Animals and souls

QUESTION: Masters, before the advent of human beings on Earth, how did souls learn life lessons? Also, if everything is a part of Source, why do animals not have souls? It seems cruel to subject animals to negative conditions imposed upon them by human life lessons. What is the purpose of this? ~Gloria, USA

ANSWER: The simple answer to your first question is, they didn’t! Earth was set up specifically with learning lessons in mind since no other previous place had a duality that allowed for choices to be made during a learning process. Souls just had experiences in these other places, without needing to use their freedom of choice to learn both what their essence was and what it was not. All these situations existed in unconditional love. When Source and its souls wanted to better understand their essence, Earth was envisioned and then created as an arena for that purpose.

Everything is energy, but not all energy is Source. All souls are Source energy. Souls were individualized from Source to provide a way to experience what was not unconditional love. Animals, since they are not capable of responding emotionally rather than intellectually or instinctively (i.e., not exhibiting sentient qualities), cannot plan life lessons for themselves. Animals also do not need to learn life lessons. Plants are in the same situation, being energy but not containing souls.

Not all animals on the planet are subjected to negativity generated by the life lessons of others. Some, particularly beloved house pets, have lives that are envied by many. That is not to say that if souls choose to experience a life as an animal for some reason or other, they are unable to do so. A very small percentage of souls do choose to experience animal, reptilian, and/or avian existences. They may wish to have the sensation of the natural characteristics defining a particular species.

It was only after animals were domesticated that such thoughts as yours arose. Prior to raising animals, people saw them simply as a means for sustaining life. The animals were the teachers. They taught humans how to work together, protect themselves, use fire to increase their nutritional intake from otherwise inedible flesh, cover their bodies with skins, and benefit from using animals to assist them. They enabled many souls to learn confidence and self-worth while exciting their creativity. Animals are tools for many people and purposes.