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How can we hear our names for an entire lifetime, but not recall it in the next?

hoping4change

New Member
One thing I'm longing to know about my most recent past lives, is what my names were. That way, I may be able to discover who I was. So far, I have no clue. Do most of you remember some of, or maybe even a full name from a prior lifetime? How did you recall it? Is there a reason the name isn't vivid in my, or possibly everyone's memory? Thanks!
 
It's probably there somewhere in your memory. You might not remember clearly your name but it will probably resonate with you. A lot of times names that we like are related to the past. Maybe make a list of names you like and see which ones resonate more with you. Or think about countries that you like and then names from those countries that you like as well. It might be a start.
 
In addition to what Owl says, we might also consider the possibility that names are not as important as they seem to be. Or, that names were not as important throughout history as they seem today. Consider the fact that up until recent times (the last few hundred years) people's names were actually titles or appellations indicating their function or relationship, like: Miller, Weaver, Smith, Earl of such and such, or son of so-and-so. Children very often were not given names until they reached a certain age and then it was usually something like "little mouse", "sprout", or even "trouble". And if someone needed to call a child, apprentice or servant, they usually used the term "boy" or "girl".


Although organized government required that everyone have a permanent name for taxation purposes, people often preferred nicknames that were not recorded. However, those names held different meanings and didn't carry with them the same sense of identity that they do today. In fact, up until the last hundred years, a woman's name changed according to who she was with instead of who she was.


In tribal societies names of both men and women changed according to what they had done in life. Names were earned instead of given. The same is true of subcultures around the world today in which a person earns their name—very often by making some kind of notable mistake. Bikers in motorcycle clubs are a case in point in which one will find a list of names like: Scruffy, Slider, Hooter, Hooker, Guppy, Madhatter, Maddog, Hooch or Puke. Some of the names cannot be mentioned in polite society, but each name or "handle" as it is called becomes that person's identity for the duration of his membership.


I think that we are conditioned to accept our names as temporary, regardless of how attached we may become and regardless of how meaningful that name may be. It is rather surprising how easy it is to adapt to a name change within just this one lifetime, and how quickly past names can recede from our consciousness. The same probably holds true for past-lives as well—at least for most of us.
 
A name according to numerology along with your date of birth determines your life at the moment, until death. After that until you are reborn and get a new name to set your new path in a new life. Why would we mix the names from lifetime to lifetime?


In my opinion it is simply not an important trait to carry over. What we occasionally carry over is tendencies towards self-expressions, art, creativity etc, attraction to places, times we might remember. Specifics such as names are simply not going to be the first to recall. Try different approach, places, times, likes - along this line.
 
AOSpare said:
A name according to numerology along with your date of birth determines your life at the moment, until death. After that until you are reborn and get a new name to set your new path in a new life. Why would we mix the names from lifetime to lifetime?
I don' t think I agree with this, I' m called by a large majority of people in this life, by a past life nickname (and I know other people as well who are called with their pl nicknames). How would that affect my life path? Would we be mixing lives by doing it? It doesn' t matter because it' s not the name that my parents gave me? if so, why would my legal name be more important than the name I' m being called everyday?
 
Owl said:
I don' t think I agree with this, I' m called by a large majority of people in this life, by a past life nickname (and I know other people as well who are called with their pl nicknames). How would that affect my life path? Would we be mixing lives by doing it? It doesn' t matter because it' s not the name that my parents gave me? if so, why would my legal name be more important than the name I' m being called everyday?
Interesting point. Which name do you prefer being called by the pl nickname or your legal name?
 
Sariel said:
Interesting point. Which name do you prefer being called by the pl nickname or your legal name?
Pl nickname of course, or any kind of nicknames actually, I just don' t want to use legal names (lol?). Also, if i have to choose, i prefer to be called by my last name than by my first name. With last names there' s a sense of belonging, you are that person, but also your brothers, your father, etc, I don' t know, feels better.
 
I agree with Nightrain, names in the past simply didn’t do what they do today. Many cultures didn’t give a kid a name at birth that he was going to be using for the rest of his life. For example today's Inuit names are the result of the government needing something for the spaces in its forms. And I didn’t get far in tracing my family’s ancestry before I got bogged down in endless ‘Olaf Son of Olaf’s’ and ‘John Son of William of Ye Olde Meadows’, and those are the northern Europeans. My modern day mother was known by at least five different names, as she was adopted by a stepfather and was married three times. Even her basic first name, Anne, was sometimes Hannah, or Ann or Annie. My own name is an ever-changing chimera, my siblings and I each ended up spelling our last name differently, thanks to the anglicization of the a’s, e’s, and o’s in the Danish. For a first name I’ve been known by various diminutives of my father’s first name but used my second name when I was working. But I think of myself by my married name, anyway. I honestly don’t know what I’d say if someone asked me what my ‘real’ name is, since what’s on my birth certificate has basically never been used by ’me’.
 
How can we hear our names for an entire lifetime, but not recall it in the next?
The title of your post - the think the answer is simply - names are not all that important. Truly! We as individuals address people by their names everyday, but when you think of it from a aspect that includes reincarnation - a persons name changes so many times, over and over again - it's not as important to remember, more important to remember the person by who they were, what they did, etc.


Think about how you go to the movie theater, you see a movie you really like and become totally involved in the story. But the next day you can't always remember the name of the main character, even though you heard it used many times throughout the movie. Or other secondary characters, you refer to them by their actions or what they did, not by what their name was.
 
Even though personally I wouldn't care being called by my identity card number instead of my name (because it comes a point when the number becomes your name, actually there was a time when I used to be called Number 9, anyways, that's another story) I think that names are important, names give you an identity, names help you place things together, it's a psychological thing. It's not the same saying "I was a red haired guy who lived in Ireland" than saying "I was Sean O'Brien, a red haired guy who lived in Ireland", names give you a sense of belonging, they make you BE someone.


Also, and maybe not as important, with a name you can look yourself up, see if you can find any information and if that information matches your memories. It's a way to get validations.


How about the times where there were no names, you guys might say, well, you had to be called somehow! that whatever thing you were called was your name. You might not find any info online but psychologically it will have the same value as a nowadays name.
 
Lady2 said:
The title of your post - the think the answer is simply - names are not all that important. Truly!
What do you base this on?

AOSpare said:
A name according to numerology along with your date of birth determines your life at the moment, until death. After that until you are reborn and get a new name to set your new path in a new life. Why would we mix the names from lifetime to lifetime?
It is simply not important trait to carry over.
"According to numerology" .... I've not read anywhere that our current names relate strictly to this current lifetime. Where did you read this? Why/how have you come to the conclusion that this is true for every soul?


Even if you/we don't understand fully why a soul might choose to carry clues in their current name from previous lifetimes, it does not mean that it never happens, and more to the point that it isn't an important trait that an individual soul might choose to carry over.


I respectfully disagree with the both of you. Having looked at a number of past life cases, I can say that souls often do choose to carry over clues in their names from their previous lives. Sometimes, as others have already pointed out, it's a nickname they become known by today that is actually a marker/clue to their past. Sometimes it's a name carried by a close friend of theirs today that is a name they themselves held in a past life. (Truly ... I think many give this no thought). Sometimes the person's city/country of birth/email name/web username holds clues to a person's past life name. Sometimes it's a family member's name that reflects back to the person their name in another lifetime. Also, for some uncanny reason, you will sometimes have someone who simply can never remember your name when they see you that they mistakenly call you something else .... the human mind would, and often does, put this down to poor memory, but in fact it can be because it's a memory of the past. These are just a few examples.


So, in truth names are very important. My answer to the OP: How can we hear our names for an entire lifetime, but not recall it in the next? ... the above is sometimes why we don't recall it in the next ... just because most people dismiss the mundane/small things in their current life as nothing more than this, rather than looking at the deeper meaning of things.


Names probably help to connect us with other members of our soul group, so they are very important ... truly.
 
Hi Hoping4change,


For me - most of the time during the meditation/experience I hear someone calling my name. But perhaps this will help -


One of the things OBE authors suggest is that when having an OBE experience -- ask for "CLARITY NOW" in order to get more details and have a more in depth experience.


I had an experience years ago that now had me wondering if the same could be applied to past lives. It began with a dream and I was flying. I caught the wind just right and floated there with my eyes shut hovering in space for a very long time. My body position was as if I was laying down sleeping. I was savoring the moments; I love the feeling of floating.


I was sick at the time and aware my chest was hurting. I said in the dream - "I want to remember this feeling..I want to remember...I want to remember." I was very sick with a chest infection. My body began to vibrate from the inside out and as I vibrated in space there seemed to be a tear in the fabric of "reality" in front of my eyes.


I had requested something specific which I believe allowed the experience in the first place. What came into view was a gravestone. It was a gray stone with white speckles, carved imagery on each corner and stood about three feet tall. I looked closely and began to see the name and date on the stone, ....lisia...ton...424 AD...then it began to blur.


In my dream I said, "I need CLARITY ---I need CLARITY NOW!" Just then like a lens that comes into focus it became clear as day. I was so excited in my dream I read it over and over again! ELISIA K. EATON 424 AD - 429 AD.


The inscription under her name meant -- "She was the Mascot of our ship ....she held our hearts....." (There was more, but I went back to the name and dates repeating them to myself over and over so I would not forget!) It was so lucid I could see every detail of the engraving. I knew that her parents owned sailing vessels, that she was very loved and well cared for.


As I viewed the stone, I also became aware - that this was me. I had died at only 4 years old, of a chest infection. I had shifted consciousness and REMEMBERED the feeling. She had died due to this "feeling" -- I remembered me/her and was viewing the grave site. It felt like Europe somewhere, the weather was cool, foggy, and I sensed water nearby.


Perhaps this tip will help you remember too. :D


__________________
 
Wow! For some reason, I did not think many would respond to this post. Sometimes I feel rather "infantile" after posting on this board. I am rather new to reincarnation. I have believed in it for a while, and have been reading up on it for about a decade. It just took me a little time to actually accept it, and desire to find out more about it. Needless to say, past lives are "very out of the box," compared to how I've been raised, but I've always been an "out of the box," kind of soul! I appreciate every reply, and I am hoping I have the ability to remember more regarding my past lives, whether it be names, or what-not!


I do have a road block, I fear what I may see. I know this is off topic, but, I can't seem to meditate. I am afraid of it. I believe this is from being raised very born again christian. No disrespect to the religion, but I fear a lot of things because of what I was told as a child. Why is death something to fear? Christianity sure made me feel that way.. I mean, my parents were divorced, my mother was going to hell because she had a child out of wed-lock with another man after divorcing my father. I wasn't sure if I was "supposed" to love this child or not!? My half brother's father than committed suicide when he was 12, and my heart broke... and all the church could say was he was in hell. I'm sorry, but he is not in hell!


Anyway, if anyone has any suggestions regarding "remembering more," I would love to hear!!! I have gone to one regression, and plan to go to more, but if there is a way for me to remember things on my own also, that would be wonderful!!


Deborah- your memories of Elisa are inspiring. Thank you so much for sharing, reading how you remembered makes so much sense, as that is exactly how I was regressed in August. I had to pick the comment that brought out the most intense feelings for me, and "I'm so scared," brought out my two biggest fears. A memory with airplanes, guns, a war memory, (all things I fear), and a memory of losing my precious son in a prior life. These are the fears that are intense for me. I can be anywhere, and if I hear a sound that I can not identify, I instantly think "atomic war," so weird! Anyway, I appreciate your comment so much, and maybe if I think of something in that manner before falling asleep, I will dream the memory, and possibly a name as you did.
 
firebird said:
What do you base this on?
Names are important in some ways, it just seems to me that on the other side we are all connected and the individuality of names doesn't seem to be the first most important thing to remember. But that's just me. :laugh:
 
Marc Ross said:
Can nicknames act as "a trigger of sorts" in evoking possible past lives?
You mean if you get called by your past life nickname you remember more? I would have to say no, quite some people call me (or only know me) by my past life nickname, nothing ever happened.
 
Common and uncommon names

hoping4change said:
One thing I'm longing to know about my most recent past lives, is what my names were. That way, I may be able to discover who I was. So far, I have no clue. Do most of you remember some of, or maybe even a full name from a prior lifetime? How did you recall it? Is there a reason the name isn't vivid in my, or possibly everyone's memory? Thanks!
Are the types of names most likely remembered common, uncommon, or commonality doesn't matter?
 
Marc Ross said:
Are the types of names most likely remembered common, uncommon, or commonality doesn't matter?
From my experience commonality doesn't matter. Your name is your name, common or not.
 
Marc Ross said:
Are the types of names most likely remembered common, uncommon, or commonality doesn't matter?
I agree with Helz_Belz. Once I remembered a super-common name. I knew it had to be real as I would have never chosen that name for myself or any of my kids... and yes, I could validate it.
 
I believe it will come back to you at some point..if it was important to you.It might your name or the name of someone you knew...I think both is possible.One time I suddenly found myself thinking of the name O'Ryan.I considered that to be a name that used to be important to me.I have no connection to it now or any reason why it would be a strong thought in my head.
 
This is very interesting. I've never remembered any PL name of myself. And I do not care very much about it. Although I live in a Western country where having a name is part of your identity, my heart doesn't care. The name my parents use to call me by is not the same name as in my passport. But that's very common in this country. Later on in life, I changed two vowels myself. And during my life, people called me with so many names and variations, and I never cared. Lots of people call me by the name of my eldest son (Mother of...), or by my internet name (not firefly but another one) even if they know me in real life. My husband has a family name but in his culture, the children are named after father and grandfather. It's not a problem, you just ask: 'Who's child?' when you are confused about someone. Our families are also easy with giving nicknames to children or to each other, nicknames that can change from year to year.
Concerning reincarnation: the lives that I probably have lived are low key, invisible on the radar of time. Until now anyway. So even a name wouldn't help me further. Until now.
 
I have trouble remembering past life names as well. I think it is because, in the end, names are not that important. Its the life that was lived that matters.
 
One thing I'm longing to know about my most recent past lives, is what my names were. That way, I may be able to discover who I was. So far, I have no clue. Do most of you remember some of, or maybe even a full name from a prior lifetime? How did you recall it? Is there a reason the name isn't vivid in my, or possibly everyone's memory? Thanks!
Through self-hypnosis I found out some of my past life names, places where I lived, periods, life lessons. You can try to have a past lives regression with a specialized hypnotherapist, or try self-hypnosis, meditation, ...
You don't recall more important things about your past lives than your name.
 
“How can we hear our names for an entire lifetime, but not recall it in the next?”


One answer to this could be that the identity of the personality is not as important as other factors which stem from that life-experience, and previous ones. There are three fundamental categories of Karma as fruits of actions arising from desire which are impressed upon the etheric body (Chhandogya Upanishad 6.14), the prana or the life force that continues. Until burned away in Liberation or fulfilled these will cling to the jiva (bound soul). These are:

1) Sanchiita: that which is done is a past life and is latent as potential results or seeds. This can include the ill-deeds of ancestors (Rig Veda VII 86:5).

2) Agami: that which is performed after Liberation while still in a body

3) Prarbdha: that which is done is the present life and must be exhausted in some form.

The memories that continue could be more akin to fragmented data on the’ hard drive’ of the prana.
 
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