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What Do You Research First When It Comes To Jogging PL Memories?

TheCuriousOne

Always Searching...
Based off a regression I did at one point:

Let's say you remember a life in the Civil War. You did a regression and in the regression, you were standing in the middle of a union encampment, in uniform, while a meal was cooking. However, you do not get any other details (like battles and such), just mundane details.

So, if you wanted to try researching, where should you start? Should you:

A. Start with personal things like your rank (ie "What does a commanding general do?") or things like camp life in the Civil War?

B. Research battles that you estimate you were in (ie "I was in North Carolina, so I must have fought in so and so battle")

C. Completely immerse yourself in the history of the Civil War, including how it started, and say "If I remember I remember, if I don't, I don't"

D. Research famous people you may have known during the time. (ie your regression took place in 1862 and during that time Ulysses S. Grant was your commander so you research what he was doing at the time).

Also, what manner of research is best? Looking at photos, listening to music, or reading text?

Sorry for the long post. Any insight will be helpful and much appreciated! wine**
 
Or maybe E) "all of the above". :)


It can be very time consuming to research, especially if it happened before WWII as the records are fewer and less accessible. Records are being digitized, but they are starting with more recent ones and working their way backwards. It also costs money to digitize. Best bet is to start googling different things and see what you find. You may also find locations such as libraries that have archives that can be looked at.
 
If you are having some specifics on anything at all, for example you see yourself, or someone, wearing an uniform then look at pictures of the uniforms. You might not see all the details and there is no way to "expect" that, and you may end up with a handful of options. Then go on to other details, say you remember a law of the time that you have to follow, (and which you are upset about, for example), then that is the next clue. Maybe you remember someone speaking a certain language to you. Maybe you feel a smell in a building... Get as many sources as you can, and read, many things get mentioned, when there is something resonating note down the verification. Keep a file. Remember the best and most abundant sources are in the native language of where the events happened. You may need to do some translation, it's worth it.


For example I had a huge file on a past life in Russia, and no knowledge of the subject. While there was hardly anything in English, I got large amounts of verification from Russian archives, Russian language sources and some collector's items/documents available online.
 
What if you do not have a "huge file" of information? What if you only have small, insignificant details like "I worked in a bakery" or "I was born in Beijing" that could apply to anyone.


My memories are not as vivid and detailed as some of the memories on this forum. The only memory I had that had any real validative info was my life as Samantha in 1818, sailing from England to America. As far as I know, the only passenger ships from England to America in that year were in the Black Ball Line. (BTW Thanks ColourODarkness for that info!) :)


Also I'm aware I've shared "vivid" memories on this forum before, but that may only be because I am a very good writer and I wrote those memories just after waking from a regression so I was a little sleepy and was trying to write before the details slipped away. Besides, none of it was actually validatable.
 
Okay, so I'm bit confused on the exact question: researching for validations or researching to try and jog memories?


Either way if I had to pick one thing from that list I'd pick C. Getting involved in the era, knowing something about the culture, the language, the styles and the times is a good way to not only possibly jog memories and trigger some more leads, but also a way to verify what little details are present in that little memory example. For me, looking into exact battles, places, or people can be somewhat leading. Memories in whatever form can be vague, and I don't want to set myself barking up the wrong tree so I try to get interested in everything.


This can be quite a process, and I've found that the journey of digging up memories and finding validations for them can be lengthy. That's fine for me, I've come to be quite patient with this over the years.


So as an example for me, I had a little flashback playing videogames that turned out to be a few moments waiting outside of some car. This was during WWII, but I can only guess the year. Looking up battles, exact locations, or people really won't help, I understand that particular event is written nowhere in any history book and is entirely insignificant. That's all right, I went looking after my hunches at what car it probably was and found a fulfilling verification for that. This worked pretty well since I'm pretty into WWII already and I know the vehicles of the era well. So looking into the era is something I've done for a big part of my life, it's always been an interest and so researching it in general has been not only interesting but also helpful. Looking up specifics... well, that works but of course only for specific things. With just a little glimpse or first regression to go off of, I'd probably suggest getting into the big picture of that prospective pl's time. That's what has worked for me.


So another personal example, I'm suspicious that I may have some sort of medieval pl in Scotland, I don't have any memories or flashbacks or even dreams about it, just some emotional attachment to the region. So I'm getting involved in the history, looking through the eras and learning about the old customs and locales. It's not a big priority in my life right now so it's sort of slow going, but it's on its way and it's something that I do enjoy as well. I think that big general look will be helpful in case some maybe-memory does come up, I'll be more familiar with the things I can find to validate. Argonne is right, its harder to find documentation for things and people the further back you go in history, so getting involved with the era broadly is a good way to cover some of those bases.


That's my strategy anyway. Has worked for me so far.
 
Personally, I recommend against doing too much research, especially if you only have a tiny bit of information. It's too easy to taint your memories or to fool yourself (or doubt yourself) or get misdirected, by doing a lot of research too early.


Personally, I think the more useful thing to do with memories is to try to work out what they mean to you. It is uncommon to remember an incident that is insignificant in a life. Usually the moments we remember are pivotal in some way, just as the moments in this life that we recall tend to be the important ones, not the everyday boring 'junk'.


So, for instance, if you were standing in line in the civil war I would want to know why this moment was worth recalling. What happened next? What were you thinking? What's it all about? It will be about something important nine times out of ten.


If you are trying to 'jog' your memory by doing research, I think this is not the best approach. It's using the 'wrong side of the brain' for one thing. Memories are stored in the 'heart' not the 'head', so you want to use your intuition and feelings rather than your rational mind and logic if you want to find out more.


For instance, you could find a time when you know you have half an hour or so when you won't be disturbed. Turn off the phone, shut the door, relax, breathe, count backwards slowly from 20 - or whatever works for you - to clear your mind of cluttering thoughts about your day, etc. Spend at least 5 minutes doing this to get a good result. If your mind starts to wander off again, that's ok, just gently bring it back to your breathing and count backwards again until you feel quiet and calm. Sometimes I imagine the water of a lake going still, free from ripples. Once all the ripples are gone, I'm 'there'. Some people imagine things like searching through a computer for a lost file, or a box for a missing photo. Whatever image works to focus your thoughts on the task at hand, it doesn't really matter.


Picture the scene that you have got (e.g. standing in line in the civil war). Get it clear in your mind. Focus your attention only on that. See the sights, hear the sounds, smell the smells. Is it hot, cold, day, night? How are you feeling? Happy? Angry? Bored? Sad? Why? Ask yourself: what's it all about? Trust that you know the answer. Let what happens next happen without questioning it or letting your logical mind butt in and try to take over or tell you that can't be right, etc.


By going into the experience, you are more likely to get more information. It takes a bit of practice, but it's not especially difficult. There are some good threads on techniques that you might try. Different things work for different people. Experiment until you find what works for you.


Active meditation


The Heart Center
 
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I think doing too much research off the bat could taint your memories until you have enough to go off of.


I disagree however that we only remember things that are important or significant. I know for me that a lot of my memories are mundane and everyday things. Sure, they all carry a level of emotional attachment, but having memories about sitting and eating doesn't mean that it was an important or significant event in my life. Catching a glimpse into every day life is something that adds to the whole picture of what kind of person I was, what I liked or didn't like, and what I did. Not every memory needs to be analyzed as having some important meaning. Sometimes a memory is just a memory.


I agree that looking deeper into a memory may be useful in uncovering more though. However, research into a memory is also beneficial because you may uncover things that strike an emotional chord with you. When you do that, you can then use your intuition and feelings to analyze why certain things made you feel the way you did and then you might uncover some more. Having a balance between logic and emotion when delving into past lives is really invaluable.
 
Perhaps you're right Zeonchar, and people can remember random moments. I guess, people are all different and I'm a big disliker of 'one size fits all' rules.


In my experience though, and what I often read here of other peoples' stories, the things people recall usually have some kind of significance for them, often relating to something going on in the present life at the time.


But perhaps not everything is of Earth shattering importance? Many times I have at first remembered something that seemed like just a random moment, but turned out to be something more significant when I looked into it further and got more info.


Some of my childhood memories are not life changing or pivotal or anything - flying a kite with my Dad for instance - but they are important to me because they are such sublimely happy moments. If I retained the memory of that moment into the next life, researching what year it was or what park it was in, would hardly be the point. The point of it would be that it was my Dad, who I've known in several lives, and the feeling of great love. But, as I say, everyone's different and has their own priorities and ways of doing things, and that's OK.
 
Spatz said:
So another personal example, I'm suspicious that I may have some sort of medieval pl in Scotland, I don't have any memories or flashbacks or even dreams about it, just some emotional attachment to the region. So I'm getting involved in the history, looking through the eras and learning about the old customs and locales. It's not a big priority in my life right now so it's sort of slow going, but it's on its way and it's something that I do enjoy as well. I think that big general look will be helpful in case some maybe-memory does come up, I'll be more familiar with the things I can find to validate.
How long have you had these feelings, Spatz? I hate to discredit anyone on this forum, but I'd just like to point out that you once commented on a thread I made about how I briefly glimpsed a life in 1300s Scotland. Did you have the emotional attachment before or after reading that thread? Just advising you to check out every angle.
 
TheCuriousOne said:
How long have you had these feelings, Spatz? I hate to discredit anyone on this forum, but I'd just like to point out that you once commented on a thread I made about how I briefly glimpsed a life in 1300s Scotland. Did you have the emotional attachment before or after reading that thread? Just advising you to check out every angle.
If only I'd been so inspired :rolleyes:


No, Scottish drums and countryside have drawn emotion and connection from me before any thread here. I don't use the forum as my journal, since I have several people in my life to discuss such things with, but every so often I don't mind posting something to bump something or encourage participation through others. It's nice if someone could relate and would post too, yeah?


Staying relevant to the topic, I put a bit of efforts into trying to narrow down the time period of any prospective Scottish pl this summer but unfortunately emotionally it takes a role on the backburner compared to WWII and since I have no memories from regression nor flashback to work with, I'm willing to just wait. Patience is a good thing to have and I don't mind leaving those thoughts for another time. I looked a bit through history of some clothing and looked into some language, but I was hesitant to spoil something. Without any memory at all I wouldn't claim any such past life- it's just a suspect for now. Got other things going on currently and so any other 'angles' will remain uninvestigated.
 
tanguerra said:
Personally, I recommend against doing too much research, especially if you only have a tiny bit of information. It's too easy to taint your memories or to fool yourself (or doubt yourself) or get misdirected, by doing a lot of research too early.
I was writing down a past life in Russia for a whole year before I did research (because I did not believe that what I saw was real, I am i big doubter about everything) so once I did the research, and it was such an obscure time and place, there was almost no chance of me knowing beforehand, and when I got most all verified, I could see there is some truth to seeing past lives.
 
Thanks Demi. Yes, I think this is just one of the good reasons for not doing too much research too early in the piece.
 
@ Spatz: OK, now I understand. I had heard that PL memories can sometimes be explained away by something called cryptomnesia where a person forgets something, then remembers it during a PL regression and mistakes it for a PL memory. But I personally believe that most PL memories are real, so don't worry! :)
 
There are a lot of convoluted 'scientific explanations' for past life memories. I don't find them anywhere near as convincing as the stories I hear from people with actual past life memories.
 
tanguerra said:
There are a lot of convoluted 'scientific explanations' for past life memories. I don't find them anywhere near as convincing as the stories I hear from people with actual past life memories.
Many skeptical scientists are coming up with all kinds of theories to explain why past life memories are not real. Now that people can research for themselves on the internet and validate the information they got in a regression, dream, etc. the skeptics can no longer just roll their eyes and dismiss it out of hand like they did before.
 
I wouldn't choose any of them. It seems like it would be very easy to end up confused and doubting yourself if you do the research first and check your memories against it, instead of the other way around.


Maybe you can look into subtle cues, like music or visuals, if you think that would help. Otherwise, I think it would be best to research only when you can remember something clear enough.


Even if what you remember doesn't seem significant, if something about it seems very vivid, you can try to research that. Maybe you remember the way you were baking bread or the look of your uniform, and those are things you can do some research about to compare with your observations.
 
Cont...


I've been busy lately, and have been unable to schedule time to do research, and regression/meditation exercises.


By any chance, have the best results regarding possible past-life memories happened after an extended time-period away from past-life concerns?


Marc
 
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