Understanding Consciousness – A Parable of Life After Delivery.

I found this parable during my spiritual awakening and it has stayed with me for as long as I can remember. I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you. It provides an interesting thought-provoking idea around understanding consciousness, connecting and remembering to the truth of who we are – spiritual beings having a human experience.

This parable depicts a conversation between two babies in the mother’s womb around the notion of life after delivery. This is such a great explanation for understanding the existence of God and the afterlife.

It sums it up perfectly. 

Before I say anymore on it I will let you read it for yourself here it is.

Conversation in the Womb – A Parable of Life After Delivery.

In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?”

The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

The first replied: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”

– A parable by Henri J. W. Nouwen.

This parable is a great metaphor for our perception and views about what happens when we die. The twin babies understanding of their Mother is a beautiful analogy that represents faith and God, our source.

It is a typical (yet great) conversation between the believer and the non-believer.

Understanding consciousness is a mystery for all of humanity, yet understanding consciousness is crucial to understand our place in the universe.

Believing in life after death is having complete confidence and understanding in that which we cannot see, but yet we know whole-heartedly to be true. What is the part of you that knows that? That is your ancient soul, your soul’s wisdom.

“For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are served.” Romans 10:10