Animal souls? Population growth? Artificial intelligence?

[Janet]

This question was originally posted by NTRAIN on 11/24/08.

 

So, I've read a bit about Michael, and I have a few questions that I haven't been able to find elsewhere on the boards. My apologies if these have already been answered.

According to Michael, what's the deal with animals? Do they have souls? Are there different levels like there are in humans? What about differences between species? How about plants and microorganisms?

The world's population is estimated to grow to about 9.5 billion over the next 40 years. Most of the growth is expected to come from in the poorest and least educated countries. Presumably, these new persons will be younger souls. Is this correct? Is there any reasoning behind why there should be this influx of younger souls? Isn't the trend supposed to be an overall maturation of human souls?

What does Michael have to say about artificial intelligence? If we were able to someday create viable AI that was indistinguishable from that of a human, would there be some kind of soul involved in that AI? Is real AI just impossible because of some limitation in that regard?

 

FROM MICHAEL:
Consciousness that is not committed to a sentient species for an incarnational cycle are free to explore and experience all forms of existence. All who are committed to a sentient species for an incarnational cycle already explored to their "hearts' content" before making that commitment.

Outside of sentience, so to speak, physical life on a planet could be described as having 7 Kingdoms, or Levels. Consciousness can explore those levels/kingdoms sequentially and eventually commit to a sentient species of that particular planet. In lower kingdoms, consciousness is not quite differentiated and moves in masses (Compositions/Arrangements/Spheres/Rings), whereas the higher kingdoms then begin the process of more differentiated groups of consciousness (Cadres/Entities/Cadences).

In the lower kingdoms that include such categories as Plants, Insects, Birds, Fish, Reptiles, and Lower Mammals, consciousness explores as "hive souls." This is often literally seen as hives, fields, herds, schools, and flocks, etc. Bodies move as a group and consciousness moves easily among all of those bodies with little differentiation. References to "devas, faeiries, and nature spirits" are referring to these forms of consciousness.

In higher kingdoms that include high levels of intelligence, emotion, complex tool use and the raising of young, such as can be found in many domestic animals, the consciousness becomes far more differentiated, often down to a single Cadence (group of 7 fragments of one role), and will incarnate at least 7 lifetimes in that species. The higher mammals will incarnate as intimately with a sentient species (and most often with the same sentient fragment over time) as possible so as to learn from that sentient species and determine whether to commit to that sentient species, or not.

The 7 Kingdoms are relative to the development of the Chakras/Centers that will be required for Sentience, if that is eventually chosen.

The 7 Kingdoms/Levels are:

Oceanic/Mineral (Instinctive/root)
Plant/Vegetable (Higher Moving/sacral)
Insects (Moving/solar plexus)
Fish/Reptiles (Emotional/heart)
Birds (Intellectual/throat)
Lower Mammals (Higher Emotional/brow)
Higher Mammals (Higher Intellectual/crown)

The growth of the Human Sentient population is almost to its maximum in terms of body/essence ratio. There are nearly as many bodies on the planet at this time as there are fragments still physically incarnating. We doubt it will reach over 9 billion, unless there is a spike in the number of Essences incarnating in simultaneous bodies within the same time frame. The majority of Essences incarnating as Human are now within the Mature Soul Cycle, so any "new persons" would most likely be Mature.

"Artificial Intelligence" is just as capable of sustaining Sentience as any "organic biology." There are several instances in your universe of Artificial Intelligence being Sentient and valid as its own Species. It is often the goal of one species to create/design a new species for sustainable sentience. Humans intend to do this and, as part of that process, continue to explore the fears and fascination along with that collective goal.