reincarnation
- Thread starter didymus
- Start date
One should trtead very carefully when dealing with hypnosis,
but a couple of pointers:
Imagine going into a house, and 'feeling' the presence of those who lived there before. Not an uncommon sensation.
Many psychics make a fairly good living by 'picking up' such signals and feeding them back - but these are nothing more than 'old recordings' as it were. Psychometry is even practiced on occasion by the police to locate missing persons, etc. I knew a woman who found her stolen car by dowsing for it over a map.
'Past lives' has appeared in a scientific domain which largely refutes the existence of psychic presences outside the individual - therefore one could view this as pronouncements by people who know nothing about the topic which they practice but do not understand.
A past life then is not necessarily the sitter's past life, but the life of another whose psychic residue has attached itself for the purpose of its own sustenance. Such 'memories' can be extremely vague to quite exact, but the 'presence' of the individual has gone. They are like psychic photos from a life long gone.
(When in the presence of a presence - then we are into a whole other order of engagement, and one into which 'fools rush in' with delight and abandon.
The life of the shamen is not without its risks, yet this pursuit of the 'other side' with reckless optimism that everything is wonderful is dangerously delusional. I shudder to think what percentage of our mentally disturbed have unwittingly or otherwise opened doors that would better remain closed.)
Back to the house analogy - going into a house and 'feeling' the presence of the previous occupant(s), then the next step would be to experience that presence which, because it is experienced internally, is assumed to be 'me' or 'mine' - my memory.
So far, I am willing to suggest that the author is amazed, but simply out of his depth.
My 'problem' here is the whole 'ascended masters' thing was promulgated around the turn of the nineteenth century and has become big business - so it's wise to read the following:
http://pages.zoom.co.uk/thuban/html/masters.htm
And check out the research there before accepting this at face value.
Thomas
but a couple of pointers:
Imagine going into a house, and 'feeling' the presence of those who lived there before. Not an uncommon sensation.
Many psychics make a fairly good living by 'picking up' such signals and feeding them back - but these are nothing more than 'old recordings' as it were. Psychometry is even practiced on occasion by the police to locate missing persons, etc. I knew a woman who found her stolen car by dowsing for it over a map.
'Past lives' has appeared in a scientific domain which largely refutes the existence of psychic presences outside the individual - therefore one could view this as pronouncements by people who know nothing about the topic which they practice but do not understand.
A past life then is not necessarily the sitter's past life, but the life of another whose psychic residue has attached itself for the purpose of its own sustenance. Such 'memories' can be extremely vague to quite exact, but the 'presence' of the individual has gone. They are like psychic photos from a life long gone.
(When in the presence of a presence - then we are into a whole other order of engagement, and one into which 'fools rush in' with delight and abandon.
The life of the shamen is not without its risks, yet this pursuit of the 'other side' with reckless optimism that everything is wonderful is dangerously delusional. I shudder to think what percentage of our mentally disturbed have unwittingly or otherwise opened doors that would better remain closed.)
Back to the house analogy - going into a house and 'feeling' the presence of the previous occupant(s), then the next step would be to experience that presence which, because it is experienced internally, is assumed to be 'me' or 'mine' - my memory.
So far, I am willing to suggest that the author is amazed, but simply out of his depth.
My 'problem' here is the whole 'ascended masters' thing was promulgated around the turn of the nineteenth century and has become big business - so it's wise to read the following:
http://pages.zoom.co.uk/thuban/html/masters.htm
And check out the research there before accepting this at face value.
Thomas
Well, I guess I can follow your opinion on this matter. I find your theory that people are possibly tapping into past life imprints from other people equally interesting. The bottom line is that people are entering some type of realm not visible to us in our regular state. Whether these images are other's lives or theirs doesn't seem as important. Another interesting fact is that these people under hypnosis believe the memories are theirs. Not only do they believe the lives to be theirs they experience emotional and physical relief from phobias and ailments as a result of these experiences. This seems to be true with almost 100% of those with these past life experiences. Why would they believe this so?
So I'm willing to believe that perhaps their is some type of universal memory out there that we can tap into. Maybe these folks tapped into that. Our spirits are immortal and we share the same source of origin so why can't all of these past lives be our lives collectively?
So I'm willing to believe that perhaps their is some type of universal memory out there that we can tap into. Maybe these folks tapped into that. Our spirits are immortal and we share the same source of origin so why can't all of these past lives be our lives collectively?
taijasi
Gnōthi seauton
The term that is often used to refer to a collective unconscious, or world memory, is `akasha.' In Sanksrit, this means to be visible, appear, shine, be brilliant. And thus it is considered in the very least as an illumined state of awareness - if not also an actual substance, or the very essence of a higher spiritual world.
Akasha has been called many things in different religions (svabhavat to Northern Buddhists, mulaprakriti, "the waters of the deep," and the Book of God's Remembrance in Genesis). Usually it is not synonymous with the astral plane, or world of the deceased (kamaloka, the Bardo, etc.) ... but distorted reflections of the Akashic `Records' do find their way into the astral (emotional) world, and many, many psychics catch glimpses here & there. But such experiences, as I have found, are often inaccurate.
I think Thomas makes some very good points about the many, many other ways to account for past-life memories besides legitimate cases of recall or impression. But I also believe that some people do remember, and that on the other side of the veil, we all do. The fact that we do not generally recall past-life memories, suggests to me that there is a good reason - namely, that with our tabula rasa we can move forward, and pursue our spiritual path without dwelling upon the past. After all, it only stands to reason that we would not be happy with much of what we did ... in previous lives. I have a hard enought time dealing with this one.
Still, I have memories from 7 previous lives, and I remain confident that they are accurate and useful, by and large. But I do not like to dwell on them anymore. In my own experience, almost all of these memories came to me directly ... from dreams, waking visions/memories, meditation, instruction, and some from my earliest childhood. I also believe that in investigating my memories, I have been able to discount a lifetime which - for whatever reason - once seemed my own. I never had strong memories, but this was before I began to learn to discern various impressions. And I still don't know who or what it was - harmless, and perhaps it was a fabrication of the subconscious to help me explore the concept.
I did pursue various memories long enough to confirm myself ... that I was not "imagining things," suffering from delusions, or receiving false impressions. I don't doubt that many people with past-life memories may be coping with various psychological issues in a relatively healthy way, rather than some less-appealing alternatives. But again, this is only sometimes true. In the end, the long list of other possible explanations cannot explain away past-life memories, any more than the proverbial swamp gas explanation, or `planet Venus' line can account for UFO experiences.
I found the explanation of one past-life regressor's to be helpful and insightful. She has done this many, many times, and has grown accustomed to monitoring a person's outward behavior (breathing, body movement, eye movement, anxiety, etc.) during regression. In most cases, what she finds is that a person reaches a state where the lives/memories they recall are done so almost from a 3rd-person perspective, or as a detached observer. Even accidents and threatening situations can be handled. But on one occasion (and others, similar), she had a woman who wanted to regress because she was convinced she was ... the Biblical Martha or someone like that. She insisted that her regression would prove this, and was determined to have confirmation. So she was regressed, and all of the usual signs that things were going smoothly failed to manifest. She sweated, and twitched, and breathed irregularly, and was tremendously anxious. She attempted to recall "memories" from her famous past life, but these were part & parcel repetitions of a - Biblical account? And she could never get past this false identity that she had apparently latched onto ... until she "broke through," and the woman doing the regression saw all of the proper signs (breathing, body movements, calmness, etc.) suddenly occur. Then, the woman described an entirely different lifetime, which apparently involved an extremely unhappy existence as a misfit clergyman of some sort.
(After typing that, I've searched Amazon.com. The book is They Walked With Jesus: Past Life Experiences With Christ, by Dolores Cannon. You can "look inside" on Amazon.com, and see the incident I related.)
I would like to know more about Many Lives, Many Masters. I have had conversations with many, many people over the years about reincarnation, including some shared past-life memories (which helped me corroborate & confirm my own). Please share more about what Weiss says ...
Love & Light,
andrew
Akasha has been called many things in different religions (svabhavat to Northern Buddhists, mulaprakriti, "the waters of the deep," and the Book of God's Remembrance in Genesis). Usually it is not synonymous with the astral plane, or world of the deceased (kamaloka, the Bardo, etc.) ... but distorted reflections of the Akashic `Records' do find their way into the astral (emotional) world, and many, many psychics catch glimpses here & there. But such experiences, as I have found, are often inaccurate.
I think Thomas makes some very good points about the many, many other ways to account for past-life memories besides legitimate cases of recall or impression. But I also believe that some people do remember, and that on the other side of the veil, we all do. The fact that we do not generally recall past-life memories, suggests to me that there is a good reason - namely, that with our tabula rasa we can move forward, and pursue our spiritual path without dwelling upon the past. After all, it only stands to reason that we would not be happy with much of what we did ... in previous lives. I have a hard enought time dealing with this one.
Still, I have memories from 7 previous lives, and I remain confident that they are accurate and useful, by and large. But I do not like to dwell on them anymore. In my own experience, almost all of these memories came to me directly ... from dreams, waking visions/memories, meditation, instruction, and some from my earliest childhood. I also believe that in investigating my memories, I have been able to discount a lifetime which - for whatever reason - once seemed my own. I never had strong memories, but this was before I began to learn to discern various impressions. And I still don't know who or what it was - harmless, and perhaps it was a fabrication of the subconscious to help me explore the concept.
I did pursue various memories long enough to confirm myself ... that I was not "imagining things," suffering from delusions, or receiving false impressions. I don't doubt that many people with past-life memories may be coping with various psychological issues in a relatively healthy way, rather than some less-appealing alternatives. But again, this is only sometimes true. In the end, the long list of other possible explanations cannot explain away past-life memories, any more than the proverbial swamp gas explanation, or `planet Venus' line can account for UFO experiences.
I found the explanation of one past-life regressor's to be helpful and insightful. She has done this many, many times, and has grown accustomed to monitoring a person's outward behavior (breathing, body movement, eye movement, anxiety, etc.) during regression. In most cases, what she finds is that a person reaches a state where the lives/memories they recall are done so almost from a 3rd-person perspective, or as a detached observer. Even accidents and threatening situations can be handled. But on one occasion (and others, similar), she had a woman who wanted to regress because she was convinced she was ... the Biblical Martha or someone like that. She insisted that her regression would prove this, and was determined to have confirmation. So she was regressed, and all of the usual signs that things were going smoothly failed to manifest. She sweated, and twitched, and breathed irregularly, and was tremendously anxious. She attempted to recall "memories" from her famous past life, but these were part & parcel repetitions of a - Biblical account? And she could never get past this false identity that she had apparently latched onto ... until she "broke through," and the woman doing the regression saw all of the proper signs (breathing, body movements, calmness, etc.) suddenly occur. Then, the woman described an entirely different lifetime, which apparently involved an extremely unhappy existence as a misfit clergyman of some sort.
(After typing that, I've searched Amazon.com. The book is They Walked With Jesus: Past Life Experiences With Christ, by Dolores Cannon. You can "look inside" on Amazon.com, and see the incident I related.)
I would like to know more about Many Lives, Many Masters. I have had conversations with many, many people over the years about reincarnation, including some shared past-life memories (which helped me corroborate & confirm my own). Please share more about what Weiss says ...
Love & Light,
andrew
This is a story of a Psychotherapist who treated a woman for nearly 18 months for her ongoing phobias and fears; water, death, flying and the dark among some others. Apparently after 18 months of conventional treatment these symptoms persisted. Eventually Dr. Weiss tried hypnotherapy as a possible tool to regress her back to childhood to see if there were any traumas suffered that still affected her. As he regressed her back to childhood he didn't find anything significant that would lead to trauma. He then told her to go back to the root of the problem and this is when she started to talk of a past life in Egypt.
This went on for several sessions in which she spoke of many different lifetimes and lives she had lived. None of which were glamorous. More interesting than her past life experiences were her regressions to the in between stages of past lives where she floated between that past life's death and beyond. From this place she spoke of spiritual knowledge from Master Spirits. She did have memory of her past life regressions but not from the in between stages. The story goes on with many detailed descriptions of her words. I found this book very intriguing although I don't know much of this field or other people's experience past life recall.
This went on for several sessions in which she spoke of many different lifetimes and lives she had lived. None of which were glamorous. More interesting than her past life experiences were her regressions to the in between stages of past lives where she floated between that past life's death and beyond. From this place she spoke of spiritual knowledge from Master Spirits. She did have memory of her past life regressions but not from the in between stages. The story goes on with many detailed descriptions of her words. I found this book very intriguing although I don't know much of this field or other people's experience past life recall.
B
Bandit
Guest
didymus said:
most of the time whenever i have seen this, it happens to people as a child as they have dreams, memories or whatever. the one that convinced me the most was the Christian family who rejected it until after their baby boy who had all these memories of being a pilot in war at the age of 2.
last i saw, about 20% of christians believe in some kind of reincarnation. i of course still stand neutral with (for some) it because i dont believe i am coming back after this life, nor do i believe i was reincarnated.
if i am wrong then i will find out soon enough.
IMO- what matters is what we do now, not the past or in some kind of expectation of a future life.
this is the story that made me realize the possibilities (for some) because i do not believe this little boy James could have been that knowledgable of all these things at the age of two.
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Technology/story?id=894217&page=1
i do not like it when reincarnation turns into absolute church dogma. i think they tend to go into all kinds of strange ideas.
it is not something that i care to prove or disprove either way because it cannot be done IMO.
just a bump to the top since others are talking about this.
good stuff... Conventional (may I say that) wisdom indicates that when we cross the veil most of us forget all...why we are hear...what our contracts are...who we were before...what it was like to be with G-d... but the stories of those with amazing musical, math, science talents without any formal introduction or memories as you spoke of...do lend credence to the potential don't they... And yes when the conventional doctrine says no to reincarnation...then those that are troubled by same must leave and find others of like mind and those others may have other ideas that are also deemed uncoventional, heretical, apocryphal...can't think that is earth shattering...(back to the exclusive inclusive thread) And yes it can't be proved or disproved...hmmm much like most/all of religious discussion.....hmmmmBandit said:
taijasi
Gnōthi seauton
Hmmm ... this may sound like kind of an off the wall idea, but what if, say, someone from the future managed to time-travel into the present in order to help us understand this matter. This part isn't my point (different topic ), but suppose this time-traveler brought with him a fairly sophisticated laptop, and allowed us to view "the Records" - regarding Reincarnation. How might this be possible? You'd have to ask the time-traveler. I could do my best to explain, but it would be fumbling around, and I certainly don't understand the spiritual worlds objectively enough to be certain.
But let's just say, in the same way that, even today, there are ways of finding out if a digital image or audio-video file has been "doctored," so also, the time-traveler could prove for us, beyond question, that the contents of his laptop were authentic & accurate. And now suppose that what he showed us, was anything we wanted to see, regarding the presence, activities, and states of awareness & being of various souls before birth, and after death. Certainly this begs a lot of questions, but some of us are quite fond of saying, "Seeing is believing!" In this scenario, even a skeptic would be hard-pressed to reject the evidence presented, if it could be shown objectively to be authentic.
Now personally, I believe that mediumship has gone on for millions of years, not always in quite the same way, and certainly not on the global scale that is now possible, thanks to the mass media, travel, and the global village phenomenon. Just over a century ago, Spiritualism was all the rage in this country (America, I mean) ... and also in Europe, I believe. It was as popular as bingo, poker, or charades, and unfortunately, often approached in exactly the same fashion - as a game. But I think it was Divinely Inspired, just as was modern Psychology, by Wise Thinkers who work behind the scenes for Humanity's betterment. The purpose of Spiritualism was to help combat the soul-deadening materialism which was a natural outgrowth, or result, of the Scientific Revolution. Humanity needed to turn, for awhile, in another direction ... and so much good resulted from the [SIZE=-1]séances which might be held on a Sunday afternoon, after church, by ordinary people everywhere.
I'm not suggesting that we should all run out and have a [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]séance to contact cousin Edna, and for several very important reasons ... but I'm not sure if people realize just how prevalent Spiritualism was, not so very long ago. Its heyday may be behind us, but on a higher turn of the spiral there are still those who fulfill an important role in this ongoing project. And I have mentioned on another thread, I think, that in our future (and perhaps quite soon), we will almost certainly have technology which will verify for us the survival of the soul, or consciousness - the real person - after death. There was even a movie about this just last year, White Noise. Alas, the movie turned dark, and even with Michael Keaton in it, I was disappointed that they insisted on milking the idea of EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomena, for the sake of Hollywood/$$$. Still, after movies like Sixth Sense, and Ghost, this movie sheds additional light on the notion - not just of life after death, but of the idea that we can communicate with those in the next world.
So back to the time-traveler ... who can show us things, with a much higher-tech computer than those we're currently using. Remember now, today's computers do operate at frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum nothing like the simple abacus of 100 years or so ago. Why should what I'm suggesting be the least bit unlikely? We can now store information at the atomic & sub-atomic level ... and nanotechnology will very soon be opening to us a world previously undreamt of. Our time-traveler simply represents the outgrowth of perhaps a few more decades of R&D, synthesized with other new discoveries in the fields of psychology and medicine. For us, this notion of objectively viewing the spiritual worlds might seem unfamliar. I think it will taken much more seriously, soon enough. And the technology will probably develop like this, but ...
... we won't need a time-traveler with a high-tech computer, because once we can demonstrate objectively, through technology, that the soul survives bodily death ... then all of a sudden, people who claim to be able to speak with the dead (mediums or otherwise), will be known in the clear light of day as being - in some cases, legitimate, while in other cases, fraudulent (or in the very least, not communicating with people who we can as yet detect). The science of all this will be taken quite seriously, as the die-hard materialists and skeptics will become a minority ... and instrumentation will rapidly develop that can probe farther into the "beyond."
What will happen, I think, sooner or later, is that even the "crazy people" like me ... who just see Reincarnation as ... well, as natural as the seasons, and the cycles of nature ... such nutzos will ummm, you know, gradually begin to be listened to. Other folks will take an interest in the notion of Rebirth, and not just freaky people into new age stuff, and loopy folk. Answers may not be clear, or definite, and the spirits who we may now communicate with from the other side, objectively, will themselves give conflicting answers, and much confusing information, regarding rebirth. But, as with everything else, it will sort itself out in time. (Ya die, you find out some neat stuff, but you're suddenly a guru or anything! )
Meanwhile, much evidence of rebirth has been so well documented already, and of course, is already just taken as a given by billions of people upon the planet ... you know, like biyyons and biyyons of stars ...
andrew, channeling Carl Sagan, lol
[/SIZE]
), but suppose this time-traveler brought with him a fairly sophisticated laptop, and allowed us to view "the Records" - regarding Reincarnation. How might this be possible? You'd have to ask the time-traveler. I could do my best to explain, but it would be fumbling around, and I certainly don't understand the spiritual worlds objectively enough to be certain.But let's just say, in the same way that, even today, there are ways of finding out if a digital image or audio-video file has been "doctored," so also, the time-traveler could prove for us, beyond question, that the contents of his laptop were authentic & accurate. And now suppose that what he showed us, was anything we wanted to see, regarding the presence, activities, and states of awareness & being of various souls before birth, and after death. Certainly this begs a lot of questions, but some of us are quite fond of saying, "Seeing is believing!" In this scenario, even a skeptic would be hard-pressed to reject the evidence presented, if it could be shown objectively to be authentic.
Now personally, I believe that mediumship has gone on for millions of years, not always in quite the same way, and certainly not on the global scale that is now possible, thanks to the mass media, travel, and the global village phenomenon. Just over a century ago, Spiritualism was all the rage in this country (America, I mean) ... and also in Europe, I believe. It was as popular as bingo, poker, or charades, and unfortunately, often approached in exactly the same fashion - as a game. But I think it was Divinely Inspired, just as was modern Psychology, by Wise Thinkers who work behind the scenes for Humanity's betterment. The purpose of Spiritualism was to help combat the soul-deadening materialism which was a natural outgrowth, or result, of the Scientific Revolution. Humanity needed to turn, for awhile, in another direction ... and so much good resulted from the [SIZE=-1]séances which might be held on a Sunday afternoon, after church, by ordinary people everywhere.
I'm not suggesting that we should all run out and have a [/SIZE][SIZE=-1]séance to contact cousin Edna, and for several very important reasons ... but I'm not sure if people realize just how prevalent Spiritualism was, not so very long ago. Its heyday may be behind us, but on a higher turn of the spiral there are still those who fulfill an important role in this ongoing project. And I have mentioned on another thread, I think, that in our future (and perhaps quite soon), we will almost certainly have technology which will verify for us the survival of the soul, or consciousness - the real person - after death. There was even a movie about this just last year, White Noise. Alas, the movie turned dark, and even with Michael Keaton in it, I was disappointed that they insisted on milking the idea of EVP, or Electronic Voice Phenomena, for the sake of Hollywood/$$$. Still, after movies like Sixth Sense, and Ghost, this movie sheds additional light on the notion - not just of life after death, but of the idea that we can communicate with those in the next world.
So back to the time-traveler ... who can show us things, with a much higher-tech computer than those we're currently using. Remember now, today's computers do operate at frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum nothing like the simple abacus of 100 years or so ago. Why should what I'm suggesting be the least bit unlikely? We can now store information at the atomic & sub-atomic level ... and nanotechnology will very soon be opening to us a world previously undreamt of. Our time-traveler simply represents the outgrowth of perhaps a few more decades of R&D, synthesized with other new discoveries in the fields of psychology and medicine. For us, this notion of objectively viewing the spiritual worlds might seem unfamliar. I think it will taken much more seriously, soon enough. And the technology will probably develop like this, but ...
... we won't need a time-traveler with a high-tech computer, because once we can demonstrate objectively, through technology, that the soul survives bodily death ... then all of a sudden, people who claim to be able to speak with the dead (mediums or otherwise), will be known in the clear light of day as being - in some cases, legitimate, while in other cases, fraudulent (or in the very least, not communicating with people who we can as yet detect). The science of all this will be taken quite seriously, as the die-hard materialists and skeptics will become a minority ... and instrumentation will rapidly develop that can probe farther into the "beyond."
What will happen, I think, sooner or later, is that even the "crazy people" like me
... who just see Reincarnation as ... well, as natural as the seasons, and the cycles of nature ... such nutzos will ummm, you know, gradually begin to be listened to. Other folks will take an interest in the notion of Rebirth, and not just freaky people into new age stuff, and loopy folk. Answers may not be clear, or definite, and the spirits who we may now communicate with from the other side, objectively, will themselves give conflicting answers, and much confusing information, regarding rebirth. But, as with everything else, it will sort itself out in time. (Ya die, you find out some neat stuff, but you're suddenly a guru or anything! )Meanwhile, much evidence of rebirth has been so well documented already, and of course, is already just taken as a given by billions of people upon the planet ... you know, like biyyons and biyyons of stars ...
andrew, channeling Carl Sagan, lol
[/SIZE]
B
Bandit
Guest
taijasi said:Hmmm ... this may sound like kind of an off the wall idea, but what if, say, someone from the future managed to time-travel into the present in order to help us understand this matter. This part isn't my point (different topic
[SIZE=-1][/SIZE]
are you talking about Phil of the future on the Disney Channel?
viewing the records would be one thing but expecting a reincarnation does not work for me. i have heard some go as far as to say they will choose who their next parents are. that is when i drop out.
What if the past life memories are actually others lives from the past that we tap into. This could be possible considering that we come from the same source and our spirits and souls are of the same ilk. In spirit form maybe we are one and not so individualized. It just seems that all of the past life memories that people experience are traumatic ones. Well, maybe not traumatic so much as mundane or painful. I haven't heard too many stories about glorious past lives. Maybe these old lives where learning wasn't completed left an impression on the collective consciousness of old and present and therefore by someone reexperiencing this particular past life in the present and getting closure that scar in our collective consciousness is healed. Is anybody following me?
taijasi
Gnōthi seauton
Didymus,
I see what you're saying, absolutely, and I agree with you to a considerable extent. It is my opinion, that undoubtedly, some, though not all, of the lives recovered by various individuals, both trying, and not trying to do so ... are either examples of other people's prior incarnations, or in some way, mixed messages, meaning perhaps parital info from one's own past, from another's past, or possibly even impressions from the present that are being misinterpreted. In some cases, the trauma might even be what distorts the information. A good example of likely error, found in a book I'm reading at present, mentions 20 prior incarnations for an individual just since the time of Christ. Now I do not think this impossible, but even for a rare case, 6 or 7 should be tops. In 2,000 years, 3 or 4 might be more likely. But I do not discount the author's past life regression research entirely, just because of this "problem." I maintain an open mind, and the subject of the book - Jesus and the Essenes - remains fascinating to me!
Certainly not all past lives have been pure trauma, unless we plunge ourselves far, far into Humanity's troubled history. The Soul retains only the "spiritual treasure," in fact, to which Christ alluded (the alaya vijnana, in Sanskrit, or storehouse of memories). Only the lower reflections of the Akash, or the imprints made in the emotional & lower mental worlds, would involve trauma as such. And I think that more recent lives, from the past several millennia, would include quite a few examples of very fulfilling incarnations, including many of the saints and holy figures from around the world, as well as famous poets, scientists, politicians, military leaders, and philosophers. Only the most spiritually evolved souls would now be out of incarnation, unless they chose the path of Earth Service, which allows them to make the incredible "personal" sacrifice, and remain with us for a bit longer.
If you like, I could provide more information in depth regarding the presumed past lives of some rather well-known Souls ... or to be more accurate, a few, rare cases I've encountered where the Soul (or person) in question is the reincarnation of a saint, or well-known historical figure. I will not give present information, but some of the previous incarnations I'm referring to include: both of the well-known Tibetan saints, Tsongkhapa and Atisha, the very curious figure Allessandro Cagliostro, both of the Russian cultural figures - Helena & Nicholas Roerich (Helena having also been Joan of Arc, before that), St. Antony of Padua, the Apostle Philip, the Forerunner of Christ (the Baptizer), and St. Peter, as well as his brother Andrew. Other, lesser known figures include - three former Grand Masters of the Knights Templar (Robert the Burgundian, Hughes de Payen, and Andre de Montbard), if not a fourth (Geoffrey de St. Omer), and possibly Nefertiri.
This list, is just folks whom I have met, or who are among my friends, associates, and acquaintances. It does not even include the long list of examples given of various Souls who have been traveling the spiritual path a bit longer, and thus attained to even higher Initiations. I've been interested for some time in compiling various accounts of these Souls, and showing some of the interesting themes, similarities, and stages, of the spiritual path. It's a large project, however, and requires the rereading of dozens upon dozens of source materials ... plus much meditation, and quest for insight. The figures I mention above, btw, are all examples of what has come to me unbidden, or without any conscious effort on my part to make such discoveries. In some cases, I have even gone to great lengths to either prove these insights incorrect, or to try and dismiss the whole thing as absurd. It has even proved quite troubling, and I would just as soon be wrong, about some of my own previous incarnations, as well as these. As yet, however, I have 99.5% good reason to hold to all of it, and at best .5% to question or doubt. I have proven myself wrong about other instances (not mentioned here), as well as regarding one or two of my own past lives. I have also had theories which I was happy to find in error. And, I find that my insights are more rare nowadays, no one else being added to the list for several years. Heck, it's almost a relief!
While on the one hand the whole topic is a fascinating one, I am still a bit wary of past life regression, and I doubt the usefulness of delving simply out of curiosity, or in order to recover information that may only add confusion, and anguish, to those who might already be troubled. Catharsis is not guaranteed, and the focus should always be upon the present lifetime, for it's the only one we can change! If one is interested, there is ample research on the subject, including accounts of the prior embodiments of many famous people. One just has to know where to look.
As to the idea that we choose our births, I both agree and disagree. From the greater perspective of the Soul (the true entity which reincarnates, of which our personality is a tiny portion, or expression in the lower worlds) ... certainly there is conscious input and influence regarding each birth. However, the law of karma is inexorable, and there is tremendous assistance from those entities called the Lipika Lords, or Lords of Karma. These are the mediators, as it were, or the agents of karma for our planet, helping souls to gain the best incarnation merited, but seeing to it that opportunity is provided to learn the lessons necessary - not just for the soul in question, but for other souls, also, in one's Group. This might include many hundreds, or thousands, of individuals, and thus the "circumstances" of birth, and likely course of personal development per incarnation, are very carefully chosen, and to suggest that it's just "up to me," so to speak, is absurd - and incorrect - imo and in my findings.
And this is to say nothing of astrological influences, which tremendously impact the course of outward events that will likely affect the soul-in-form. A given person might have to wait several years for the right incarnation to become available, or s/he might be forced to make certain sacrifices, and take on an incarnation that is slightly behind what is technically merited - just for the sake of gaining the experiences needed. Usually, in the cases of advanced souls, the best possible circumstances are chosen; however, if certain sacrifices are made, it is even possible to "double one's money," so to speak, and reap a life of tremendous spiritual progress. Thus, very difficult circumstances might be accepted, and this is a great risk, for failure can mean an even heavier karma, and so in this sense, yes, the soul must choose wisely.
Bandit, I hope that casts what you've read in a new light. The idea is that, a lot can happen in the states of awareness & being out of incarnation, but certainly, once the soul has entered in, there is a tabula rasa, and fresh opportunity to start in innocence, and enter upon the work of the soul anew. Whatever predispositions, character traits, skills & abilities that develop in accord with karma/past lives, do so as best as possible for the purpose of a given incarnation, as well as for the Soul in a broader sense, seeing across several lives as it does. This kind of vision is usually ours only when out of incarnation, but it is my opinion that we may gain it while in the body, if it might help us to achieve our Spiritual Purpose. Otherwise, it's best to leave it alone, and trust to the Divine Guidance that is available through literally hundreds of other channels.
So those who don't like the channel I'm suggesting, or reject reincarnation, or prefer to take a different approach to the subject ... well certainly that's understandable. It would be silly to sit and watch Law & Order, if you really prefer Miami Vice. They're both cop shows, but with very a different focus, and quite a different flavor.
peace,
andrew
I see what you're saying, absolutely, and I agree with you to a considerable extent. It is my opinion, that undoubtedly, some, though not all, of the lives recovered by various individuals, both trying, and not trying to do so ... are either examples of other people's prior incarnations, or in some way, mixed messages, meaning perhaps parital info from one's own past, from another's past, or possibly even impressions from the present that are being misinterpreted. In some cases, the trauma might even be what distorts the information. A good example of likely error, found in a book I'm reading at present, mentions 20 prior incarnations for an individual just since the time of Christ. Now I do not think this impossible, but even for a rare case, 6 or 7 should be tops. In 2,000 years, 3 or 4 might be more likely. But I do not discount the author's past life regression research entirely, just because of this "problem." I maintain an open mind, and the subject of the book - Jesus and the Essenes - remains fascinating to me!
Certainly not all past lives have been pure trauma, unless we plunge ourselves far, far into Humanity's troubled history. The Soul retains only the "spiritual treasure," in fact, to which Christ alluded (the alaya vijnana, in Sanskrit, or storehouse of memories). Only the lower reflections of the Akash, or the imprints made in the emotional & lower mental worlds, would involve trauma as such. And I think that more recent lives, from the past several millennia, would include quite a few examples of very fulfilling incarnations, including many of the saints and holy figures from around the world, as well as famous poets, scientists, politicians, military leaders, and philosophers. Only the most spiritually evolved souls would now be out of incarnation, unless they chose the path of Earth Service, which allows them to make the incredible "personal" sacrifice, and remain with us for a bit longer.
If you like, I could provide more information in depth regarding the presumed past lives of some rather well-known Souls ... or to be more accurate, a few, rare cases I've encountered where the Soul (or person) in question is the reincarnation of a saint, or well-known historical figure. I will not give present information, but some of the previous incarnations I'm referring to include: both of the well-known Tibetan saints, Tsongkhapa and Atisha, the very curious figure Allessandro Cagliostro, both of the Russian cultural figures - Helena & Nicholas Roerich (Helena having also been Joan of Arc, before that), St. Antony of Padua, the Apostle Philip, the Forerunner of Christ (the Baptizer), and St. Peter, as well as his brother Andrew. Other, lesser known figures include - three former Grand Masters of the Knights Templar (Robert the Burgundian, Hughes de Payen, and Andre de Montbard), if not a fourth (Geoffrey de St. Omer), and possibly Nefertiri.
This list, is just folks whom I have met, or who are among my friends, associates, and acquaintances. It does not even include the long list of examples given of various Souls who have been traveling the spiritual path a bit longer, and thus attained to even higher Initiations. I've been interested for some time in compiling various accounts of these Souls, and showing some of the interesting themes, similarities, and stages, of the spiritual path. It's a large project, however, and requires the rereading of dozens upon dozens of source materials ... plus much meditation, and quest for insight. The figures I mention above, btw, are all examples of what has come to me unbidden, or without any conscious effort on my part to make such discoveries. In some cases, I have even gone to great lengths to either prove these insights incorrect, or to try and dismiss the whole thing as absurd. It has even proved quite troubling, and I would just as soon be wrong, about some of my own previous incarnations, as well as these. As yet, however, I have 99.5% good reason to hold to all of it, and at best .5% to question or doubt. I have proven myself wrong about other instances (not mentioned here), as well as regarding one or two of my own past lives. I have also had theories which I was happy to find in error. And, I find that my insights are more rare nowadays, no one else being added to the list for several years. Heck, it's almost a relief!
While on the one hand the whole topic is a fascinating one, I am still a bit wary of past life regression, and I doubt the usefulness of delving simply out of curiosity, or in order to recover information that may only add confusion, and anguish, to those who might already be troubled. Catharsis is not guaranteed, and the focus should always be upon the present lifetime, for it's the only one we can change! If one is interested, there is ample research on the subject, including accounts of the prior embodiments of many famous people. One just has to know where to look.
As to the idea that we choose our births, I both agree and disagree. From the greater perspective of the Soul (the true entity which reincarnates, of which our personality is a tiny portion, or expression in the lower worlds) ... certainly there is conscious input and influence regarding each birth. However, the law of karma is inexorable, and there is tremendous assistance from those entities called the Lipika Lords, or Lords of Karma. These are the mediators, as it were, or the agents of karma for our planet, helping souls to gain the best incarnation merited, but seeing to it that opportunity is provided to learn the lessons necessary - not just for the soul in question, but for other souls, also, in one's Group. This might include many hundreds, or thousands, of individuals, and thus the "circumstances" of birth, and likely course of personal development per incarnation, are very carefully chosen, and to suggest that it's just "up to me," so to speak, is absurd - and incorrect - imo and in my findings.
And this is to say nothing of astrological influences, which tremendously impact the course of outward events that will likely affect the soul-in-form. A given person might have to wait several years for the right incarnation to become available, or s/he might be forced to make certain sacrifices, and take on an incarnation that is slightly behind what is technically merited - just for the sake of gaining the experiences needed. Usually, in the cases of advanced souls, the best possible circumstances are chosen; however, if certain sacrifices are made, it is even possible to "double one's money," so to speak, and reap a life of tremendous spiritual progress. Thus, very difficult circumstances might be accepted, and this is a great risk, for failure can mean an even heavier karma, and so in this sense, yes, the soul must choose wisely.
Bandit, I hope that casts what you've read in a new light. The idea is that, a lot can happen in the states of awareness & being out of incarnation, but certainly, once the soul has entered in, there is a tabula rasa, and fresh opportunity to start in innocence, and enter upon the work of the soul anew. Whatever predispositions, character traits, skills & abilities that develop in accord with karma/past lives, do so as best as possible for the purpose of a given incarnation, as well as for the Soul in a broader sense, seeing across several lives as it does. This kind of vision is usually ours only when out of incarnation, but it is my opinion that we may gain it while in the body, if it might help us to achieve our Spiritual Purpose. Otherwise, it's best to leave it alone, and trust to the Divine Guidance that is available through literally hundreds of other channels.
So those who don't like the channel I'm suggesting, or reject reincarnation, or prefer to take a different approach to the subject ... well certainly that's understandable. It would be silly to sit and watch Law & Order, if you really prefer Miami Vice. They're both cop shows, but with very a different focus, and quite a different flavor.
peace,
andrew
B
Bandit
Guest
taijasi said:Bandit, I hope that casts what you've read in a new light. The idea is that, a lot can happen in the states of awareness & being out of incarnation, but certainly, once the soul has entered in, there is a tabula rasa, and fresh opportunity to start in innocence, and enter upon the work of the soul anew. Whatever predispositions, character traits, skills & abilities that develop in accord with karma/past lives, do so as best as possible for the purpose of a given incarnation, as well as for the Soul in a broader sense, seeing across several lives as it does. This kind of vision is usually ours only when out of incarnation, but it is my opinion that we may gain it while in the body, if it might help us to achieve our Spiritual Purpose. Otherwise, it's best to leave it alone, and trust to the Divine Guidance that is available through literally hundreds of other channels.
So those who don't like the channel I'm suggesting, or reject reincarnation, or prefer to take a different approach to the subject ... well certainly that's understandable. It would be silly to sit and watch Law & Order, if you really prefer Miami Vice. They're both cop shows, but with very a different focus, and quite a different flavor.
peace,
andrew
i have had my share of 'things happen' some pleasant & some not so pleasant. i just choose not to try & make them happen again & let Jesus make them happen. i am aware of the other channels but i have one channel on all the time. it is called the Jesus Channel
I read a book by Don Miguel Ruiz that I liked alot. He asserts that we can break karma by forgiveness. Karma is perpetuated by our belief in it. If we forgive ourselves now and for any past life experiences we can break the Karma once and for al;l. Forgiveness cleans and heals our emotional wounds.
Just thought I'd share this thought with you;
Unlimited spirit is within the nature of your being. It came with you into your body, and you have access to it whenever you choose to open it.
Coming into this lifetime was a process of adjusting your awareness from the realm of spirit to the realm of physical form.
Living in physical reality is a much more dense experience than living in unlimited spirit
Until you realize that even in physical form, the unlimited spirit is with you.
I got these quotes from a book by Martia Nelson titled Coming Home. This book has helped me alot with the struggles one experiences in this world. She asserts that absolutely everything happens for a reason and is perfect. Often times when we view that everything is wrong or we made the wrong decisions it was that our spirit chose these things for us. Our spirit came to the physical realm to learn and all of our life choices are in order to undergo deeper learning and growth. Our personality, or physical nature is at odds with our unlimited nature and constantly defines and labels things and situations. So the key is to recognize and acknowledge as much as possible that we have unlimited spirit inside us at all times. Love is in every cell and tissue of our body and was created in perfection. But we struggle with the density of physicality and get weighed down.
Unlimited spirit is within the nature of your being. It came with you into your body, and you have access to it whenever you choose to open it.
Coming into this lifetime was a process of adjusting your awareness from the realm of spirit to the realm of physical form.
Living in physical reality is a much more dense experience than living in unlimited spirit
Until you realize that even in physical form, the unlimited spirit is with you.
I got these quotes from a book by Martia Nelson titled Coming Home. This book has helped me alot with the struggles one experiences in this world. She asserts that absolutely everything happens for a reason and is perfect. Often times when we view that everything is wrong or we made the wrong decisions it was that our spirit chose these things for us. Our spirit came to the physical realm to learn and all of our life choices are in order to undergo deeper learning and growth. Our personality, or physical nature is at odds with our unlimited nature and constantly defines and labels things and situations. So the key is to recognize and acknowledge as much as possible that we have unlimited spirit inside us at all times. Love is in every cell and tissue of our body and was created in perfection. But we struggle with the density of physicality and get weighed down.
Dondi
Well-Known Member
didymus said:
What is the difference between our spirit and ourselves? Are we not spirits with a physical body? I don't see placing the blame for our choices on our spirit is any difference than accepting the responsibility ourselves. Am I misunderstanding something here? Are we schizophrenic people?
Dondi said:
I think that we are dual in nature, we have an eternal spirit within us and it resides in our physical bodies. The physical knows only limitation and the spirit knows only unlimitedness. Our physical nature will clash with our spiritual nature at times by constantly trying to define, evaluate and judge things. I'm not saying it is our spirits fault, what I am saying is that the spirit nature within us may seek out life situations in an attempt to learn and grow from them. Our physical/ personality doesn't know this and begins to judge the situation. For example, this is bad, that is good. If good things are happening than I am doing the right thing, if bad things happen perhaps I am in error. I am not blaming spirit, I'm saying there are deeper levels of growth and learning spiritually that our physical nature doesn't like or recognize.
taijasi
Gnōthi seauton
As a response to the discussion of the relationship between spirit, body, our different modes of consciousness, and where & how choices are made (relative to reincarnation & growth experiences), maybe a chart would help. I've borrowed this chart & adapted it, and originally it had nothing to do with this topic ... but I think the funnel design is helpful. The notion that consciousnes expands & increases, relative to different levels of awareness, is vital, imo. The closer we approach to Soul/Spirit, the wider the funnel gets in general, but this is difficult to illustrate. Even per level, such as physical awareness, astral/emotional awareness, and mental awareness, there is an increase - such that a wide range of states of awareness is covered per level.
Moving from physical to astral, we might consider that the "first," or lower states of astral awareness belong to what we call the "sub-conscious," and thus, we are normally not aware of them, especially since repressed, or suppressed emotions/desires, belong to these states. The same is true at the level of lower mind, to a certain extent. Nothing at the level of the Soul is "un-conscious," as it belongs to the states which psychology calls the SuperEgo. It is our Conscience, and spiritually, the Soul is the entity that reincarnates, not the personality. Seven types of souls exist, but that is beside the point.
I think we can understand our life's experiences from many points of view, and I agree with what you're saying, Didymus, in principle. And I don't think that contradicts the point you're making, Dondi, about responsibility. Our goal is to learn to accept responsibility ... for every single thing that happens to us, including the consequences - both positive & negative - for every decision we make. This can be difficult, especially when is seems clear that we've been "set up," or when it looks like the world around us conspired without our best interest in mind. My findings, especially in recent years, is that - such an attitude, is called the victim mentality. And it is most unhealthy.
What would be accurate, is to say that, from a spiritual level, every single event provides us the opportunity for learning and growth. And that means growth both as a Soul, and as a person. It all depends on how we approach it, and what we make of it. Complain, and resist, and go seeking blame, and chances are we'll only make the situation worse. So do we choose to view life as a series of problems & challenges, or do we see all events, all of our relationship with other people, and our relationship with the Divine ... as opportunities for learning and growth? It's up to us.
One could argue, that to take such a mature perspective, betokens a true, Soul consciousness, and we can say things like, "But I'm not ready yet, I haven't become enlightened yet!" Fine, but we all know that, and to me, it's just a copout. We're using that as an excuse to justify our "bucking the Dharma." Why not act as if, and start behaving like we are really ready for these tougher experiences? Then we might not be so surprised when life keeps handing them out! lol After all, we know - that that's how life works!
This is especially challenging, I've found, for folks who've never considered that only through suffering ... can some people learn important lessons. Naturally, the personality wants it easy, we'd rather just learn from a book, or from happy, ecstatic experiences. But that's not what life is all about, that's not how things are for the vast majority of people in this world. And I think people who are always seeking to dodge the proverbial bullet in this way, are trying to cheat life, because they're refusing to accept the other side of the coin, as it were. It doesn't mean we're supposed to go throw ourselves in front of a bus, or intentionally fall down and break our leg. That's stupid. But taking the easy way out, is also - not always best.
I think it is certainly true, that from a certain level - in terms of Soul consciousness - yes, we did choose a given experience, even if it is distasteful to the personality. That doesn't mean we're supposed to "like" it, or be thrilled about it. But our attitude, and our choice to accept things responsibly, is what's important. To say that each moment is perfect, requires a definite degree of detachment ... from our tendency to label our experiences as positive & negative, good & bad, or even right & wrong! No one in their right mind is suggesting that we suddenly toss morality & ethics out the window. That is a complete misunderstanding. If anything, we must strive harder to embody the ideals we believe in. But when things don't go "right," it's important for us not to judge others, not to blame others, and also to remember to just breathe - and not freak out, blaming or judging ourselves! Then we don't have to go sobbing & moping around, feeling like we've screwed up, and we don't have to feel victimized by life's little bumps - or the big ones!
I don't think we can change overnight, and it doesn't mean that we have to believe in rebirth, either. If you think that you can learn the lessons you need to learn in one life, then go for it! Personally, I think it takes thousands! And while I do think that our spiritual growth still occurs after our transition to the next world, I think that the physical world is the only place which provides a certain type of experience necessary for us. The idea that early life is a complete waste, or a useless recapitulation of lessons already learned, can be debated. How? Because every single year is different here on this planet. We see familiar patterns, and certainly these are recapitulatory, but in that sense, these years are reaffirming, and most helpful to the Soul, as they help us to develop a foundation upon which all further/future learning can occur.
But we also do continue to learn new things, even during our childhood and adolescent years, since the world is different every time around. Also, these years are critical in terms of our relationships with others, since it's quite likely, that a cycle or two ago, your parents, might have been your children! Yeah, wow, I know - freaky concept. But taken as a given, in many Buddhist and Hindu countries/cultures. And if you didn't return as their child, when & how could they have a chance to repay the favor, and when & how could certain karmic factors be balanced? There are many ways (!), but each lifetime presents those in a slightly different context, while also according to familiar patterns. I could give examples, and even specific situations - probably even some from my own experiences. Just ask ...
Love & Light,
andrew
Moving from physical to astral, we might consider that the "first," or lower states of astral awareness belong to what we call the "sub-conscious," and thus, we are normally not aware of them, especially since repressed, or suppressed emotions/desires, belong to these states. The same is true at the level of lower mind, to a certain extent. Nothing at the level of the Soul is "un-conscious," as it belongs to the states which psychology calls the SuperEgo. It is our Conscience, and spiritually, the Soul is the entity that reincarnates, not the personality. Seven types of souls exist, but that is beside the point.
I think we can understand our life's experiences from many points of view, and I agree with what you're saying, Didymus, in principle. And I don't think that contradicts the point you're making, Dondi, about responsibility. Our goal is to learn to accept responsibility ... for every single thing that happens to us, including the consequences - both positive & negative - for every decision we make. This can be difficult, especially when is seems clear that we've been "set up," or when it looks like the world around us conspired without our best interest in mind. My findings, especially in recent years, is that - such an attitude, is called the victim mentality. And it is most unhealthy.
What would be accurate, is to say that, from a spiritual level, every single event provides us the opportunity for learning and growth. And that means growth both as a Soul, and as a person. It all depends on how we approach it, and what we make of it. Complain, and resist, and go seeking blame, and chances are we'll only make the situation worse. So do we choose to view life as a series of problems & challenges, or do we see all events, all of our relationship with other people, and our relationship with the Divine ... as opportunities for learning and growth? It's up to us.
One could argue, that to take such a mature perspective, betokens a true, Soul consciousness, and we can say things like, "But I'm not ready yet, I haven't become enlightened yet!" Fine, but we all know that, and to me, it's just a copout. We're using that as an excuse to justify our "bucking the Dharma." Why not act as if, and start behaving like we are really ready for these tougher experiences?
Then we might not be so surprised when life keeps handing them out! lol After all, we know - that that's how life works! This is especially challenging, I've found, for folks who've never considered that only through suffering ... can some people learn important lessons. Naturally, the personality wants it easy, we'd rather just learn from a book, or from happy, ecstatic experiences. But that's not what life is all about, that's not how things are for the vast majority of people in this world. And I think people who are always seeking to dodge the proverbial bullet in this way, are trying to cheat life, because they're refusing to accept the other side of the coin, as it were. It doesn't mean we're supposed to go throw ourselves in front of a bus, or intentionally fall down and break our leg. That's stupid. But taking the easy way out, is also - not always best.
I think it is certainly true, that from a certain level - in terms of Soul consciousness - yes, we did choose a given experience, even if it is distasteful to the personality. That doesn't mean we're supposed to "like" it, or be thrilled about it. But our attitude, and our choice to accept things responsibly, is what's important. To say that each moment is perfect, requires a definite degree of detachment ... from our tendency to label our experiences as positive & negative, good & bad, or even right & wrong! No one in their right mind is suggesting that we suddenly toss morality & ethics out the window. That is a complete misunderstanding. If anything, we must strive harder to embody the ideals we believe in. But when things don't go "right," it's important for us not to judge others, not to blame others, and also to remember to just breathe - and not freak out, blaming or judging ourselves! Then we don't have to go sobbing & moping around, feeling like we've screwed up, and we don't have to feel victimized by life's little bumps - or the big ones!
I don't think we can change overnight, and it doesn't mean that we have to believe in rebirth, either. If you think that you can learn the lessons you need to learn in one life, then go for it! Personally, I think it takes thousands! And while I do think that our spiritual growth still occurs after our transition to the next world, I think that the physical world is the only place which provides a certain type of experience necessary for us. The idea that early life is a complete waste, or a useless recapitulation of lessons already learned, can be debated. How? Because every single year is different here on this planet. We see familiar patterns, and certainly these are recapitulatory, but in that sense, these years are reaffirming, and most helpful to the Soul, as they help us to develop a foundation upon which all further/future learning can occur.
But we also do continue to learn new things, even during our childhood and adolescent years, since the world is different every time around. Also, these years are critical in terms of our relationships with others, since it's quite likely, that a cycle or two ago, your parents, might have been your children!
Yeah, wow, I know - freaky concept. But taken as a given, in many Buddhist and Hindu countries/cultures. And if you didn't return as their child, when & how could they have a chance to repay the favor, and when & how could certain karmic factors be balanced? There are many ways (!), but each lifetime presents those in a slightly different context, while also according to familiar patterns. I could give examples, and even specific situations - probably even some from my own experiences. Just ask ...Love & Light,
andrew
taijasi
Gnōthi seauton
Didymus,didymus said:
I'm reading several, including two right now by Dolores Cannon, dealing with reincarnation as explored from the perspective of a Past Life Regressionist. Cannon has written quite a few books on the subject, having done this for something like 30 years. The one that got me interested in her, is called They Walked With Jesus, and it's still on order with Amazon.com - because it's grouped with the new Harry Potter DVD.
So, ironically, I still don't have it yet ... but I did order five others of hers (!), and the two I've started are Jesus and the Essenes, and Keepers of the Garden.Jesus and the Essenes is provided as an account of a client who discovered a past life just prior to the time of Christ, in the Essene Community of Qumran. Thus far, I am fascinated, and don't find it difficult to believe at all! I always approach accounts like this very carefully, but even if I see things that don't ring true, I'm not going to toss the baby out with the bathwater. Why should I? Probably there is still something of value, and yet, anyone who really wants to know how the early life of Jesus went, should probably read this book. Or, of course, people who just want to stick to their Bibles ... can & should do so. I just find it helpful to see it from a firsthand point of view, which is the perspective one gets when reading a Q&A session between Cannon and her clients, as she writes.
Some of what I've read so far is amazing, and the very real, normal life that is presented is much more keeping with what one would expect, instead of glamorous, unbelievable exaggerations and fantasies. The perspective offered in Jesus and the Essenes is that of Suddi, and his accounts have been arranged out of the order given, and presented in a more chronological order, to make better sense. So far, the Essene Community has been described in detail, including much about what they believed and taught. Also, many things about the relationship (mostly differences) between the Essenes, and the typical Jews/Jewish beliefs & practices of the times, have been presented. These people were absolutely feared by both the Romans and the Jews, because they were regarded as possessing various secrets, and essentially as being a threat to the established order.
That Jesus was most certainly an Essene, or at least had studied (probably lived) at Qumran, and was extremely familiar with their teachings, I increasingly have no doubt. I haven't even gotten to that part of the book yet ... but Suddi has spoken already of some of the prophecies regarding the Messiah. The Essene perspective on all of this, is something I have always been curious about, and I fully expect this book to be enormously helpful - to me - in approaching this.
Highly recommended to anyone with a similar interest, and who has not already drawn his or her conclusions ... regarding this whole subject. There is one thing thus far - and really only this one thing - which raised a yellow flag for me ... even a bright orange one, actually. However, because I couldn't wait, and started another book by Cannon, I have already lowered that flag considerably, and I'm much more comfortable with the issue. I think I already posted it, and it's the notion, as presented in Jesus & the Essenes, that her subject had already recounted 20 different lives, before reaching the time of Christ. Cannon stated that had she stopped there, she would never have discovered the fascinating accounts of Suddi. But my challenge, is to believe that all 20 lives before Suddi, were accurate.
Normally, a Soul would only have had 3 to 5 actual incarnations in that time, if that many. Perhaps 6 or 7 at the outside, in rare cases. I don't mean to sound so certain, but my findings are that we usually reincarnate in a loose cycle of maybe 7 or 800 years, or for many people, a much longer period, of well over 1000 years. Interruptions by violent death, and/or deaths during wartimes (which sweeps us into a very different karma, the karma of the national entity), can bring us immediately back, and my own present life is a case in point. But besides that, I consider my own recent cycle of lives unusual, for various reasons that I think I understand. Still, it runs - 2 lives in 20th century (present included), 1 in 11th-12th century, 1 in 1st century AD, 1 in 1st century BC, 1 in 6th century BC, 1 in 14th century BC, etc. Now that's 7 lives in 3500 years, at least one being due to wartimes. Go figure.
A problem? No. Here's why. In Cannon's book, Keepers of the Garden, she finds herself speaking to a previous incarnation of her client, after awhile ... which wasn't on this planet at all! And this is the subject of the entire rest of the book, although several such lives are covered, perhaps on several different worlds. The one I'm reading about now was supposedly 4th dimensional, or "astral," and for that reason, it's particularly fascinating. I've seldom read accounts of such a phase/dimension of living, and never one from firsthand. This book, too, is amazing. I think it was the first of several which address the topic of non-earth-based Humanities, as learned about via Past Life Regressions, and the other four books are on my coffee table just waiting!
Anyway, what Cannon finds, after learning from her client about 6 or 7 supposed incarnations upon Earth, is that the being she's speaking with (the Soul, essentially, though focussed through the incarnation on another planet - which allows a much clearer communication from the true entity, as a Soul, from spiritual levels ... ) ... this being, only incarnated on Earth once, in its present lifetime. Now this is confusing! What were these other 6 or so lives then??? And thus, the chapter I've just read, is on `imprints.' I have never encountered an idea quite as developed as this one, on the topic of reincarnation, for many years since first reading about it ... but it squares perfectly with all I've read and come to understand about the Akashic Records. In short, for beings of other Humanities, who come to our planet for the next stages of their spiritual development (something I've finally accepted, and God knows why I should ever have even questioned it, or doubted!) ... for such entities, a sudden immersal into our world, via direct incarnation - would be devastating. As this being put it, the extreme shock upon their astral body, and inner mechanism (mind), would result in a paralysis, maybe even death. To witness the violence, the hate, the anger, the war, and the many things that are in several ways unique to our - uh, "special" planet - would, mmmm, just kill them. A part of me weeps to read this, a part of me is very sad, and I know it to be true, I have always known it. But we will make it. I hope.
So in order to give the incoming entity a context, and help it adapt prior to incarnation, imprints from other lives are made available. It could be just a few, it could be that literally hundreds, or thousands are needed. Just depends (presumably on degree of evolution, but that hasn't been stated in that way). And such imprints, are the sum-total, the spiritual accomlishments, or the redeeming, important experiences, of all souls upon our planet. Supposedly, it is even possible for hundreds of different souls to share a given, single imprint, if such was important enough, and helpful for us. And to the entity with the imprint, there is no way to distinguish between that imprint and a life "actually lived."
A fascinating idea, and one that makes perfect sense to me!!!
For example, a being that was coming in and needed experience as some type of leader, might require imprints from various kings, tribal leaders, even a leader of a gang of thieves, if it had to reach far enough back. This fits with the notion of the Rays, as a thread found on the Esoteric board, where Ray 1 is that of Power, and of politicians. If it were a Ray 6 Soul, that entity would perhaps need imprints from several lives as devotees, or martyrs, even saints, and religious leaders. It just varies. But the imprints help the being adapt and prepare for the rather challenging incarnation(s) which it is about to undertake upon this planet. And there is even reference to a "special type of spirits" which assist with the choosing of imprints, and the use of them by souls coming in. This is exactly what esoteric teachings indicate by the term Lipika Lords, or Lords of Karma. [Look up Lipika in this glossary for more info, and also akasa - the very last part of the definition - if interested.]
So much more is said, in that one chapter, and in the rest of the book. It, too, I highly recommend, if folks are open to these ideas. The chapters prior to this one, have described in much detail, and to my great interest, what life is like on two different planets outside of our system. One is in the Sirian System, another ... I forget. Both, are capable of Interstellar travel, and are on "trade routes" that cross our Galaxy - and others. The importance of mining is stressed, and of the trading of medicines that are synthesized from plants found on various planets. War, as physical conflict, is unknown to these civlizations. They are far, far past that point in their evolution. Many books like this may exist, and I do believe that we should approach the whole idea with a healthy dose of skepticism. Having done so, I am so far convinced that Cannon's books are useful, probably fairly accurate, and quite possibly exactly what they appear. It's already changing how I regard the whole topic of Past Life Regression, although much more could be said about the pupose, usefulness, pros and cons, of PLR. I hope to learn more from a friend of mine, who is doing it. We could certainly discuss this, from a very practical viewpoint, since I think it is quite important relevant to the topic of Reincarnation ...
Love & Light,
andrew
B
Bandit
Guest
i am just curious, taijasi...do you believe that everyone has had more than one life?
& are you seeing this reincarnation as a process that continues forever?
i have heard many say that we have millions & millions of lives, which i find rather hard to believe & dont see any purpose behind that...so, i just want to see where you stand with it.
& are you seeing this reincarnation as a process that continues forever?
i have heard many say that we have millions & millions of lives, which i find rather hard to believe & dont see any purpose behind that...so, i just want to see where you stand with it.