Reincarnation
and Past-Life Regression
Within this moment, the only moment that exists, the past, present, and future are contained.
—Buddha (circa 563–483 BCE)
In a consoling letter to Elizabeth Hubbart on February 22, 1756, Benjamin Franklin wrote that the soul is immortal. The old boy was right. While on Earth, you are a soul living within a physical body, not just a physical body with a soul. The human body should be thought of as a temple or building that your eternal soul resides in temporarily while you are here in the physical. The body is merely the structure. When you die or pass over at the end of each of your earthly incarnations, and there are many incarnations, you as an eternal soul return to the heavenly fields above.
When you are “dead,” commonly known as in-between lives, you can have some profound and wonderful experiences while in Heaven. This lovely realm or higher plane of existence contains beautiful gardens, teaching temples, and healing areas. During your time there, you will experience many events, heal your traumas received while on Earth, evaluate your last earthly existence, and eventually prepare to return to Earth.
Through my work with past-life regression, I’ve been repeatedly asked certain insightful questions about reincarnation and past-life regression. I pose them here for you, since I can only assume they will come up at some point in your own work.
Q & A
Q: If I am up in Heaven having a wonderful and peaceful time, why in hell would I want to come back to Earth?
A: Through past-life regression, a better understanding of your reincarnations—the birth, death, and rebirth process—can answer many questions that pertain to your reason for being here on Earth. As well, it can answer that nagging question “Why did I return to Earth in the first place?” It can help you understand why you came back. It helps you put both your life and your death into proper perspective. As a human soul, you are constantly learning and growing on your long journey back and forth between Heaven and Earth.
Many people say, “I didn’t ask to be born.” Actually, you did. You had a meeting or two with wise spiritual beings in Heaven. You made an agreement to come back to Earth. Many options were discussed with you. Finally, the right parents and the right country were arranged for you. You came back here to Earth to fulfill your contract with Heaven.
Q: How many past lives have I had?
A: After years of working as a past-life therapist, I have come to the following conclusion: there is no set number of past lives that you can have. Many people have lived numerous past lives here on Earth, while others have had only a dozen or so past-life experiences. It all depends on each person and their eternal soul. A human soul will keep coming back and experiencing the cycle of reincarnation until that soul has become enlightened enough to break this cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Finally, a human soul will return to Heaven and stay there after learning all the lessons that are necessary. So, a person may experience a dozen past lives or a hundred past lives or more! It all depends on the individual.
Reincarnation involves old souls and new souls. Old souls are human souls that have experienced many previous lifetimes on this planet. An old soul has lived dozens or more previous lives on the earth.
A new soul is a human soul that has experienced very few past lives on this planet. As new souls, they are newborn babes. Their wisdom, knowledge, and spirituality are not developed fully yet. They have not learned all the lessons necessary for their spiritual growth. Comprehension about deep philosophical subjects is lacking at first until these new souls grow and develop. Many new souls do not fully understand the world that we live in. Each of these souls will need many lifetimes in order to become more developed. For a new soul, this should be considered as a great opportunity to learn and grow on a spiritual level. The new soul may learn very quickly and become spiritually advanced in a very quick manner.
Old souls are more prevalent upon the planet. When you look into the eyes of a person who is an old soul, you will see wisdom there. It is easy to spot an old soul. The individual will be interested in many subjects and will embrace life upon the earth. There is a depth and an internal wisdom that shines forth from an old soul. Many of them will be very spiritual and caring. There is an inner knowing that they all possess. On a spiritual level, these old souls know why they are here and what they are supposed to do to make this planet a better place. These people understand what life is all about and recognize, on that same spiritual level, that they agreed to return to Earth for another incarnation.
Both old souls and new souls that learn quickly are here making a difference on Planet Earth. They understand life and death and strive to help others.
You will be able to tell an old soul from a new soul as you explore your own past lives. In any case, both old and new souls have great opportunities to grow and experience the wonders of this earth.
At this time on Earth, all souls have been given a great chance to achieve the greatest spiritual growth that is possible. All human souls have come back at a special moment in time to explore this wondrous possibility.
Q: Does past-life regression always involve traumatic events?
A: When you recall a past life, it does not always have to be painful. Some of the experiences can be joyful, uplifting, insightful, and, yes, even funny. Oh sure, you might encounter painful or traumatic events, such as being hanged as a horse thief. (Of course, not everyone was a king or queen in a past life.) But these situations help you to heal yourself on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level. These healing benefits far outweigh the negative aspects.
Some of your past-life encounters can be extremely funny. You do not always have to remember being burned at the stake as a witch, stabbed as a soldier, or persecuted harshly for your beliefs. Perhaps you might recall a peaceful, fulfilling lifetime as a farmer. Warm, pleasant feelings of raising crops and raising children could be the central theme of a particular incarnation. A lifetime of happiness may be presented to you. Through it all, it is a learning experience for your soul.
Q: When you reincarnate, do you always return into a human body? Can you come back as a dog or cat?
A: According to my own study and teaching, a human soul is a human soul. You always reincarnate as a human. The soul is eternal and attached to the heavenly fields above. When you die, your human soul vibrates on a higher frequency and returns to Heaven. You spend some time in Heaven and then you prepare to return to Earth once more. You will repeat this process over and over. Eventually, when you are truly enlightened, you will no longer need to return to Earth. At that point, you have broken the birth-to-rebirth process or the cycle of reincarnation.
On the other hand, there is also something called the “transmigration of souls.” Transmigration of souls means that a human soul can reincarnate into another animal such as a dog or a cat. Buddhists, followers of a religion embraced by millions, believe in this form of reincarnation. In other words, it is possible for a human soul to have been in the body of another being besides a human in a previous lifetime. This is one of the reasons that Buddhists around the world cherish and respect all life. Even a lowly insect is treated with respect. In our Western society, we might have a tendency to crush a spider that we find on our kitchen floor, but Buddhists would gently nudge the spider out the kitchen door instead of killing it. I suppose this is a very loving and peaceful way to look at our world. Although I believe that a human soul always reincarnates into a human body, lifetime after lifetime, one must, of course, have respect for other beliefs and religions. After all, we are all here on this earth to follow our spiritual path back to the Creator.
All of these varied religions and beliefs possess a truth and a spiritual essence.
Q: What previous lifetime affects me the greatest in this life?
A: It is your last two incarnations that have the greatest influences upon you. These two previous lifetimes are just below your consciousness waiting to be released. By meditating and using past-life recall techniques, you will pull one or both of these past lives to the surface of your conscious mind. Once you receive a glimpse of one of these incarnations, more and more glimpses will unfold.
Q: Have I always been a woman (or man) in my previous lives?
A: You will return to Earth lifetime after lifetime. Sometimes you might come back as a female; other times you will return as a male. This is part of the reincarnation experience. You might recall or receive only one or two lifetimes as a woman. In most of your recalls, you may be a man.
You may also return as a member of a different race. In one lifetime you might be a Native American; in the next you may be a Caucasian. This is normal.
Human souls can also reincarnate into different countries. For instance, I remember being an American born on the eastern coast around 1810. I was a writer and recalled memories from the American Civil War. In my present lifetime, I was born near Niagara Falls, Canada, in 1954. As a Canadian, I have feelings and emotions about both countries.
Q: What about my family? Is this my first life with them?
A: Families seem to reincarnate into family groups, incarnation after incarnation. In a past life, a person who is your sister now may have been your mother then. Relationship issues you had with that person in that lifetime may be brought forward into your current lifetime. It is during this lifetime that you must learn the lesson and break the karma or debt. This will allow your soul to move on.
When discussing families and reincarnation, another aspect needs to be covered. It is possible for someone’s great-great-grandfather to return to this time period as the great-great-grandson. There was a program on television years ago about reincarnation. The name of the show escapes me, but it doesn’t matter. In any event, in it a man recalled intimate information about a certain regiment of the Civil War. He knew all about the type of rifle used by the Union soldiers of that northern regiment. This man possessed detailed knowledge about this regiment, knowledge that he should not possess. Also, a picture of his great-great-grandfather was shown. The photograph looked very much like the great-great-grandson. In fact, the photograph of the great-great-grandfather looked like a twin to the descendant. This strongly suggests that many souls reincarnate into their family groups over and over.
Ways You May Experience Past Lives
You might be sitting in your kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. You may be in a very relaxed state. Suddenly, a glimpse of you riding a white horse in the English countryside comes clearly into your mind. You can see how you are dressed. It is very vivid and very real for just a brief moment. Deep down inside, you know that you are seeing a bit of a past-life recall. With experience, you’ll be able to recognize this more and more.
Once that happens, other scenes from that lifetime will start to come forward. You may start to see your home in England and beautiful flowers in a garden. Soon, more of this lifetime will be presented to you either in waking visions or while you sleep. Perhaps a vivid past-life dream from that time period will be shown to you in its entirety. You might even pick up your name and the date of this lifetime.
This lifetime that you are recalling is the one that is influencing you the most. Eventually, most of this previous embodiment will be given to you. It is your higher self that is working on your behalf. On a higher level you are remembering the past life that you need to see. This is always the case when it comes to reincarnation.
Another event that happens on a fairly regular basis is the quick flash or vision of a past life. This can often occur when someone is in a relaxed state. Many clients have told me that they were sitting in their kitchen or in their garden, just letting their mind drift. As this happened, all of them had quick visions of a previous incarnation. One of my clients remembered seeing himself sitting on a brown horse, dressed in a Roman uniform. He was looking down from a hill at the Roman soldiers marching along a roadway. As soon as he experienced this past-life glimpse, it ended abruptly.
Your angels and spirit guides will also be there to assist you as you explore your past lives. These wise and loving beings of light help open the doors to the past for you to see what you need to see. Always ask for their assistance as you explore your past incarnations.
Simultaneous Past-Life Recall
There is a very rare and special phenomenon that can occur in the past-life regression process. I call it simultaneous past-life recall. This sometimes happens when couples explore their respective past lives. When each couple is regressed to a previous lifetime, they will both experience the very same lifetime. For example, the husband will re-live the past life as a husband in a certain time period. He will recognize his current wife as his wife in that lifetime. All the scenes and events of that incarnation will play out for him. The same experience will happen to the wife. She will visit the same past life but as another person. She may be the wife back then and recognize her present spouse as her husband in that incarnation.
Storybook Past Life
People recall their own past lives in a few different ways. Sometimes a person will experience the past-life recall in the same format as a story. I call this the storybook past life. In it a person will have the past life unfold in chronological order. First, some may see themselves as small children. A special event might be seen and felt by them. Then, the past-life scene may move to a later time. In this case, the scene is of a young man or woman wearing old-style clothes. Several scenes of importance will be shown as the past life moves forward. Eventually, the individuals will see and even feel the pain and suffering of a death in that lifetime. As the past-life event ends, they will see themselves floating above the death scene. Some will experience the pain as they recall that time. Others will simply observe the death event. People experience past-life death scenes in different ways. Sometimes, due to the influence of the higher self, the individuals will revisit the pain and emotions. This happens in order to assist in the healing process of the soul. It helps the soul release the pain.
Bits-and-Pieces Recall
The next way that people recall past lives is a bit disjointed. I refer to it as bits-and-pieces recall. In these cases, the people undergoing a past-life recall will receive bits and pieces of past-life scenes and other information. These various scenes will be parts of one lifetime and then another. In many cases, people will see or feel memories from several past incarnations. For instance, a person may see himself as a pirate being hanged from the yardarm, and then the scene switches. Next, he may see himself as a farmer living in a green, peaceful valley. The past-life scenes or glimpses may flow into his mind very quickly. There may be a dozen or more scenes shown to the person.
This method does not happen as often as the traditional, or storybook, recall, but it does occur for whatever reason. The people can then analyze what they have experienced. Soon, more and more scenes or glimpses from some of these past lives will start to enter into the conscious minds of these people. One of these past lives may become dominant, and soon the whole past life is shown in its entirety.
People who recall past lives experience these events in two different ways. Some people will simply see the scenes unfolding. The individuals are observers to the event. They are watching the past life unfold as if they are watching a movie or television show.
Others will experience their past lives in a more intimate manner. When the past-life scenes start to unfold, the individuals will become part of the events. It is as if they are an actor within the play. They are there participating in the events and feeling all the emotions of that past life. To these people, it is very real. It can be quite traumatic. All the pain, sadness, joy, and other emotions are embraced by them. Their past-life death can be a trying event in some cases but not always. In some situations, the people will just float out of the body and observe the final moments from above. It does not always have to be an unsettling event.
No matter what happens, these past-life memories allow the soul to heal. An inner peace within may arise from this experience. The human soul retains memories, emotions, and pain from previous lifetimes. By recalling or re-living past lives, the soul can release these negative emotions and pains. The soul will then begin to heal. Both the physical body and the human soul can acquire emotional and physical trauma. The soul needs to heal the same as the body.
Past-Life Recognition
It is often said that the eyes are the windows of the soul. This is very true, especially when it comes to reincarnation. Let me explain. It is the eyes of the person that draw you in. On some level you recognize this person from another lifetime. Some people you develop an instant rapport with, although you just met the person, and you feel as if you have known him or her all your life.
Some of you may have an instant dislike for a person you have just met. Chances are you knew this individual in a previous lifetime. Maybe this person treated you badly in a past life. You may not remember any of that earlier lifetime, but your soul recognizes this other soul on some psychic or spiritual level. Again, the eyes may be the key. As you look into the eyes of this person, some feeling may be triggered within.
Repetitive Past-Life Dream
I had a client come to see me regarding a repetitive dream she had experienced for many years. She explained that in the dream she was standing in a lovely garden looking at a large, two-story white home. The home looked very familiar to her, and she felt quite comfortable in this dream. In the dream she saw herself enter the front doors of this house. Once inside she would explore each room and gaze at all of the furnishings. My client felt that the furniture, pictures, and other objects were from a time period in the 1800s. In her mind she felt herself touching many of the objects in the rooms. As she continued exploring, she would always end up in a bedroom on the second floor. Here she would gaze at the large bed, the pillows, and the curtains. She felt that this was her personal bedroom.
This dream that she had would be the same every time.
We talked about this repetitive dream. I told her that it was probably a past-life recall. When I regressed her back to a previous lifetime, she ended up in England around 1870. Sure enough, she saw the white two-story house. My client was able to recognize that she was a woman in that lifetime and was happily married.
Afterwards, she reflected upon this previous lifetime and realized that the repetitive dream was a past-life recall trying to come through to the surface. Everything made perfect sense to her.
Through the years, many of my clients have experienced similar events. All of them now recognize that they were seeing a part of a previous lifetime.
Future Life Progression
When you explore your past lives, you have the ability to go back in time and re-live a previous life. As an eternal soul, you also have the ability to receive visions of possible future events as well. This is sometimes referred to as a future life progression. You simply move ahead to events that will transpire in this lifetime or perhaps in a lifetime yet to come.
You can also develop the ability to meditate and focus on these future scenes. This can even happen during sleep. Allow yourself to experiment with future life progressions along with the past.
As you explore your own past lives, you will discover numerous things about yourself. You will understand who you are, where you came from, and, most importantly, why you are here on Earth at this momentous time. Soon, you will recall many past lives and develop or enhance more of your spiritual gifts and psychic abilities using the techniques within this book. As you explore the past, you will change your present and make your future better and brighter.
Allow your soul to be free, to feel the true eternal energy that flows within. Discover your past lives and embrace your future. I wish you all the best on your spiritual journey!