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Is this a past life memory?

Alexnovo

Alexnovo

Senior Registered
I am new to this forum and wish to share a personal story and perhaps get reaction and/or advise. I am in my mid 40s, born and raised in the U.S. My family is all of English background but since I was a small boy I was fascinated with Argentina. I even remember in 3rd grade or 4th grade when we were assigned to do a presentation about another country, I did mine on Argentina (I was the only student who chose a Latin American country.) I have read other post written by people about feeling homesick for a place they had never been and those post are very similar to my experience. While I will not say that I thought about Argentina constantly, from time to time, through the years my thoughts would return to it. Something kept coming back to me that I needed to go there. Once again I have no family connection with the country and never met anyone from Argentina until recently.

A few years ago, I was thinking about taking a vacation (considering Spain, France, Italy etc) and it occurred to me in the middle of the night - go to Buenos Aires. I got up at 3am and almost as if it was a compulsion, I booked a flight. When I arrived in Argentina, much was unfamiliar, but not in the same way that other countries I had visited were. I felt an immediate connection, and found myself knowing instinctively where things were. Not everything mind you, I still needed a map, but several times I could sense what was around the corner. The more I gave in to it and just went on instinct the more I felt as if I had been there before. I also felt comfortable, like I was home. I have no other way of describing it. After that visit, I returned a couple of times and the feelings just grew. Last summer, I was able to arrange a year off from work in the States and am now living in Buenos Aires improving my Spanish, making friends and enjoying the city.

A few weeks ago, I was with several Argentinian friends, one of whom is moving to a new house in a neighborhood of Buenos Aires called Saaverda. The conversation was typical, things about the house, the cost, the move etc. Nothing special. At some point in the conversation, someone asked an off handed question, “Saaverda, who was Saaverda?” My friends said they recognized the name but couldn’t remember who he was. I said, without thinking, “I believe he was the Foreign Minister.” My friends were a little astonished with me, the gringo, knowing (or claiming to know) such a thing. In truth I was astonished as well. So much so that we looked it up on the internet. In truth, I was partially wrong, but also partially right. Carlos Saavedra was Argentina’s Foreign Minister in the early 1930s - so in that I was right. I was wrong in that the neighborhood was actually named for that Saavedra’s great great grandfather. But to me I am still amazed that I somehow knew of this diplomat from 80 years ago. Is it possible that I read about him, and the information was stored somewhere in my mind? Yes. I discovered that he did win the Nobel Peace price in 1936. But I still doubt it. I am well educated and an University Professor, but International relations is not my subject and I truly cannot imagine how or where I would have read about him. And if I had read about him sometime and put it in my subconscious I suspect I would have remembered him as a Nobel Prize winner not as Foreign Minister. I think of it this way, today in the US, most people recognize Condelessa Rice’s name, because she is in the news. But ask who was Herbert Hoover’s Secretary of State, and you’ll get a lot of blank faces. After this experience I am wondering if maybe my entire attraction to Argentina is a past life memory. Maybe I was living here in the 30s. Saaverdra’s name would have been in the news and I would therefore have heard it. Also, the city is very familiar to me - but not the modern skyscrapers of Puerto Madero (all built recently) but the older neighborhoods that have been here since the 30s and before, I seem to know them. There are certain places in the city that when I go to them I am filled with emotion, usually happiness but also a sad longing of loss. This is especially true in one park. It is nothing specific like a specific memory of an event or of persons; it is just the emotion. Until recently I never thought of my attraction to Argentina as being about a past life, now I am beginning to wonder. I have no idea, how to even begin exploring this possibility. Any thoughts, comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
 
Hi Alex!


Welcome to the Forum!


Thank you for sharing your story - how wonderful that you made it possible to be living in Buenos Aires!


I would say that there are several hints in your account that these feelings you have been experiencing could well be past life related. Feeling at home in a place you haven't visited before is the sort of thing that one cannot really explain or understand without first hand experience. Its a kind of familiarity, of knowing "what to expect" of a certain place.


I think the Saavedra episode is very interesting. Of course you are right, it could come from some kind of subconscious memory, but IMO things are not that linear. We store endless amounts of "unperceived" information in our brains everyday, but still it doesn't easily become available to our conscious self just by being exposed to certain stimulae (like the name Saavedra in this case) - at least not for me! :D


I personally find that there's more to that kind of experience than simple access to hidden "memory files"... :)


If I may ask, what exactly made you think that such feelings could be related to a past life? I am always curious as to what makes us look into that particular direction...


There are several ways of going deeper into what seem to be your past life memories - you can check these links if you like:


- How can I learn about my pst lives?


- Writing techniques - very useful, especially if you are a verbal person (like me..: angel)


- Active meditation


Here you will also find accounts of other members' experiences that you might find interesting.


Let us know what you think :) !
 
Welcome to the forum, Alexnovo!


That's a beautiful story of how you got to live in Argentina. :thumbsup: I think the incident with you remembering the name of the foreign minister would be just too coincidental, considering your fascination with Argentina, if there wouldn't be a PL reason to it.


Can I ask when you were born to this life? How do you feel about the 1930's in general? Does the history of Argentina from that era feel special to you in any way?


You have an exciting adventure to look forward to, and I hope you'll keep us posted while you're on it. :)


Karoliina
 
Thanks for the references


I'll check them out. As to your specific question as to what first made me think that this could be a past life memory, I have to say that I am not completely sure. A different times in my life I have had the feeling that I lived before. My mother has told me that as a child i was always a 'little adult.' So I guess I have always been open to the idea that I lived before, but I usually shrugged the feeling off and moved on; but that feeling keep coming back. As I said in the post I have also always a had a strong connection with Argentina and an urge to come here. A different points in my life I have also experienced deja vu, but since coming to Buenos Aires those deja vu experiences have multiplied. I guess I would say that I was always open to the idea of past lives, and when I began to experience the things I have mentioned here in Argentina, I began to think of possible explanations for the feelings and the idea of a past life came to my mind. I don't know if that answers your question, but I am not sure what else to say.


I really want to explore these feelings and see where it takes me. I have been reading other posts and think that this is a good place for me to share and learn.
 
T answer your questions


Karoliina: I was born in 1961. As to the '30s, I can say that I have always liked the "style" of the '30s - Art Deco, streamlined trains, buses, cars etc. Also even more than that I have been drawn to the painting styles of the '30s - the Diego Rivera style larger than life murals showing not landscapes but factories, workers and machines. In the US this type of art was done a great deal by the WPA but it was done all over the world. My apartment in the States is decorated with this type of art. So yes I would say that I have an attraction to the 30s.
 
to finish answering


your question. I realized that I didn't answer the part about a connection to Argentina's history in the '30s. I guess I would say that other than the art and style of the 30s that I talked about before, my attraction say to old photos, historical events etc would be more strong to the teens and 20s than to the '30s. I would also say that as to what it comes to mind when most not Argentinians think of Argentina (Juan and Eva Peron) my interest is not especially strong - yes find them interesting and yes I enjoy movies and musicals about them, but I do not find any especially strong connection with that part of Argentina's history. They came to power in the mid '40s, so this is me, in the present, thinking - if I had any past life here, I suspect it was over before then.
 
Hi Alexnovo and welcome to the forum :)


Thank you for sharing. I certainly think your attraction to Argentina sounds pl related. How does Spanish come to you? Was it easy for you to learn and to understand?


W.A. has already given you some excellent references, but I just want to add one - in case you are interested in exploring this further: Audio cd's suitable for regression


I'm looking forward to hear more :)
 
Learing Spanish


Sunniva: Thanks for the reply. As to learing Spanish. I new a fair amount before I came here, although I am taking classes here to improve my Grammar. I would say that Spanish has always been easier for me than other foreign languages, epscially the pronounciation. Even with what I will admit to be grammatically poor Spanish, everyone here and this was also true when I visited Mexico, Spain and other Spanish speaking nations, have always been surpirsed that I was from the US because my accent in SPanish is not typical of an gringo. People do not know where to place me as being from - it is claear that I am not a native speaker but where I am from does become apparent by the accent. Here in Argentina when I meet people and they hear me talk for the first time, I have been asked if I was from Brazil, from France, or Canada (Quebec) and people never seem to guess the US
 
Hi Alexnovo,


I'm very interested in languages and how they relate to past lives, so I find it interesting to hear your experience with Spanish.


I found an older thread that you may find interesting regarding this:Past lives and foreign languages


This may be a bit off-topic, but you may find the concept interesting - or perhaps you have even experienced it without knowing: Xenoglossy


You may find these threads interesting too. They're definitely something to ponder at when you're just starting out remembering:


Knowing things you never knew


This is one of my favourites: When childhood play validates past lives


Enjoy :thumbsup:
 
Sunniva: Thanks for the links. I too am interested in Xenoglossy and the language aspect of reincarnation. I am beginning to process all of this, and am just taking my time and letting things happen naturally.
 
Since my last post to this topic, I have tried the tapes several more times. Mainly I just feel relaxed, but tonight I had an interesting experience. I saw myself. Unlike the last time when I was wearing work boots and dirty wool pants, this time I was clean and had on nicer (not fancy) clothes. I could see my reflection for an instant and I looked to be in my 30s or 40s. I had a mustache and parted my hair in the middle. If I had to put a time period on the clothing and style I would say somewhere between 1900 and 1920 - although I could be off a bit. I found myself in a room, the room was filled with dark wood and had table. My feelings tell me it was a private place for me (like a study or office) but the images are also like a dining room. The room was filled with a dark red glow. I don’t think the room was painted red, I just got the sensation of a red glow. I was very anxious and I could see myself trying to hide something in a wooden box. The box was about the size of a jewelry box, although it did not have jewels in it, it had papers. I was trying to put something in the box and close it quickly and was fumbling to close the box. I could see someone else in the room, but this image was blurred with white light. Something like the image you get with a camera on a slow shutter speed when something moves quickly through the view - like a white smudge of movement. I had the since that this other person was invading my privacy. I say this because it was not the kind of feeling you get when you think someone is trying to steal from you, my feeling was that someone is trying to spy on me (I am not sure I am making myself clear). The entire scene was very vivid and I wanted to stay and observe more, but (and this is the problem with tapes) as I was observing the scene, the voice on the tape pulled me out and brought me back.


As I said in prior post I am relatively new to this, so I am unsure what to make of it all.
 
You may want to try going to a quiet spot without the tape and relax and get into the mood you felt in your regression.. I will usually do it lieing down or in a favourite chair as I am more relaxed


Do only one thing at a time. I usually start with finding out what sex I am and my age as that brings me into feeling more of the character I am in that life. Then I personally key in on the feelings.. LIke for you the importance of that box , or maybe try to reconnect with the other person in that room.


After a few regressions like this you can ask if you know any of the people from that life who may be with you in this life. This starts to help you put the pieces together and to find out your personal lessons. It is quite an adventure < ,,


Good luck...


soulfreindly
 
I had the since that this other person was invading my privacy. I say this because it was not the kind of feeling you get when you think someone is trying to steal from you, my feeling was that someone is trying to spy on me (I am not sure I am making myself clear). The entire scene was very vivid and I wanted to stay and observe more, but (and this is the problem with tapes) as I was observing the scene, the voice on the tape pulled me out and brought me back.
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Well done Alex. It is surprisingly easy really, isn't it?


Yes, I will agree with everything Soulfriendly has said. You now have two images to 'play' with. They may, or may not, belong to the same life. Time will tell, but you can begin to unravel the puzzle now.


Now that you are familiar with that 'past life feeling' that you have experienced with the tapes, you can find your own way there. I find that when I settle myself for bed is a good time. It is a good exercise to do if I can't sleep, I find for example. I am relaxed, but 'not sleepy' yet. Just as long as I am not too tense or worried about some present life problem! Others might prefer to sit comfortably as Soulfriendly does. Particularly if you fall asleep easily, sit in a slightly uncomfortable chair - like a kitchen chair.


Once you are settled comfortably and nobody is going to interrupt you, just close your eyes and 'imagine' the tape in your head, do the relaxation step by step - then just 'go back there' and pick up where you left off last time.


For example, see those amazing boots again. Remember how amazingly vivid they were and all the details of your work clothes. Ask yourself why there is a big scuff on that boot and why that might be significant? How did it get there? You know the answer deep down somewhere. Just trust what comes. It is most likely to be the correct answer. :)


It is usual to remember something that was quite 'pivotal' or important in a certain life. Just as you are more likely to remember the 'highlights' of your present life more clearly than the 'boring bits', your past life memories (especially when you are a 'beginner') are most likely to be very dramatic or profound (sometimes shocking).


When you 'get the feeling' you know something about the scene you find yourself in, that's because you do! Trust that. Don't rely only on the 'visuals' of a scene, although they can be very interesting and very vivid, as you have discovered. You know why you are there. You know what you were doing. You know how you felt. Just as you remember what was going through your head when you did some crazy, important, dramatic thing in this life, you will remember why you were doing what you did in a past life memory.


Have fun! Let us know what happened next! I want to know what's in that box! :)
 
Thanks Tanguerra, Soulfreindly and Alaskalaughter for your comments and encouragement.


I am definitely going to try some of the techniques that you suggest. For me last night's regression was an amazing event. As I was going under I was trying to visualize the boots from the prior regression, but the images of the room and the box just swept in and took over. Very interesting. I do not know if all of the images are connected from the same life, or if I am mixing them. What I do know is that I am on the right track and I think I just need to let go of a little bit of my control and let my memories take me where they will. I'll keep you posted, especially if I find out what it in the box.


Once again Thanks to everyone.
 
Very good Alex.


Well, if it is the bit about the box that 'wants' to come up first, just go with that. Sometimes it works that way, and that's OK.
 
I do not know if all of the images are connected from the same life, or if I am mixing them. What I do know is that I am on the right track and I think I just need to let go of a little bit of my control and let my memories take me where they will.
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Hi Alex! I know exactly what you mean. My first meditations brought up a series of events and places that I could not instantly put together. Some of them I still can't really place or understand.


I believe that there's an appropriate timing for everything, and we'll know more when we have to - possibly when we are ready to. Letting go of my own need to control when and why these memories come to me was important, it even made meditation easier for me. I just take whatever comes and go with it, even if it doesn't make any apparent sense or just simply feels weird.


I do hope you enjoy the process. I know I do! :)


Thanks for sharing!
 
W.A. HEART said:
I believe that there's an appropriate timing for everything, and we'll know more when we have to - possibly when we are ready to
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I find it is important to remember this also. I can sometimes get stuck thinking that I know the memory/ problem I need to focus on but with letting go control and asking the divine for advice I have gotten a different idea to pursue..


Like just now in fact. THanks for reminding me to let go, relax and trust for a new way of looking at something . I have been having the problem with my head again.. where I feel very afraid about something painful happening to my head and I just cannot relax. I have had healings around the same issue [ie the tension has lessened ]] with a past life memory. Stopping for a bit and allowing myself to reevaluate the problem , I am realizing it is not past life but due to a present life shock from several head injuries when I was younger being triggered.


It is part focus and self control and also part intuition and divine guidance that allows me to see the root of the issue.


soulfreindly
 
An update on my experiences with the tapes. Since my last post I have used the tapes several times most without much more than just a few glimpses that cannot even be described, at least as of yet. There was one interesting memory of my current life's childhood, which I will mention later. But tonight, I had a very interesting experience. As I was relaxing, and indeed before the tape even attempted to take me back I was overtaken with some very vivid memories. For those of you who remember my prior post, I do not yet know what was in the box, nor was these memories at the same point in time. I was much younger than I had been in the prior memories (in my early 20s). This time I could get a much better look at myself and can say several things. I was looking at myself (I guess in a mirror) and kept focusing on my eyes. They were brown but there was something about them that shone brightly. Even when I tried to look at other parts of my body, my attention kept coming back to these eyes. I can still see them as I type this. They were not sad nor were they happy, but they were very inquisitive. My face was very smooth and clean shaven. Despite being younger, I can say that this face was the same person at a younger age that I experienced in the room with the box (from my last post). My clothes were strange. Everything I experienced before had me dressed in dark clothes. This time I was in much more festive clothing, and I felt very conscious of it, as if I was dressing for an important event and wanted to look my best. I know nothing of the history of men's fashions, but what I was wearing seems very strange. I was in a suit. The blazer had broad stripes, white and blue. I also had on white pants and had a white flat brim hat. I remember specifically debating whether I should wear a yellow tie. As I say, my current knowledge of men's fashions is limited but this wardrobe seems very outlandish to me. Does anyone know if this type of dress was in style, and if so when. I will do some research on it. There were three other things that I can report. I asked myself the date, and while I didn't get a year, I was clearly aware that it was October 21st. I asked where I was and the name San Rafael came to me. Additionally The name Miguel kept coming to me through out the experience. I do not know if I was Miguel or if that was someone that I knew in the life. It is all very exciting and strange at the same time. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.


As an aside, I will mention one other thing that happened in another use of the tapes last week. Often when I mediate I try to go back in my childhood in this life as a halfway point in the process. Last week, I mediated and remember myself at about 5 or 6 sitting in my grandmother's house (she lived on a farm in Texas). I was in the kitchen and my grandfather was sitting at the table. My aunt, who is 9 years older than me was there. I asked my grandfather which direction was South America and he laughed and told me it was to the south and pointed. I then asked if the road by the house went south and he said it did. I then got up and left the room and eventually the house and began to walk down the road. I walked for a long time. I remember my grandmother and aunt picking me up in her car. My grandmother was very upset and asked where I was going and I said home. This was a strange memory that I had completely forgotten. After the mediation I contacted my aunt and asked her if she remembered the event. She said that she did. I know it is not a past life memory, but for me who has always felt that I belonged in Argentina, it is an interesting confirmation that those feelings go back further than I had remembered.
 
Good work Alex.


You are getting the hang of this aren't you?


The clothing sounds to me like the 1920s. Stripy jackets, white pants and pastel colours was much more 'in' for men back then, especially for special, social occasions. The hat sounds a bit like a boater?


20scouplewalk.jpg



If this is not right, try a Google image search on 'striped blazer' or similar and see if anything looks close?


There is a San Rafael in Mendoza, which is not far from Buenos Aires. My tango teacher comes from there funnily enough. :)


This would all seem to make sense with a Spanish name, like Miguel. It could well be, that if this particular memory is from Argentina that your psyche also dug up a memory from your childhood of when you wanted to go 'home', maybe back to San Rafael?
 
Tanguerra: thanks for the photo of the stripped blazer. Yes the clothes I was wearing are very much like that and it definitely was a boater hat (I looked them up and the hat I had in the regression was definitely a straw boater). I am going to do some internet searches on the blazer etc to really get a good look at them.


As to San Rafael, Mendoza ( I looked that up after I posted last night and was amazed. From what I saw online, I got some very clear feelings of familiarity with it. It is also interesting that I and my friends have been discussing taking a trip next month (they are interested in the sea shore) and I have been insisting we go to Mendoza to visit the wineries (the province of Mendoza is famous for that). I wonder if it has been a memory coming through that has pushed me in that direction.


Anyway, thanks for your help and I'll keep everyone posted.
 
An interesting find. In my regression I was definitely dressing for a special occasion and wanted to look my best. While I could not remember the year, I knew the date (21 October). As this seemed important, I searched that date to see if it is some sort of holiday in Argentina that might explain why I was so concerned with looking good. While the 21st is not in and of itself a holiday, the 3rd Sunday in October is Mother's Day here. As October falls in Spring in the Southern hemisphere the day is (at least currently) celebrated with picnics and other outdoor events - which also seems to fit with the light colors I was wearing. I checked and the 21st of October was the third Sunday in 1894, 1900, 1906, 1917, 1923, 1934. i am still checking to see when Argentina began celebrating Mother's day. In Europe and the US it goes back to the 1870s but I have to find out when it was adopted here. I am unsure whether this is why I was dressing up, but it is an interesting theory.
 
Wow, Alexnovo!


You're really having some great breakthroughs :thumbsup: I'm reading your posts with great interest.
 
Hi Alex,


Good work and very interesting. Yes, I would say that the inner promptings of wanting to go to Mendoza could very well have something to do with the sense of familiarity you feel with the place.


One note of advice for beginners though. I know it is all very interesting and very affirming to look things up on the internet and confirm various details and facts (we call this 'validation'). It can be a bit of a distraction, however, and even detrimental, especially when you are just beginning.


Why? Let me give an example. Say for instance, you do another regression and have a memory of going to a mother's day picnic in San Rafael ... You may begin to worry that you are 'making all this up' because the setting fits so well with the research you have been doing...


Validations are interesting and fun, but they are not the main 'point' of the exercise.
 
Tanguerra: Thanks for the advise about validation. I tend to agree and had been thinking about that myself. There is so much that I do not yet understand that part of me says just go with the mediation and find out as much as possible before I even attempt validation. Then I will also say that sometimes my logical mind wants some 'proof' and urges me to seek some validation. I think that some balance is probably correct and that I need to be patient. Finding that balance is difficult. What I can say now is that I am confident that I am opening up memories, but I am keeping an open mind as to the full nature of those memories as I do not want to supply present life suggestions to cloud the past life memories.
 
Yes. This is wise. It is usual to experience a 'flood' of memories at various times, often when you first begin experimenting with this (as you have been doing) or on meeting someone you have known 'before' or some other trigger - like an illness, accident, event, etc. in your present life that 'reminds' you of a previous situation. Then, just as suddenly, the memories can dry up - the 'drought'.


The best thing you can do right now is to get a notebook and write everything down, in as much detail as possible, as soon as possible after you have the experience. Draw sketches or diagrams or stick figures or anything that will help you recall as much as possible of your experiences. Write down names, dates, numbers, and so on as they come, even if they don't really seem to make sense at this time. They are all 'clues' and you should record them. It might not seem like it now, but these things can fade away just like any other memory or dream over a few months or years. It is not a bad idea to write a brief note of the date you had the memory and what was going on in your present life at the time, particularly if it was something out of the ordinary - was it your birthday? was there an unusual storm? That sort of thing might not seem significant at the time, but sometimes it can be in hindsight.


During the 'drought' - when memories seem to stubbornly refuse to come to the surface - is the best time to read back over your notes, do validations, look up historical records or just sit and ponder on what themes, repetitions, emotional issues, and so on seem to be common in your past life experiences and your present life conundrums and what it all 'means' to you.


This is the true value of this work.
 
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