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emilyisme

New Member
I am interested in reincarnation, and I have a part of me that we don't just die and that's it.
I think that it has to continue, but we won't have any memory. Which is sad in a way, but more comforting than that we all just die and are nothing forever.

Anyway, I have a lot of questions.
What exactly is a soul?
Do you believe in karma, or that it's just random?
If there's karma, then there must be some kind of God. I don't really believe in God.

What I believe is that we die, reincarnate randomly, with only memory in the beginning of our lives since it is so close to our last death, which makes me think the memory fades away. I don't really believe in karma, because that just sounds like some kind of religion, like they are saying to do good just so that we are good people.

Anyway, my questions;

More babies are born a day, then people die a day. So where are these extra souls coming from?

Can we reincarnate into other species? Dogs, cats, monkeys, etc? Even plants?

Other than the fact of children recalling past lives and the birthmarks, what is more proof of reincarnation?

One more thing, it makes me really sad thinking even if I did have a next life, I won't remember any of this one and won't remember any of my amazing family and friends. It's so sad.. Do we stay with our family and friends? Or do we just meet random, new people? It would be confusing if we reincarnated and stayed with our friends and family, because we meet more and more friends in each life, so wouldn't it become too much? Also, does this only count family and very close friends? Or aquaintences, along with people we just see pass by, without even knowing? I'm thinking too much, but I have so many questions.
 
Hello Emily and welcome to the forum. :)


You have many good questions similar to the questions I had when I first joined. Many of the answers you seek might be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section. There are also many excellent books out written by experts in the field including Carol Bowman, Ian Stevenson, Brian Weiss, and Michael Newton just to name a few.


There are many debates and theories surrounding some of the questions you ask. I can only offer my personal opinions based on what I've read and what I've learned from other forum members since I've been here. I believe the soul is a conscious field of energy that can never be destroyed. It is your Higher Self that exists after the physical body is gone. I do believe in God. It may or may not be the traditional Judeo-Christian interpretation of God, but I feel there is a higher consciousness or some kind of intelligent design.


My personal feeling is that reincarnation is not random, because from what I have read, who we reincarnate as is selected before we are born. I don't necessarily believe in karma either. I don't see life as a punishment, rather I see it as an experience. It is true that it is possible you will not remember this life when you begin the next one. However, it is believed by many that you reincarnate with the same souls in many lifetimes. Our loved ones do not leave us.


I am not familiar with anyone living non-human lives, and I can understand asking the question. However, discussing them does not comply with the Forum Guidelines. I hope you enjoy the forum, and utilize the resources available here. Feel free to ask any questions. :thumbsup:


Truthseeker
 
Hi emilyisme, welcome to the forum :)


Truthseeker has already given you some good answers to your questions and some great suggestions.


I just wanted to add to your question about more babies being born each day than people dying. I think the answer is simple really....wherever it is that we go after we die, is not an empty place, there are other souls that are 'between' lives. How do we know how many there are? There could be an infinite number of souls vastly outnumbering the population of the Earth. I don't believe that the ratio between souls and physical bodies is 1:1


I know what you're saying about reincarnating with no memory of your previous loved ones, friends etc., it forces you to ask whether that 'former you' ever actually existed if you have no memory of him/her. But who we are today is the sum of all our past lives, we may forget the past on a conscious level, but our subconscious holds a memory of everything we've ever done, in all of our past lives. If I were to ask you what you were doing on the 26th May 1998, you probably wouldn't be able to tell me, yet you know you were somewhere, doing something, and that information is stored away, along with everything else which makes us who we are today.


I'm not sure if that will satisfy your curiosity, but if you could be sent back in the past to a former family that you loved, then you would only miss your present family, so it's a case of swings and roundabouts, you'll always have loved ones in each life, and many of them will be souls that have been with you before. I hope all that makes sense :laugh:: angel
 
Welcome to the forum Emily :)


Truthseeker has already given you some good advice and places to look for answers.


My opinion is that as things are now, you probably won't be able to find all the satisfactory answers. There are so many things about reincarnation we don't know yet, but many people, and scientists, are working hard to find out :)


As to karma, you may find this thread interesting: Karma is not punishment


And you may find this one interesting as well: Disolving a karmic bond


Your question about reincarnation vs. populations growth is a good one. It's something that I often struggle with. We are many, many more people on Earth today than just 500 years ago, let alone 1000 years ago or more. To me this must mean that there is some kind of 'soul machine' that produces new souls and which may also explain why not all people have pl memories or even believe in reincarnation.


You may want to read this: Reincarnation and population growth


Your question about if we meet our family and friends in the next life is a complex one and it's hard to reply without writing a novel :D


However, the strongest power in the whole universe is love and I believe it is love that binds us together from one life to the next. You may not spend every life the exact same group of people, but you will always be around souls that you have loved before. And I think, personally, that there will always be a handfull of those that you also shared your previous life with.


I know what you mean when you say you think it's sad. I feel that way too sometimes, but the best comfort is that the universe works in mysterious ways and you never know where you may bump into a loved one from a past life. Of all places, I bumped into a sister from a past life on this forum, so even though she lives in Finland today - by the magic of the internet, we met again :)
 
I'm sure Sunniva will be back to answer your question before too long. But with your permission I would like to reinforce what Sunniva, ChrisR, and Truthseeker have said while answering your questions.


The question of where these extra souls come from is one of the most common questions and empirically impossible to answer. However, there are a number of easy possibilities worth considering. Let's say that there are many more souls than we can count, but when intelligent humans first walked the earth we could reason that there were a countless number of souls waiting to be born, which means that there could be an endless waiting list at the beginning. We could, thereby, also reason that there are some souls, who haven't had their chance yet, until now. Another possible solution could be that there are humans in many different dimensions and many different worlds. However, these concepts can really complicate one's understanding of how reincarnation works. We simply don't know for sure.


What really seems to count when considering reincarnation, is that we know there are countless children remembering their past lives, many of whom have had their memories validated by objective, science-minded researchers. We also know of people, who have been clinically dead, but came back with clear memories of conversations that they could not have heard, and memories of specialized hospital equipment, which could not have been seen. There are also accounts of people, who were blind from birth, and who could see and identify colors and things they have never seen. There are dedicated skeptics, who suggest that after death experiences could have taken place as a result of the brain dieing. If so, how does one explain the patients, who are able to describe the never before seen surgeon, the equipment and the conversations taking place?


Individually, after-death or between-birth experiences can be explained away. However, when you examine the many documented cases together, it is just as impossible to explain these things as it is to prove that there is a God. But, ask yourself; why is it we "know" there are such places as China, or any other place that we have never seen first hand? At some point we owe our beliefs to faith. Science itself, can prove that there are Neutrinos, Leptons, Quarks, and other elementary particles. But, have you ever seen one? Yet, we know they are there because of the effect or traces they've left behind. The same thing is true of reincarnation, which has clearly shown traces and effects. We have seen cases of children born with birthmarks that mark exactly where there was a wound during a past life. By itself, the birthmark means nothing. But, when considered with other circumstances and evidence, it becomes clear that there is a pattern that exactly describes reincarnation.


Concerning the question about transmigration into other species, there have been no verifiable cases involving any other form of life. Scientists and Engineers faithfully hold on to the premise, that nothing is ever lost in nature. This holds true for whatever knowledge you've obtained. So, it wouldn't make any sense for someone to devolve into a rat; although there might be some people that remind you of one.


As regards your question about what proofs there are beyond birthmarks and children remembering past lives; there is only the complimentary evidence of life after death or near death experiences. One could put forth the theory that psychic detectives have shown clear evidence of knowledge from the dead, therefore life after death; but, that is not something which falls within the realm of this Forum.


There is some reasoning as to why we don't remember our own past lives, but I would leave it to you to investigate this Forum and its resources. There is so much more that can be said, but so little space to say it. So, I'll just say, "Welcome to the Forum", and we all hope to hear more from you.


-Nightrain
 
Wow, thanks so much, Nightrain1.


The whole thing about how scientists proved all those particles but we can't see it with our eyes, and the same is with reincarnation, is probably one of the smartest things I've ever heard, LOL.


Well, if there's so much proof of reincarnation. Why don't most people believe in it? There's so many religions in this world, I can't help but be skeptical that reincarnation is the truth because it's odd to just assume that what I believe is what would be the truth of those thousands of other beliefs.


If I sound too curious and such, I'm only 15 years old and that would explain it.
 
There are many different religions around the world, but there are many different cultures as well. Throughout the history of human existance, religions have been there to provide the people with a moral and spiritual compass, and to explain the unexplained - each civilization having its own interpretation of the devine, therefore each having its own religion.


In western culture, the dominate moral and spiritual beliefs are rooted in Judaism and Christianity - neither of which have embraced reincarnation. There were early Christians that believed in reincarnation, but the Catholic Church chose to reject those beliefs at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD. Costantine I was known as Rome's first Christian emperor. He called upon all Christian leaders to this council to establish universal (Catholic means 'universal' btw) doctrine. All references to reincarnation were removed from Church teaching. However, there are verses in the Bible that are debated over whether or not they are refering to reincarnation.


It makes sense to me that the Church would not want the people believing they will reincarnate when the 'Final Judgement' and the threat of Hell are such effective ways of ensuring the loyalty of its followers.
 
That's the whole thing about religion.


I believe in reincarnation, but then the whole karma thing makes it seem as if it's just another story.


I feel like they use karma, just as other religions use heaven and hell, just so we will be scared of our fate in the afterlife; whether it's going to hell or being poor in the next life. Since we're scared, it means that we're going to be good no matter what.


Well, at least that's what I believe.


But we should really just be a good person at heart, not just follow the rules just because we are sucking up to "god" or whatever.


I'm still going to be a good person though, even though I commit small sins in this life.


I don't know if that made any sense. :confused:
 
Hi Emily,


I'm really very thrilled that you can embrace a concept like reincarnation. And I share your instinctive desire to always do what is right. The fact that you can ignore the fear mongers is a real credit to your maturity. Beliefs that are based on fear have done so much damage over the centuries, and the fact that you can blow it off may possibly be a result of your soul's maturity as well. In other words, some would say that your's is an "old" soul.


However, there seems to be something about the word, Karma, which seems to turn you off. To the best of my knowledge there is nothing about Karma that should be equated with fear and control. Karma, as we understand it. It is the one quality of reincarnation that provides us with some comfort in knowing that it acts as a tool of education, without, which the purpose of reincarnation would be lost. Let me explain. We know that this is a world in which there exists many dangers, and many dangerous and hate-filled people, who do terrible things to others. Those of us, who have been unjustly treated in this life, rarely see justice done, and we often end up cursing God for allowing such things to happen. However, Karma provides a correcting process instead of a punishing tool. Those, who have done harm, get to be put in the position of the victim. And those, who abuse a quality, find themselves losing it in the next life. Not only that, but with Karma, our own eyes are opened, and we discover that we have hurt some people without having meant to.


Karma can be viewed as a teaching tool, which makes us more aware of the effect we have on each other. However, it has been abused and used as a tool of control in some instances, which puts Karma in a bad light. The threat of becoming a plant or animal is one of many ways that Karma is twisted into a different meaning.


The process of Karma can also serve as a means of reward as well as a tool of education. Let's say that you are a very old soul, who has learned about human existence, and you've gone through many harrowing experiences in life. Your next life could become one in which you can choose to remain on Earth to help others along through their difficulties. Can you think of anything more rewarding?


I'm not saying that we have all the answers, and that I would not be mistaken about many things. However, you know in your own heart what is correct. Sometimes we need to be reminded of what we've learned during past lives by keeping our eyes open and observing the mistakes that we all make along the way. A little side note here -- I've been told that the word "sin" is an Aramaic archery term, which means that one has "missed" the target. We are here to make mistakes, so that every time we shoot, the arrow comes ever closer with practice.


As Truthseeker said in his post above, reincarnation was very much a part of early Christian belief. In fact, it was the fourth leg of the table we call Christianity; without, which, we are left with no means of improving life, but through the intercession of another human being we call priests. Without reincarnation the church has become a rickity three legged table. Only when the church hid or left out any reference to reincarnation, could they maintain control and enable the church to grow. However, we can find artifacts of reincarnation in many of the scriptures even now. But, that is a whole other volume that can be discussed.


-Nightrain
 
emilyisme said:
I feel like they use karma, just as other religions use heaven and hell, just so we will be scared of our fate in the afterlife; whether it's going to hell or being poor in the next life. Since we're scared, it means that we're going to be good no matter what.
Well, at least that's what I believe.


But we should really just be a good person at heart, not just follow the rules just because we are sucking up to "god" or whatever.
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To agree with Nightrain and refer to what I said before. The word "karma" is automatically linked to punishment. Again, I don't see life as punishment, I see it as an experience. Let's say, for example, someone was abusive to people in their life. Once that life is over, the compassion and maturity of the soul that is now removed from the physical body will recognize the wrong that it has committed. It may chose to come back and experience that same kind of abuse from the other perspective. Is this karma? Is it punishment? I see it as an opportunity for the soul to understand and learn compassion to avoid committing these same injustices in the future. It's a beautifully crafted system. If some were to commit a crime in life, they may spend the rest of their life in jail. But do they learn anything from their "punishment"? Do they have compassion for their victims? They might if they got the opportunity to walk in their victims' shoes.
I agree it's better to do good for the right reasons. If someone were speeding while driving and saw a police car, they likely will hit the brake and slow down. But are they slowing down out of consideration for the safety of themselves and other drivers, or are they slowing down to avoid a speeding ticket? It is much more desirable from people to do the right thing out of love and compassion than out of trying to avoid punishment.
 
Sunniva, How did you meet your past life sister? And how did you know it was her? That's a huge coincidence.
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If we assume that parts of our lives are pre-planned, then meeting a soul from a previous life doesn't seem to be that coincidental. Something's happen for a reason, I think. I think we were supposed to me up in the life, one way or another, and if I hadn't met her there would be many things about my past lives and how they relate to my current one that I wouldn't understand.


From the moment I joined this forum I felt drawn towards Karoliina and the picture in her profile. It was a different one than the one she has now and in that picture she just really reminded me of someone I'd seen before. As it happened I posted about a memory I had and she felt drawn towards what I wrote, could relate to it. So we started to compare notes, do regressions together (i.e. at the same time in our respective countries) and it turned out that we remembered many of the same things. She remembered being adopted by a rich family with two children, a son and a daughter. I remembered living in a rich family with my brother and adopting a poor girl. We remembered the same names and people too.


Remembering this life with her made me understand certain relationships in my current life, but it also made me remember more past lives. At least one other I know for sure was shared with her, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more.
 
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