Quieting cultural expectations

Hello, I'm a newbie to the idea of reincarnation.

Despite growing up Catholic I never dismissed the idea of reincarnation, but since I started meditation to deal with depression last year I've had some strange experiences that I'm trying to sort through and have convinced me to dig deeper.

I was in Cuba last month with my university (I'm an American so it was amazing to be able to go) and had the strongest, nearly overwhelming feelings of deja vu and familiarity with Havana. There was a point in time during my treks around the city where I literally stopped and had a flashback that lasted a microsecond. I had DEFINITELY been there before.

Since I've been back I've become fiercely defensive of the country - its more difficult for me to be able to tolerate criticism of the country than I had been able to logically swallow in the past. I understand that my positive experience with the Cuban people no doubt contributes to this feeling, but I can honestly tell you that the pull I feel towards the people and the culture is highly abnormal.

I've visited plenty of awesome countries and have not experienced this before. The entire country just felt too familiar to me - Havana especially.

My family has a strange connection to Havana was well - my great-great grandfather was killed on the USS Maine back in 1898.

There's something there and I want to explore it deeper, but am having a hard time making sense of my feelings to which I believe are culturally related. Any suggestions on how to move forward from here?

How did you newbies get started exploring past lives?

Hello Lilliputian,


I sought out a professional and just started so I won't be of much help; however, these feelings and impressions you experienced during your trip to Cuba sound intriguing.


It might help others and myself if you could elaborate a bit more on what you identify as "cultural expectations" and feelings that you attribute to being culturally related.


FWIW - have you considered the possibility that you might be the reincarnation of your great-great grandfather?

Hi Lilmsmaggie! Thanks for the reply!


My family isn't spiritual so the idea of reincarnation would be too much for them. My mother is a doctor and would probably think I was crazy for these feelings and try to put me on meds or something! Everyone has a diagnosis, I suppose.


I try to keep my mouth shut about the more spiritual things I experience, and I know that that's made its way into my subconscious. I want to lift that barrier so to speak and see what's behind the wall.


I've pondered and meditated on the idea that I may be my great-great grandfather. He was in the Navy and as the only granddaughter of 14 grandchildren I was the only one that felt pulled to a naval life. My family was really, really confused.


I applied to the Naval Academy and Coast Guard Academy my senior year of highschool. I was accepted to both, but chose to go Guard after plenty of family pressure. I'm still sore over it and the repercussions of my decision resulted in PTSD and depression (long story) that I'm still suffering from now (hence the meditation which helps tremendously). There's a part of me that wonders if I'm him reincarnated, looking to finish what I started (he died at the age of 20) as there's no other way to explain the pull I felt in the past to Naval life.


The first place I sailed when in the Coast Guard was St. John, New Brunswick and that's where my great-great grandfather's parents were from. I even look like the female version of him. Too weird.


The question is however, how much of this is me looking to make connections in order to answer questions, and how much of this could be true?


How was your experience with a professional? There's still a skeptical part of me, I suppose but I'm very curious.

Hello Lilliputian,


Your situation is frequently met on this messageboard, so it appears you've found the right place! Welcome!


Were I to receive the sensations and impressions you've related above my first action would be based on the availability of resources in my area; are there hypnotic regression professionals in your area? If not, another route is to locate, via google, an akashic reader...one who can assist you in reading your akashic record, or book of life, which can be done very effectively over the telephone (and is cheaper than regression). This latter event can assist you in understanding your soul level purpose for this life you chose, along with the purpose for which you are now uncovering this attraction to Cuba and its culture. The akashic records are opened by the reader and the reader, with their guidance, will obtain the assistance of your guidance to obtain answers to the questions you have...sometimes the reader is told to tell you the answers before you have asked!


This is simply how I would address your situation and nothing you choose to do will be wrong, only some more satisfying than others. Good luck and happy searching!

Thanks for the reply! I'm actually near Carol in Philadelphia so I'm thinking about contacting her, but I wanted to see if I could make some headway on my own first.


I've never heard of an akashic reader....I'm off to google! Thanks!

Lilliputian said:

How was your experience with a professional? There's still a skeptical part of me, I suppose but I'm very curious.

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So far, its been positive. I must admit, I too am a bit skeptical. However your experiences sound like they definitely should be explored.


I spent time in the NAVY (1967-'70). I wanted to go into the Guard initially but my NAVY tour was great.


Good luck.

I know that this thread died a while back, but I've worked hard to allow my subconscious to speak to the current me over the last few months. I've made a bit of headway but it's only left me with more questions.


I had a weird, very quick vision last month that pretty much scared me. Now I don't know if I WAS once my great-great grandfather that died on the USS Maine or not, but this "vision" was from 1959 - right before the communist revolution in Cuba. Everything I saw, heard, and smelled was so incredibly real I had a hard time catching my breath...


I was looking down at the ground and seated. I could see my dirty boots and my comrades boots, but no faces. I was looking down the entire time, unfortunately....I would have loved to have seen the faces of those I was speaking to...


I was speaking Spanish, had a heavy pack on my back, was smoking a cigar, and joking around about some comrade's crush wanting to be with him "once we finish this revolution". I actually said that.


Now my question is where do I go from here? Do I wait for more visions? I've been journaling and trying to work through strange things about me that I feel can explain what I saw. So for example:


1. I'm a 26 year old female that has an affinity for guns. I did not grow up with a family that owned any or was gung-ho about gun rights. I'm comfortable with them and they feel familiar to me.


2. I'm not a smoker. I've never smoked cigarettes, etc. But I LOVE cigars. I get horrible cravings for them often and did even before I had smoked one for the first time. Have you seen many 26 year old blonde females smoke cigars? Well, I do.


3. I knew the streets of Havana without ever having been there. I usually have a horrible sense of direction.


4. I visited three museums/monuments in Cuba in which certain items on display from their Revolutionary era felt familiar - like, "Oh yeah, I remember that phone/diary/book/backpack...."


5. I have a strange fascination with post WWII communism/Cold War events - in fact, my Masters thesis is on that subject. The subject is natural for me. Almost too natural.


So am I looking too much into this? Its difficult letting your subconscious speak - I'm usually a patient person, but its hard to be patient now that I've seen what I saw!


Any insight?

Given the time frame, there's every possibility that you may have been both your great great Grandfather AND this other person from 1959. In all cases, you seem to be drawn to this area in Cuba.


You said in an earlier post that you were thinking of contacting Carol. Did you ever get around to doing that? You certainly appear to have past life memories just below the surface, maybe a regression therapist can help to bring them out? Or you can even attempt to do this yourself.


There's certainly nothing to fear. I can understand that this can all be a bit 'freaky' to somebody who doesn't fully understand the mechanics of reincarnation, but it's a perfectly natural process that happens to us all.

Unfortunately Chris, I've since moved to Korea to teach. Funny - I was living 40 minutes from Carol when I first posted, and now when I could really use her I am halfway around the world...


There is a regressionist in Tokyo, actually - I might plan a trip there soon.


I understand that there's really nothing to be afraid of, but the feelings were so "real" and I found myself really overwhelmed. I could even tell that I smelled horrible and probably hadn't showered in weeks. I DESPERATELY want to learn more, but I have certain hunches that I'm not sure I really want to confirm. I should, but I'm afraid. Whoever I was in my past life certainly killed people. Then again, I'm sure we all have at one point in history....


Thanks for your response!

I'm sorry, I misinterpreted your fear, but now I do understand what you mean. It can be a bit overwhelming at times, but as long as you remember to stay grounded in the present, these memories are just that .... memories, and they can't harm you now.


As for who you were, and what you did, yes you are right, it's most likely that we've all done things that are not to be proud of in the past. But it's all part of the learning process. If our ultimate goal is to be 'complete', then we have to take the bad with the good, and the bottom line is, you are not that person anymore.

ChrisR said:

the bottom line is, you are not that person anymore.

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I totally understand!


But, I have a few specific people in mind that I've been researching to see if anything clicks and there are more than a few personality coincidences as well as birth/death date coincidences with one person in particular.


It would make sense that I reincarnated as myself as we'd "balance" each other out - and I was born a Libra. I was born 4 days shy of exactly 18 years of this person's death. 4 is not only my favorite number, but a very significant one for me. I also joined the US military when I was 18.


This particular person was obviously a staunch communist and had devoted his life to ending US business interests in Latin America. In this life I was born to a father that owns his own manufacturing business in the US and does business internationally - including supplying many Latin American police forces and militaries with necessities including weapons. Weird?


We have extremely similar interests. Some of which have caused me a lot of pain in my life. I feel as if I'm two people sometimes with such dueling interests. Its like I have totally different person bubbling under the surface or something.


The creepiest thing in my opinion has to do with one of the tattoos I got a few years ago - long before I ever was interested in reincarnation or had hunches about past lives. I have a particular Latin phrase tattooed on my ribs that is almost an exact translation of a mantra that Cuban guerrillas used during the '59 Revolution.


I hope I made sense in this post. I'm trying to avoid coming out and saying who I think I may have been in a PL because I don't know how I feel about it yet. Am I looking too much into the coincidences that I named above?