Meditative Techniques
That Encourage Past-Life Recall
Meditation helps you to grow your own intuitive faculty. It becomes very clear what is going to fulfill you, what is going to help you flower.
—Osho (1931–90), Indian spiritual teacher
Now that you know about the basics of reincarnation and past lives, I want to focus on special techniques you can use to help you access your memories from previous lifetimes. The easiest way to begin to encourage past-life recall is through the use of meditation techniques. Here I include the more effective practices I share with my clients and students.
Many people are very visual. These individuals can see scenes unfolding in their minds in the same manner as watching a movie. However, not everyone visualizes well. Some people will feel or sense impressions instead of seeing them. This is fine. You can still benefit from past-life recall if you feel and sense emotions and other things. Eventually, as you explore your previous lifetimes, a window will open up in your mind. All of a sudden you will become visual as well. Meditation is one of the tools you can use to achieve this result.
Another great tool to use is memory. For instance, if you want to visualize yourself standing around a campfire, let your memory be your guide. Remember when you went camping as a child, and someone built a roaring fire in front of which you stood? See yourself there and feel the warmth of the comforting fire. Hear the wood crackling and see the various colored flames glowing within the fire. This will help you to awaken your visualizing skills. Use this technique whenever you need to. It doesn’t always have to be a huge fire. Perhaps you can remember being on the beach on a warm summer day where you can feel and smell the breeze. Let yourself experiment with memories of your past. Again, triggering your memories from earlier in this incarnation will allow you to open up and visualize in an easy manner.
Out of all your senses, smell is the strongest one. This holds true in the psychic and spiritual realms. Through the years, numerous clients and students have remarked how strong their sense of smell was when they experienced a past-life recall. Some of them have smelled smoke, various kinds of incense, body odors, flowers, and much more. This allows the individual to visualize past-life scenes unfolding in their minds.
Buy different types of incense and essential oils. Try them out and see what happens. Sandalwood, frankincense, and myrrh are great ones to try. By burning incense you will also help to raise the vibrations within the area. This ensures that higher spirit guides and angels are drawn there. Also, feel love in your heart. This has a tendency to bring in angels as well. Let yourself drift with these wonderful smells.
The Meditation for Beginners exercise just below involves the use of imagination. This exercise was designed to help you awaken your imaginative skills and eventually develop your abilities to visualize easily.
Visualization and Using Other Senses
Meditation for Beginners exercise
Learning to meditate effectively on a regular basis is the initial key needed to access your past lives. When you learn to meditate, you can slow down your brainwave patterns and place yourself into a lightly altered state of consciousness. The various states of altered consciousness will be discussed in the next chapter. It is very easy to learn to meditate. All it takes is practice and concentration.
Breathing is a main component of proper meditation. The breath is very important in the process. Let us begin by practicing a simple breathing exercise.
First of all, find a quiet and private place. Make sure that there are no sounds, noises, or other distractions that will interfere with your meditation. That includes turning off your cell phone or disconnecting a telephone.
Sit down on the floor, grass, or in a comfortable chair. Now, take in a deep breath through your nose and hold it for the count of five. Then release it slowly out your mouth or nose. This is your choice. Focus on the breath as it slowly leaves your body. Feel your lungs releasing this vital air as you do this.
Wait a few seconds and then repeat the process. Take a deep breath into the lungs and hold it for the count of five. Again, release it slowly out your mouth or nose and focus on the breath leaving. Let your mind go quiet as you release the breath this time. By allowing your mind to go quiet or drift, you can enter easily into an altered state of consciousness. In other words, you zone out. This helps you to begin receiving glimpses or pictures of previous incarnations.
Repeat the exact breathing process a third and final time. Feel the breath going into your lungs. After the count of five, release the breath slowly out the nose or mouth. Focus all your attention on the breath as it leaves your lungs and is released into the air.
Now, return to normal breathing and focus on your chest as it rises and falls with a gentle movement. Keep focusing on the breath going in and out of your lungs for a few moments.
At this point, you have already begun to slow down the brainwave patterns and placed yourself into a lightly altered state of consciousness.
Next, find something directly in front of your eyes to gaze at. If you are outside, perhaps you can stare at a cloud drifting by or at a tree. If you are inside, stare at a picture on the wall or at the wall itself. As you keep staring at the object that is directly in your line of vision, start to stare through the cloud, tree, or picture. Imagine that you are looking right through the object, as if you are looking past it into the distance. Continue doing this for several moments. Just let your mind drift as you do this. Try not to think of anything in particular. Just relax and let your thoughts come on their own. This helps you remain in a slightly deeper altered state of consciousness for a bit longer.
Enjoy the relaxation and peace as you sit there staring off into space. After a few moments of this, you are ready to finish the technique.
Simply take another deep breath into the lungs and hold it for the count of five, the same way that you began the meditation. Then release the breath slowly out your nose or mouth. Feel and focus on the breath as it is expelled.
Repeat the process a second time in the very same manner. Allow the breath deep into your lungs, hold it for the count of five, and then expel it slowly as before.
Complete the Meditation for Beginners technique by repeating the process a third time. Once you have released all of your breath out of your lungs, resume normal breathing. Let your eyes return to normal viewing. Stop staring off into space and start looking around your environment in a normal way.
You should feel relaxed and peaceful after doing the Meditation for Beginners technique. Your brainwave patterns are still slowed down a bit. You are still in a slightly altered state of consciousness.
After you have practiced this technique a few times, you can add one more thing to it. Next time you are trying the meditation technique, instead of letting your mind drift, allow your imagination to take over. Imagine that you are in ancient Rome walking through the Roman Forum, or in ancient Athens standing on a hill in front of the Parthenon. Create or imagine a scene from an ancient land and focus on it. Let yourself daydream. This part of the meditation technique will help you to awaken your visualization abilities. If you already visualize quite well, this exercise will enhance it even more. When you can easily imagine yourself walking through parts of ancient Rome or Greece, you will be able to see yourself existing in a past life more easily.
Deep Meditation
Through deep meditation you can recall past lives and even receive visions of the future.
The following special exercises are given to you to help you slow down your brainwave patterns and ultimately meditate effectively. This will allow you to enter into deep states of altered consciousness. The more you practice these techniques, the deeper you will go. Eventually, you will enter into a mid-to-deep-level alpha state and you will achieve this state in a very quick and profound manner. These techniques can help develop the ability to meditate deeply due to the fact that you are in a very deep altered state. This is a marvelous gift. Deep meditation allows you to slow down your breathing and your brainwave patterns, and release tension and stress. We can all use a little stress reduction in our lives nowadays.
There are other methods available to assist you in attaining deep meditative states. Visit bookstores and metaphysical gift stores. Peruse their selections of meditation DVDs and meditation CDs. Some meditation CDs are specifically designed to guide you to recall your past lives. Any meditation CDs that are designed to work on your chakras—the energy centers that connect the physical body with the energetic body—are also very effective. These energy centers are closely connected to the endocrine glandular system and affect it in a positive way. When you work on your own chakras and open all seven of these major energy centers, the chi, or Universal Energy, will flow through these centers.
This energy, along with your own chakra energy referred to as kundalini, will also flow up and down through your body, allowing your body to relax deeply and your brainwaves to slow down dramatically. Your soul may start to slip out of the physical body. It may enter into an in-between state referred to as the bardo state. This means that your soul has left your body and hovers just above your physical form. When you are in this state of being, you may start to recall a past life in a very clear and concise manner.
As a past-life therapist, I employ a special chakra meditation to assist clients to recall past lives. In technical terms, this technique is called an induction method. Simply put, the client is induced into the proper altered state in order to help him or her experience a past-life recall.
The Chakra Flow Meditation
or Induction Technique
In my book Ancient Healing Techniques, I describe this technique in detail. This exercise can be used for two reasons: to recall past lives and to astral travel. For simplicity’s sake, a shorter and altered version of the Chakra Flow meditation will be explained to you here.
The human chakra system contains seven major chakras, or energy centers. There are also roughly 120 minor chakras positioned throughout the body. Your hands, knees, and feet possess some of these minor energy centers. By accessing these centers, you can begin the chakra-flow energy process.
Begin by adjusting the lighting in the room to resemble a near-dusk environment. Next, find a comfortable chair or sofa to relax upon. As soon as you are in a relaxed position, take in a deep breath, hold it for a few moments, and then release all of the breath either through your mouth or nose. Repeat the process once more. Then take a third and final deep breath into the lungs. Again, hold the breath for a few seconds. Finally, release it all slowly through your nose or mouth. Return to normal breathing and let your mind drift.
The next step is to take your hand and place three fingers onto the top of your head in the crown chakra area. Hold the fingers there and focus on the pressure and sensations. Then put your hand back into your lap or by your side. Now, focus all your attention on the crown chakra and imagine a warm sensation like the sun penetrating through the top of your head. Concentrate on this area for a brief moment.
Then take your hand and touch your forehead with two fingers in the third-eye area. Feel the pressure or sensations from your fingers. Remove your fingers after a moment and place your hand into a relaxing position either in your lap or by your side. Imagine a warm purple flame burning about an inch below the surface of the brow. Feel it expanding all the way across your forehead.
Then, touch your throat with two fingers and feel the slight pressure there. This is where the throat chakra is located. Remove your fingers and put your hand back into your lap or by your side. Focus on warmth from the sun penetrating through here. Let it spread all the way across your throat. Even let the warmth penetrate deep into the throat and neck.
Next, place your hand over the middle of your chest in the heart-chakra area. As you do, take a deep breath into your lungs, hold it for a few seconds, and then release it slowly either through your nose or mouth. Immediately after this, focus on the warmth and pressure of your hand upon your chest. Imagine a small fire underneath, deep within your chest. Just feel the warmth and pleasant sensations flowing across your chest. This indicates that your heart chakra is opening up and releasing energy through this area. Enjoy the pleasant sensation here as you continue to breathe in a normal but relaxed manner.
As you do this, you can also think of someone you love very much. This will increase the energy in the heart chakra. This allows warm, loving energy to flow through the heart chakra and into the body. Soon you should feel even more warmth in the middle of your chest.
After a few more moments, remove your hand from the heart chakra and move it to the solar-plexus chakra, which is about one or two inches above the navel.
As you lay your outstretched hand here, focus on it. Take a deep breath into your diaphragm this time. You should feel your stomach and hand lifting slightly as the vital breath goes into this area of your body, the lower part of the lungs. Release the breath slowly in the same manner as you did the last time. From this point, just concentrate on your hand and solar plexus. Feel the warm energy from your hand starting to penetrate through the surface. (Remember to keep your eyes shut during this meditation.) Visualize a warm fire burning just under your hand. Feel the warmth here increasing and let it spread across the solar-plexus chakra. Allow the sensation to work deep into the stomach and internal organs. Concentrate on this for a few moments.
Now, move your hand down to just about one or two inches below your navel. Lay it gently upon this area, the sacral chakra. Take a deep breath into the diaphragm and feel as if the air, filled with chi, has entered into the sacral chakra. Hold the breath for a few seconds and then release it slowly through your nose or mouth in the same way as last time.
Return to normal breathing and focus on your hand and sacral chakra. Feel the warmth and energy from your hand working into the muscles and internal organs directly below your hand. Again, imagine a fire, this time an orange flame burning within. Let the flame or fire spread throughout the sacral chakra. Allow the warmth and energy to radiate deep into the lower back and hips. Focus and enjoy these sensations for a few moments.
When ready, place your hand over your base chakra in front of your body about two inches above this area. Feel the warmth of a red fire or flame burning in the reproductive organs. Let it spread across the base chakra and into the hips. Imagine the warmth of the sun or the flame warming this whole area. Even feel the warm sensation radiating deep into your hips, buttocks, and tailbone. Concentrate on this pleasant energy for a few minutes.
Leave your hand on top of the base or sacral chakra. In your mind, see yourself moving warm water or a warm flame up from your base chakra into your sacral chakra. Once you have the energy there, focus on it for a few seconds. Then, continue to move that warm water or fire up over the navel into the solar plexus. Again, feel the pleasant energy here for a few seconds. Allow this warmth to spread completely across your solar plexus and enjoy the warmth in the pit of your stomach. Focus on the solar-plexus chakra for a moment or two and then let the warm energy move up over the breast and into your chest. Again, visualize someone you love and let this added warmth spread across your chest and into both breasts. Enjoy this pleasant, warm sensation as it spreads throughout the heart chakra and the area around it.
After a few moments, let the warm fire or water move up into your throat and feel a slightly warm sensation there. Continue to move this warm energy up over your mouth, your face, and your eyes. Let the flame or water flow upward into the forehead or brow. Feel the warm sensation here, especially in the middle of your forehead. Remember the slight pressure you felt as you placed two fingers here the first time. Focus on this and the warm flame or water as it spreads across the brow from temple to temple. In your mind, see a purple flame burning in this area about an inch below the surface of the skin. Concentrate on this feeling for a few moments.
Then, when you are ready, see and feel yourself moving the warm flame or water up to the top of the head in the crown chakra. If you need to, touch the top of your head with three fingers again in order to revive the slight pressure or sensation you felt there originally. If you decide to use your fingers at this point, just put them there for only a second or two. Then place your hand back into your lap or beside you.
Now, imagine yourself outside on a warm summer day. Feel the heat of the sun beating down upon your bare head. Let this warmth penetrate deeply into the top of your head. Let this warmth spread downward and throughout all of the upper part of your head. You can also picture a warm yellow flame burning within your brain. Just concentrate on your head and your brain. Imagine the warm energy working completely through your brain. Feel the warmth on the top, sides, and back of your head.
From this point, start moving this warm energy back down through your body and chakras. Think of it as “connecting the dots.” Feel it as one fluid motion of water or fire moving downward. Allow it to flow down your face, past your throat, and into your chest. Let it spread across this area. Feel the warmth deep inside as the heart chakra is activated even more.
Next, move the warm flow of water or fire over the breast and into the solar-plexus chakra. Let this warm energy spread completely across your stomach. If you wish, put a hand there in order to help you focus. Feel the slight pressure and warmth of your hand. This will add to the exercise.
Let the warm, pleasant sensation continue to move like a flow of water downward over the navel and into the sacral chakra. Allow the water or flame to spread across this energy center from hip to hip. Enjoy this wonderful and relaxing sensation.
From here, move the warmth down into the base or root chakra. Feel the warm energy there. Allow it to spread across from thigh to thigh. Concentrate on it and let this warmth penetrate deeply into the base chakra and ultimately the hips and buttocks. Even feel a warm sensation in your tailbone.
Now, move the warm energy back up your spine and the front of your body. Imagine this energy as warm water or sunshine moving gently up your body. When the energy gets to the top of your head, begin again.
From here, move the energy back down through your body. Feel it as one fluid motion flowing down your face and the back of your head, past your throat and neck, through your chest, and even down the middle of your back at the same time. Let the fluid sensation of warm water or fire continue flowing down into the solar-plexus chakra, the sacral chakra, and into the base chakra.
Once you get the energy to this chakra, move it back up the body and through all the other energy centers again. Feel it moving slightly faster as it works upward through the body and chakras. Feel a warm sensation moving up your spine at the same time. Let the energy continue flowing up over your face and into the crown chakra at the top of your head. Feel a warm energy or tingling sensation moving up your upper back, over your scalp, and into the crown at the same time.
From here, let the warm energy move back down through your body and all the chakras again. As it gets to the base, let it flow back up into the crown chakra.
Move this chakra energy up and down the body several times. Then, let it flow on its own. Do not direct it at this point. Just allow this warm, pleasing energy to continue flowing up and down through the body, the chakras, and the spine, muscles, and nerves. Allow it to keep flowing on its own accord a few times.
When you are ready, concentrate on the warm water or fire again. Direct it up and down the body and through all the energy centers. As you do, start to slow the flow down. Make it continue to slow down even more. Finally, stop the flow, either in your crown chakra or heart chakra. This is your choice.
Once you have finished the Chakra Flow meditation, just relax and let your mind drift. You may receive past-life recall at this stage. There is a very good chance that you will start to receive past-life visions or memories while you attempt this chakra-flow exercise.
In any event, enjoy the experience. Practice it as often as you like. The more you practice, the more adept you will become at doing chakra energy work. You will start to astral travel and enjoy past-life events unfolding in your mind. You might even visit the Akashic Records, or Universal Library, and access some of your past lives. This will be discussed in chapter 9, “Astral Travel and Past-Life Recall.”
Some of you may have a problem relaxing. Perhaps you find it difficult to meditate. The following suggestion might help: take up Tai Chi or yoga as a form of exercise. Both of these modalities are very beneficial in slowing down your brainwave patterns, thus allowing you to relax. If you practice one of these modalities, not only will you be able to learn to meditate, but you will also get in touch with the energy within your body. There are some individuals who are what I refer to as “natural energy feelers.” These people feel the chi, or energy, easily inside their bodies. They are adept at moving this energy through their bodies like a flow of water. Others may need to work at it.
When you become familiar with Tai Chi movements or yoga poses and positions, you will learn to move this chi throughout your body as well. Once you have become conversant at this, you can attempt the Chakra Flow meditation with greater results.
By relaxing, meditating, and letting chakra energy or chi flow through your body, you will be able to start to recall past lives.
When you meditate, you allow your soul to explore. You link with your angels and spirit guides. Wonderful messages of hope and inspiration can be passed on to you by these beings of love and light. Sometimes they will use humor in their messages and in their actions. When you become adept at meditation, you will slow down your breathing dramatically. Again, your brainwave patterns will also slow down, allowing your mind to become quiet. It is in this state of relaxation that visions, inspirational ideas, and past-life experiences will come to you.
In some cases, you may even hear or sense spirit guides and beings of light communicating with you. Your soul is more attuned to all of this. You are more closely connected to Heaven above.
Through deep meditation, you can lift the veil and see into your past. As I’ve stated, visions, scenes, and feelings of previous incarnations can be shown to you. It may appear as a movie unfolding upon your mind. This is a great gift to develop. Enjoy it and explore.
Allow your mind and your eternal soul to be free and to experience many of your past incarnations. This will help you in your spiritual growth.