written by indianachu at Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Who were you in a past life?

"You must have been rich in a past life." "He must be paying for his sins from a past life." Are these notions really true about our past life experiences? How much of an influence do our past lives truly play on our current life, and how does karma factor into this influence?

To be able to better evaluate these questions, we must first have a better understanding of what exactly is meant by "past life".

What are "past life" and "past life regression"?

Past life refers to the previous incarnate life of a person here on Earth. Past life regression is a technique that uses hypnosis to recover what most practitioners believe are memories of past lives or incarnations. Past life regression is typically undertaken either in pursuit of a spiritual experience, or in a psychotherapeutic setting. Most advocates loosely adhere to beliefs about reincarnation, though religious traditions that incorporate reincarnation generally do not include the idea of repressed memories of past lives.

Generally speaking, we are unable to remember our past lives and the experiences from these past lives in our current life. Question 392 of The Spirits' Book addresses this topic:

Why can't the incarnate spirit remember its past? "As human beings you cannot, and may not, know everything. God, being wise, has determined so. Without the veil that hides certain things from you, you would be dazzled, as if you had suddenly passed from darkness to light. Through the forgetfulness of the past, you are more fully your essential selves.

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