I have been reading a lot about reincarnation
lately, particularly the work of Ian Stevenson,
a psychiatrist from the University of Virginia
and Brian Weiss, a psychiatrist in Florida.
As a result of pondering the idea of reincarnation,
I have become fascinated with how we might live
our lives differently if we knew for certain
that reincarnation was a reality.
While we contemplate this idea, assume
for the moment at least that reincarnation
is a fact. Spend a moment just sinking into
that idea. So how does that challenge basic
beliefs that you might have?
- Trusting that reincarnation is a fact means
that death is certainly not the end of your
life as a soul.
- If reincarnation is a fact, it means that
life is not a meaningless jumble of events.
- It means that what occurs in this lifetime
is related to what occurred in other lifetimes.
- It means that how you respond to events
in this lifetime means that you are influencing
future lifetimes.
- It means that response is not just
about how you act, but how you think and feel.
- It means that your response to certain
people or events may not be simply as a result
of previous experiences in this lifetime only,
but responses may also be influenced by experiences
from other lifetimes.
- It means that you may have actually
agreed to the events of this lifetime in a
“pre-life contemplation.”
- It means that consciousness exists
beyond our physical bodies.
As I contemplated what must necessarily
follow if reincarnation is a fact, I began
to look practically at my life and ask how
that knowing changes things for me in my every
day existence. Here are some ideas that emerged
as I contemplated that idea:
- It makes me more thoughtful about
seemingly random encounters.
- I recognize that everything that happens
in my life is part of a meaningful lifetime
plan.
- I am more mindful of my emotions in
situations. I ask if the reaction is coming
from this lifetime or does it seems “off
the wall” based on my previous experiences
in this lifetime. I notice this particularly
with immediate reactions to people that I
first meet. If I have strong feelings about
them (positive or negative), I wonder if that
is from a previous lifetime or simply a response
based on energies.
- When I am faced with a difficult situation,
I am more willing to enter into in completely
whereas avoidance used to be my preferred
response. I believe that if I don’t
resolve the issue in this lifetime, I will
merely encounter it again in a future lifetime
and I might as well deal with it now rather
than later.
- On the other hand, if something seems
just too difficult, I recognize that I will
see it again and it is okay to pass this time
if I am just not capable of resolving the
issue in my own heart and mind. That gives
me peace. It isn’t as if I will only
be given one chance to deal with a certain
issue.
- I do not fear death, recognizing that
the soul lives on. However, I am eager to
make this life as meaningful as possible.
- I enjoy contemplating those close
to me and what issues we might have resolved
and left unresolved in previous lifetimes.
- I am more compassionate with other
people, recognizing that I might well be in
their position at sometime in the continuum
of reincarnation.
Well, those are a few of the ways that the
belief in reincarnation has affected my life.
I invite you to contemplate this concept and
to share your ideas with me via the website.
You might want to add how you think our country
would behave differently as well.
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