Happy Thanksgiving everyone! To those of you who are in the US, and those of you who aren't - we can all use a reminder to appreciate what we have.
Today, I thought I would try something a little different. Instead of talking about gratitude like everyone else, I’m going to talk about the opposite - resentment, and what it means for your future incarnations.
This came up because I was visiting with a friend this week and shared something that's just obvious to me, but blew her mind. And it's a good warning to us all:
When we hate, resent, or judge an entire group of people—Republicans, fat people, Muslims, vegans, billionaires, whatever your flavor of "other" is—we will incarnate into that group in our next life.
Now, before you panic, this isn’t punishment. It’s our soul curriculum.
Why? Because our souls want to understand the experience we’re refusing to see. It’s a rebalancing. A perspective correction. A very effective way of eradicating ignorance.
The look on my friend's face said I'd just broken her brain. "Wait, WHAT?"
Yep. The universe really likes to mess with us.
Your soul is here to learn, to expand, to understand the full spectrum of what it means to be human. So if you spend this entire lifetime despising a particular group of people, guess what gets added to your pre-birth planning session for next time?
Yep. A crash course in walking a lifetime in those shoes you were judging.
The universe isn't punishing you. It's educating you. It's like, "Oh, you think you've got this group of people all figured out from the outside? Cool, cool. Let's see how that holds up from the inside."
Here’s where it gets interesting for your current life:
Whatever group triggers you right now—that’s your red flag. That’s your soul whispering, “Hey… we’ve got a blind spot here.”
You have two choices:
Option A: Keep the resentment, stay stuck in judgment, and book yourself a lifetime membership in that group next time.
Option B: Get curious NOW. Try to understand from their point of view - why they are the way they are, why they believe what they believe. What are they afraid of? What do they value? What shaped them into who they are today? Basically, put yourself in their shoes now in your mind, so you don't have to walk in their skin later.
You don't have to suddenly love the group you resent, agree with them, or think bad behavior is okay. You just have to get curious. Seek out their perspective. Humanize the people you judge.
Option B is the express lane to soul growth. Unfortunately, most people choose Option A without even realizing it.
I've lived this pattern myself. In one life, I was killed during the Spanish Inquisition for being Jewish. Then in a later life, I came back as a Spanish colonizer in Peru. I had to experience from the inside that everyone feels justified from their own perspective - even the people who had treated me horribly before.
This life, I’m trying very, very hard to keep an open mind. ;)
So on this Thanksgiving, maybe the real gratitude practice isn't just counting blessings.
Maybe it's looking at who you're resenting and asking yourself: "Do I want to understand this from the inside next time, or can I open my mind enough to understand it from here?"
Your future self will be incredibly grateful that you dealt with those judgments now instead of signing up for the advanced course later.
Choose wisely.
♡ Jillian
P.S. - Yes, this applies to ALL groups. Even the ones you're absolutely SURE are objectively terrible - yep, those too. The universe doesn't do exemptions. If you hate them, you're going to have to learn more about them. Those are the rules.
