Understanding Past Lives & The Soul’s Journey
Compiled by
Dr Kunda Silimkhan
e book:
© Dr Kunda Silimkhan, M.D.
Version 2013
Contact:
Email:[email protected].
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Prologue
Why is a physician writing about past lives? This question will naturally arise in the reader’s mind.
Although I was born and brought up in India, the concept of rebirth was alien to me. With an atmosphere of socialism, rationalism and a strong scientific temper in the family, discussing such topics was taboo. My regular dose of Science Today and the occasional booster of Scientific American, kept me always orbiting in outer space. By the time I reached the end of my school career, I carried the tag of MS (mad scientist) on my lapel.
A die hard fan of Albert Einstein and Marie Curie, I aspired to be a nuclear scientist or at least a theoretical physicist but providence willed otherwise and I landed myself at the Government Medical College. All was well till the mothers in the paediatric ward questioned me on the ward rounds, “Why me, what has my child done to deserve this?” I had no answer. The scientific outlook failed to explain childhood illnesses on the basis of the cause effect paradigm. Obviously, there was some missing factor, the X –factor which the scientist in me wished to seek.
My teachers could not help much. They had settled for GOK (God only knows). But a rationalist is used to asking, ‘Who is God?’ Now, attributing every mysterious and unknown phenomenon to Him would mean a death knell on scientific enquiry. As I continued to read the voluminous research material on diseases, I kept my eyes and ears open for spontaneous healings or the so called ‘miracles. And there was plenty.
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Having followed Galileo’s work in cosmology, I was convinced that, even though everything was a miracle, there was a scientific and rational explanation for every natural or supernatural phenomenon. In short, every miracle was reproducible, if you knew how it happened in the first case or in the first place. As in the visible physical universe outside, there were atoms in the human body and these atoms were bound to follow the laws of physics.
Unexpectedly and not too willingly at first, I was led to concepts like ‘soul ‘or ‘spirit’ which eventually directed me to karma, past life regression and healing. I was amazed to discover that NDE research was well known in the US when my family doctor had rebuffed my Near Death Experience. Finally, I felt that there was one hypothesis which could perhaps explain miracles and which was not in conflict with science, the kind of science which is looking for the Higg’s boson or God particle, the ‘Theory of Karma’.
Since ‘time’ is not an absolute reality and reverse time travel is theoretically a distinct possibility, I hold past life phenomenon as a plausible yet relative reality. We do not have all the answers to root causes as yet but neither did Einstein when he started searching for the fundamental principles. We have to begin somewhere to get to the roots.
This book is not about proving anything to those who choose to disbelieve in past lives. They can start with the ‘null hypotheses’ and find their own answers as to why things are the way they are. As a scientist, I would be happy to have different yet valid explanations. This exposition of ideas is especially collected for the questioner, who is bogged down by problems, doubts and
Past Lives Page - 4 - confusion. Perhaps in these few pages, he or she will find some answers or at least get help to find their own.
Author
Acknowledgement
I thank all the authors on this esoteric subject and all the people who shared their stories.
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Contents
PART1 ...... - 9 - Introduction ...... - 9 - Chapter 1 ...... - 11 - The Curious Mind ...... - 11 - The Belief about Past Lives: ...... - 12 - Chapter 2 ...... - 25 - Scientific Studies in Regression ...... - 25 - OBE Research: ...... - 27 - Chapter 3 ...... - 28 - Regression and Reincarnation ...... - 28 - The Story of Catherine ...... - 28 - Regression and scepticism ...... - 29 - Nature of Regression ...... - 31 - Chapter 4 ...... - 41 - The Structure of the Mind ...... - 41 - Levels of Trance and EEG tracings: ...... - 42 - Ȃkāshic Records ...... - 44 - Chapter 5 ...... - 46 -
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Going Backwards ...... - 46 - Improving the chances of regression: ...... - 48 - Neuro linguistic programming (NLP): ...... - 48 - Creative Visualization: ...... - 49 - Chapter 6 ...... - 53 - Beyond the Body ...... - 53 - Near Death Experience (NDE) ...... - 53 - After Death Communication: ...... - 59 - Induced After Death Communication (IADC): ...... - 59 - Out of Body Experience (OBE) ...... - 59 - Chapter 7 ...... - 63 - The Law of Karma ...... - 63 - Evolution of Soul ...... - 69 - Chapter 8 ...... - 74 - Purpose ...... - 74 - Why Do Souls Reincarnate? ...... - 74 - Our Contracts: ...... - 75 - The Council of Elders: ...... - 76 - PART 2 ...... - 83 - Chapter 9 ...... - 83 - Past Life Regression Therapy (PLRT) ...... - 83 - Back to Childhood ...... - 97 - Womb Meditation ...... - 98 - Regressing to Death ...... - 100 - The Art of Dying ...... - 100 - Life between Lives (LBL) ...... - 101 - In between life states/ contacting the masters and angels: ...... - 101 - Ascension of Souls: ...... - 101 -
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Going Forward Future Progression ...... - 102 - They were here before! ...... - 103 - Chapter 11 ...... - 105 - The Wonderful Solutions! ...... - 105 - Eliminating Fears: ...... - 105 - Healing an Illness ...... - 108 - Healing Relationships ...... - 109 - Resolving Karmic Issues ...... - 110 - Understanding Possessions: ...... - 111 - Understanding Moksha: ...... - 111 - Understanding Grief: ...... - 112 - Understanding Suicide: ...... - 113 - Glossary: ...... - 116 - About the author ...... - 5 -
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PART1 Introduction
The theory of reincarnation and the practical technique of past life regression was well known to the sages of yore but this esoteric knowledge was kept hidden from lay people. In recent times, through their many books Drs Michael Newton and Brian Weiss have introduced this concept into mainstream therapy. According to Dr Brian Weiss, the idea of reincarnation contains the most comforting explanation of human reality.
Past life regression therapy (PLRT) helps people explore their past lives. It is a holistic technique which explores the dimensions of body, mind and spirit and the subtle interconnections between them. Exploring past lives can lead to amazing transformations. In PLRT, the external symptoms of the client are not given immediate significance but they are traced back to their root cause. PLRT helps us to understand the underlying karmic patterns that are responsible for a certain set of repeated experiences in one’s life like repeated betrayals or chronic diseases.
The root cause in the subconscious mind leads to mental and emotional disturbances which further drives aura or energy blocks and finally culminates as disease in the physical body. The blocks in the aura may precede the physical illness by as early as three
Past Lives Page - 9 - months. In order to heal, it is necessary to revisit the trauma in the past and face the emotional experience as it was originally felt. The revisit is also important for an intellectual understanding of our current situation so one does not re create the same illness or situation again or create another one to replace it. A cognitive appraisal is necessary if one has to rewrite the script.
Science says that we create our reality. Once we get beyond our mind, there is another aspect of reality that we perceive.
Please remember, it is not essential to believe in past lives for ethical living but it important to know that another consensus reality other than your own, exists. In knowing so, we will not invalidate the experiences of others especially those of young children and label these experiences as delusions or hallucinations.
Personally, what do past lives mean to me?
I am so much interested in past lives because I feel it is a great way of bringing in World Peace and Equality. You will realize that the souls interchange religions, nationalities and genders, so comfortably. If we could just have some means to confirm this scientifically, people may start living consciously and not get into unnecessary conflicts.
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Chapter 1
The Curious Mind
The following questions keep cropping in peoples’ minds.
• Why are we here? • Is there life after death? • Have we ever lived before? • Is human birth the highest birth? • Can we go into a lower, subhuman existence after we have lived a human birth? • Is there a heaven or hell? • Is there a devil?
What is Reincarnation?
Reincarnation is a concept which says that a soul keeps coming to this world after casting the present physical body. The word reincarnation means to come again in the flesh.
Re in= to come again, carnate= in the flesh.
There is a successive embodiment of the soul in a series of mortal bodies. According to a survey around 58% of Americans believe that it is a distinct possibility (Gallup Poll 1981 and 1991). Real reincarnation is what in Hinduism is called transmigration of soul
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Why me?
Some logical people try to explain away observation on the basis of genetics but these explanations are not satisfactory.
The Genetic Code and Past Lives:
Gifted children are not explained by genes.
Even if we accept the genetic basis of inheritance of traits, again questions asked are,
Why did I get this genetic code or this set of parents?
Why does one in a pair of identical twins get a particular disease or suffers an addiction while the other escapes?
According to modern seers, we are supposed to have chosen the circumstances of our life, our parents, siblings, spouses etc. even before we step (float) on to this Earth.
Was I ever born before?
The Belief about Past Lives:
When it comes to disbelief in rebirth there are two kinds of people, the pseudo scientists and the religious bigots. And when it comes to belief in rebirth, again there are two kinds, the pseudo scientists and spiritual bigots. Ah! This is not a printing mistake. Whether we are believers or non believers, we tend to look at scientific things with tinted glasses. So, instead of a fair inquiry on a subject, we have a war of opinions or a clash of concepts.
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Objective science is rare. Both the believers and non believers should ask themselves as to why they have taken a particular stand.
The belief about past life and reincarnation exists in all religious faiths in some form or the other. I am giving below some opinions of the Great religions as is commonly accepted. Please ignore the following paragraphs if it touches a raw nerve. Truth needs no defence. Hence, there’s no point arguing. I wasn’t present at the time when these great religions were originally preached nor was anyone else, at least, not in their present form. And history as you know is always biased. Though called his story, it is always my story about him.
In rare cases, objections to reincarnation arise due to unfamiliarity with the concept and its innumerable applications to the problems and situations of present life. It is disheartening to note however that some scientists totally discount the possibility of reincarnation without even an enquiry. Past life memories are attributed to fantasy, fraud, genetic memory, paramnesia or cryptamnesia.
The Believers
The universe itself is a product of evolution and carries forward within its own fold an ever unfolding plan of All that is — galaxies , solar systems, nebulae, worlds , humans, atoms… in a grand sweep of progress and development in which, the humblest earthworm as certainly as the most godlike genius has a definite and unique part. Not a single soul in this world is replaceable.
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The following facts bear testimony to this hypothesis :
The very fact that we intuitively know that there are large reserves of power and possibilities within ourselves that are seeking expression,
The fact that nearly everyone yearns to develop or evolve, to be that greater self which he senses within.
This very urge to a larger and fuller life, is our daily witness to nature's true purpose
The concept of reincarnation seems to offer one of the most attractive explanations of humanity’s origin and destiny. It is accepted not only by adherents of Eastern religions or New Age spirituality, but also by many who don’t share such esoteric interests and convictions. To know that you have lived many lives before this one and that there are many more to come, is a very attractive proposition from which one may judge the meaning of life.
On one hand, reincarnation is a source of great comfort especially for those who seek liberation on the exclusive basis of their inner resources. It gives assurance about continuing one’s existence in further lives and thus having a renewed chance to attain liberation. On the other hand, reincarnation is a way of rejecting the monotheistic teaching of the final judgment by a holy God, with the possible fate of being eternally condemned to suffer in hell.
Another major reason for accepting reincarnation by so many people today is that it seems to explain the differences that exist among people. Some people keep robust health, others are tormented their whole life by physical handicaps. Some are rich
Past Lives Page - 14 - while others are at the brink of starvation. Some have success without being religious; others are constant losers, despite their pious dedication.
Eastern religions explain these differences as a result of previous lives, good or bad, which bear their fruits in the present one through the action of the law of karma. Therefore, reincarnation seems to be a perfect way of punishing or rewarding one’s deeds, without the need of accepting a personal God as the Ultimate Reality. The anti theists would welcome this view.
Hinduism:
The Upanishads were the first writings to elaborate about the concept of transmigration of souls.
From the Brihadāranyaka Upanishad (4.4.5):
Ignorance of one’s true self (ātman or Purusha) inducts the law of karma into action, the law of cause and effect.
The doer of good becomes good and the doer of evil becomes evil. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action. Reincarnation is the practical way in which one reaps the fruits of one’s deeds. The self is forced to enter a new material existence until all karmic debt is paid.
Shvetashvatāra Upanishad :
The embodied or incarnated self assumes various forms in successive lifetimes depending on its deeds.
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Bhagwad Gita:
In the Gita, Lord Krishna clearly states that, “We change our bodies just like we cast away old clothes and replace them with new ones.”
“Vyāsāsi jeernāni yathaa vihāy, navāni gruhnāti naroparāni
Tathaa sharirāni vihāy jirnaa:, annyāni sanyāti navāni dehi.” [Chapter II/22] and
“One who is born shall die, and the dead is certain to be born again”,
“ Jātasya hi dhruvor mrithuhu,dhruvam janma mritasya cha,..” [Chapter II/2]
In other verses of the Holy Song it is suggested that though we take our spiritual learning forward when we die, unfulfilled desires in the form of thoughts and feelings remain embedded in our psyche as sanskāras. We need to erase these sanskāras to reach at one ment.
Yog Sutras:
Patanjali says that to attain to yoga which is the same as enlightenment, we need to uproot our sanskāras or chittavrittis from their very roots. ‘Yog chittavritti nirodha’
Yog sutras also mention prati prasav or reabsorbing the effect back into the cause. Prasav means delivery and pratiprasav is a kind of re birthing.
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Shaivism:
Followers of Shaivism, which was the predominant spiritual thought in Kashmir, had deep seated beliefs and practices linked to reincarnation.
Taoism:
Reincarnation is a teaching hard to find in the aphorisms of the Tao te Ching (6th century BC), so it must have appeared later in Taoism. Although it is not specified what reincarnates, something has to pass from one life to another.
To quote the Chuang Tzu (4th century B.C.), an important scripture of Taoism,
Birth is not a beginning; death is not an end. There is existence without limitation; there is continuity without a starting point. The existence without limitation is space and continuity without a starting point is time (Chuang Tzu 23).
According to Chinese mythology, souls are prevented from remembering their past lives by the deity Meng Po also known as the ‘Lady of Forgetfulness’, who gives them a bitter sweet drink that erases all memories before they climb the wheel of reincarnation.
Tibetan Philosophy:
Elaborate discussions on re birthing, the soul’s passage after death and how it comes back in a physical form are mentioned in the ‘Tibetan Book of the Dead’. The Tibetan mystics spend time throughout their lives to prepare themselves for their after life.
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The different states that a soul goes through after death are called the Bardo states.
At the time of death, a Lama or an advanced soul may guide the departing soul with instructions, prayer or simply reading from The Book . The Dalai Lamas, since the first in 1351 A.D. are selected by clues that are dependent on a past enlightened life. The Tibetan Dalai Lama is chosen from certain insignia which the parting Dalai Lama asks his followers to look for in his successor. The successor has to identify himself as the new Dalai Lama.
Bardo States and DE Experiences:
There are both similarities and differences between the two phenomena.
The similarities are:
Souls at first find themselves lost after leaving the body. They may see a white or bright light. Then, some higher soul comes to receive them.
There is no physical pain on leaving the body.
They may be filled with a sense of peace.
The difference is that since the soul is leaving for good during the bardo states, the soul may at times feel attached to the body and suffer emotional pain.
For obvious reasons, the Tibetans accounts report the latter part of the journey. Secondly, higher souls on leaving the body may leave a sign like a rainbow in the sky. This phenomenon is not seen in NDEs.
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Buddhism:
Most Buddhists believe in reincarnation. According to Buddhism, transmigration is the effect of karma . The consciousness in the new person is neither identical to nor entirely different from that of the deceased but the two form a causal continuum or stream .The basic cause for reincarnation is the abiding of consciousness in ignorance or avidhya. When ignorance is uprooted, rebirth ceases. The Jātaka kathas of Buddha discuss the many past lives of Gautam Buddha. Nirvāna or Nibbānā is attaining to the unmanifest state. Vipassana, the practical aspect of Buddhism has a special module devoted to regression.
It is believed that due to the spread of Buddhism in Asia, reincarnation was adopted by Chinese Taoism, but not earlier than the 3rd century B.C.
Jainism:
Mahāvir Jain referred to past lives as Jāti smaran. There is a slightly different understanding of reincarnation compared with Hinduism or Buddhism but nevertheless the concept is accepted. The soul travels to any one of the four states of existence after death depending on its karmas. The Jain texts postulate four gatis , that is states of existence or birth categories, within which the soul transmigrates.
The four gatis are
1.Deva (demi god),
2. Manusya (human),
3.Nāraki (hell being) and
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4. Tiryañca (animals, plants and micro organisms, single sensed souls)
In addition, element bodied souls, called nigodas pervade all tiers of this universe. igodas are souls at the bottom end of the existential hierarchy. They are so tiny and undifferentiated, that they lack even individual bodies, and hence live in colonies. According to Jain texts, nigodas can also be found in plant tissues, root vegetables and animal bodies. There is a cycle of 84 lakh birth destinies in which souls find themselves recycling within samsāra.
Sikhism:
Followers of Sikhism believe that the soul is passed from one body to another until liberation. If we perform good deeds and actions and remember the Creator, we attain a better life while if we carry out evil actions and sinful deeds, we will be incarnated in “lower” life forms. God may pardon wrongs and release us. The soul is perfected through a series of incarnations until it arrives at “Personal Mastery”.
Judaism:
Reincarnation is not an essential tenet of traditional Judaism. There is no mention of reincarnation in the Hebrew Bible. However, a close belief Gilgul Neshamat or soul cycle is mentioned in mystical texts. Present day followers of Judaism however are not averse to the idea of re incarnation.
Islam Sufism:
The Sufi sect of Islam has a strong belief in rebirth.
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Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese American poet who was born in Lebonon to Marmonite Christians but with close connection with Sufism refers to rebirth in his famous book, ‘The Prophet’.
‘A little while, a moment of rest upon the wind and another woman shall bear me.’
Jalaluddin Rumi , a Sufi saint (1207 1273) believed in transmigration. The following passage is an indication.
‘Like grass I have grown over and over again. I passed out of mineral form and lived as a plant.
From plant I was lifted up to be an animal.
Then I put away the animal form and took a human shape.
Why should I fear that if I die, should I be lost?
For passing human form, I shall attain the flowing locks and shining wings of angels and then I shall become what no mind has ever conceived.
O! let me cease to exist. For non existence, only means that I shall return to Him.’
Christianity:
Jesus Christ and the early Christians, it is believed subscribed to the idea of reincarnation. The ancient mystics were aware of their past lives and mentioned these in their writings. Later, the belief came to be regarded as heretical. Some followers believe that the doctrine of reincarnation was excluded by the Fifth Ecumenical Council or even later in 533 A.D. by Emperor Justinian.
Today, the Bible has only passing references to rebirth,
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‘For all the prophets and the law have prophesied until John. And if Ye are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who was to come.’ (Matt. 11:13 14)’
Authors and writers during the not so bright phase of Christianity camouflaged their beliefs about rebirth for fear of persecution. But times have changed and today, nearly 50 % of New Age people, who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ believe in reincarnation. In fact, when I meet such people from across the globe, I find that their belief is a much more positive one than that of the traditional believers of the East. Mark Prophet and Elizabeth Clarke Prophet spent almost their entire life gathering the lost Gospels, many of which are supposed to contain the Doctrine of Reincarnation.
Zoroastrianism:
There are different opinions here. It is controversial whether the Zoroastrians believe in rebirth but they do believe in the soul.
Red Indians:
According to author of ‘Reincarnation Beliefs of North American Indians’, reincarnation beliefs are found in most small scale tribal societies throughout the world, including many native societies in N.America.
Greeks:
The Greek God Hermes who was called ‘psychopomp’ or soul guide was supposed to guide the dead to the underworld (Jung). As the ancient religions of the Mediterranean world developed, different kinds of reincarnation beliefs surfaced. The dialogues
Past Lives Page - 22 - between Diogenes and Alexander affirm a belief in rebirth. Aristotle and Plato subscribed to this belief and Pythagorus is supposed to have recollected his past lives as a Trojan warrior, a prophet, a peasant, a prostitute and shopkeeper.
Greek Platonism asserted the pre existence of the soul in a celestial world and its fall into a human body due to sin. In order to be liberated from its bondage and return to a state of pure being, the soul needs to be purified through reincarnation. In stating such beliefs Plato was strongly influenced by the earlier philosophical schools of Orphism and Pythagoranism. The earliest Greek philosophical system that adopted a view on reincarnation similar to that of Hinduism was Neo Platonism. This was in the 3rd century A.D., under certain Eastern influences.
Egyptians:
In the case of Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt, The Egyptian Book of the Dead describes the travel of the soul into the next world without making any allusions to its return to Earth. As is well known, the ancient Egyptians embalmed the dead in order that the body might be preserved and could accompany the soul into the soul world. Egyptians believed that it took 3000 years to complete lives and return back.
Esteemed Authors:
There is hardly a philosopher or litterateur of high standing who did not believe in reincarnation. Great authors have always been votaries of reincarnation. Swedenborg, Voltaire, Victor Hugo, John Milton, Goethe, W. B .Yeats, Walt Whitman, all subscribed to the idea of reincarnation. Gary Zukav, author of ‘The Seat of
Past Lives Page - 23 - the soul ‘refers to reincarnation. H.G .Wells in The Time Machine mentions future life.
Psychics:
One of the most famous people to give spiritualism and reincarnation a huge boost was a man named Edgar Cayce, also known as the Sleeping Prophet. Edgar Cayce relived past lives in a hypnotic trance. He described illness as scars of the soul and that people were born again and again to heal the scars. He called them Karmic patterns, history repeating itself every life through deep seated fears, physical ailments, innate abilities and urges.
Swedenborg:
The Swedish mystic, Swedenborg born in 1688 and contemporary of Leonardo de Vinci was a frequent OBE traveller.
Besides being a well known mathematician, he was well versed in nine languages. He was also an engraver, astronomer, businessman, politician and made watches and microscopes. He wrote books on colour therapy, metallurgy, physics, commerce, economics, mining, and had designed an airplane and submarine.
This is some brain or every brain?
You may read “Dreams of a Spirit Seer” by Immanuel Kant to draw inspiration from Swedenborg.
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Chapter 2
Scientific Studies in Regression
Today, researchers on past life phenomena are addressing two issues, both equally important. The first focuses on the validity of past life recalls and the second explores its therapeutic value. The researchers investigating the therapeutic value of past life regression found beneficial effects in relationship problems and phobias. Dr. Thelma B. Freedman has produced a doctoral dissertation on “Past life and inter life reports of phobic people: Pattern and outcome” .
How are past lives explored?
Spontaneous Recall:
Dr Ian Stevenson , a psychiatrist and Professor at the University of Virginia, travelled to India in the 1950s, to investigate cases suggestive of incarnation. Over 40 years, he studied over 3000 cases of reincarnation type including 450 cases in India along with Prof. Satwant Pasricha.
In each case, they first collected the statement made by the child. Then, they identified the deceased person the child claimed it
Past Lives Page - 25 - was. Finally, they compared the child’s recollection with some facts of the deceased.
Special attention was paid to birth marks and birth defects in the child which were checked with wounds and scars of the deceased. Behavioural similarities, presence of fears and phobias in child were compared to traits of their previous life personalities. They also observed general facts related to the mode of death in previous lives.
These studies though convincing are not ‘full proof’. According to Dr Pasricha, if the root cause of a symptom is not found in childhood, we can justifiably conjecture that it derives from times earlier than those of childhood or infancy viz. a previous life.
Hypnosis:
The concept of age regression is well established in hypnotherapy. The first time regression happened in the scientific world probably was through hypnotist Josef Breuer towards the end of 19 th century, while treating Anna O’, a patient with multiple hysterical symptoms. During a hypnotic session, Anna who was suffering from hydrophobic symptoms relived a past event in her present life, when her governess had made her dog drink water from a glass. On being aroused from the trance, she asked for a glass of water and drank it. Breuer realized that recalling and reliving a past event could cure the symptoms of illness.
Drs Michael ewton and Morris etherton, are pioneers of past life regression therapy. In his book, ‘Journey of Souls ’, Dr Newton , presents ten years of his research and insights to help people understand the purpose behind their life choices and how
Past Lives Page - 26 - and why our soul and the souls of those we love live eternally. Dr Netherton first recorded his accounts in 1978 in ‘Past Life Therapy’.
Another researcher Dr Stanislav Grof would regress his patients even to an animal body. Carl Gustav Jung, the great psychoanalyst also studied past lives. His communications with Wolfgang Pauli, the famous physicist is well known in scientific circles.
Another aspect of the soul’s journey is DE and OBE experiences.
DE Research:
Albert Heim , a nineteenth century Swiss geologist was amongst the first few to study NDE phenomena after having had one himself during a fall in the Alps. He documented his findings in a paper presented to the Swiss Alpine Club in 1892.
Dr Kenneth Ring , a Professor of Psychology and NDE researcher used standardized procedures and statistical analysis described in his book “Life at Death”. Dr Ring believes that our future is partially sketched out and called this the ‘personal flash forward’.
Dr Elizabeth W. Fenske , a clinical psychologist attributes NDEs as journeys to a holographic realm of higher frequencies.
OBE Research: The impetus to OBE research has come through the recording of Robert Monroe and his associates at The Monroe Institute.
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Chapter 3
Regression and Reincarnation
The Story of Catherine
The greatest contribution to the popularity of past life in the modern world has come from Dr Brian Weiss. Dr Weiss, a psychiatrist at the University in Miami, Florida, was hypnotizing one of his patients, Catherine to find out the cause for her manifold fears, panic attacks, and dependency problems,when accidently, she slipped into a past life leading her doctor to a technique for PLRT.
Her chronic fear of gagging and choking was traced to being pushed from a diving board and choking while in water. But in spite of this recall, there was no improvement in symptoms. At the next session, she went 4000 years back and discovered that she was drowned in a flood. Recall of this event led to improvement in her gagging fears.
Later, Dr Brian received some personal communications from the Masters through Catherine. He has given detailed transcripts of these regressions in his book, ‘Many Lives Many Masters.’ Through his many books (vide infra), Dr Brian has made the concept of PLRT very popular.
In spite of so much literature available on regressions people are still sceptic about past lives.
Let us explore the reasons why people are sceptical. I have asked some sceptics to get their viewpoints.
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Regression and scepticism
1. Responsibility
People do not want responsibility for actions. If they accept past lives then they have to own responsibility of whatever is happening in their lives today. They can avoid guilt by transferring the responsibility to external factors.
Some want to believe that this is the only life, so they can make merry. They do not want to take responsibility for their future lives. For example if I believe in a past life, I automatically have to accept a future life. What I do now will make my future. If I cheat now, I have to pay back later. So in order to keep my conscience free of guilt, I deny past lives.
2. Doubting Thomas:
Some people have doubting mind. They can’t understand how it is possible to know about past or future. For example,
How can we know the past or future?
Or how can we change the present by visiting the past?
Scientifically, past life knowledge is possible because there is no absolute time in reality. Past, present and future are one when you move beyond the 4 th dimension according to physics.
3. Religious Beliefs:
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The religion they follow does not accept reincarnation. Accepting reincarnation would undermine their belief in the absolutism of their religious tenets.
They are afraid that their faith in the other beliefs of their religion might be shaken if they accept past life.
4. Ignorance about recent advances in science:
Some people believe that PLRT or re birth cannot fit into scientific thought process and rule that past lives are unscientific. Unfortunately, the science they are talking about is hundred years old. They are out of touch with modern physics.
Consensus Reality
Soul, over soul, reincarnation and even Almighty God are not absolute reality but a part of a consensus reality. Therefore, these concepts vary from religion to religion. For those people who do not believe in these concepts, they actually do not exist. Absolute reality is nondeterministic and uncertain. Anyone who says he knows ‘Reality’ is only fooling himself.
So, if one does not want to remain in the grip of these influences and belief systems, one has to go beyond them. But that requires a superhuman effort which few mortals are capable of. All said, it is more comfortable to have faith in something than be in a state of limbo.
One thing is to be noted here. The people who do not believe in a Higher Power/Creator (atheists) are very few. It is the anti theists who masquerade as atheists. They have a deep seated grudge against a God who has not delivered according to their childhood
Past Lives Page - 30 - belief systems. Instead of questioning their belief systems, which requires nerves of steel they turn around and accuse God.
One common argument is, “If there is a God, why is He approving of all the evil in the world?”
My counter argument is, “If you have a son, it is obvious that you are the creator along with your spouse. Now, if you son commits a murder or takes drugs it does not mean that you don’t exist.” The only fact is that your son has done something. For your son to exist now, you needed to exist. For him do something you don’t need to exist or non exist. They are mutually exclusive things. If you have any assumptions about God, you need to face them.”
For me, the equation is very simple. If there is an effect in the form of the universe then there has to be a cause and the ultimate cause of all effects, I call “Source” and It is just that, nothing more and nothing less. And I know that there may be nothing ultimate in this world. But this is as much as my manifest mind can hold. When I leave the manifest form, I am not available for discussions.
N.B: Modern Physics holds a possibility of an acausal universe , a valid theoretic concept but beyond the scope of this book.
ature of Regression In a 1976 study, researchers found that 40% of hypnotizable subjects regressed to a new identity. In further studies in the 1990s, conducted by Nicholas Spanos, the nature of regression was examined. It was concluded that
1. The descriptions are usually very elaborate and vivid.
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2. Subjects have high hypnotisability.
3. The expectations of experimenter influence the reported memories.
4. Subject’s belief in reincarnation correlated with attribution of credibility to recovered memories.
5. There were significant gaps in memory.
6. To create the memories, subjects could be drawing from television, novels, or their own desires.
N.B:
Thought insertion by a hypnotist is a distinct possibility but all regressions are not induced by hypnosis, many are spontaneous. Quite a few, as reported by Colin Wilson, like the déjà vu phenomenon and phantom armies happened when people were upright. So, dreams were ruled out.
Scientific consensus is that is that these memories are the result of cryptamnesia, stories created by the subconscious mind using imagination, forgotten information and suggestions from the therapist. Memories created under hypnosis are indistinguishable from actual memories and can be more vivid than factual memories. But regressions have a strong emotional element in them which is missing in memories.
The greatest predictor of individuals reporting memories of past lives appears to be their belief in reincarnation individuals who believe in reincarnation are more likely to report such memories, while sceptics or disbelievers are less so.
It is quite possible the other way around. Sceptics may be blocking memories to support their bigoted belief that reincarnation should not exist. How can we assume that all the
Past Lives Page - 32 - children in Dr Ian’s studies were manipulative? None of these children were hypnotized and in many cases the families were less than willing to prove a past life.
There are certain reservations about PLRT that are quite reasonable. A regression can sometimes prove problematic, as it may create delusions under the guise of therapy. I have met a few people who have been so deluded as to render them dysfunctional. Memories can vary from harmless ones to actually increasing the suffering in the patient or their families
One such person believed that he was part of the holy family and was seen preaching on the road but could not smooth his troubled marriage. Most of these people have premorbid personality problems. Well balanced people can sustain the emotional upheaval caused by PLRT.
The pain of experienced memories is as intense as that of events experienced in the present life. It is impossible to differentiate regression recalls from true memories of actual events and hence any damage done could be difficult to undo.
The most common questions are:
“Was there a life before this one?”
“If there was, how are we to know?”
“If we really had a past life, then, why don’t we remember it?”
Clues to Past Lives and Reincarnation
1. Strong Feelings i) Having strong feelings about certain cultures.
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One is drawn to read books of a certain nature, e.g. Shakespeare’s Classics or Victorian poetry.
A person is drawn to history of particular time, e.g. World War 1 or The Roman civilization.
Mannerisms: Greeting people with a bow like a Bhutanese person. ii) Special attraction for certain places. e.g. A person has an attraction towards huge mountains. iii) Special attraction for architecture, art, clothes of a certain period in history. iv) A liking for some exotic food or cuisines e.g .Chinese, Italian etc. v) Preferring a certain climate e.g. snow. vi)Occupation a person loves to do carpentry though he is a doctor by profession. vii)Hobbies a person likes to collect stamps and coins of a particular dynasty.
2. Déjà Vu Experience:
You go to a place and feel that you have been there before though you are visiting the place for the first time.
You meet a person for the first time and feel that you have known the person.
Love and hate at first sight without even knowing a person.
3. Facial Features:
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A person resembles a famous personality as seen from photographs. Many such features are highlighted in “Born again” by Walter Semkiv. Eyes are the most revealing of all the facial features.
4. Spontaneously Recall :
Spontaneously remembering events from past, discovering places, remembering routes when seeing for the first time.
5. Dormant Skills :
Uncovering skills like an ability to paint after regression.
6. Mental Disorders:
Multiple personalities, schizophrenia, multiple personality disorders.
In a disorder like mania or schizophrenia, unregulated memory of a long suppressed trauma may break through to conscious awareness, bypassing the natural protection. Normal people are able to keep the past suppressed. Whether some of the delusions in psychiatric illness stem from spontaneous regressions to past lives need further exploration.
7. Fears & Phobias:
People may replay childhood fears in adulthood like fear of humiliation, rejection, abandonments. If you were booed at a stage performance in your past life, fear of humiliation can stop you from learning music in this life.
8. Obsessions Compulsive Disorders
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In one of Dr Brian’s transcript, a scientist was constantly washing hands. His symptom was traced not to past lives but to a future life where he was in some way responsible for a nuclear accident.
9. Recurrent Dreams
Past lives may surface through dreams.Keeping a dream journal helps us identify links with our past lives.
10. Memories from outside of physical body. i) OBE
Robert Monroe has collected valuable information from OBE journeys. ii) DE
Dr Raymond Moody has gathered a fund of knowledge studying hundreds of case reports of NDEs.
11. Historical Knowledge and Archaeology:
Dr Helen Wambach, a psychologist hypnotised patients to past lives and diligently recorded her findings over a period of 29 years. In her study around 90% of her patients were peasants, farmers or primitive food gatherers refuting the allegation that most people are regressed by the therapist to celebrity past lives.
Her exploration of historical data was almost like an archaeological expedition. Chet Snow her associate carried forward her work and presented the findings in a book, “Mass Dreams of the future”.
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Another researcher Schwartz has published a comprehensive compilation on the subject of archaeology and clairvoyants in , “The Secret Vaults Of Time”
Anachronistic symptoms: when symptoms/events are not chronologically linked point to past life e.g. Fear of guillotine in a 21 st century child.
12. Memories in Stone:
One interesting bit of information I read is that, all memories remain hatched in the material things around, the stone wall for instance. Colin Wilson brings it out beautifully on how memories were retrieved from The Stonehedge by means of a pendulum by Lethbridge. Henry Buchanan succeeded in retrieving secrets by examining stones from far off quarries, through the art of psychometry.
.
13. Children and Past Life i) Birth marks, Birth Defects:
Birth marks may coincide with an injury in a past life. These are often discovered and correlated after a past life regression session, spontaneous regression or a remembered past life memory in a young child.
Imagine, out of thousands of soldiers who could have died on a battlefield, the regressee identifies himself with a particular soldier and remembers his name. If it is then verified that the soldier had a stab wound on his right abdomen and the client has a birth mark in the same place, you have clinched a winner.
Past Lives Page - 37 - ii) Crystal, Indigo Children and Prodigies:
Today, we see children being born with exceptional talent. Be it singing, music, dancing or painting. Legends like Mozart, Beethoven, Yehudi Menuhin, Sant Jnāneshwar, Ȃdi Sankarāchārya, Rāmanujan did not have a genetic basis for their talent. Their talents were not familial. Spontaneous talent in music was recently seen in a young boy, Swarit who took part in a musical reality show. He could identify and reproduce musical notes from a very young age. iii) Gender Identification Problems :
One identifies with a gender other than the one belonging to his or her physical body. iv)Fears:
Certain fears are present from childhood without obvious reasons. e.g. claustrophobia may be present in a person who had died in an earthquake and was buried under the rubble. v) Xenoglossy:
Knowing a foreign tongue without learning or hearing it ever is the surest sign of existence of a past life in a soul. It is the most reliable sign because it can hardly be explained by any other means. There was this nine year boy from Europe, who could read and identify the Chinese letters he saw on the sauce bottles. He started losing this ability as he grew up. He came to India for a PLRT to retrieve it. vi) Recollection of past life in children as in Prof. Ian Stevenson’s subjects.
Past Lives Page - 38 - vii) Remembering the purpose for this life.
14. Soul Retrieval by Shamans:
Shamans and Siddhas can retrieve part of soul which is trapped in an earlier lifetime. If one is very attached to a person, place or thing, his whole soul does not move into the future. A part of it gets trapped in the past. Now, please don’t see this at a physical level. It happens at a multi dimensional level. If you want to fully understand it, you will have to either experience it or sit with equations tackling the 11 dimensions of physics. Both are formidable tasks.
15. Soul exchange: Walk ins
This is a much contended issue. A person in great pain can ask for a higher soul to take over his body. Another soul with a similar karmic account will oblige. It is permissible because souls are said to outnumber bodies. But from Monroe’s account it is the increased demand that has produced more souls. From the physics point of view, a parallel self may be taking over and there may be no restriction to the number of selves or souls in parallel universes.
16. Present life –chances are that we tap details about the past from the collective consciousness. We are part of a holographic universe where all are connected to each other (see Michael Talbot). The question which is still not answered is, “Does the mind travel in past or future or does time travel?”
The next big question we ask ourselves is, “What is it that reincarnates?”
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To understand that we need to answer the question,
“WHO AM I?”
Am I the body?
Am I the body and the mind?
Am I the body, mind, and soul?
Am I the body which has a soul or the soul who has taken on the body?
We are well versed with the structure of the body but know very little about a healthy mind and almost nothing about the soul.
Why do some people not regress?
Fear, Logical mind, cannot let go
Religious belief
No previous life –new soul
Too traumatic a past life
Not comfortable with the regressionist.
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Chapter 4
The Structure of the Mind
To understand how our mind stores all these imprints or memories, we need to know the structure of the mind. Our mind can be divided into four states which relate to the four dimensions of consciousness, waking, dream, sleep and turiya.
1. The grossest state is the conscious or waking state, where we are awake, alert and aware.
2. The second state is the subconscious state of dreaming or trance state, where we are not in touch with our environment yet are aware of some phenomena going on within us.
3. The third is the deep sleep stage or unconscious stage: We are aware of it only when we wake up from it.
4. Lastly, the supraconscious, turiyā or meditative state: We are aware of within and without . We are awake and alert and yet disconnected from identification with the body.
There are different layers in this subconscious mind. As a person slips spontaneously or deliberately into a past life, he may tap a long forgotten memory. What happened yesterday is easily accessible than what happened ten years ago. However in regression one can jump to 4000 years back. Furthermore, at a subconscious level, we are connected to the subconscious of every other being in this universe (hologram). Revisiting a past life memory requires that we go into a trance state but whether we reach the subconscious or supraconscious state of mind is a little difficult to say with precision.
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Levels of Trance and EEG tracings:
To extract information from the subconscious mind we have to alter the state of consciousness. This is called a trance state.
Basically, there are 4 types of rhythms on the tracing of the brain’s electrical activity, the electro encephalogram (EEG)
In a trance state, the rhythm is usually an alpha rhythm and in very deep states it may be a theta rhythm. It is almost impossible to catch the state of turiyā on EEG because turiyā is a subjective phenomenon. The minute you try to confirm the state of turiya, the subject will be out of turiyā.
Occasionally we may see high frequency high amplitude waves called Gamma activity. These are reflections of peak experiences.
Who can enter a trance state?
Anyone can be facilitated into a trance state to reach a past life and this becomes easier with practice. The only criterion for a successful trance is that the subject should be willing. Too much effort can be counterproductive in regression therapy. Letting go of the conscious mind is very important to reach a trance state .
Awake or asleep?
How does we know that a person is in a trance?
In the waking state, you are fully aware. If you are shown an old photograph, you will say, “That’s me” but you will know it is photograph of you and not actually you.
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In a trance, when you see an image, you may be either thinking in a dissociated manner, ‘that’s me’ as seen from outside or associating with the body, i.e. feeling yourself inside the body.
Alpha rhythm:
In a light trance, the alpha rhythm predominates on EEG. In the alpha state, the brain waves show a frequency of 3 14 per second. The alpha state is accessed during deep relaxation. The person is relaxed but alert. He is able to access memories from deeper levels of the mind or he can even travel astrally(OBE).
Theta Level:
Theta level is a still deeper state of trance with slower phase where EEG shows waves at 3 to 4 times/sec. Deep seated memories can be retrieved.
Dream State and EEG:
We dream six times a night. During early sleep, we have a delta rhythm at about 2 hours after falling asleep. This is followed by a theta and then an alpha rhythm. Early alpha sleep is the shortest.
Lucid Dreaming:
People can learn to dream when they are half awake in which case they can guide their own dreams (see Edain McCoy, Guide to Astral Projection and Stephen La Berge, Lucid Dreaming).
In 1987, physicist Fred Alan Wolf postulated that lucid dreams and all dreams may arise from parallel universes. Other researchers believe that another aspect of us may exist as an over soul or as a parallel self.
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Is the mind a tabula rasa or a blank slate at birth?
It was believed by Descartes and his followers that babies start life afresh and whatever happens to them in due to nurturing. The behaviourists took this up in a big way and worked on rats, monkeys and dogs and to some extent they could explain certain behaviours in them. But when the same principles were applied to humans, they failed miserably. No one can invent a Mozart. He can only be discovered.
It is now generally accepted that our minds contain all the information of various births in the form of engrams. It is available to us at a conscious level soon after birth. In fact, our purpose of coming to this world is known to us at birth and until sometime after until the memory gets slowly erased. This erasure is necessary for us to function effectively in this world or we would be overwhelmed by memories of past lives. Imagine, if you know that your son now was your worst enemy in your previous life.
(Holographic universe is another explanation.)
From where does the information come?
Ȃkāshic Records Ȃkāshic records, are an invisible blueprint in the ether that holds all that was ever said or done by mankind. It is said that all the events that have occurred since the universe began are imprinted in the Ȃkāsic records.
Different people have different ways of looking for memories. The physicists look for tell tale signs of the big bang in infra red
Past Lives Page - 44 - radiations or red shifts and the like. Dowsers look for memories in stones (Colin Wilson).
During past life regression, we are capable of accessing the ākāsic records. Sometimes, people are capable of entering the ākāsic records of other people too. This need not cause concern because only what would be important for that soul to learn at that time is allowed to be retrieved.
The facilitator should caution the subject not to gloat over the memory of a recall but to learn what’s important. Recollecting that you were a rich King in your past life has little consequence for you in this life if you have difficulty paying up your bills.
Personal Resonance and akasic records:Psychologist Robert M Anderson, Jr. feels that we are able to tap information from the implicate order that is directly relevant to our memories. He calls this selective process personal resonance.
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Chapter 5
Going Backwards
It is hypothesized that the traumatic experiences of previous lives produce psychological and physical symptoms in the current life. The working through of these experiences would alleviate the present symptoms. The mind while leaving the previous body carries with it the template which influences the new body. Eyes usually remain the same in successive births.
Is there a past life?
If so, why don’t all of us remember?
Past life recall depends on our memory and our ability to recall. Not recalling an event in our conscious experience does not mean we do not remember. We ordinarily do not remember our past lives unless we are in an altered state of consciousness.
How many things do we remember of our childhood? Do we remember our milestones? So, how can we be expected to remember past lives?
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Another reason may be because we are gifted with the wonderful gift of forgetting. Some things are best forgotten. The conscious mind suppresses memories because we need to live practical lives.
How to know about past lives?
There are different techniques of reliving or recollecting past lives.
1. Past life regression therapy
2. Age regression
3. Regression to prenatal period womb meditation.
4. Near Death Experiences
5. Out Of Body Experiences
6. Nādi Reading
7. Spontaneous Regressions:
We may get information about past lives during spontaneous regressions, lucid dreams, dreams or déjà vu phenomena.
8. Third Eye Readings
9. Psychics and Mediums
10. Dowsing
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Improving the chances of regression:
euro linguistic programming ( LP): (more details are available in my book, Study less, Score more)
NLP is a science of studying how people learn and how they map perceptions in their brain. People have a propensity for learning in a particular mode that also ensures that they store memory best if things are learnt in that particular mode.
The different modalities are visual, auditory, kinaesthetic, gustatory and olfactory.
Visual: most people are visual in nature. They can clearly visualize a scene in front of their eyes. They may see still pictures or a video movie with colour.
Auditory:
They are able to hear sounds like the sound of soldiers marching on a battle field, a cannon firing volleys, the roar of a waterfall or soft divine music.
Kinaesthetic :
The kinaesthetic gets sense of being there. They may feel the wetness of water, the sting of burns or the feel of the miff of air against their cheek. There are others who are touched by deep feeling, the emotional pain of betrayal, rejection or humiliation or there is the sense of knowing just knowing that it is true at an intuitional level.
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Gustatory and Olfactory : sensing the taste and aroma of food.
Creative Visualization:
We all visualize, don’t we?
Ever realized how our minds keep drifting away when we are in a reverie. We can travel across the globe in an instant. We are all very creative. We create our reality with our thoughts. We are co creators. Our present is a result of our past thoughts, choices and actions. There is no point blaming others for our misery, suffering, failures or misfortunes. If we deserved our successes, we deserved our failures too. We need to take 100% responsibility for our lives. That takes us to the law of cause and effect, ‘the law of karma’, which I am going to discuss later.
It is said that if we can keep our mind on a single thought for 17 seconds, in all likelihood it will manifest. Creative visualization is accompanied by an, ‘Intention thought’ or ‘Sankalp’.
Exercises to enhance Visualization
1. Sit comfortably, close your eyes. Try to recollect your kitchen. Go to the refrigerator. Open the door. Lift a lemon. Take a knife and cut it into 2 halves. Take one half and squeeze the juice. Did your mouth water?
2. Try to recollect the last meal you had at a restaurant.
Feel the ambience, try to see the objects, the colours of the wall, the curtains and the music.
Feel the aroma of the food and the different dishes laid out.
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How much can you remember?
3. Extend both your arms; mentally place a heavy book on one. Can you feel the weight? Then, place another book, then another. Open your eyes and see. Has your hand drifted down?
Repeat the exercise. Now, visualize that a helium balloon is tied to the other arm. Feel the arm drifting up. Open your eyes and see, has it?
4. Sit on a chair. Extend your right arm and point a finger. Note to which object it is pointing. Now, rotate your upper body till you can rotate no more. Note, where is the finger pointing?
Come back to original position, close your eyes and visualize that you can turn much more. Now, turn. See where your finger has reached. Is it better now?
Affirmations:
An affirmation is a positive statement which may be repeated mentally, loudly or written down. It increases our ability to create. When we say our affirmations we usually add ‘in the highest good of all concerned’. Even in our limited selves, as embodied beings, it is very easy for us to create.
Exercises to stimulate past life memory and recall
1. Think of your childhood. Visualize yourself on a screen.
2. Imagine being a witness of the waking state. i. Recollect a class reunion ii. Witness of big changes pregnancy
Past Lives Page - 50 - iii. Set up a monologue in your mind.
Refer to self as He/she/I and see the difference.
First person: Watch your own movie
Third person or name: refer to yourself as third person. iv. Meditation: experience a headless you expand your head, reach 4 th dimensional awareness.
Awareness is meditation mind racing around room and you continue to watch the mind. v. Imagine yourself at the circus, playing different roles.
Memory Retrieval:
As I said earlier, chronologically near memories are easy to retrieve. Distant memories are difficult but still accessible in an altered state. PLRT uses the tools of NLP to get maximum outputs. Often, under proper instruction the memories which are relevant to your present condition will surface.
Right and Left Brain:
The right and left brains have different functions. The right brain is intuitive and the left brain is logical. As explained later, the right brain holds the key to surreal experiences. The left brain is logical and can actually block recall.
Exercises for increasing the power of the Right Brain:
Try the following exercises to enhance the power of your intuition
Choosing the Right Path:
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Close your eyes. Visualize a single path forking into two paths. One path is the ‘yes’ path and the other is the ‘no’ path. Let’s say the yes path is pleasant, cool and green while the no path is scorching hot. Now, think of a question which needs an answer and close your eyes and seek the answer. Which path comes to your mind at first shot as the answer?
Psychometry:
Psychometry was first popularized by Henry Buchanan. The reader takes an object which has an intimate connection with the subject being read, let’s say, his watch. He then closes his eyes and makes a reading from the watch. He may ask the watch a question like “What is the message for the owner of this watch?”
We are all psychics if given a chance. At a workshop, one ‘cool dude’ could go to the European Villa of the lady he was reading for and saw her whole villa with its white washed walls and unlocked doors. The lady later confirmed that she never locks her doors.
Face Reading:
This exercise is given in ‘Messages from the Master’ by Dr Brian Weiss. Two people sit facing each other and try reading each other’s faces. At one session, my reader, an ENT surgeon saw two of my lives, one of a dancer and second of a Red Indian healer. I haven’t personally confirmed these two yet. But both professions invoke strong emotions in me.
Mind Reading:
Write down a number. Ask your partner to guess. (I have given more exercises are given in my book on dowsing).
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Chapter 6
Beyond the Body
ear Death Experience ( DE)
The term NDE was coined by Dr Raymond Moody to describe phenomena that occur at the time of a near death experience. For example when a person is going through a cardiac arrest and this experience is narrated by the patient after his revival. As a physician who has been witness to many deaths, I have seen the subtlety with which the soul leaves the body. It is now here and then not here in a matter of seconds. Fortunately for me, after my own NDE at the age of 13 years, I had overcome the fear of death and could observe the changes in others in a detached way.
The question which is often raised is whether the NDE phenomenon reiterates the existence of soul apart from the body. For one who has had a NDE or OBE there is no doubt about the existence of a soul but for sceptics, the debate continues. The argument from doctors is that NDE experiences are a result of activation of certain areas in the temporal lobe that release stored memories of stories which one has heard or read before.
In near death experience, whatever the mind conceives, it sees. This is quite a tenable argument. Stimulation of the temporal lobe electrically during brain surgery does show similar features. But there are other features of NDE that cannot be explained by stored memory refuting the stored memory or cryptamnesia hypothesis For example, the case of a person who met the soul of a friend returning back from death. .She later learnt that at the time of her
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NDE, her friend also had an arrest in another hospital but was revived.
Other queries are that even if it’s a hallucination then, why are only certain issues brought up? e.g.
Why did his father come to meet him and not his mother?
If it a problem of the brain, which part of brain is involved and what sort of structural damage is responsible for it?
Why does the brain damage not persist after resuscitation?
In fact, most are blessed with superior qualities after revival (Anita Moorjani said that she overcame fear, Jason Padgett learnt about fractals)
Cardiologist Michael Sabom and his team described veridical (verifiable) Out of Body Experiences during NDEs.
Most importantly, the sequence of event in unconscious patients was well registered and they all had flat EEGs.
Sneaker on the Ledge Story
One famous anecdote is called the ‘ the sneaker on the ledge’ . An ICU patient reported having seen a sneaker on the ledge during a NDE, which was unexplained by memory because the patient was brought into the ICU in an unconscious state. Moreover, none of the ICU staff was aware of the sneaker .So, thought transmission was ruled out.
DEs in blind:
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Dr Ross studied NDEs even in blind people. There are other intriguing examples which blast our rationale. The neurophysiologic and biochemical changes have been studied in NDE subjects but give no valid explanation.
Weighted Core Experience Index:
Ring gave a scientific outlook to the study of NDEs by developing the “weighted core experience index”. People who reported greater detail were scored higher and called ‘core experiencers’.
Cross Cultural Common Features:
In 1977, Dr Raymond Moody published ‘Life after Life’ summarising his interviews of hundreds of men and women who had just ‘missed’ death. Other authors before and after him have concurred. The following series may be called a road map to a NDE. All the patients do not have the same experience.
• The person first hears the news of his death. In cases of accidents, this may be absent. The person is confused at first. • In spite of the physical pain which the person experienced prior to his NDE, he now feels peace and calm. Pain vanishes. This could be attributed to coma. • Hearing of noises and voices. • Seeing your body apart from yourself or floating out of the body. Two possibilities exist
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Autoscopic NDErs people get a bird eye’s view which also called field memory
Or Observed memory from within.
• Passing through a dark tunnel • Meeting people, friends, relatives who have passed on before • Many of them reported to have travelled through a dark tunnel to a very peaceful place and encountered divine beings of light that brought on love and comfort. • Seeing a bright white light that is interpreted as God which is culturally conditioned. • One of my patients a devout Church goer said she met Christ and Ganesha. • Going through a review of the present life. All the emotionally charged moments are brought to the fore. • Two questions which are usually asked are, “Did you accomplish what you came to accomplish?” “What lessons did you learn?” • The barrier – which one cannot cross. One is sent back. • The return journey. • Loss of memory All things cannot be recollected. Some things are forgotten. Patients find it difficult to explain it to others. Others rebuff them so the episode is suppressed. After the doctor invalidated my experience I had suppressed my NDE for so long that even now I feel I might have hallucinating it. • A person may acquire a skill like Mr Jason Padgett a college drop out who learnt about fractals.
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• Dramatic recovery from physical illness – Anita Moorjani’s recovery from cancer and my own recovery from viral hepatitis. • Change in attitude/world view The fear of death is lost. Other fears are also overcome. People tend to be peaceful and lead more self actualized lives.
Culture Specificity of DEs:
Depending on cultural backgrounds, people have different experiences as they pass out of the body. However, there are some features which are common that transcend culture.viz. People who have undergone a NDE have no fear of death; they are more compassionate towards fellow beings and have a sense of purpose in life. Many claim to have met their ancestors or astral beings though this may be against their traditional belief systems. For many, a NDE could be transformational and set them on a spiritual quest.
Some people may not agree with these reports but others will get reassured knowing that they are not the only ones to have faced such a situation.
Belief or non belief in God had no influence on the occurrence of an NDE or its character a fact not taken well by the religious people.
Why do DE people get only pleasant visions?
In Kenneth Ring’s report(1980) no person including the suicides had reported a journey to hell. This made religious people a little uncomfortable. In Sabom’s study hell was quite frequent.
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The western reports of NDE are more often pleasant than unpleasant. We know that NDE brings out our archetypes. After so many NDEs of bright light being aired on television it is but natural that the positive experiences will be etched in people’s psyche. In any case, they are more welcome than the fire, devil and brimstone archetypes. Secondly, it is not always true that only pleasant experiences are witnessed. Some eastern accounts and a few western accounts have reported nightmarish experiences. However, most negative accounts are short lasting and restricted to confusion, fear or regret.
Psychologist Charles Garfield’s report( 1979) had eight of thirty six patient reporting terrifying accounts and four had both types. In Maurice Rawling’s accounts, hellish experiences were reported.
Many of my cardiac arrest patients who did not have any clear cut NDE have called the DC shock the worst experience of their life. Being on a ventilator in an ICU setting is a very unnerving thing and patients take days to recover from the psychological pain of it.
This discrepancy in positive and negative accounts almost led to war of words (King and Sabom). In the bargain, we forgot the patient. The NDE experience was created by the patient for some lesson. If it were his lesson from his higher self, intuition or whatever, he would like to forget the pain and carry on in life with the new lesson. Therefore, it is most likely that unpleasant accounts are forgotten .
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After Death Communication: There are reports of dead people communicating to their family either directly or through friends or psychics. Often, the communication happens in a dream.
Induced After Death Communication (IADC): Most after death communications are spontaneous. In induced ADC, a person in deep grief is taken to the higher realm to establish contact with the dead person’s soul. Seeing their relatives comfortable can be soothing (Dr Botkin)
Out of Body Experience (OBE) In 1971, Robert Monroe described the OBEs he had over thirty years. My first OBE occurred in 2001 and surprisingly in the oddest of settings. We had just ended a ten day yoga therapy camp for 53 cardiac patients. Since the yoga teachers were leaving after two days, we decided to learn a few advanced techniques from them.
We were five of us besides our two guides nestled in the cosy warmth of the conference room in the Government guest house. Sitting in a circle, around the soothing flame of a ghee lamp, we were receiving instructions for jyoti trātaka or flame gazing. Midway into the practice, I stopped hearing the instructions but could see everyone, including myself moving their eyes in synchrony, the flame, the wooden stool and everything. I had a deep sense of peace within. Then, suddenly I noticed that the curtains had a print of creepers on them and felt that the colours of the curtains didn’t match the walls.
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I didn’t remember them, I actually saw them. Few minutes later, I was back to body consciousness. When I looked around, I realized that my back was against the curtains and I could not have noticed them without really turning around. Moreover, it would be impossible to notice the eyes of my colleague adjacent to me if I was in my body. The high point was of course the sense of peace. After that I have been through many OBEs and each experience has always been welcome.
Brain and its relationship to extra sensory or spiritual perceptions, the God Spot:
The closest a person can get to surreal experiences (spiritual experiences) is during a seizure involving the temporal lobe, also called as temporal lobe epilepsy. In 1990, Canadian neuroscientist, Dr Michael Persinger designed the God Helmet to induce short lasting, micro magnetic field currents in the right temporal lobe. When the right brain was stimulated, the left temporal lobe interpreted that there was another entity in the room. This ‘sensed presence’, was interpreted as a ghost or divinity. He also observed that intensive meditation, chanting and other spiritual practices also activated this very spot.
Newberg, a scientist at the University of Pennsylvania, conducted SPECT scans on meditating Buddhist monks and Franciscan nuns. These scans showed activity in the posterior, superior parietal lobe and prefrontal lobes. Meditation lights up the frontal lobes and darkens the parietal lobes.
Brain may not be the cause of all NDEs or OBEs but it reflects the experience and this can be documented.
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Difference between drug induced OB experience and spiritual ecstasy:
Dr Grof conducted a lot of OBE experiments using the psychodelic drug LSD and later without it. In drug induced ecstasy, we have the same feeling as that of spiritual ecstasy but it is dependent on the drug. No drug , no experience.
Conversely, even in spiritual ecstasy, there is a chance of an addictive dependence on the spiritual experience but if proper guidance is available, we can transcend this stage to reach ground ‘zero’.
Astral travel, different experiences reported:
After NDE and OBE we come to Astral Travel which is actually a form of OBE. According to various psychic reports, when people travel out of their body, they visit different places. A few places and people that the OBErs visit are listed below.
1. The temple of wisdom
2. The hall of healing which is lighted by gems
3. The General Council a group advanced souls who guide people.
4. The tapestry room shows the pattern of our lives on tapestry, tending to infinity.
5. Library where books are stocked for the lower souls to read.
6. Computer room –where our plan for the next life is revealed on consoles.
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At a workshop my colleague and I attended together, during a meditation, my colleague had a remarkable journey through the precincts of exotic temples.
Most of my own astral experiences are during the pre sleep phase when I have travelled to beautiful places. I have seen the greatest of temple architecture and landscapes which would leave me nostalgic for days. In the astral worlds, there are gardens full of giant plants with oversize flowers of mesmerizing colours.
Later, when I saw the movie ‘AVATAR’, I had no doubt that the director or writer must have visited the places I had seen. Another astral experience etched in my memory was the ‘tapestry room’. Though my own experience is different from what others have described, I have seen the most intricate and enticing of embroideries on giant murals.
All these could well be just dreams or fantasies but one thing is certain that they didn’t come from my memory. I have a good memory and remember quite a lot of things which I have read or seen from up to the age of 3 years.
Another medically related issue related to astral travel is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, SIDS which is suspected to be due to mishaps during astral travel but there is no evidence to that effect as yet.
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Chapter 7
The Law of Karma There are many misrepresentations of karma. To clear these are will first state what karma is not
What karma is not
Karma is not fatalistic:
Fatalism teaches that everything in the world is predestined and we have no control on our lives. In other words, we are ‘puppets’ in the hands of some unknown power or a whimsical controller.
In fact, the theory of karma is exactly the opposite of fatalism. Karma teaches us to take 100% responsibility for all the situations in our lives, whether good or bad, desirable or undesirable. It teaches us to see ourselves as creators and shows us our role in the situation and the appropriateness of the situation, in the greater scheme of the universe.
There is no ground for regret or despair but there is great scope for constant and continuous self improvement and growth. When we blame someone or entertain a negative thought about another, it may not harm the other person but it almost certainly harms us. Self blame or resentment is a psychological disease which can lead to dreaded diseases like cancer.
Sometimes, I feel that karma is like a movie script or a script of a serial which can be altered while the ‘lights are on’.
So Much Freedom!
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I have heard somewhere put don’t know the original source, “Karma should not be used as a crutch for non doing. Karma should be fluid and evolving. ” We have to be in acceptance of the present moment, whatever it is, in order to grow. A man may have opted to be born with a handicap but it is our duty to help him in every way. In India, people often take recourse to karma to absolve themselves from taking social responsibility thereby incurring more karma. The less privileged dispose of their but we add to our load by judging.
Karma is not Retributive Justice
Karma is not retributive as inferred by most people. It is not a punishment for our sins. The concept of Karma represents a learning process. Karma is not an eye for an eye issue. Retribution is used as a last resort...only when the soul refuses to learn any other way.
E.g .
A suicide in past life recurs in this life. It is because of the residual feelings of sorrows at the time of birth carried over from the immediate past life that leads to a repeat suicide in this life or perhaps it is a residual karma of a still earlier life.
A handicapped person may have his problem due to a past life error, sickness or accident or might have chosen to suffer in order to grow.
Karma says ‘As you sow, so shall you reap’
The seeds you sow today are not only your deeds but also the thoughts which feed the soil of your fertile mind and later cause
Past Lives Page - 64 - you to harvest the bounty of a fruit, desired or undesired, the ultimate outcome.
What Karma is…..
Karma in simple words means ‘action’ but Karma also means the ‘fruit of the action’ rightly called karmaphal.
There is no language in the world, so pregnant with meaning as Sanskrit. Here the fruit means outcome. It is suggested that the outcome is inherent in the action itself. The fruit cannot be separated from the action, the action and its fruit are essentially one. If there has been an action, there has to be a fruit or reaction. If the karma was positively intended, the fruit is positive. If the intention was negative or selfish the fruit has to be negative.
The intention is more important than the actual act.
Law of Karma (Karma Siddhānt):
I found the best exposition on karma in a small book,” The Theory of Karma” by Shri Hirabhai Thakker, an English translation of the original book in Gujarati. Karma is the scientific law of cause and effect.
The corollaries of the law of karma are
Law of Intention it is not enough to do good acts, the motive behind the action is very important. One is given marks for the motive.
Law of Attention where you fix your mind will determine what you will obtain in this birth and next birth, the path of Sreyas and Preyas .
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Law of Attraction You attract your destiny with your thoughts.
Different Types of Karma
Let us understand karma with the analogy of bank accounts.
Prārabddha karma
Prārabdha karma i s the karma effect which has fructified. Prārabddha is fixed deposits which have matured or loan instalments which are due
Sanchit karma is the fixed deposit account we hold, which has not yet reached maturity or the principle amount of the loan.
Sanchit is karma in suspension like seeds which may break through in some other life.
Kriyamān karma or Karma in tracking. Kriyamān is a current account.
Kriyamān is our day to day thoughts and behaviour which is under our voluntary control and eligible to choice or change. In the previous eras, it took a long time for sanchit to fructify but today the term is greatly reduced and in the coming years there will be seeing almost immediate effects of our actions. For example, in previous years, politicians were not caught after crimes. Today, they are caught and released. In future, they will be punished.
Reincarnation and Karma :
If we believe that every effect has to have a cause, when the cause cannot be explained in terms of present life situations, we move into the realm of past lives. Our actions and thoughts determine what birth we will get or whether we will be born at all. We are
Past Lives Page - 66 - given a choice and we choose our parents, residence, relationships and purpose. Earlier, access to past life was restricted to a few exalted souls but now anyone can tap past and future lives in a clinical or laboratory setting.
(For more on karma, see Bhagwad Geeta musings of a scientific mind)
We always have a choice:
We may not have a choice in our predicament but we definitely have a choice in our reaction to suffering. Take the case of dancer Sudha Chandran who rose to fame in spite of her handicap or Stephen Hawking, the physicist who lectures on a wheel chair.
Only a little at a time:
Only part of the karma burden can be worked out in one life time. We never get more than what we can handle. If we grow spiritually, we have more hurdles. King Dhristhrāshtra, the Kaurava king of Mahabharata was shown that he had killed a hundred birds in a past life. He had to undergo several births and accumulate merits to bear a hundred sons before he could atone for his sins by losing all of them.
Why do saints suffer? Why do good people suffer ?
Saints may take over the karma of others. When a saint knows he is dying he takes karmas of his disciples and works them out in his body. In the Bible, it is suggested that Jesus took over the sins of others. Jesus never blamed others.
Why do bad people not suffer?
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At a soul level, good and bad is defined in a different way. The ākāsic records hold all transactions and we are accountable. We may have to pay with interest for misusing our free will. It is not our act but our intention for doing it that counts.
Group Karma:
We come to this 3 dimensional world as a soul group. Some souls may leave and others may join as we move on. So, we have collective karma related to the group. Say, people caught together in an earthquake or the Bhopal gas tragedy or a tsunami. All of them decided to be there at that time.
Karmic Levels Graded Lessons:
1. Personal level recognize a recurring the pattern in our personal life ‘here we go again’.
2. Group level soul group, family, race, country—they stay together for 7 generations.
Soul healing is a lineage breaker. You heal yourself and at the same time change the group karma for seven generations of your ancestors and seven generations of your descendents.
Shamans can do soul retrieval or release part of your soul stuck in some other dimension.
Siddhas can help souls ascend to higher dimensions.
3.The Collective Consciousness level it is like a internet ….www.
4.Cosmic consciousness level reconnecting with the highest spirit or God.
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Chapter 8
Evolution of Soul According to most researchers on OBEs, the souls go through various stages after inception before reaching enlightenment. Each birth helps the person to grow to the person to the next stage.*
Age of the soul:
Souls originate from the unmanifest form of divinity. As the soul goes through many life experiences, it learns lessons and evolves. The different stages through which the soul travels are labelled as infant soul, baby soul, young soul, mature soul, old soul, transcendental soul and infinite soul. At birth, our mind is not a tabula rasa but has impressions of many lives inscribed on it. A mature soul will face many relationship and life conflicts in order to mature
Infant soul:
Infant soul is a soul who is just starting its human journey has to deal with survival issues. He is gripped with fears of survival and security. He has just evolved from the animal kingdom .He is by
Past Lives Page - 69 - nature aggressive and wants to get his desires by hook or crook. Infant/baby soul is tāmasic and sleeps for more than 8 hours.
Baby soul:
Is at the second stage there is more discipline and binding by the norms of family and society. There is much rigidity about dos and don’ts, kind of a military rule. He is internally waging a war.
Young soul:
The soul is now obsessed with the material world. He is after money, name, success and glamour. He is luminous and shines through his achievements.
Mature soul:
Having satiated his appetites for material things, he now seeks connection. At this birth, he has to deal with relationships and the conflicts that arise from them. He now seeks his Quest: Who am I?
Old soul :
The old soul is full of wisdom, holistic, nature seeking.
Chooses self knowledge has all answers, has knowledge of self.
Transcendental soul :
The old soul having done meritorious work in earlier births, has come back due to compassion–bodhisattwa . He is full of unconditional love.
Infinite soul ( avatar ):
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This soul has a connection with the highest even when he is in his human form.
From the above description, it is clear how the chakras will function in the different souls.
E.g a boddhisattwa will have his heart chakra wide open.
urture:
A person has an expanded consciousness at birth till the fontanel is open. There is no separation between self and non self. A three year old may remember past lives, his purpose or may be clairvoyant. Most young children are able to see auras. The indigo and crystal children of today are blessed with ESPs. When the child is born and till the fontanel is open, the child has not developed an identity which is separate from the environment which is considered as part of as self. The child is connected to universal consciousness. It is only after the second year that children develop a separate identity of their own. At this time the navel chakra starts to take over and the crown starts to close.
Soul evolution and Chakras (ESPs):
As the soul evolves the higher chakras are opened up and Extrasensory perceptions related to those chakras manifest.
For example, a person with an open third eye will be clairvoyant.
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Kingdom and Chakras:
Chakra Evolutionary kingdom Realms Mooladhar Mineral world Physical Swadhisthan Plant Etheric Manipur Animal world Etheric +astral Anahat Human Etheric + astral + ego Vishuddhi Saints/ Angels +Causal Ajna Siddhas/archangels Sahasrar Highest Supracausal development/Cosmic
But why did the One become many?
Reincarnation is fine but why did the soul form in the first place. If it has to separate from the unmanifest, go through struggles and has to join the unmanifest again, why disjoin at all?
I struggled with this question for a long time. The answer came to me during an afternoon meditation in the form of a visual, ‘the ocean and wave ’.The wave is not separate from the ocean. There was no time that the wave first formed. It is always there. The ocean and the wave are essentially one.
Without the ocean there would be no wave. And we cannot imagine an ocean which forms no wave. The wave comes and goes and then comes again. Is it the same wave as the last one? May be or maybe not.
So, each time we come, we probably take on part of another’s karma. There could be well a mixing of soul matter and Karma. Perhaps, that is the reason great souls struggle to liberate others and even take on the karma of others. There is no individuality.
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At some level, we are indivisible. We are in essence one and same.
Are the number of souls increasing? How do we explain the population growth?
If the same souls kept coming again and again, the number of people would be constant and not increasing.
Chances are plants and animal souls could be ascending.
Or souls could be splitting to discover more of life.
Some authors report that there is no ceiling on soul creation(Monroe).
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Chapter 8
Purpose
Why Do Souls Reincarnate?
No one really knows the truth but there are different schools of thought. According to Ramkrishna Paramhansa, one can tell about higher realms as long as he is sitting on the fence but once a person has gone beyond, he cannot come back to tell us. So, what we have are extrapolations and approximations but not the entire story. So, here are the guesses.
Why are we here? What is the purpose of our lives?
According to New Age Masters, our life has a double purpose, an inner purpose and an outer purpose. The outer purpose relates to our behaviour, education, job, relationships etc. The inner purpose is the same for all, to know or attain to our true nature.
I may be here
1. To finish unfinished business.
2. To help others.
But I must remember that if I want to help others, I shouldn’t jump into the pit myself. Martyrdom is not a prime goal for reincarnation.
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When do we know that our purpose is being fulfilled?
If we are doing that which we came here to do, our mind will be in a state of bliss and contentment. Things will work for us with synchronicity, with the least struggle from our side. We will find ourselves at the right place at the right time. Even if faced with difficulties, there will be no regrets but acceptance. Remember, higher souls have more difficulties than younger souls but they shoulder them with serenity.
Our Contracts: Who decides what we are going to be in this life?
A blue print of our life is set before we are born. According to Dolores Cannon’s book, we sit in consultation with the council of Masters during our ‘life between life’ states. We agree to play a role and are thus given a body to suit the script. We can change the script anytime during the journey provided the lesson is learnt or the purpose is served. Or we can continue the same role till the end of this birth. The choice is entirely ours. According to some transcripts of regresees advanced souls have 10 more lives and others may have as many 170 lives. Parents of mentally retarded children are considered to be advanced souls.
Sacred Contracts:
Caroline Myss studied the language of symbols, myths and archetypes in many people to formulate the ‘Sacred contract’, an individual’s profile. In all, there are 12 archetypal patterns that
Past Lives Page - 75 - reflect in mythical symbols, the agreements made by the soul before birth.
The Council of Elders: These are evolved souls who help the souls coming down to Earth to write their script and choose fellow travellers. On death, the souls return to the Council for a review of their performance while on Earth and again for guidance before the next birth.
In summary, we reincarnate
1. To Fulfil Desires
We take birth to celebrate, to experience this phenomenal world. There are so many things to do, see and feel.
2.To Learn and Grow
Perhaps, this world is like a school and we come back again to learn lessons, to make spiritual progress.
The ego self has a separate purpose too but is constrained by desires. Soul finds it hard to manifest its true purpose.
Moreover, eternity is boring. Since 3 rd grade over, you want a challenge. So, you come back for a more challenging role.
Have you ever considered staying in the present body forever?
Or watching a film star playing the same role movie after movie?
3. By the Act of Grace
Another possibility is that this birth is not an automatic phenomenon but an act of grace
Past Lives Page - 76 - i) As a reward:
You are given this birth because you have earned it in your previous life. Higher self makes us an offer difficult to refuse. If you are advanced enough, you will be operating from your freewill. An advanced soul is not afraid to risk making mistakes. You then start living life more fully. By the same Grace, you recognise your karma and lead a life of sacrifice. ii) For healing from past wounds iii) For learning to take responsibility iv) Advanced souls come as handicapped children or their parents.
Born as a mentally retarded person, you get a chance to change bad karma into good karma. It makes you look into yourself as you know you are not what people think you are. It is said that, if you attain perfection, you may have 10 more lives, others have 120 lives. However, this could be contestable issue. vi) To become teachers. The Siddhas are beyond karma but they keep coming back.
4. Other reasons for rebirth:
Atonement:
Karma of mockery : if we have derided someone’ s suffering, laughed at someone’s affliction, enjoyed seeing someone being the butt of cruel humour, despised others, ridiculed others, it invites a karmic link.
You were a very spiritual person in your last life, but were selfish and escaped from family responsibility.
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Repercussions: A person promises to do something. e.g. A person takes a vow to be there forever for someone, comes to pay out /release the karma.
Vocational Karma: child prodigies. E.g. Yehudi Menuhin or Ramanujan.
Karma of Work : excel at what you had learnt in last life, like needle work or carpentry .
To Finish Unfinished Business:
Say, to finish a book started in the last life. It is important to always complete what one has started. It is better not to start anything unless you have completed the last task. You may delegate the work to others before you leave. That is the reason all spiritual teachers have disciples.
Technological Karma:
This karma relates to scientists, technocrats etc. e.g. Hyder Ali coming back as Vikram Sarabhai.
In Dr Brian’s book, there is story of a nuclear scientist who developed OCD of washing his hands due to a nuclear accident in his past life.
Every time we buy a hi tech product, we share the karma of the technology team.
Ideological/coercion Karma:
When a person tries to enforce his beliefs on others, he interferes with their free will. Conversion or Witch ducking has created liabilities for those souls. We can never say we know what is
Past Lives Page - 78 - good for others. Our job is to accept others. Even when we pray we should ask that others be given what is best for their soul’s growth. We should not feel sorry for other. Compassion is another issue, it comes from the soul.
In the Piscean Age, people were fixated on suffering as a virtue. So, these people will be reborn to recreate suffering in their lives. People get cancer because at some level they believe they deserved it.
Communication Karma: withheld truth last life, you come again to tell it now.
Publishing Karma: published scandals, false reports come back to atone.
Guilt: They have hurt someone, feel guilty and have come back for reparation of damage.
Symbolic Karma:
They were timid, kept ears closed, did not listen to pleas. Now they may be deaf.
Karma of Place :
On being in a particular place, you feel constant unease. There is a possibility of your death on a battlefield. Colin Wilson illustrates this beautifully. A positive correlation is also possible.
To learn to love ourselves:
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We ignored ourselves or hurt ourselves come back to love ourselves .
To discover Hidden Talents:
Something started but not perfected in past.
Understanding Relationships:
Reincarnation and Marital or Relationship Problems
Reparation for betrayal may manifest as co dependence/ clinging in relationships. Extra marital relationships are likely.
Solve Power Issues:
Deal with power struggles and other compulsive love sagas. We may endlessly recreate issues of abuse, abandonment, rejection, manipulation in successive lives. We do not let go, so they recur time and again. We get entrenched in them. So, if your ex husband or lover has caused you pain, it makes situations to let you re write a new script. Even, remembering the hurt sets the wheel of karma in motion. Reading other people’s regressions scripts often touch a sensitive nerve when you resonate with their life. We have all experienced the same trauma in some life. e.g
• Dominance/ submissiveness scene • Betrayal / betrayed theme • Enabler/enabled theme. • Freedom/ commitment dilemma
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• Issues around rejection, abandonment • Idolator /idol, ideal myth:
In relationships, we put our partner on a pedestal and despair when we find them fall off.
Soul Groups:
Souls coming together generation after generation are called a soul group. They are generally linked for seven generations.
Soul Mates:
There is nothing physical/sexual about soul mates. A soul mate can be of the same or opposite sex, can be your spouse, guide, partner or even an adversary. It is the one which makes us whole within ourselves. It signifies the inner marriage of ying and yang and how another soul helps us achieve this balance. Great personalities like Sri Sri Ravishanker, Sri Parikari devi and Dadiji of Brahmakumaris are few examples of people who reflect this wholeness.
In fact, when we long for an imagined soul mate, someone to complete ourselves, we demonstrate a lack, a deficiency within ourselves. That is not the purpose of reincarnation.
If you have only a physical connection with your partner then it is a holdup from intimacy, you are getting hooked to an old pattern. People seek love from outside when the real challenge is to love ourselves. People fall in lust rather than love. One can only rise in love.
Is life a matter of Fate or Freewill?
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There is a part of both. What you do of fate is more important than what fate does to you. When, you are more alert to effects of your own action upon yourselves and others, you will act prudently.
Just for an insight, the lines on your left palm represent your fate at birth. The ones on you right represent your freewill, what destiny you have created with your fate (this is now your destiny).
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PART 2
Chapter 9
Past Life Regression Therapy (PLRT)
Past life regression is a technique to recover memories of past life incarnations either to progress spiritually or solve a present life problem which has no other obvious solution. The regressionist and regressee usually have some positive belief about incarnation. There are various ways of regressing and one may even regress spontaneously e.g. déjà vu.
PLRT is a technique which takes a subject backwards time, first to childhood, then to the time he/she was in the womb and then to one of his previous lives. A person may be guided to the time of his death in his previous lifetime or even to a state where he lived between lives without a body. Since the person gets a glimpse of his soul state and many intricate issues in regard to health, relationships, finance etc., he gathers a fresh perspective on life.
Different ways to perceive past life experiences in PLRT
Techniques for PLRT:
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1.Hypnosis
2.Self hypnosis, Dream meditation, breath work
3. Bridge technique using associations
Affect, somatic, linguistic, visual
4.Face reading
Sit opposite your partner and go their past life. A mirror can be used to read your own face.
5. Astrology
6. Pendulum
Colin Wilson, quoting from the studies of Lethbridge, has given accounts of how the pendulum was used in retracing history.
7. Psychometry
After a brief relaxation take an object belonging to another person in your hand. Be aware of thoughts, feeling, impressions or sensations.
Understanding Past Lives from Impressions:
• Psychological –feelings moods emotions. • Physical –bodily sensations • Psychic visions messages thoughts childhood past life scenes. • Energy of object relaxed focussing of mind, • Some people are especially gifted.
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Do we really need to know our past lives?
If we can live with the situation without a grudge we need not explore the past.
Advantages or benefits of PLRT:
1. Relief from phobia, panic attacks.
2. Discover talent
3. Understand relationship dynamics
4. Foster global peace and better social order.
An Israeli in this life may have been a Muslim in his past life. A Chinese in this life might have been a Tibetan in his past life, a woman could have been a man. Buddha’s past lives suggests births in the animal and plant kingdom. Some people have regressed to life in the inanimate world. This proves that life is common to all. So much, for world peace, communal harmony, caste and gender equality and environmental protection!
5. Deal with anxieties
e.g. Fear of death The fear of death is one of the greatest fears mankind faces. In fact, our ultimately, all fears boil down to fear of our own death. We fear the unknown. We fear death because we do not know what lies ahead. Once we have traversed the mystery of death, there is no reason to fear.
Even if we have not seen it ourselves and but trust someone close to us who has experienced near death, we will be inclined to take death positively. If someone lives beyond death like our ancestors, then we too will. If they are not suffering their death, then we need not. If we have lived before, then we in all
Past Lives Page - 85 - likelihood will live hereafter. We are not the body but eternal beings.
We get solace that relatives are living on. We may be visited by dead parents at NDE.
6. Deal with Obsessions
7. Finding the root cause of a problem:
If the root cause of the problem is revealed, the problem solved.
(i)Interpersonal Problems:
Marital Discord
Feeling of Loneliness
Lack of trust
Low self esteem, Insecurity
Envy
(ii)Health:
Nightmares
Substance Abuse
Obesity
Allergic Reactions, Asthma
Chronic Pain, Chronic Headache
Repeated Failures Feeling unlucky in the world
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Mild Depression
8. Spiritual Growth
Lastly, recall is essential for spiritual growth. By integrating the lessons learnt into our self, we can decrease the number of births.
Are there any disadvantages of PLRT?
Most saints do not want the person to know the past but they still erase the samskārs and the problem is solved. We need not worry because we will not be shown if we are not ready.
Side Effects of PLRT:
• Irritability • Anxiety • Guilt feelings • Detachment • Preoccupation • Pain • Memory lapses
When does a man seek answers?
A man seeks answers when he has a haunting feeling that he had an experience of past life or déjà vu or is in deep pain or distress.
How do we know that is regression and not imagination?
In PLR, the scene is not altered by suggestions and a lot of emotions are present. Recollecting a story read somewhere lacks
Past Lives Page - 87 - the authentic feel. Here the story is mine, instead of similar to mine . Physical changes may be present… the subject may attempt to run. Eyes are considered to remain the same and can be validated with photographs. Moreover, the scene echoes present life problems and symptoms. Lastly, symptoms disappear after integration
Paramnesia:
Seeing something never been part of your life before . Scientists will not agree on this one but it is enough to convince the regressee.
Cryptamnesia :
Hidden memory , false memory e.g. childhood sexual abuse.
Pre programmed:
Go to some pre programmed scene.
Suggestion:
As against this, suggestion or wishful thinking combines hidden knowledge with fantasy.
Fraud:
They have a reason to reveal that data. They want to protect against unregulated memory e.g. In one PLRT group session I attended, one of the participants regressed to a life where he found himself to be a beggar in tattered clothes on the streets of Mumbai.
After the session he wondered aloud, ’Is it really an experience or a figment of my imagination?’
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Now, if one has to dream, they would rather fantasize themselves as a rich person rather than as a beggar. He may have not been a beggar but he tapped into a beggar’s records because there must be some lesson in there for him. Generally, people tend to imagine big things and not inferior things.
Another lady, an artist went to a memory of being Amarapalli , the great danceuse. She then recollected reading something about her in Amar Chitra Katha. Later, when we were asked to do mirror dancing, she could not shake a leg. Although possible, it is difficult to imagine Amarapalli to be born again minus her dancing talents
Myths and Facts about PLRT
Myth 1:
It a suggestion by the hypnotist or is a figment of the client’s imagination.
This possibility exists...but experienced regressionists do not give suggestion. In group sessions it is impossible to give different suggestions to each subject.
The instruction should be. “Go to the root of the problem. Do you see anything?”
Besides, methods other than the hypnotic trance exist. People who are not hypnotisable can still regress spontaneously. Moreover, we have the power of dream recall where hypnosis is ruled out.
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Myth 2:
A therapist or client does not have to believe in past life to be helped.
Technical speaking, this is true but belief is helpful. The energy of faith can take the person on the right track. A therapist who is a bigot may take the client to the space of his own beliefs. Both the client and the regression therapist must be open minded.
Suppose a conservative person from a religion which does not believe in rebirth should regress into a life time of another religious order. The conflict his mind would go through is tremendous since the disbelief is central to his present religion. He will need counselling after the session; hence the facilitator should be well versed in metaphysical truths with a sound reading of all scriptures of the world and a fair knowledge of physics.
He should be able to take the client to the true message of his Prophet’s teaching and explain to him the concocted view of the later teachers. Of course, all this is valid if the client is seeking the journey of self growth. A regression therapist should never try to push his own beliefs down the clients throat – whether for or against reincarnation.
If the client has a closed mind yet wants to regress to solve his clinical problem. He can still be helped. We don’t have to know nuclear physics to get either the benefit of nuclear electricity or suffer the devastations of a nuclear war. We usually leave these things to the experts. Same principle holds good here.
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Myth 3:
Anyone can do past life regression
Or a five day session is enough to become a regression therapist. This is far from the truth. Check the training of the regression therapist before you trust yourself in the hands of unscrupulous regression therapists. Nowadays, it is become a big business. Ask for references and qualifications. Follow up sessions are important.
E.g. There has been a case when a person landed in paralysis of the body after a session of self regression. She was alone in her house with no one to help her and remained there till a friend dropped by. Things like PLRT are not a kid’s play.
Myth 4:
Only the present life matters
Yes, as long as we haven’t seen anything more. We are all products of our past. Even if we do not believe in rebirth, age regression should help us release childhood traumas. We can then decide whether we want to go further in the past. We are like the ostrich. We suffer from dread and denial. Like the ostrich, we would rather nose dive into the sand not to see the sand storm.
Myth 5:
We cannot change the present by going into the past, so why bother?
If one person has changed his life may be we too can. Today, we have thousands of people who have done so. We may have no problems but we could tap some useful talent. If we accept the
Past Lives Page - 91 - fact that time is cyclical, future becomes the past. In my opinion, the only drawback in PLRT is that this technique is not offered at the University or at the Public Health Services. If it was available freely, we would have hard core scientists researching and documenting data over ten years. Then, there would be no ground for scepticism.
Retroactive Psychokinetic Effect:
Most people believe we cannot change our past but experiments in retroactive psycho kinesis proves otherwise. We can even change the recordings of our own voice .
The thought that we can psychokinetically change events which have already occurred sounds eerie to most people. Even the physicists who are studying time don’t seem to be interested in them.
We are deeply programmed to believe that the past is frozen or unchangeable as if it were a fossil. But we know that in a holographic universe, time is non linear, dynamic and self created. So, we can alter our past and by changing our past we change our present and future.
Myth 6:
We don’t remember our past lives, so either there are no past lives or we are not supposed to know, so why regress?
The second point is valid. If all is fine in our lives and we can live a life of acceptance during our trials and tribulations, we need not regress ourselves. But if the ‘why of things’ is nagging us, we might as well check it out. Coming to the first point, we cannot
Past Lives Page - 92 - use forgetting as an excuse. How many of us remember our first birthday celebration? Does it mean we didn’t celebrate it ?
Some Conflicting Data in PLRT:
Reason for multiple people picking the same past life during regression:
Chances are that a very spiritual person may split his soul on death and offer parts of it to many incoming souls. Or many people enter the same soul’s ākāsic records .
Common past lives?
There are many people who regress to the lifetime of some famous personality. We can have multiple Mumtaz Mahals or many people belonging to the Holy Family.
How is this possible?
Soul Fragmentation:
1. Soul Splitting : A soul may split, divide its energy and pass it to many other souls who are close to it–merged to be one soul?
2. AkasicRecords:
Many soul may access the same ākāsic records because they have a lesson in it. Past life reliving is more symbolic than actual because the issue or character that comes forward in a thought form is constructed by the subconscious mind—out of karmic knots.
3. Fixation:
Identify with past or an ideal figure in past life –e.g. Jesus’s followers.
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In an earlier birth, one might have been a great devotee or fan of the famous soul.
4. Merger: many souls may merge to become one soul.
5. Over soul: Presence of an over soul and puppet souls.
6. Collective Unconscious:
There exists a layer or dimension of collective memories of the universe Carl Jung.
In 1959, Carl Jung based on psychological and archetypal aspects of UFOs, proposed that “flying saucers” were a product of collective human unconscious. Rather like belief becomes matter [“Passport to Magonia”].
Metaphorical Aspects:
The benefit of PLR lies not in literal understanding of images but more by symbolic representation of inner issues. Regression will take the soul to an image or experience which is needed by it at that time, though this may not actually belong to it. It may be tapped from the collective unconscious. In fact, a past live regression is more fantastic then reality since there may be joining of many karmic issues which need to be resolved. It may be that your soul is making a story using many life times, some yours, some of other people. e.g. a. An experience of a lifetime as a monk expresses ambivalence about sexuality and intimacy. The inner conflict may show physical symptoms as a twitching of arm during regression.
Past Lives Page - 94 - b. Experience as a celebrity seductress may a repressed need to control others and have nothing to do with sexual matters.
Memories in Stone:
A person may detect memories from the place or from the PLRT session which was done last week. Places hold memories. Colin Wilson talks in length about memories stored in stone.
Genetic Memory:
Parents could pass information through genes, using psychogene memory. We will have to wait for new research along these lines.
Paramnesia: false memory.
Childhood abuse when it has actually not happened.
Cryptamnesia: hidden memory, they might have read a lot about that particular soul.
Prompting by a Disincarnate Spirit:
Connecting to spirits should never to be encouraged. The non embodied spirit can take you on ego trips. In case this happens without your inviting, the spirit should be given ‘ascension’ with the help of a Siddha. In Tibet, thought forms called tulkus are created by people. On constant contemplation, they get an individual existence. These forms are then telepathically picked up by a medium or a spirit who is amusing itself. Other people play with the Planchet calling spirits to answer their questions.
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Suggestion by the therapist:
A therapist keen on getting a regression, tries to give inputs to the mind under hypnosis.
Fraud:
A person fabricates for personal gain. This is usually done when others are there. He wants to get a favour from significant others in his life.
Fantasy:
Person uses imagination to avoid some unpleasant situation.
Soul Fragmentation:
Sufi saints while leaving earth hand over memories by splitting their soul and entering into many others.
Imprinting: The mind is no tabula rasa. Even if it were a tabula rasa, you can take can imprint of others’ lives.
Walk in : A soul gives body to another soul because it cannot cope with the stress of karma.
Same person can regress to different lives:
1.Multiple personality disorder:
Different personalities (souls according to siddhas) in the person accessing different lives.
2. Accessing different lifetimes
3. Accessing parallel universes
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Back to Childhood
Age Regression:
There are two ways an age regression is carried out. One may proceed in a step wise manner from the present time to the womb or instruct the mind to take you straight back to the time where the cause of the problem lies. In step wise regression, one is taken back every decade and healing is done at every stage. When you reach the age of 5 years, you proceed one year at a time and from the age of one year, you proceed a month at a time till you reach your birth. Deep seated impressions in childhood are released in age regression. Age regression is an important component of ‘Healing the inner child’.
Our self esteem as adults is a direct reflection of how you were treated as a child, whether one felt wanted, loved and appreciated.
E.g.
Eating disorders may be due childhood sex abuse as in the case women who are grappling with obesity problem.
Other issues like financial insecurity may stem from insecurity transferred by parents by injunctions like,‘there is not enough to go around’.
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Exercises for Age Regression:
1. Draw yourself as a child.
2. Write your story from childhood to now.
3. List your fears in childhood
4. List your dreams in childhood
5. Do you recollect any abuse?
6. List your childhood illnesses
Womb Meditation After reaching the birth stage, one may proceed to reach the womb and recollect all the events which you would have experienced when you were in your mother’s womb or simply heal that stage. Events like rejection and fear experienced by the foetus, as well as proxy emotions of the mother, often come up.
The foetus is capable of recording whatever happens in the environment and in the mother’s mind. It can also register the effects of birth trauma as in vacuum delivery. The sharp thump of the doctor’s hand, the coldness of place, the rejection /welcoming are all felt. Hence, painless water birthing is chosen by many mothers nowadays.
Foetus responds to mother’s thoughts and mother to the thoughts of the foetus. A child registers the feelings of rejection in the womb which in later life may invite rejection from others. A plan of abortion may result in the child wanting to die when grown up.
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It is found that positive things are also recorded and imbibed. Chanting of Bhagwad Geeta during pregnancy made children calmer. A friend of mine had a Vipassana retreat during her second pregnancy. She had a pain free delivery. Children respond to music in utero and you can also communicate feelings to them. Dr Deepak Chopra mentions a traditional community, where the mother sings a signature song for the baby.
One regressee could see her mother doing all the domestic chores just before delivery because she did not have any domestic help and then drive to the maternity home for delivery. Another remembered that her mother did not want a girl child and she was not welcomed at birth.
When does the soul enter the womb?
According to most authors and scriptures, the soul enters the body before, at or soon after birth. According to the Garbha Upanishad, the soul enters after the seventh month of pregnancy. Higher souls enter later, usually after birth. The booking of the womb is done in advance.
Re birthing:
Re birthing is a technique where a subject is taken to the womb, allowed to face the trauma of birth, heal and then enter the world without pain. The feeling that the soul gets as he gets trapped in a body is not always pleasurable, so whether there was physical trauma at birth or not, the emotional pain is always there. After feeling the emotions and releasing them, the subject is re birthed in a painless way, to a welcoming world.
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Regressing to Death
We can regress a person to a life before he was born till he goes to his last birth, then across one lifetime and finally to the time of his death. The circumstances of his death, especially his feelings at the time of his last death, determine his present circumstances. If he had committed suicide, the soul may go through a painful state after life and has to be rested for some years before it is ready to take on new karma responsibilities. The person is asked to go to the moment of death if he is willing. If the death was painful and the pain is felt, he is asked to float above the body and observe the happenings.
Once a person has faced death he understands that there is no pain after death, and that there is no heaven or hell.
The Art of Dying
The only certainty in life is death. Mortality rate is 100%. When the time comes, we must vacate the body, whether we are ready or not. The silver cord is severed by a field of white light energy field, so there is no return. (White light is protective energy field).
Nobody gets out of here, alive. i.e If you are a ‘ some’ body. The soul is continuous in time and space. In death, we move into the 4th dimension or even beyond that.
Contingency Death Plan
First, know who you are.
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A N o body.
If you are not a body, then there is no big deal about death.
Today is as possible a day to die as any other day.
So, it is wise to live today as if it were the last day of your life.
Express your feelings. Let other people know you love them.
Life between Lives (LBL) In between life states/ contacting the masters and angels:
LBL is a technique developed by Dr Michael Newton to access memories and experiences of a soul in between two lives. LBL sessions can be life changing.
At the outset of LBL sessions, the patient is regressed to childhood or to a past life, affecting some healing before going to the LBL state. The journey beyond the visible world and body is very speedy because here time is elastic and non linear. The regressee may remain in a trance for about four hours.
If we can access a life between life state then we are able to know the purpose of our present birth. We can contact the Masters in this state who can guide us along our journey in the current life. People sometimes report their whole astral journey, the meeting with the Masters, their rest period, their script choices etc. This helps them ascend to higher dimensions, where in they are guided by astral beings.
Ascension of Souls: Souls or their echoes trapped in the lower worlds may suffer because of too much bondage and attachment to worldly things. It
Past Lives Page - 101 - is a state of neither up nor down for them. The Masters/Siddhas can help these souls ascend to higher realms.
Going Forward Future Progression
Precognition:
Research tells us that future can influence the present.
Backward acting influence or retroactive influence:
It is difficult to tell whether the mind reaches the future and accesses information or future reaching the present and the mind reads information in the now. Since time and mind are non linear both are possible. The link between time and mind are not clearly established. But when mind ceases time also ceases and vice versa. This is the subject matter of retro PK research.
Wellness implications of Retroactive Influence: Exploring an outrageous Hypothesis. William Braud, PhD, “ Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine”, 2000; 6(1),pp. 37 48.
According to Braud all treatments are supposed to act in the present .An alternative healing pathway in the form of direct mental interactions with the biological systems may act in a backward manner to influence the probabilities of seed moments in the development of illness.
Can we change our future?
Human beings have a tendency to repeat past programs over and over again. If a person had committed suicide, the next life there may be para suicide /depression. Past life regression helps us
Past Lives Page - 102 - explore the repetitive unconscious patterns of behaviour and take corrective action. We can reprogram our future. We can rewrite our scripts. When we have learnt the lesson, we are ready to change.
According to Dr Weiss, three or more tracks are available for us in future. Our actions in this life and emotional state at the time of death determine how we choose our next script.
E.g. Dr Weiss relates a story of a nuclear scientist who, suffering from OCD was compulsively washing his hands. When he was progressed into the future, he visualized that he had incurred a nuclear accident in a future life. He was then guided along another track where he had a safe journey, again as a nuclear scientist but without accidents. He recovered.
Surprisingly, the cause of his present lay in his future. Again, is this a case cyclical time?
They were here before!
Dr Walter Semkiv has traced people back to their past with the help of psychic mediums and photographs.
The Gandhi family and the Bacchan family have a strong past life connection. Amitabh Bacchan was actor Edwin Booth in past life ..Ex President Dr A P.J.Kalam was reportedly Tipu Sultan and Vikram Sarabhai, Hyder Ali.
Some Highlights of Semkiv’s research:
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If we take the present lives of Amitabh and Abhishek Bacchan, both speak excellent English. Amitabh had already mastered acting in past life, so he remains a long term supremo of the silver screen. Regarding his fortunes in this life, they may be because of his generosity in his past life or carry over payment of the past. I have yet to find a confirmation of this.
The Bacchans are close to Gandhi family in both lifetimes. All the correspondences are present except that of late Rajiv Gandhi which is intriguing. The scientists, politicians and writers usually keep their vocational Karma.
I strongly recommend that you study Dr Semkiv’s work. Dr Semkiv has used photographs and a medium to confirm his claims, which makes the study unique. Most reports by other authors are based on PLRT or revelations by psychics that are subject to discrepancies.
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Chapter 11
The Wonderful Solutions!
Health and Past Life Regression:
Past life regression therapy has a big role in returning a person to wellness. The following conditions are amenable to correction with past life regression therapy.
Eliminating Fears: Fears may not always be obvious to a person. They may present themselves as recurrent dreams or cause a person to avoid challenges in life.
Eliminating Phobias:
Claustrophobia may be a consequence of being caught in a closed space in a past lifetime. In one case, a man was put in a box and drowned which led to fear of entering lifts in the present life. An Air force pilot killed in a crash in a past life landed up having a fear of flying in this life. A person who died of drowning has fear of water now.
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Eliminating Recurring Patterns/Themes:
A person who had committed suicide then has suicidal thoughts or severe depression now. Interpersonal conflicts, divorces and even physical deformities keep recurring.
Health Problems:
Disease means that something is out of sync. Physical disease is secondary to damaged blueprint. The cheapest method to prevent future disease is elimination of samskars and learning lessons of forgiveness so fresh samskars are created.
By default we are also going to eliminate all the needless expenditure on Health delivery system.
I am giving a few examples drawn from PLRT sessions. So, the reader can understand his own life based on these sessions. To my patients, I recommend that they read the transcripts of other people. While reading the transcripts, one can feel an identification with certain case histories. People can use these stories to eliminate their engrams. I call it “Healing through Reading”.
A few examples
Thyroid Surgery :
A thyroid surgery in a patient could be traced to a guillotine in a past life during the French Revolution.
Cervical Spondylitis:
During a past life regression therapy workshop I attended, an elderly lady had severe neck pain, so much so that she could not lie down. During the PLRT, she regressed to being a soldier in
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Northern India. He was killed by a sword while on horseback, his head separating from his torso and falling into a well. After the session, her neck pain disappeared. Cervical Spondylitis is also reported in cases of hanging and guillotine.
Chronic lung condition:
An ancient grief coming from many lives earlier may present as a chronic lung condition like COPD.
Many patients of COPD do not smoke or are not exposed to household smoke. When patients deny smokers doctors do not trust the patients’ statement and believe that they are hiding the truth because of social taboos.
Asthma:
Asthma is usually due to guilt from past , in this life or a previous life. It may be due to suppressing the truth… person is choking on words not spoken.
Other causes are due to death
From drowning,
From a rolling of horse on the chest
Speech Problems:
If a child is not allowed to express his views or a person who is punished for expressing his views publicly may manifest as dumbness or speech problems in the next life.
Cancer:
A person believed he deserves to suffer… martyr concept.
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Deep seated resentment and fears in this life can also cause cancer.
Epileptic Fits:
Fits may follow due to death from hanging
Wheat Allergy :
Wheat/gluten allergy which is becoming more and more common these days may be because of a exposure to moulding bread or selling of moulding bread in a previous life.
Obesity and Bulimia:
Obesity:
Starvation or an experience of sexual abuse in early childhood of this life or a past life can lead to frigidity or obesity.
A bad body image from past life, punishment for concealing in past, ridiculed /punished for overeating etc.
Vitiligo/Psoriasis :
Burns in a past life could lead to psoriasis, leukoderma or Steven Johnson’s syndrome in this life.
Healing an Illness Besides PLRT , introspection is important in healing.
Ask yourself, “Why did I create the disease?” i) Suppressed emotions ii) Deep seated trauma.
Past Lives Page - 108 - iii) Past life injury, scar iv) An addiction in past life v) Depression, panic, OCD obsessive compulsive disorder.
Ask, “Is the disease pattern, attitude, serving any purpose?”
Healing Relationships
Relationships mirror our inner states. They are a platform for growth. When we have grown enough, we are born with an ascetic nature. Relationships are a mirror to our subconscious mind. Whatever frictions we face in our relationships with others are like sand paper polishing us to shine ever more. Some relationships are so intensely confrontational that they lead us to our effulgent self.
Relationships prod us to look from the other person’s point of view; they make us see the others’ perspective. As we expand and include more and more people in our relationships, we broaden our world view. In the third dimension, we all learn through relationships.
We cannot take material things away with us. We carry forward our deeds, thoughts, knowledge & emotions into our next life. Relationships hassles and also our positive interactions may be a continuation of old interaction from the past. Positive/negative people in our life are there for a purpose. We are all interconnected. One is not separate from the other.
A conflict is the beginning of growth. As the soul matures and tends towards transcendence, conflicts are common. Conflicts
Past Lives Page - 109 - teach us the lessons of acceptance, flexibility, forgiveness and unconditional love, all valuable tools along our inner journey.
PLRT helps us to sort out issues, effect closures, see things from a higher perspective or go to the root cause of the issue. It helps us heal the problem with forgiveness, gratitude, love and acceptance. Answers for all problems lie within us. The outer reflects our inner. In strained relationships, we have two choices, either suffer resentment and suppressed anger or learn to love ourselves.
Resolving Karmic Issues We have ordered this life or at least signed a contract to perform the drama, here, at this time. It was our choice. There was no binding. There are more souls than bodies available who are willing to come and perform. We volunteered to be part of the troupe but forgot about it after we took a body. Hence, there is no reason to blame anyone. We are 100% responsible (See Ho’opono’pono).
PLRT saves a marriage!
An interesting story appeared in a popular magazine a few years back. A middle aged lady from a metropolitan city sought PLRT before filing for divorce from her husband, who was paralyzed waist down since the previous year. During PLRT, it was revealed to her that her husband in this life was her husband for three of her previous lives and in all three lives she was a paraplegic and was lovingly cared for by him. After the PLRT, she opted out of the divorce.
Vices:
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Wisdom of dealing with people with vices makes you grow.
Victim to Victor:
A victim may turn a perpetrator in next life and vice versa. Often, a rapist may atone for his sins by helping rape victims in his next life.
Understanding Possessions:
According to Swami Rama ,possession of a body is physically not possible because souls after death pass on to the other side. They can only send an echo here. It is the mind which creates possessions, ghosts etc. or it may be that some elemental forms are overtaking the body.
According to Dr Michael Newton, there are two types of displaced souls.
1.Those who have not accepted physical death and fight to get back to a body, the ghosts. They sometimes cause trouble.
2.The second group has those souls who had stooped very low and committed heinous crimes. These souls are first sent to rest at corrective centres depending on each soul’s status.
Understanding Moksha: Moksha means freedom from bondage or freedom fron compulsory re birth. Basically, we, the souls are immortal. We need to break free from our self defeating patterns. Moksha is freedom from suffering. During this lifetime, if we face a lot of hurdles, it is an opportunity to finish off more karma. If we can burn all our karma sāmskars( the scripts or engrams), we can attain liberation from the cycle of birth and death in this very
Past Lives Page - 111 - lifetime. There are different ways of doing it. As many people, that many paths. The path of forgiveness or unconditional love, karmayog, gyānyog , bhaktiyog, surrender, mantrayog etc
Understanding Grief: While dealing with grief, the following questions are helpful.
“Whom am I grieving for, the body, which is perishable or the soul which cannot die?”
Thinking of death as a graduation to a Higher Academy changes the dynamics of grief.
Understanding Suffering:
When we see other people around us who are poor and suffering, we start questioning the laws of the universe. Our faith in God is shaken. Sometimes, even when we want to help people, they refuse to accept help and continue to suffer. After PLRT we realize that we cannot help another soul. Only the soul can help itself. Some souls have chosen to suffer in this world for whatever reasons of their own. We need to accept this fact and neither blame others nor feel guilty about another’s suffering.
As a doctor, I have seen how people create suffering and when I am with some people I can get the feeling that somewhere, at some level they are enjoying their suffering. Earlier, I blamed myself for others’ suffering till I got sick myself and could see the larger reasons for my own suffering. Now, I offer help without expecting others to take it. I am ready for those who are sent to me and I know I am not responsible for those who do not cross
Past Lives Page - 112 - my path. They have their good reasons. The reason why social activism has failed, almost always is due this karmic law.
We do away with one evil only to replace it with another. We eradicate one disease to usher in an epidemic of a worse kind. From a higher perspective, an individual is as important as the numbers that go by the name of ‘statistics’.
One soul who is ‘clear’ brings more peace than a thousand peace marches. T he best way to change others is to change oneself, if we really feel that there is a need to change. Otherwise, let things be. There is nothing which is absolutely right or absolutely wrong. There is nothing which is absolutely good or absolutely bad.
Understanding Suicide: Only God or Source can create souls or life. We cannot create life, so, we have no right to take it away. Not even our own. Even after suicide the mind lives on. In fact, the pain is multiplied a thousand fold since we do not have an apparatus to express our pain. This is something akin to a locked in state in quadriplegia. The soul is helpless. Hence, we should put in all efforts to adjust to life’s circumstances and carry on.
Suicide is breaking the contract we entered in before this birth and is considered the greatest sin, even greater than homicide. Some astral travellers have revealed that suicides are treated with compassion and sent to healing centres. Killing of the body is not acceptable because there are fewer vehicles than souls. The pain of suicides does not come from punishment from the Masters but from the soul itself, having failed to fulfil a contract.
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There is an inspiring story of how Buckminster Fuller, on the verge of suicide discovered his purpose in life. Fuller, on loss of his daughter Alexandra withdrew into himself and wandered about planning to end his life. When, a little voice inside him whispered that his purpose of coming was not fulfilled yet. Fuller braced himself and helped others find their purpose.
Walk in:
Some psychics have reported that a soul is allowed to vacate the body for another soul to step in. When the going goes tough and one cannot cope, some soul which has a related karma to resolve can take over the body of the out going soul and complete its own karma and part of the earlier soul’s karma through his body. Other people may not even realize that the soul is different. They will only notice a change in the person’s personality or sometimes notice his failing memory. At times, souls take over a dying body due a higher soul intervening and the family thinks that their relative is ‘back from the dead’. See Robert Svobobda’s ‘Aghora’.
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Epilogue
I have completed this small book on past lives to give you a glimpse of past and current opinions on past lives and reincarnations. I want you to use these as a reference to strengthen your resolve to change your life.
In the past, karma has been used as an excuse for non doing but with PLRT and LBL one can at least partially rise above karma. The more aspect is however that we can change our future my changing our present.
If a false belief in past life can reflect on how we carry ourselves today. We will not destroy the environment, if we are going to come back. We will not think of mass genocide if we believe that it could possibly be our religion in next birth. The positive possibilities are too many for us to explore past life.
Though I am fully aware of trends in modern physics and the nature of reality, I honour this aspect of consensus reality simply because in it I see a solution to my patients’ problems.
I hope the readers will reflect on the solutions and benefit.
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Glossary:
SIDS : Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
Paramnesia : A memory disorder in which a person seeing a new recognise that has never been part of life.
Cryptamnesia: hidden memory, forgotten parts retrieved.
Yoni: literally, womb, also species. There are 84 lakh species according to Eastern scriptures.
Soul group: cluster of like minded souls with common objectives coming together life after life. They choose lives together as relatives and close friends during their incarnations on Earth. Before coming into the world, the soul is shown his life in the future, playing different roles in various settings.
SPECT single photon emission computerized tomography
LP Neurolinguistic Programming
PK: Psycho kinesis, Moving things with mind, influencing with mind
Fractals: a mathematical function where the part is a mini replica of the whole. In nature, it is seen as dichotomous branching patterns in twigs, leaves etc. In art, it is seen in traditional Chinese art, dot rangolis and kutch embroidery. It is the heart of computer graphics. All the visually tantalising graphic designs are
Past Lives Page - 116 - expressions of fractals. Even our sleep EEG is subjected to fractal analysis.
Further Reading:
Anita Moorjani, “Dying to be Me”, Hay House, 2012.
C G Jung, “Memories, Dreams, Reflections” Vintage books.
Carl Jung, “Man and his Symbols”, Picador Publishers,1993.
Caroline Myss, “SacredmContacts, Awakening your Divine Potential” Hay House 2004, Transworld digital 2010. Available on Amazon.
Colin Wilson, “Beyond the Occult”, Corgi Books, 1988.
Colin Wilson, “Mysteries an investigation into the occult, paranormal and supernatural”, NY Putnam1978, Watkins, 2006
David Lawson, “The Eye of Horus: An Oracle of Ancient Egypt”, St. Martin Press, 1996.
Dolores Cannon, “Conversations with a Spirit”, Jaico, 1993.
Dr Brian Weiss, “Many Lives, Many Masters”, Piatkus Publication,1988
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Book by the author:
My Little book of Understanding and Overcoming Stress
Forthcoming e books by the same author:
Flex your Spiritual Muscle Concepts in Metaphysical Fitness
How I Healed Myself My Journey through Asthma
Demystifying the Chakras An Easy guide to Self healing
The Mysterious Science of Dowsing
Know my Secret Study less, Score more.
Reflections on the Bhagwad Geeta Musings of a Scientific Mind
Reversing Diabetes The Diabetes Educator’s Training Manual
Obesity Work book A step by step manual to help you lose weight holistically
Goodbye Anger
The Doctor’s Theory of Everything An Insight into Self healing
FAQs on Health & Well being with their Honest Answers, Part 1
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Holonomic Therapy The Future of Healing
About the author
Dr Kunda Silimkhan, M.D., is trained as a physician and strongly believes in ‘Mind Matter’ interactions in well being. Her focus is to lend a holistic touch to medical practice, supporting the self healing attempts of her patients. She presently conducts stress release workshops at the community level and schools. She also helps students to deal with pre exam stress and develop better learning skills.
Presently, she runs Poornam a Centre for Holistic Well being which offers various modules in stress release, lifestyle modification and yoga.
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The author has conducted the following programs:
Group sessions at workplace /community discussing
Physical Health:
Therapeutic Lifestyle Change, Medical Nutrition Therapy,
Self healing for Diabetes, Obesity Workshop,
Cardiac Rehabilitation, Stress management, Scientific Yoga.
Mental Health:
Anger Management, Time Management,
Grief management, Goal Setting,
Assertive Training, Job Satisfaction,
Managing Change, Appreciative Inquiry,
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Creative visualization for achieving goals,
Emotional Freedom Technique,
Healing through Journaling
Healing through Reading, NLP and Health,
Bio feedback, Ho’opono’pono,
Inner Child Healing, Chakra Seminars
Social Health:
Team building, Enneagram,
Creative Problem Solving, Communication Skills
Disaster Management Psychosocial aspects and Gender Sensitivity
Community Participation in Nutrition and Health
Special programs for students
RFI TM testing (Resonance Frequency Imaging Aura Scanning)
Follow up individual counselling after group workshops
Goa Lifestyle Project A program designed along the lines of North Karelia Project of Finland, started in 2003 and running at the micro level.
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