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QUESTION:
What
is your position on organ transplants which are becoming evermore
prevalent? What happens to the seed atom of the donor during a heart
transplant? In your opinion, what is the effect on people who donate parts
of their bodies to medical science or to people in
need?
ANSWER:
Every atom of each
physical body is the unique possession of the Ego inhabiting that body.
The condition of the physical vehicle and its organs mirrors the way in
which the Ego has lived his previous Earth lives and has been able to
construct the archetype of his physical vehicle during the postmortem
period.
For this reason, transplanted organs,
certain types of blood and some artificial substances may be rejected by a
particular Ego. No Ego will accept physical insertions into his dense
vehicle which are too much at variance with his own singular makeup. The
Ego must dominate the cells of foreign matter brought into his physical
body, whether in the guise of food, transplant or transfusion. If the Ego
cannot dominate the foreign matter, then it will be rejected. The patient
should be as sure as he can, therefore, of his ability to dominate any
foreign matter before its insertion into his
body.
To receive a transplanted healthy organ
for a hopelessly diseased or malfunctioning one might give an Ego the
wherewithal and the incentive to live a more useful life. The use of a
transplanted organ, however, no matter how well its atoms may harmonize
with the rest of the recipient's dense body, will not help that person
make the archetype of a better organ for use in its next life. The ability
to do this will spring from the spiritual progress he is able to make in
the present life. If he does not correct the underlying spiritual cause of
debility in the organ concerned, it is to be expected that similar or
worse trouble will plague him in a forthcoming
life.
If a person is willing to reform
spiritually, the use of a well-functioning transplant might provide
sufficient immediate relief of suffering or helplessness to enable him to
review his situation more rationally and put forth the needed effort. We
can conceive of situations in which a transplant might give a helpful
advantage to an Ego who otherwise would be hindered greatly in life,
provided he undertakes to conform, in the future, to the rules of right
living.
We believe that heart transplants must
be considered in a different light from those of other organs. The heart
contains the Ego's seed atom, the forces of which have been present in
every dense vehicle which that Ego has ever used. The record of past
experiences inscribed on the seed atom is as indispensable to the Ego's
evolution as the heart itself is indispensable to his survival in the
physical world. Thus it appears that great evolutionary hazards could
occur to both donor and recipient as the result of a heart transplant. We
do not believe, therefore, that heart transplants are
desirable.
The original seed atom of the
recipient of a transplanted heart, we believe, would remain with the
etheric counterpart of his original heart, which continues a part of his
vital body. Occult science teaches that when parts of the dense body are
amputated, the etheric counterpart of the amputated member remains with
the individual concerned and gradually disintegrates as the physical
member (arm, leg, or whatever) disintegrates. People who have had
amputations sometimes complain of what they describe as pain in the
amputated member which they feel because the etheric counterpart, which
may not disintegrate for years, still is a part of their vital
structure.
We believe it likely that, once a
heart transplant has taken place, the angelic Beings in charge of such
matters would transfer the recipient's seed atom to the apex of the
donor's heart, which now is pumping blood through the recipient's
body.
Concerning the donor's seed atom,
ordinarily we could assume that this remains with the donor's etheric
vehicle, the two higher ethers of which are retained during the initial
phases of the postmortem period. However, unlike an amputated limb left to
decay, the donor's heart continues to function, albeit in another body
and, perhaps, fitted with the seed atom of the recipient Ego. We do not
know what the role of the original seed atom would be in such a case but,
as said, the potential for evolutionary hazards is
considerable.
Concerning donors who authorize
the transplanting of their organs after death, the following must be kept
in mind: during the first three and one-half days after an Ego is
considered physically dead, a singularly important period in his evolution
takes place. He is engaged in viewing a panorama of the life just ended.
This panorama will form the basis of his postmortem experiences in the
spiritual worlds. The degree to which he can view the panorama without
distraction will determine the extent to which he will be able to
permanently learn the lessons of the Earth life just
ended.
While the panorama is taking place, the
silver cord connecting the Ego, in its higher vehicles, to the dense body
is still intact. Thus, although the Ego is considered "dead," there
remains a connection with his physical vehicle and he cannot help but be
aware of disturbances to that vehicle. Since organs to be used for
transplant must be "fresh", they must be removed from the donor's body
immediately after death. The surgical procedure thus required necessarily
would distract the Ego from his concentration on the panorama and he would
be prevented from profiting fully from this
experience.
Donors who permit transplanting of
their organs while they are alive - as often is the case with donors of
kidneys - must remember that such a sacrifice will make it more difficult
for them to cope with the remaining period of their physical existence. It
also is possible that such willful mutilation of their physical bodies -
even though it is done in the context of service to a fellow human being -
may have a detrimental effect on their ability to construct a more nearly
perfect archetype or a more nearly perfect physical body for their next
Earth life.
On the other hand however, the
motivating factor of love and service which underlies the actions of most
donors of physical organs certainly should add to their soul growth and
spiritual stature. In this respect, they are likely to reap beneficial
rewards.
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