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Grief breaks us. It rips through our lives like a storm with no warning, often leaving us feeling uprooted and alone. But what if grief isn’t a punishment, or a mistake, or something to be avoided—but a necessary turning point on our soul’s journey?

In a deeply powerful conversation on the Grief 2 Growth podcast, I sat down with mystic, spiritual teacher, and beloved creator of the Life Explained series, Hans Wilhelm, to talk about the spiritual meaning of grief and how understanding universal spiritual laws—like karma, reincarnation, and divine love—can transform the way we experience loss.

Whether you’re in the early days of heartbreak or further along your healing path, this article is for you.

🌱 Grief As a Gateway to Growth

Pain is often where transformation begins. It wakes us up. It shakes loose the false certainty we’ve built around ourselves—and invites us to ask the real questions.

* Who am I?

* Why am I here?

* Where do we go when we die?

Hans Wilhelm sees grief not as a detour from life’s purpose, but as part of the very path we came to walk.

“Earth is not our home—it’s a school. And every painful experience is a chance to grow, evolve, and return to love.”— Hans Wilhelm

If you’re in grief right now, you may not feel like you’re growing—you may feel shattered. But as Hans says, we haven’t been buried. We’ve been planted.

🔁 Understanding Karma: The Soul’s Cause and Effect

One of the most misunderstood spiritual concepts is karma. For Hans, karma isn’t a cosmic punishment system—it’s the spiritual residue we carry from anything that deviates from love.

Every time we think, speak, or act in a way that’s unloving, it creates an energetic imprint on our soul—a shadow that distances us from divine light. That shadow is what we call karma.

“Karma is like a recording. It’s stored in our soul and in the universe until it is forgiven or transformed.”— Hans Wilhelm

The good news? Karma isn’t forever. We’re not doomed to carry guilt for lifetimes. Karma can be healed in two ways:

* Through forgiveness—giving or asking

* Through experiencing the pain we once caused

So if you’re grieving, this could be part of that process—not as a punishment, but as an invitation to heal.

🔄 Reincarnation: A Missing Piece of the Christian Puzzle

Many people raised in traditional religions—myself included—struggle to understand how a loving God could allow so much suffering. But that question only makes sense if you believe this is our only life.

Hans explains that reincarnation was part of Christ’s original teachings, later removed by the early church for political reasons. (Yes, we talk about Emperor Justinian and how he suppressed these teachings in the 6th century.)

“Reincarnation gives us context. It helps us understand why we’re here and why life looks the way it does.”— Hans Wilhelm

When we understand that we’ve lived before—and will likely live again—it removes the idea that life is random or unfair. Instead, everything becomes part of a soul-level curriculum. Your grief, your loss, even your deepest heartache… it’s not meaningless.

🧬 Life Was Planned—Even This Part

If you’ve lost someone you love, you might find yourself thinking, “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

But what if it was?

According to Hans, most souls plan their major life experiences before birth—including when and how they will leave the physical body. From the soul’s point of view, every incarnation has a purpose. Some are long. Some are short. But none are “cut off too soon.”

“Your daughter may have only needed 15 years in this lifetime. That was enough to complete what her soul came here to do.”— Hans Wilhelm

If you’ve lost a child, or someone you believed should’ve had more time, this idea can be both painful and healing. You didn’t lose them “too soon.” You lost them right on time—from a spiritual point of view.

And that means you’re not being punished. You’re being invited into the next stage of your soul’s growth.

💔 Mourning vs. Grief: What’s the Difference?

Hans makes a crucial distinction between grief and mourning:

* Grief is emotional. It’s the natural response to love that has nowhere to go.

* Mourning is mental. It’s driven by thoughts like, “This shouldn’t have happened” or “They missed out on prom, or a wedding, or growing old.”

But here’s the truth: We don’t really know what someone has “missed out” on. We only know what we wanted.

“Mourning is often about ourselves—not about the soul who has passed on.”— Hans Wilhelm

This doesn’t mean your grief isn’t real. But it can help to ask: Am I grieving their loss—or mine?

When you stop imagining everything they won’t experience, you start making space for everything they still are—and everything they’ve gained.

🕊️ The Spiritual Meaning of Suicide

Few losses shake us like suicide. The questions that follow are heavy:

* Are they at peace?

* Are they being punished?

* Could I have prevented it?

Hans offers one of the most compassionate frameworks I’ve ever heard:

“There is no punishment in the universe. Only consequences. Suicide is not a sin—it’s a soul stepping out of school early. But the lesson still has to be learned eventually.”— Hans Wilhelm

Most souls who die by suicide feel intense remorse—not because they’re punished, but because they realize their journey isn’t over. They’ll return, start again, and face the same lesson another way.

And for those left behind?

Guilt is often misplaced. Yes, it’s normal to wonder if you could’ve seen the signs—but no one is responsible for another soul’s decision to leave. What we can do is love them still and continue our own healing.

🔦 We Are Never Alone

If there’s one message Hans wants us to remember, it’s this:

You are never alone. Ever.

Every soul is surrounded by divine support—guardian spirits, guides, and the Christ energy within us. The universe is not indifferent to your grief. It is holding you, guiding you, and inviting you back into a relationship with the light.

When you surrender—whether through prayer, journaling, or simply whispering, “Help me”—you open the door to real transformation.

💡 A Different Way to See Grief

After the episode, Hans shared a story that struck a deep chord with me.

A woman grieving her father’s passing kept trying to connect with him spiritually. One day, she heard him say:“Go to YouTube and search Hans Wilhelm.”

She thought it was a joke. But she did it—and found Hans’ video on grief and mourning.

In that moment, she realized what her father was trying to say: Let me go. I’m okay. Now you have to live.

Sometimes, that’s the hardest spiritual truth of all.

📝 Key Takeaways

* Grief is not the end—it’s an invitation.

* Karma is not punishment. It’s an imbalance we’re here to heal.

* Reincarnation gives us context for suffering—and comfort in loss.

* Grief becomes healing when we stop resisting it.

* Your loved ones are not gone. They’re just in a different room.

* Your soul has a purpose. Even now. Especially now.

💬 Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear from you:

👉 What’s one insight from this episode that shifted your perspective on grief or loss?👉 Have you experienced signs or messages from loved ones on the other side?

📨 Drop your thoughts in the comments📰 Join our community on grieftogrowth.substack.com💖 Share this article with someone who’s grieving and needs a spiritual perspective

🙏 Closing Thought

Grief is real. So is love. And love doesn’t end when a body dies.

When we remember who we are—and why we’re here—we begin to understand that death is not the enemy. Separation is not the truth.

We are eternal.We are loved.And we are never, ever alone.

With love and growth,Brian D. Smith

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grief2growth.substack.com/subscribe

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit grief2growth.substack.com/subscribe