hi Carol

Indeed you are the messenger so my disagreement is not with you or indeed with Mikey either. It's a disagreement over points made in his piece.
Hi Mikey - In all honesty I'd forgotten we had had this conversation previously. It could just be down to my age that I'm getting increasingly forgetful or that it's quite some time since it happened anyway but I do now recall the occasion. I'm thankful that despite my earlier failure to recall that earlier conversation my position on this matter hasn't changed - it's no more acceptable to me now than it must have been in the past. For the interest (?) of anyone following, I am pleased to be re-visiting this topic; your comments will be welcome.
How rare, then, is "rare to be forced"? And very importantly, why do you add the words
"..but it is possible" rather than
"It happens."?
Does it mean, Mikey, that for all normal intents and purposes the whole notion can all-but be discounted? That for "normal" situations freewill applies to such a degree that any notion of being forced can safely be ignored? Maybe you're really saying being forced happens only in the most unusual, special, unique situations? Even then I find the notion has no appeal to my reason.....
(mac's emphasis above in
bold) But now your message is using very different words. You're now saying an individual's guide will
"instruct" him. We humans know that being instructed to do something doesn't necessarily mean we will do it - we can ignore the instruction. Being
forced is altogether different from being instructed - being "forced" means having no choice. We are made to do something that is against our wishes.
Isn't that what
I've repeatedly said, Mikey?
I have learned a few bits and bobs over nearly four decades from spirit teachers and guides widely regarded as spiritually advanced, authoritative and knowledgeable. Consistently I've heard that spiritual progress is open to all no matter what their acts or omissions as incarnates.
This applies even to those who, after their passing, find themselves levels with others of constrained spiritual progress, so-called "outer darkness".
I also learned that to 'rise' from these lower levels the individual spirit must actually want to.
Again I learned that at such a point help will always be immediately available from other spirits whose role is to provide that help. But nowhere have I heard it said that some will be
forced to return to this dimension.
But WE are not children, Carol and spirit guides are not our parents.....
We parents send our children to school because it's logical and can be seen as being for their long-term benefit in life. And, yes, we may sometimes have to force them to go when they play us up!

But education is mandatory for most - we are almost forced to educate our children..
Types of school will vary but essentially they teach the fundamentals needed in this world without which many/most of us would flounder and sink - most of us understand and accept why we have to learn. On the other hand we may be forced to attend
a particular kind of church where benefit from what's taught is questionable where attendance isn't mandatory but cultural. The benefit by being forced into that situation must surely also be questionable, wouldn't you agree?
But you do have an opinion, Carol, even if you don't choose to express it here.