in alignment with one’s dharma, acting with righteousness and devotion. In this way, life planning is an opportunity for the soul to align with divine will and move toward liberation.

Nick Sasaki: So, life planning involves aligning with a higher purpose and fulfilling one's dharma. Esther, from Abraham’s perspective, how does the soul plan its incarnation, and is there a similar concept to soul contracts?

Esther Hicks (Abraham): From Abraham’s perspective, the soul enters each incarnation with the intention of joy, growth, and expansion. Before incarnating, the soul sets intentions for what it wants to experience in physical form, but it does so from a place of pure positive energy. There’s no sense of punishment or karmic debt—everything is about expansion and joy. The soul knows that every experience, even those that may appear negative, will lead to growth. So in that sense, you could say there are agreements, or contracts, but they are always focused on the soul’s desire to expand and experience more joy. Free will is the ultimate tool in this process—while the soul may have intentions, it is always creating its reality in the moment, based on vibrational alignment.

Nick Sasaki: That’s a refreshing take—where even challenges are part of the soul’s joyful expansion. Swedenborg, you’ve explored the spiritual world in depth. How do you see souls preparing for their lives on Earth, especially in terms of divine guidance?

Emanuel Swedenborg: In my explorations of the spiritual world, I found that souls are guided by divine love and wisdom in the planning of their earthly lives. Before incarnating, souls are shown the life circumstances that will help them grow closer to God and to others. These circumstances are chosen based on the loves and affections the soul has cultivated in previous lifetimes. Souls often choose experiences that will purify their intentions and bring them closer to divine love. There is always free will involved, and the soul is never forced into a particular path. However, the divine guidance the soul receives in the spiritual world helps it understand the challenges it may face, and how those challenges will help it progress toward heavenly love and wisdom.

Nick Sasaki: It seems that across all perspectives, there’s a sense of divine guidance and intentionality in how souls prepare for their next life. Michael, based on your work, what role does free will play in this planning process, and can souls change their plans once they incarnate?

Michael Newton: Free will is always central in the process. While souls engage in detailed life planning before incarnating, they still have the freedom to make choices once they are on Earth. The life plan is like a blueprint, but it is not rigid. Souls can choose to take different paths, and sometimes they may even alter the course of their life if they learn the lesson sooner or in a different way than expected. There’s a lot of flexibility, and the soul’s primary goal is growth, so whether the lesson takes one life or several, it’s all part of the journey. The planning process gives the soul a sense of direction, but it’s how they exercise their free will that determines the speed and nature of their progress.

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, Michael, and thank you all for sharing your insights on life planning and soul contracts. It’s clear that souls enter their incarnations with intentionality and guidance, but they always have the power to shape their journey through free will.

Ascension and the Soul’s Ultimate Evolution

Nick Sasaki: Thank you, everyone, for your deep insights on life planning and soul contracts. For our final topic today, let’s talk about ascension and the soul’s ultimate evolution. Many traditions speak about reaching higher states of consciousness or returning to the divine source. What does the soul’s ascension look like, and how do souls reach this ultimate stage of evolution? Michael, let’s begin with you. How do you see ascension from your work with life between lives?

Michael Newton: Thanks, Nick. In my work, ascension is the natural outcome of the soul’s continuous evolution through multiple lifetimes. As souls learn their lessons and balance their karmic energy, they gradually ascend to higher levels of consciousness. In the spirit world, souls are often grouped into categories based on their level of spiritual maturity. Younger souls are still learning basic lessons, while older souls are focused on service, guiding others, and mastering the deeper complexities of existence. The final stage of ascension is when the soul becomes fully integrated with the divine source, no longer needing to reincarnate, having reached the highest state of spiritual development.

Nick Sasaki: So, ascension is about reaching a stage where reincarnation is no longer necessary. Dolores, you’ve explored higher dimensions and ascension through your work. What have you discovered about the soul’s ultimate evolution?

Dolores Cannon: Yes, Michael and I are very much aligned here. Ascension is the soul’s journey toward higher frequencies and dimensions of existence. As souls evolve, they move through different dimensional planes, each one more refined and aligned with the source of all creation. What I’ve found is that many souls are volunteers—coming to Earth from higher dimensions to help the planet ascend. These souls already exist at a higher level, but they choose to incarnate to raise the vibration of humanity. The ascension process is all about raising your frequency, letting go of lower vibrations like fear and anger, and fully embracing love, compassion, and unity. The ultimate goal is to reunite with the divine source in the highest dimensions.

Nick Sasaki: That’s a beautiful vision of ascension—raising one’s frequency to reunite with the divine. Dr. Weiss, you’ve guided many souls through regression to help them uncover their purpose. How does ascension fit into the soul’s journey?

Dr. Brian Weiss: Ascension, as I’ve seen through regression therapy, is the soul’s gradual movement toward enlightenment. Each lifetime serves as a stepping stone in that process, with the soul learning lessons of love, forgiveness, and compassion. The more the soul learns, the closer it moves to the state of enlightenment or ascension. I’ve seen many cases where people realize that they are at a turning point—where they’re ready to stop reincarnating and ascend to higher planes of existence. This happens when the soul has reached a state of complete understanding and love. Once that happens, the soul is no longer bound to the cycle of birth and death and can exist in a state of pure consciousness and connection with the divine.

Nick Sasaki: It sounds like ascension is a state of enlightenment where the soul transcends the need for further incarnations. Yogananda, in your teachings, moksha or liberation is the ultimate goal. How does the concept of ascension align with moksha in Hinduism?

Paramahansa Yogananda: Moksha, or liberation, is indeed the ultimate goal in Hinduism. It is the point where the soul transcends the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth (samsara) and reunites with God. Ascension, in this context, is the soul’s progressive movement toward God-realization. As the soul evolves, it sheds the limitations of the ego and material attachments, allowing it to merge with the Divine. Through meditation, selfless service, and devotion, the soul gradually ascends to higher states of consciousness, ultimately realizing its oneness with the Divine. Once moksha is achieved, the soul experiences eternal bliss in union with God, free from the illusions of the material world.

Nick Sasaki: So, in Hinduism, ascension is about self-realization and merging with the Divine. Esther, from Abraham’s perspective, is there a concept of ascension, and if so, what does it look like?

Esther Hicks (Abraham): Absolutely, Nick. From Abraham’s perspective, ascension is the soul’s continuous expansion and alignment with Source energy. The soul is always evolving and expanding, but it’s not about “completing” a journey or reaching a final destination. Rather, ascension is an ongoing process of joy, creation, and alignment with your higher self. When you are in alignment with Source, you are already in a state of ascension. The soul doesn’t need to be “fixed” or “evolved” in the way some might think—it is already perfect, always expanding and experiencing joy. The key to ascension is staying in vibrational alignment with love, joy, and well-being, and allowing that alignment to carry you to ever-higher states of consciousness.

Nick Sasaki: That’s an interesting take—ascension as an ongoing, joyful process rather than a final destination. Swedenborg, you’ve written about heavenly realms. How does the soul ascend to higher spiritual states in your view?

Emanuel Swedenborg: In my experience, ascension is the soul’s movement toward heavenly states of existence, determined by its love and wisdom. Souls who have cultivated love for God and others naturally gravitate toward higher realms, while those attached to selfish loves remain in lower spiritual states. Ascension is a gradual process where the soul is purified of its lower desires and aligned with divine love. As the soul grows in love and wisdom, it moves closer to God, eventually entering heavenly realms where it experiences eternal joy and connection with the Divine. In this sense, ascension is the soul’s ongoing journey toward becoming more like God in love, truth, and service to others.

Nick Sasaki: It seems that, across all perspectives, ascension is about moving toward higher states of love, consciousness, and unity with the Divine. Michael, you’ve spoken about the different levels of souls. How does the soul’s progress through these levels relate to ascension?

Michael Newton: In my research, souls progress through different levels of spiritual maturity, from beginner souls to advanced souls. Each level represents a deeper understanding of love, compassion, and universal truth. As souls move through these levels, they take on more responsibility, often becoming guides or teachers for younger souls. Ascension occurs when a soul reaches the highest levels, where it no longer needs to reincarnate and instead exists in a state of pure consciousness, fully aligned with the divine source. It’s a gradual process, but every soul eventually reaches this point of ultimate ascension, where it merges back into the collective consciousness of the divine.

Nick Sasaki: That’s a beautiful image of ascension as the soul’s merging with divine consciousness after evolving through many stages. Thank you all for your insights into this profound process of ascension and ultimate evolution.

Short Bios: