Why do we not have the right to shorten our life at our own will?
Why have we not the freedom to end our own sufferings by ourselves?
What are Silver Birch’s opinions on “suicide”?
Following passages are quoted from chapter XXI (pages 161–167), “Warning a Would-be Suicide” of More Wisdom of Silver Birch, edited by Sylvia Barbanell (1945) Psychic Press Ltd., London.
—Trials and difficulties are prerequisites for spiritual progress—
“You who live in the world of matter sometimes are standing on your heads, and you are attempting to judge with a very imperfect knowledge.” (P.162)
“Experiences which may be most advantageous from the physical standpoint may be most disadvantageous from the spiritual standpoint. It is part of the growth of the spirit. It is part of the lesson which has to be learned. There are many ways of learning lessons, and some of the best ones are learned in the hard school of pain, the school of bitterness, the school of difficulty. These are the means by which character is strengthened, or should be.
Often the greatest spiritual lessons have been learned in times of illness. All life is light and shade; it is not one long monotone. And so the spirit grows through cheerfulness and depression, through good health and illness, through sunshine and storm, through harmony and discord, for the Great Spirit is in all life, in all its ramifications.” (P.167)
—You will not be forced to carry a load beyond your capability—
“I cannot counsel any soul to behave in a way that will make things worse and not better. It is not for you, by an act of self-immolation, to put an end to your existence on earth. If you do, you must pay the price. That is the natural law. There cannot be any in your world against whom the scales are so unevenly weighted that they have not the power to overcome the obstacles that come in their pathway.
Indeed, I go so far as to say that the obstacles that they meet are necessary for the development and growth of their character and their spirit. They will not lessen the obstacles by putting an end to their physical existence. It is impossible; it is against the law. You cannot flee from divine justice in your world or mine, for justice is unalterable and its decision conveyed to each according to the soul growth.” (P.161–162)
“No situation is as dark as you think it is. If you are determined, light will come. If you call up your courage from the inexhaustible source that you possess, strength will come to your aid.
You will be admired more because you have sought to face up to responsibility, and help will be forthcoming. No one has a greater load to carry than he is able to bear, because the load is the load he has made for himself.
It is not the load that the Great Spirit says, ‘I will put upon his back.’ It is the load that is the result of what the individual has done, and that load is of the exact weight of his past transgressions.” (P.163–164)
—Suicide intervenes the operation of the providence (violation of the providence)—
“I think it is true to say that in the vast majority of cases suicide is the coward’s way out. Instead of facing up to responsibility, he grasps what he thinks is an easy way out of all difficulty, a hasty exit from the world—and oblivion. But he still has to face up to himself.
He still has to bear upon his spiritual shoulders the responsibility which he tried to shirk on earth and that cowardice creates an aura of darkness. It is a net which shuts him off from those he loves. It is the closing of a door. Sometimes it takes many, many, many long years to open.
As you know, in all such cases I always say the motive is the dominating interest. What was the motive? If the motive was to escape from awkward situations, then you have not escaped. If the motive, as it sometimes is in a few cases, that the person desired to put himself out of the way as the only solution, not through self-interest, but through altruism, however misguided, that makes a difference. But your soul is judged on its own conduct. You write with your own hand your own book of life. The entries are indelible; you cannot cheat. You judge yourselves.
The law is fixed and unalterable. We say, face up to your responsibility.” (P.163)
Now, let’s have a look at a passage of question and answer by Silver Birch, regarding suicide, in which he explains how suicide intervenes the providence. The passage is found in Teachings of Silver Birch. (Edited by A.W. Austen)
A woman, grief-stricken over the loss of her beloved companion, wrote a letter and expressed her overwhelming sorrow, and how she is thinking of ending her own life. The emcee of the seance questioned Silver Birch on her behalf.
—Question by the emcee—
Is it ever permissible for a person to pass on by his own act—such as the one who is left of a devoted companionship?
—Answer by Silver Birch—
“No. You must live your lives according to the Law, for the Law is always perfect in its operation. It is controlled by perfect love and by the Great Spirit, Who is in all things and Who works through all things. You have no right to interfere with the operation of the Law, and if you do you must pay the price for cutting yourself off.
If you force the apple to drop from the tree before it is ripe, then the apple has no sweetness.
If you force yourself to go into the next stage of life before your spirit is ready, then you will have to pay the price in the long adjustment that you will have to make. It will also have the effect of causing you to be separated from the ones you love, for you will have made a gulf.”
(P.180, Teachings of Silver Birch, edited by A.W. Austen. Edition 2010, The Spiritual Truth Press, Surrey, England. First published 1938)
—Summaries on suicide—
1. Suicide does not improve the situation; it only worsens it.
2. Sufferings do not disappear after suicide.
You commit suicide, so you think you are dead; but realize you still exist. You also find that the responsibilities and obligations, from which you wished to escape, still surround you. You would go into a state of confusion and mental derangement; and dark aura confines you and blocks contacts with the world around you. => earthbound spirit
3. Despair and disappointment are the punishments experienced equally by all who commit suicide. (From The Spirits’ Book by Allan Kardec)
4. You have shifted yourself from the physical world to the spirit world by means of suicide; however, this shift alone does not release you from the responsibilities placed upon the soul; this much is certain.
5. Suicide is a violation of the providence, for which you must place the punishment upon yourself. (Causality Law)
6. Human beings view things with an upside-down perspective (materialistic) of the truth and make decisions based on very incomplete knowledge (based on materialism).
7. Human beings on earth, with no exceptions, will never encounter obstacles that are too great for them to surmount. The obstacles are provided, because they are required for the individual’s personality, spiritual development and growth.
8. If you commit suicide following someone’s death, you will not only be blocked from seeing the beloved person, you also cut yourself from seeing any others connected by love. The selfish vibrations of those who chose suicide create a gulf around themselves, which will have them in isolation.
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Suicide is an act of evasion, originated from the selfish desire to cancel everything. It is chosen as a measure to write off problems like illnesses, bankruptcy, workplace problems, poverty, bullying, heartbreaks, difficulty in human relationships.
By choosing suicide, one fails to gratefully accept the “effects” of his own “causes”, be it his trials, difficulties or behavior; and instead he tries to erase the “cause” altogether. In other words, he creates “causes” without accompanying “effects”, which is an obvious “intervention with the providence” (violation of the providence). Cause and effects are single entity; each cannot be separated from the other. Once a cause occurs, it can never be replaced or re-written.
At the same time, we must remember that life is God itself. Although our lifetime on earth is limited to around one hundred years at the most, eliminating our own life or life of others at our own will, is a serious violation, right in front of God, thus the providence.
“This is the important thing, anything which advances soul-attainment is good; anything which retards soul-attainment is bad.”
(P.140–141, Philosophy of Silver Birch, edited by Stella Storm. 1998, The Spiritual Truth Press, Surrey, England. First published 1969)
In our physical world, suicides and homicides are the worst retarding, or rather, blocking factor for soul-attainment. We were born into this world as a representative of the group soul.
We were born with a decided life plan, with the obstacles and difficulties included, so that we can bring the attained spiritual progress back to our group soul. Not one soul, without exception, is born with suicide or homicide planned in their life. With the guidance of spirit guard (a fellow member of the group soul) and spirit guides, we spiritually progress through trials and difficulties; and our progresses contribute to the advancement of the group soul. Although many of us are unaware, this is the goal of life on earth. And once again, we must not forget that the freedom we are granted with, is the freedom limited within the providence.
Through spirit communications, we have been told: “You will never be asked to carry a load that is too heavy for your shoulders; you will overcome it.” However, unfortunately, there are too many without these spiritual knowledges; and the number of those who chose the easy way out shows no decline. In Japan, a country free from warfare and financially enough, around 20,000 people commit suicide every year. (Calculated to approximately 1,700 people every month, and 60 people every day, committed suicide in the year 2017.)
Life after death is the world of thoughts. Even after the death of the physical body (temporary self), the soul (eternal self) carries your thoughts and state of mind, like your distress, worries and fears, that had led you to the suicide.
By ending your own life, your entire existence (body and mind) and your troubles would demolish altogether, you thought. However, you find yourself that you still exist, now with the spirit body, and your earthly conception and beliefs (mind) continues to exist just the same. Once you realize this startling fact you would be in a state of confusion and derangement. Confined within the walls of your own dark aura, you will remain blind of the spirits who come to guide you. (Becoming an earth-bound spirit)
Once again, anxiety and fear that lead to suicide will continue on, against one’s will, and unaffected by the physical death. To make things worse, spirit world has no time. In the physical world, the situations surrounding us often change as time passes, which means we have opportunities for recovery as conditions change. In addition, the physical senses allow us to recognize love and support from people around us, like family members and medical staff.
On the contrary, the spirit world is the world of thoughts, without time nor physical senses. Situation would not change unless you make the change by yourself. Consequently, the state of your own darkness may continue for extremely long period. At the same time, suicides cause karmic debt; compensation for which must continue until the debt has been paid off. This way, we can see that suicide only worsens the situation; much worse than before it was committed.
“It is a net which shuts him off from those he loves. It is the closing of a door. Sometimes it takes many, many, many long years to open.”
(P.163, More Wisdom of Silver Birch, edited by Sylvia Barbanell, 1945. Psychic Press Ltd., London)
“I cannot counsel any soul to behave in a way that will make things worse and not better. It is not for you, by an act of self-immolation, to put an end to your existence on earth.”
(P.161, More Wisdom of Silver Birch, edited by Sylvia Barbanell, 1945. Psychic Press Ltd., London)