Quandry...

[Mikenovak]

I have spent most of my lifetime wondering about the 'memories' or 'flashbacks' I tend to get and trying to make sense of them - are these real memories or just imagination? If real, why am I having them? If we are supposed to forget our previous lives when we are re-born then what's gone wrong here?

This also leads me to another quandry - if I spend most of this lifetime wondering about things in the past, will I forget to actually live this one to the fullest? I don't want to get to the end of my lifetime and think about the times that i have missed when i have been so engrossed in looking backwards..

Just a thought..

 

[MoonDansyr]

real memories or just imagination

I think there are a lot of people who question the authenticity of their past life memories. Some things to take into consideration are the feelings and emotions that we have when we see them. Also, something I tend to put more stock in is if the image sticks with me over the years -- plain dreams don't stick with me the way PL dreams do. I'm not saying that non-PL dreams won't stick with you, but there's a different emotional level and feel to them.

If real, why am I having them?

I believe that just about everybody has them all their lives, and are especially vivid when young. It's just that children are often considered to have an active imagination and not taken seriously. Then as we get older, we tend to tell ourselves exactly what we heard while growing up - - I *still* self-doubt. However, when I listen to my inner voice, I know the truth. But sometimes, I still seek validation from friends and family that support reincarnation - - and I will say, this forum is where my friends are!

If we are supposed to forget our previous lives when we are re-born then what's gone wrong here?

Who says you're supposed to forget? I think we receive memories when we're ready, regardless of whether we think we're ready or not. We may not always understand them right away, but eventualy, through journalling and listening to our "inner self" when we meditate, the pieces do come together.

This also leads me to another quandry - if I spend most of this lifetime wondering about things in the past, will I forget to actually live this one to the fullest? I don't want to get to the end of my lifetime and think about the times that i have missed when i have been so engrossed in looking backwards..

This is a terrific point!! Absolutely do not obsess about it unless there is a specific PL issue that is causing you problems in your present life. Let the memories come when they come and journal them.

 

[Ailish]

Hi Mike,

are these real memories or just imagination?

Unfortunately – you are the only one who can say with any certainty whether your memories are real or not. As MoonDansyr said – it is the emotion behind the memory that lends credence to the authenticity.

If we are supposed to forget our previous lives when we are re-born then what's gone wrong here?

I don’t think anything’s gone wrong. I've had memories since childhood – and for me, they are just a natural part of who I am. By accepting and learning from them – I understand myself much better. There have been moments of healing – and moments of pure joy in remembrance.

if I spend most of this lifetime wondering about things in the past, will I forget to actually live this one to the fullest?

Simply by asking this question –- you’ve shown that you are aware that there is a separation between past and present. The most important life -– is now. We are presently a culmination of every life we’ve had, and they are a part of us –- our soul's history -- but we are not them.

Like everything -- to be successful, there must be balance. If you find you are spending too much time reflecting on the past -- then redirect your focus.

For me -- discussing and uncovering the past -- is an exciting journey of self-discovery -- but I still remember to live each day in the here and now.

Ailish

 

[tiltjlp]

Mike, rather than repeat the wonderful replies from MoonDansyr and Ailish, I'd like to explain how I feel my past life memories have helped me become a better person in this life. After all, our past life memories are, I think, a tool for spiritual and personal growth.

By meditating on various past life memories, I have been able to overcome very harsh bigotry and loathing of others. I have also been able to lessen a fear of heights, which was so bad I had to be on the ground floor always. But probably the best way my memories have helped me was to give me confidence in myself, so that I could continue submitting my writing for publication, and saving my career.

None of these changes were easy, and they all took a lot of time and meditation. But without making the changes, I'd hate to think what my life would be like now. Surely it would be filled with bitterness, hatred, and failure.


John

 

[Mikenovak]

Re: Quandry..

Many thanks to all who have replied - it is nice to gain a different perspective on these sort of questions, and I can see how others have probably posed the very same question to themselves.

I tend to look upon the memories - and I do firmly believe that they are memories rather than imagination - as a pointer. I feel that they are happening for a reason, although I am still yet to find out what the reason is! It's a bit like coincidences happening - they happen and you think wow that's spooky!, but when you analyze the situation later you see a pattern to the events. This is why i feel that I am being 'allowed' to have a little snippet of information, to purposely lead me in a certain direction. It's a bit like a detective novel - a small clue here, a small clue there, until eventually, you find the solution to the crime. I feel that I am being shown these memories for a reason - I just have to find out what the reason is..

Kind regards to all.

Mike

 

[KimD]

My .02.

I am not one of those people who can say for certain that I even have memories. I just have occasional, very strong feelings about a certain place/item/date, or I have a very brief, flash of an image that I--in my skepticism--can easily attribute to an active imagination or a long-forgotten movie, just as easily as I can attribute it to a past-life memory. For example, several years ago, I was painting a bedroom and suddenly, a very brief, image popped into my mind of me painting with this metallic, purplish paint--like no other paint I've ever used--and I said, "That paint was so much better." I have no idea where the thought came from, but it was so deep within myself, so genuine (I felt actually frustrated at the regular latex paint I was using, all of a sudden), that it made me stop and consider what I had just thought. I can't say that I would give it more thought than that, but it does make me feel that there is more out there than meets the eye--some remnant of memory that is important to me, whether it's a past-life memory or just something I value in this life. It's important to always take stock in what you value, even if it's something as mudane as paint.

Some issues are more important. During a certain phase in my life a few years ago--a phase when I was really wondering what to do next, and about to make some big decisions on what I would like to do for the rest of my life, I began to have repeating dreams of being at some school--like a university. In my dreams--and I had them nearly every week--I was walking on this huge campus, I knew the parking lots, all the trees, all the buildings, and everything was covered with snow. I live in Texas, so this was not a reflection of my reality, but it seemed so natural in this dream. I enjoyed these dreams and I'd go to sleep at night hoping I'd have my "school dream." Not long after that, I decided to return to grad school, after which my dreams intensified. I STILL have a school dream, although the campus changes slightly, but it's the same general place. These are always happy, good dreams.

To make a long story short, I am still working on advanced degrees (meaning I don't have my PhD yet, although I do have my master's--with honors, I might add), but I recently got a position teaching in a local college and I LOVE it. I really love it. I'm one of those rare professors who actually enjoys teaching and I can't wait to get in front of my students, I run through lectures in my mind when I'm not actually giving them, etc. and it has recently occurred to me that I have become that person in my dreams. Was it because of a past life? Maybe. Maybe I was a professor or an academic in a past life. That would certainly explain my passion for writing papers while my classmates whined, or the sheer love of chalk dust. Or maybe it's just a good fit for my personality, but either way, listening to my "memories" and my dreams did help me find a path in this life. So, on a practical note, what you find inside you IS you...from this life or another.
Best wishes,
Kim

 

[michaldembinski]

I have spent most of my lifetime wondering about the 'memories' or 'flashbacks' I tend to get and trying to make sense of them - are these real memories or just imagination? If real, why am I having them? If we are supposed to forget our previous lives when we are re-born then what's gone wrong here?

This also leads me to another quandry - if I spend most of this lifetime wondering about things in the past, will I forget to actually live this one to the fullest? I don't want to get to the end of my lifetime and think about the times that i have missed when i have been so engrossed in looking backwards..

Mike - this is EXACTLY what I'm thinking. How real is this phenomenon? What are the implications for what happens to us after we die? I'm becoming increasingly certain that what I've been getting all my life is "particles of consciousness" that somehow seep into to my waking or sleeping life from beyond my body and beyond this time.

We know little about our mind - consciousness - whether it is even located within the brain at all. Anomalous, extraneous thoughts that seem to come from outside our time and space need to be investigated further.

I tend to use the phrase 'past life' as shorthand for what might be a far more complicated set of events - shared consciousness, parallel universes into which we get glimpses... or maybe, just maybe, there is a continuity of consciousness that spans many, many lifetimes, continuously evolving, becoming more Godlike until it becomes subsumed in the continuous whole.

Which is why I'm on this forum - like in my favourite film, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", I'm looking for answers.

I'm off on my travels again tomorrow, heading east to Siedlce. Back home on Friday.

Michal

 

[MoonDansyr]

I think you might like to read this post by Carol.

 

[Mikenovak]

Quandry..

I just get a little confused with it all sometimes - these memories definetely feel like memories, but from different people - yet I know that they are still my own memories! It's a little like having a whirlwind in your head - lots of different images flashing around, paths to take, lessons learned etc, and at the same time, trying to live this existense as best as you can with all the highs and lows that come along daily.

I am naturally an orderly person - I like things where I can understand them and see the logic in them, but these memories leave me baffled, are they linked or seperate, are they really mine or am I somehow picking these up from elsewhere?

Maybe I am just not in tune with the organised chaos of the universe!

I feel a little like Arthur Dent in the 'Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy' .. I am on a ride i was never intending to go on, but have no real choice in the matter.

Oh well, you never know - maybe one day things will become clearer!

Kindest regards to all

Mike

 

[MoonDansyr]

I just get a little confused with it all sometimes - these memories definetely feel like memories, but from different people - yet I know that they are still my own memories! It's a little like having a whirlwind in your head - lots of different images flashing around, paths to take, lessons learned etc, and at the same time, trying to live this existense as best as you can with all the highs and lows that come along daily.

You are not alone!! Lots of us feel this way - - I certainly do. However, you will find a lot of helpful, insightful, and supportive people here to take your hand when you need it.

I am naturally an orderly person - I like things where I can understand them and see the logic in them, but these memories leave me baffled, are they linked or seperate, are they really mine or am I somehow picking these up from elsewhere?

Again, same here! I find myself sometimes obsessing over the smallest vision/dream because it's such a "loose end" for me. It's like reading a small bit of a mystery novel and not knowing the beginning or end!

As for "picking these up from elsewhere?" - - this is occasionally possible, but don't discard what you see as being your own past life visions. Regardless of whose life/lives you see, that was "another life" and not your present life. Emotion is something to pay attention and as more unfolds for you, you'll be able to relate specific fears, interests, etc. from your PL visions/dreams to your current life and then you'll know it is your own, not someone else's. :thumbsup: