Collateral

I always thought that "collateral" was something that was provided to a lender as a guarantee of repayment.  For example, if the loan for a house or a car is not repaid, the lender takes the collateral (the house or car).  But collateral has other interpretations, and the first two definitions are somewhat spiritual in nature:

1) Situated or running side by side

2) Overlaying in tendency or effect

3) Serving to support or corroborate (such as collateral evidence)

4) Referring to a secondary nature (such as collateral damage from a bomb exploding)

 

So the spirit world is situated (or running) right next to us, and it has the tendency to overlap or effect what we do in the material world.  An example:  Three years ago, one of Nelson's nephews said that he would never return to Puerto Rico to visit his family.  Nelson's spirit guide (Caballito) told the nephew that he would visit Puerto Rico, and it would happen in 2016, and it would be for a sad reason.  So 2016 came and went, but the nephew never visited.  The reason for this was a combination of collateral and free will. 

 

In December 2016, the grandmother of the nephew was in the process of dying, and her body was slowly shutting down.  Although spiritists understand the process of death, it is always a difficult time for everyone involved.  In 2016, the nephew had a week off from work between Christmas and the new year, and he had the funds to visit his grandparents,  It would have been a collateral opportunity for him to say goodbye and thank his grandmother for caring for him as a child, and his grandfather would have appreciated the support. Instead, because he had the free will to choose, the nephew and his girlfriend went to Toronto for a vacation.  And isn't it typical for humans to choose pleasure over any potentially difficult situation?  And he couldn't he still visit Puerto Rico after this grandmother passed (if his parents sent him a ticket, if he could get the time away from work, etc.)?  But a visit to Puerto Rico after his grandmother transitioned back into the spirit world would only create an inconvenience for his family, and he would not arrive in time to do what really needed to be done, which was to say thank you and goodbye to his grandmother.  So the collateral was there, and it was an chance to do something good on many levels - and everything was in place, running right next to him the material world.  But he chose a different path.  We often have people attending our sessions, and they are hoping for a message, or they are in some type of pain.  When nothing shows up for them, they wonder why and become discouraged.  What collateral has been put up?  Was anything positive offered or accomplished to earn a message or some relief? 

 

With our example of the nephew choosing pleasure over responsibility, we can easily see the other two definitions of collateral (from the list above) come into play.  The grandparents understood the collateral evidence of the nephew's choice (and I would imagine, there was some sadness when that choice did not include them).  And now we wait for the collateral damage to arrive, in whatever form it chooses, and however long it may take.  Life is all about choices, and the ones we regret the most tend to haunt us forever.