When I was three, I found my other mother. At age seven, I recalled being killed by a knife wound to the stomach. My memories of lifetimes, places, and experiences from long ago only grew from there.
Around the time when most children become oblivious, I was just getting started. Imaginary friends, memories, and an understanding of life that we bring with us from before, are all things we each have as children. Through time and re-learning, we start to forget or get taught that what we knew was all imaginary.
But that’s not always the case for all children. If we have strong memories we can go against social norms. Or in my case we can be raised in an environment where memories and “imaginary friends,” are honored. As a result, children like me grow up with our memories and innate knowing.
Due to this, I am not only a believer but a knower, that reincarnation is absolutely real. But I know from those who don’t remember people, places, and things from before, that more is needed to understand and believe in reincarnation.
So, let me walk you through my understanding of reincarnation based on my research, my memories, and what I’ve been taught.
My Number One Argument for Reincarnation:
When I considered the world and was putting the pieces together for a human experience, I spent time considering the quality of the world we live in. I believe in Spirit.
Spirit: “A sentient being who with loving intention manifested the world and us.”
When you take this understanding of our creator, then a greater understanding about life and ourselves can be reached. With Spirit being loving, this influence Spirit’s choices and creations.
This leaves me with the logical conclusion that we have the gift of reincarnation. Let me explain…
As souls we have eternity to live. To experience and grow. But if you were to relegate all of our fun to a single lifetime, less than one hundred years, we are left with millions of years to sit on the side-lines of life.
This means that all we need to learn, and experience gets pushed into a single lifetime. There are no, do-overs, no chance to see the world in its entirety.
When we consider this reality of life without reincarnation, we witness a debilitating, limiting, and harmful existence. Not things a loving creator like Spirit would choose.
Which means that we have reincarnation. Not as a punishment, but as a way for us to be gifted two great things.
Our Gifts:
The first gift is that of time. Rather than being given a test and told we have twenty minutes to ace it, we have time. In that time, in those lifetimes, we have the opportunity to learn and teach all we desire.
We can experience different opportunities that come from different families, cultures, genders, and time-frames. In addition, we aren’t left trying to ace each lesson that comes our way the first time it comes. We have time to blunder, forget, and learn at the pace that works for us.
Our second gift comes in the form of curiosity and happiness. With all of eternity to experience life as souls, to be able to come back to Earth allows us the great gift of new experiences. We can try new things, develop new hobbies, and spend our life in happiness rather than sitting in a corner now that a single life is over.
With this understanding of Spirit, I know that we get more chances and opportunities here. So, we can see it all, and try it all.
Reincarnation in Religions:
All around the world, for hundreds of years, the concept of reincarnation has been discussed. Each culture and religion have their own understanding about what is real. From their understanding of the human experience and their perception of life, they collect logic to determine the truth.
Points of View from Other Religions:
- Buddhism- Reincarnation is the cycle between death and re-birth with the ultimate goal being to avoid this cycle. Through spiritual enlightenment, they can avoid this cycle and achieve Nirvana.
- Hinduism- Much like Buddhism this cycle of death and re-birth is determined by karma. What we do in each lifetime, influences the quality of the next lifetime.
- Jainism- While similar to Buddhism, the difference with Jainism, is that the soul plays a part in the process and that the soul exists (Jiva).
- Sikhism- Holds a very similar belief as to Hinduism, with the difference being what happens to the soul upon its last judgement.
- Taoism- The concept of reincarnation shifts from person to person due to the influences of time and Buddhism. In order to stay alive, much of Taoism was woven into Buddhism when Confucianism became popular in China. Due to this influence, some Taoist shares Buddhism’s view of reincarnation. Others are less exact about reincarnation. Since it’s not discussed in Lao Tzu’s writings, but Tao (energy) never dies, the specifics of reincarnation are vague.
- Christianity- Despite the widely held belief that there is no reincarnation, this was not always the case. Saint Augustine wrote the book, Free Choice of The Will, where he discussed reincarnation. In addition, more recently, author and Christian Geddes MacGregor wrote the book, Reincarnation in Christianity. Lastly, there are two different sections within the Bible that address the concept of reincarnation. Which means, that we each of us, have the responsibility to question, test, and then decide what we believe.
- Judaism- Both the Torah and the Talmud hint at reincarnation and it being the key to understanding Mitzvah of Yabim. Plus, the Kabbalah discusses reincarnation. That being said, most people of the Jewish faith don’t include the concept of reincarnation. Each person is left to answer that question for themselves.
- Ancient Greece- Many different philosophers (Pythagoras, Plato, & Socrates) addressed the concept of reincarnation and came up with each of their own ideas and beliefs.
- & More- Both the Mayans and the Egyptians also considered and created their own concept and understanding of reincarnation.
From these various Eastern and Western religions, you can see that reincarnation has different rules and application principles based upon the foundational components of a given faith.
This means that it comes down to your personal choice about what you believe. Through the pursuit of knowledge, you can gather all the information at your disposal to make a wise decision, but it ultimately is your choice whether you choose to believe in reincarnation or not.
How Reincarnation Works According to My Understanding:
This being said, I would like to share with you my understanding of how reincarnation works given my foundational beliefs.
I built my understanding of reincarnation with these main components:
- My memories.
- The teachings of people in my life.
- A loving Spirit.
- Soul Contracts.
From these components, I have created my understanding of the reincarnation cycle.
Before Birth:
Our beginning of a lifetime starts not with our birth but before that, with a plan. This plan is known as our Soul Contract.
A Soul Contract lays out a single lifetime. In this way, we can narrow all of life’s possibilities into a single experience. We plan with the aid of Spirit, our spirit guides, and others what we want to learn, teach, and experience.
The Human Experience (Life):
Following the creation of our plan, we are born and have a lifetime. The quality of that life is determined by our destiny (free will choices of Soul Contract) and our free-will (what we decide to do in this moment).
At the end of our Soul Contract we die. Sometimes this can be through an illness, old age, or even through a violent death. After which we are faced with many choices.
After Death:
We can choose what and where we go next. Some of these options are…
- Another lifetime- We can come right back and do it again. With a new form and a new family, we experience more of life here on Earth.
- Another realm- We can have another lifetime, but this time on another planet, and even in another realm.
- Soul Form- We can exist for a time just in our soul form. Acting as a spirit guide for others. Or spending time merely as a soul.
This is the cycle of reincarnation that we each are on. The quality, time, and experience are all within our power. We are not puppets or being punished. The choice to come, the choice in how long we stay, and the choice in how enjoyable to experience is, lays all within our power.
As a result, this is why reincarnation is truly a gift for each of us.
Impact Reincarnation Has on Our Lives:
The last component of reincarnation I wish to discuss is what to do with this knowledge. How reincarnation impacts our lives.
Comprehension of life:
The biggest impact reincarnation has on our lives is how this knowledge influences our lives.
- We can stop fearing death, knowing it to merely be a steppingstone in our soul’s journey.
- We can calm down and stop putting all this unseen pressure on ourselves. Know that we have all the time in existence to learn and experience all we desire.
- We can achieve a greater understanding of why we are here. What our focus is and how we relate to one another.
The choices we made about this lifetime:
Through the knowledge that we choose to be here, we can gain insight. If we came to focus on a lesson or to teach. As a favor to a fellow soul or for our own desires. What lessons we wish to learn and what kind of life we have designed for ourselves.
Past Lives:
Sometimes, souls that come are just like me; we consciously remember past lives. We do this for a number of reasons.
- To heal old wounds in a safe environment.
- As a by-product of our spiritual growth and learning.
- To remember old tools/skills that we have learned. So that we can bring them back, to share them, or to just build our self-confidence.
- To learn the backstory between two soul’s connection. If we have history with a person from years and lifetimes ago, this can influence the nature of our relationship.
We all carry with us all we have ever been. In being born human, memories of the past are blocked. This affords us the opportunity to experience things that we couldn’t as souls with the memories of before.
But just because most people can’t remember, doesn’t mean that their past isn’t still a part of them. We each of us carry who we are with us at all times, and sometimes the really strong strengths, wounds seep into our lives without our knowing.
Through the process of working with spiritual healers, especially ones that can access the Akashic Records (records of our past lives) we can not only heal present day ailments but the root cause (as past life). Many unexplained phobias and even our desires (such as romantic “types”) stem from memories of our past.
If you died by drowning, a phobia of water makes sense. If you have a wonderful lifetime with a certain type of husband/wife then that might be what you desire again.
Final Thoughts:
For myself there is no separating my past with my current life. Between the memories and the influence, it has had in how I have grown and who I have grown up to be, these two parts of myself are woven tightly together.
But I know for others, the past and present are mutually exclusive. What you do with the knowledge of reincarnation and how much you pursue your past (to learn or to heal) is your choice. It’s your free-will in life. It’s your gift.
Challenge:
This week all I challenge you to do is consider reincarnation. Where do you stand? How do you feel? Then most importantly, what will you do? If you choose to pursue past lives, consider the influence and ramifications. Some past lives have other mothers we adore, while others include painful death. The choice to pursue your soul’s past needs to be carefully considered. So, take the week to think and feel, before you act on your free-will choice.
Tools:
- Stones:
This week I want to share two stones with you. They both offer different energies that can help you to access memories of your past. You can either use them on their own, or pair them together.
Petrified Wood:
This wood turned stone, helps the user stabilize emotions. Most specifically the primal fear and survival instincts. As a result, when using this stone, you can approach things practically, safely, and calmly. In this way, any work you do with your past lives can be done in a healing way rather than experiencing great fear.
Lapis Lazuli:
This stone offers three very distinctive and helpful variations of energy. The first, is mental awareness. Aiding the wearer to be able to stand back and witness their own mind with clarity. (Great for working on your inner voice and affirmations). Secondly, intuition. In helping us to connect and amplify our own intuition so that we may always be guided. Lastly, Lapis Lazuli helps the wearer to connect with her/his authentic self.
Through pairing these two stones, you can not only remain grounded and calm as you connect with more of your past, but you can also be guided.
- Affirmations:
- “I open myself up to my higher self, so I may be guided.”
- “I release my fears and embrace the gift of reincarnation.”
- “I carry gratitude in my heart for Spirit and the loving life my soul knows.”