Spiritual Beings Having a Human Experience

Wayne Dyer:  

When I first heard the words “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience”, they didn’t just sound true — they felt like a memory I’d been carrying all along.

In this series, you’re about to listen in on conversations that stretch beyond the boundaries of time and culture. These voices — poets, mystics, scientists, and saints — come together to remind us of something we often forget: that our birth was not the beginning, and our death will not be the end.

You’ll hear them speak about where the soul comes from, why we forget our divine nature, and what Earth uniquely offers as a classroom for the spirit. You’ll hear about the illusion of separation, and what remains when the human story ends.

As you read, I invite you to feel not just the ideas but the energy beneath them. Notice how these words resonate in you — not as theories to be proven, but as truths to be remembered.

This isn’t just philosophy. It’s a homecoming.

(Note: This is an imaginary conversation, a creative exploration of an idea, and not a real speech or event.)

Topic 1 – Before Birth, After Death: What Is the Soul’s Journey?

Moderator: Oprah Winfrey
Speakers: Rumi, Paramahansa Yogananda, Dolores Cannon, Carl Jung, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Oprah
Before we begin, I want to frame this in a way that’s close to my own heart: if we really are spiritual beings having a human experience, then the story must begin long before we take our first breath — and continue long after our last. So let me ask — if the soul existed before this life, what was its purpose in choosing this incarnation?

Rumi
Before time began, your soul whispered a secret into the ear of the universe. It was a promise — to taste the bitter so you might savor the sweet, to be broken so you might be made whole. You came here, beloved, to dance in the marketplace of sorrow and joy, to remember the Beloved by forgetting Him for a while.

Yogananda
The soul is a spark of the Infinite. It chooses each incarnation as a classroom for its own divine education. In this life, you may have come to learn patience, or courage, or unconditional love. We are not here randomly — the blueprint is written by the soul in harmony with God’s will.

Dolores Cannon
In my regressions, I’ve heard thousands of souls speak of this choice. They gather with guides before coming here, reviewing past experiences and deciding what’s next. Some choose challenges to balance old karma; others come simply to assist in humanity’s evolution. Earth is a tough school, but one of the most rewarding.

Carl Jung
The psyche’s roots reach far deeper than our personal biography. The pre-life choice is often about confronting archetypes that remain unresolved in the collective. We are born into a time and place that mirrors both our personal destiny and humanity’s unfolding myth.

Kübler-Ross
Every soul I’ve encountered in my work chose life for love — love of self, love of others, love of learning. Even those who face tragedy did not come here by accident. They came to transform it into something luminous.

Oprah
That brings us to the next question. From the soul’s perspective, how does the process of death differ from our human fears about it?

Yogananda
The fear is of losing the body, but the soul never dies. Death is only the dropping of a garment. From the soul’s view, it is liberation — a return to the ocean after playing for a time as a wave.

Kübler-Ross
For those who have crossed and returned, the moment of death is often described as relief, release, even joy. The tunnel, the light — these are not metaphors; they are part of the transition. Our fear comes from the unknown, but the soul knows exactly where it’s going.

Rumi
Death is not the end, it is the night’s embrace before the dawn of another morning. To the soul, it is like stepping from one room into another — the furniture changes, but the home remains.

Dolores Cannon
I’ve heard countless accounts of the transition. The soul rises easily, almost playfully, from the body. There’s no pain in that moment, only a sense of remembering — “Oh yes, this is who I am.”

Jung
In death, the conscious and unconscious reunite. The ego, which clung so fiercely to identity, dissolves into a larger whole. It is not a loss of self but a return to the Self with a capital S — the archetype of wholeness.

Oprah
And finally, what do you believe happens in the moments immediately after leaving the body?

Dolores Cannon
The soul is greeted, often by familiar faces — loved ones from past lives, guides, even pets. It is a reunion, a homecoming. Then, there’s usually a review of the life just lived, not as judgment but as understanding.

Rumi
The first sound is the music of the spheres — the harmony you have always longed for. The first sight is the face of the Friend you have been searching for in every other face.

Kübler-Ross
Many describe a feeling of unconditional acceptance, as if every mistake is forgiven in the instant of arrival. You are seen entirely and loved entirely at once.

Jung
Symbolically, the moment after death is a threshold. In dream language, you step from the house of the body into the garden of the eternal. There, the archetypes you lived out in your life greet you — the Mother, the Father, the Child — now recognized as aspects of your own soul.

Yogananda
The liberated soul feels light as thought, free to travel at will. Those not yet free may be drawn to the astral worlds that reflect their earthly attachments, until they are ready to move higher. But always, the soul is on its way home to God.

Oprah
Listening to each of you, I’m struck by how consistent your visions are, despite coming from such different traditions and experiences. There’s a deep agreement here: life is a chosen chapter, death is a doorway, and the soul’s journey is far longer than we can see from inside this human story.

Topic 2 – The Veil of Forgetting: Why Don’t We Remember Who We Are?

Moderator: Krista Tippett
Speakers: Alan Watts, Michael Newton, Eckhart Tolle, Joseph Campbell, Ram Dass

Krista Tippett
One of the mysteries of being human is that, if our souls are eternal, most of us have no conscious memory of where we came from. So let’s begin here — why might it be necessary to forget our spiritual origin when we incarnate?

Michael Newton
From thousands of regression cases, I’ve learned that the forgetting is intentional. Without it, life would feel like a stage play where you already know the ending — the growth comes from truly believing you are the role you’re playing.

Eckhart Tolle
The forgetting serves the awakening. If we were always aware of our spiritual nature, we might bypass the messy, humbling experiences that dissolve the ego. Presence becomes meaningful precisely because we lose it.

Alan Watts
It’s the game of hide-and-seek the universe plays with itself. God pretends to be you, hides in the folds of your own forgetfulness, and delights in the moment of discovery.

Ram Dass
Our amnesia lets us love as if for the first time, grieve as if loss were permanent, and laugh as if life were short. These intensities shape the soul in ways eternity alone cannot.

Joseph Campbell
In myth, the hero often begins in a state of ignorance, crosses into the unknown, and only later remembers who he truly is. That structure mirrors the spiritual journey — you leave home to rediscover it.

Krista Tippett
And when we do get glimpses — moments that pierce the veil — they can be powerful. How do moments of awakening break through this forgetfulness?

Alan Watts
A sudden laugh, a deep sigh, a sunset that stops you in your tracks — these are cracks in the mind’s armor. For an instant, the costume slips, and you see the actor behind the part.

Ram Dass
Pain can do it too. In moments of deep suffering, the ego’s grip weakens, and something greater holds you. I had to learn that even heartbreak is an awakening.

Michael Newton
Hypnotic regression is one doorway, but so is meditation, prayer, or even dreams. The soul never truly forgets — it simply waits for the conscious mind to open the door.

Joseph Campbell
Symbols are another key. The hero’s shield, the sacred tree, the call to adventure — these archetypes stir something ancient in us, bypassing the intellect and speaking directly to the soul.

Eckhart Tolle
Awakening happens only now. The past and future veil the present moment, where your true nature is already here, already whole.

Krista Tippett
But here’s a thought — can remembering too much of our spiritual self too soon be harmful to our human growth?

Joseph Campbell
In stories, a hero who sees the full truth too early often turns away from the path — it can overwhelm or even destroy them. The timing of revelation matters.

Michael Newton
Yes. I’ve seen cases where souls retain too much awareness in early life and struggle to stay engaged with the human experience. The forgetting protects our immersion.

Alan Watts
Imagine trying to enjoy a movie while constantly reminding yourself it’s just a movie. You’d miss the story.

Eckhart Tolle
Some awareness too soon can create spiritual ego — the belief that “I am more awake than others.” True awakening humbles, not inflates.

Ram Dass
That’s why I tell people: be here now. The remembering will come when your heart is ready to hold it without losing your humanity.

Krista Tippett
What I hear from all of you is that forgetting isn’t a flaw — it’s a feature. It’s the setup for a great rediscovery, the dramatic arc of the soul’s adventure. And maybe the real grace is that, even in the forgetting, something in us always remembers.

Topic 3 – Lessons in the Flesh: What Does the Soul Learn on Earth?

Moderator: Brené Brown
Speakers: Maya Angelou, Thich Nhat Hanh, Paulo Coelho, Richard Rohr, Desmond Tutu

Brené Brown
If our souls chose this human journey, it’s worth asking — why would spiritual beings willingly step into pain, loss, and limitation?

Thich Nhat Hanh
A lotus can only bloom in the mud. Suffering is not the enemy; it is the soil in which understanding and compassion grow. Without it, the heart would remain small.

Paulo Coelho
Pain chisels the soul into the shape it promised to take before birth. In my own life, every wound became an opening through which light could enter.

Maya Angelou
I’ve learned that we can stand in the rain of sorrow and still dance. Our tears are not wasted; they water the garden of our courage.

Desmond Tutu
When you face injustice or grief, you are given the sacred opportunity to respond with dignity. That choice is what lifts the human spirit into greatness.

Richard Rohr
Limitation keeps us from playing God. In the bruising of our egos, we find the tenderness of the true self. That is the paradox — losing control to gain wholeness.

Brené Brown
Let’s talk about love — how do love and relationships serve as a spiritual classroom?

Maya Angelou
Love teaches us who we are and who we are not. In loving another, you discover the wide, unending capacity of your own heart — and sometimes, its breaking point.

Thich Nhat Hanh
To love is to say, “I see you are made of the same elements as I am — the same water, the same sun.” That recognition dissolves the illusion of separateness.

Richard Rohr
Relationships mirror the unhealed places within us. Every irritation, every joy, is an invitation to greater humility and grace.

Paulo Coelho
We are drawn to others not by accident but by spiritual geometry. The people we meet are the pages on which our souls write their lessons.

Desmond Tutu
Love is God’s university. In learning to forgive those closest to us, we learn to forgive the world.

Brené Brown
Finally, is Earth uniquely suited for certain lessons that can’t be learned elsewhere?

Desmond Tutu
Yes. Here, we feel time and loss in ways that sharpen our joy. In eternity, nothing slips away — but here, every moment matters because it ends.

Thich Nhat Hanh
On Earth, we walk on soil, hear the bird, taste the fruit — these are not distractions but doorways into the present moment. Other realms may not have such doors.

Maya Angelou
Only here can we be both fragile and fierce, both wounded and wondrous. That combination shapes the poetry of the soul.

Richard Rohr
This is an incarnational world. Spirit in flesh is the marriage that transforms both. In the struggle to hold them together, we become whole.

Paulo Coelho
The Earth is an alchemist. It turns pain into wisdom, fear into courage, and death into life again. That is her magic, and why we return.

Brené Brown
Hearing you all, I’m struck by this: Earth isn’t just a stop on the soul’s journey — it’s a rare and precious training ground. The very things we resist — pain, endings, imperfection — are the ones that shape the soul’s strength and beauty.

Topic 4 – The Illusion of Separation: Are We One Spirit in Many Bodies?

Moderator: Bill Moyers
Speakers: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Deepak Chopra, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Khalil Gibran, Gregg Braden

Bill Moyers
Let’s begin with this: is individuality real, or is it an illusion of consciousness?

Deepak Chopra
Individuality is like a wave thinking it’s separate from the ocean. In truth, each of us is a pattern of consciousness in a vast field, temporarily appearing as “me.”

Neil deGrasse Tyson
From a scientific perspective, the atoms in your body were forged in ancient stars. That fact alone suggests you’re not truly separate — you’re the universe expressing itself in human form.

Khalil Gibran
You are not a drop in the sea; you are the sea in a drop. The illusion lies in forgetting that the same tide moves us all.

Gregg Braden
We are distinct in expression but unified in essence. Quantum experiments reveal that even particles separated by great distance remain mysteriously connected.

Barbara Marx Hubbard
Individuality is the way the One explores itself through infinite creativity. The illusion is that our differences mean disconnection — when in fact they enrich the whole.

Bill Moyers
So if we accept that we are one, how can we live daily life while holding that awareness?

Khalil Gibran
By seeing every face as the face of the Beloved, every voice as the echo of your own. Life becomes a constant prayer.

Gregg Braden
Practice coherence between heart and mind. When your heart rhythm aligns with compassion, your biology supports unity consciousness.

Deepak Chopra
Make choices that honor the whole, not just the part. Every act of kindness affirms the truth that “I am you.”

Barbara Marx Hubbard
Form partnerships that reflect the evolutionary impulse — collaborations that serve not just personal gain but planetary well-being.

Neil deGrasse Tyson
Remember that our survival as a species depends on cooperation. Space exploration taught me that from orbit, borders vanish — there’s only one Earth.

Bill Moyers
And finally, what is the role of empathy in dissolving the illusion of separation?

Gregg Braden
Empathy is the bridge between the perception of separation and the reality of unity. It allows us to feel the truth before we can fully see it.

Neil deGrasse Tyson
When you understand someone’s story, it’s harder to treat them as “other.” Empathy is the science of connection, expressed emotionally.

Khalil Gibran
Empathy is the soul remembering itself in another soul’s sorrow or joy. It is the soft hand that lifts the veil between us.

Deepak Chopra
It’s not just a feeling; it’s a state of being. In empathy, the boundaries of self dissolve, and you experience the world as your own body.

Barbara Marx Hubbard
Empathy is humanity’s next evolutionary leap. As it deepens, our systems and societies will reorganize around the truth of our shared being.

Bill Moyers
Listening to you, it’s clear: the illusion of separation may be persistent, but it isn’t permanent. Every act of awareness, every moment of empathy, is a stitch in the fabric that’s always been whole.

Topic 5 – Returning Home: What Remains When the Human Story Ends?

Moderator: Jane Goodall
Speakers: Lao Tzu, Hafiz, Jane Roberts (Seth), Henry David Thoreau, Mother Teresa

Jane Goodall
I’d like to begin at the end — what aspects of the human experience do we carry with us into eternity?

Mother Teresa
Only love remains. Not the things we built, not the titles we held, but the moments we gave ourselves to another without expecting anything in return.

Lao Tzu
What you take with you is the Tao you have embodied — the harmony between your inner nature and the great flow of life.

Hafiz
You carry your laughter, your tears, your songs — for these are the perfumes the soul collects while walking through the garden of earth.

Henry David Thoreau
The quiet hours in the woods, the moments of stillness by a pond — we keep the truth of those moments because they align us with eternity.

Jane Roberts (Seth)
You retain the essence of every thought and feeling, for they are the raw materials with which you shape your next reality.

Jane Goodall
And when we leave this life, does the human identity dissolve or remain as a facet of the soul?

Jane Roberts (Seth)
The human identity is like a chapter in a vast book. It doesn’t vanish — it’s integrated into the greater self, accessible whenever needed.

Hafiz
The human face you wore will hang in the gallery of the soul, alongside all the others, each painted with love.

Lao Tzu
The form fades, the name is forgotten, but the pattern of your being flows on in the river of the Tao.

Mother Teresa
I believe the person you were is precious to God. That part of you will always be loved and remembered in His heart.

Henry David Thoreau
The man I was by the pond will live on as part of the forest of my soul. I am not lost; I am expanded.

Jane Goodall
Lastly, how would living with the end in mind change the way we live now?

Mother Teresa
You would waste less time on things that do not matter and give more of yourself to those in need.

Henry David Thoreau
You would walk slower, listen deeper, and measure wealth in mornings watched, not coins counted.

Hafiz
You would laugh more — for what else is there to do in the face of eternity but dance?

Lao Tzu
You would stop striving to control the river and instead learn to float with its current.

Jane Roberts (Seth)
You would live as a conscious creator, knowing every moment shapes both your present and your forever.

Jane Goodall
From each of you, I hear the same truth spoken in different tongues: the human story is not erased by death. It’s carried forward as love, wisdom, and beauty woven into the tapestry of the soul. Perhaps that is what truly “going home” means — finding that nothing real was ever lost.

Final Thoughts By Wayne Dyer

If you’ve made it to this point, you’ve walked alongside 25 luminous minds and hearts — each offering a facet of a jewel we’ve been carrying all along.

The truth is, you are not here by accident. The challenges you’ve faced, the people you’ve loved, the moments you’ve wept and the times you’ve laughed until you couldn’t breathe — all of it has been the soul’s way of shaping itself through the human story.

When you remember you are a spiritual being having a human experience, life shifts. Pain still visits, but it no longer defines you. Joy still comes and goes, but you stop clinging to it. You see every person as another traveler wearing a different costume, another spark of the same light.

And when the final chapter of this life closes, you will not vanish. You will simply take off the suit you’ve been wearing and step into a greater reality — carrying forward the love, wisdom, and beauty you’ve gathered here.

So live your human days fully. Laugh often. Forgive quickly. Love without conditions. And when you forget who you are — as we all do — return to these conversations, and let them guide you back to the truth you’ve always known:

You are infinite. You are divine. You are home.

Short Bios:

Rumi – 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi mystic whose writings express the soul’s longing for divine union.

Paramahansa Yogananda – Indian yogi and spiritual teacher who introduced millions to meditation and Kriya Yoga through Autobiography of a Yogi.

Dolores Cannon – Regression hypnotherapist and author who documented past-life memories and between-life experiences.

Carl Jung – Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, known for exploring archetypes, the collective unconscious, and spirituality.

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross – Swiss-American psychiatrist, pioneer of near-death studies, and author of On Death and Dying.

Alan Watts – British writer and speaker known for interpreting and popularizing Eastern philosophy for Western audiences.

Michael Newton – Hypnotherapist specializing in life-between-lives regression and author of Journey of Souls.

Eckhart Tolle – Spiritual teacher and author of The Power of Now and A New Earth, focusing on presence and spiritual awakening.

Joseph Campbell – American mythologist and writer known for The Hero with a Thousand Faces and the concept of the hero’s journey.

Ram Dass – American spiritual teacher and author of Be Here Now, blending Eastern philosophy with Western psychology.

Maya Angelou – American poet, singer, and civil rights activist whose works celebrate resilience, identity, and the human spirit.

Thich Nhat Hanh – Vietnamese Buddhist monk, teacher, and peace activist, known for his teachings on mindfulness and compassion.

Paulo Coelho – Brazilian novelist and lyricist, best known for The Alchemist, exploring destiny and spiritual transformation.

Richard Rohr – American Franciscan friar and author focusing on Christian mysticism, contemplation, and transformation.

Desmond Tutu – South African Anglican bishop, theologian, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate known for his advocacy of peace and reconciliation.

Neil deGrasse Tyson – American astrophysicist, science communicator, and author promoting scientific literacy and cosmic perspective.

Deepak Chopra – Indian-American author and speaker blending modern medicine with spiritual wisdom, focusing on mind-body healing.

Barbara Marx Hubbard – American futurist and author, known for her vision of conscious evolution and humanity’s potential future.

Khalil Gibran – Lebanese-American poet, artist, and author of The Prophet, known for spiritual and philosophical prose.

Gregg Braden – American author and speaker linking science, spirituality, and ancient traditions to explore human potential.

Lao Tzu – Ancient Chinese philosopher, reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, teaching harmony with the Tao, or Way.

Hafiz – 14th-century Persian poet whose lyrical works celebrate divine love, joy, and spiritual unity.

Jane Roberts (Seth) – American author and channel for the “Seth Material,” exploring consciousness and the nature of reality.

Henry David Thoreau – American transcendentalist writer, philosopher, and naturalist, author of Walden.

Mother Teresa – Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and missionary, Nobel Peace Prize laureate known for her service to the poor and dying.

Oprah Winfrey – American talk show host, producer, and philanthropist, celebrated for her empathetic interviews and influence in popularizing spiritual and self-development conversations.

Krista Tippett – American journalist, author, and host of the Peabody Award–winning radio program and podcast On Being, exploring spirituality, ethics, and meaning.

Brené Brown – American research professor, author, and speaker known for her studies on vulnerability, courage, shame, and empathy.

Bill Moyers – American journalist and political commentator, renowned for his in-depth interviews and documentaries on spirituality, culture, and social issues.

Jane Goodall – British primatologist, anthropologist, and conservationist, best known for her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees and advocacy for environmental stewardship and compassion.