Deborah said:Keeping to the original post;
My questions are:
1). Do you know of ANY ancient religious texts that have the premise of planning future lives -in heaven/with guides/angels or even by ones self? Does the Bible say so? The Gnostic Gospels? The Kabbalah? The Buddha? What Ancient texts support this idea?
2). What authors do you know of that research and write about reincarnation and pre-planning your life. What are their references?
I am not looking for "my spirit guide said.." or "I know it from a dream or vision." For me the Universe as a Hologram fulfills that understanding for me..
I am looking for references that are specifically related to choosing and preplanning.
Deborah,
Anytime someone asks me for a reference regarding research to the afterlife, i'm going to point them to Michael Newton who wrote Journey of Souls and Destiny of Souls. In both he speaks extensively about pre-planning. His research was done through "life between lives" hypnotherapy. Similary to past life regressions but a step further, to accomplish it one must be in a deeper state of hypnosis which takes longer to achieve. But once achieved, the individual can access their subconscious and connect to the spirit world. His research is based on thousands of clients who report their "life between lives" with striking consistency. So what does he say about pre-planning? Well i don't have the book in front of me right now, but I will sum up what I remember and after I am done my finals I can go into more depth.
First thing involved is the life review. One studies his or her previous life, lives, and can access every memory and thought he or she has ever had since creation. You study the good and the bad, the karmic lessons that you have learned, and the ones that still need to be learned. Depending on your level of soul development, the soul will come up with a variety of future lives that he or she would like to live. They then talk about these lives with their spirit guide and get advice as to which would be the best to live next. After consulting with your guide, you go to a "council of elders," highly advanced spirits that know what your soul needs to advance to the next step. They will usually offer one or two future bodies, but will ALWAYS leave it up to you to make the choice. You can see your entire future life, old age, even death, which you will forget upon birth. Now, hearing this one might think that this eliminates free will. But it doesn't. I general life path is set out, and depending upon free will decisions that you make in that life, a whole multitude of different paths can be opened up. The bottom line is that your soul is learning. You have a certain goal or goals for each life, and if you make the correct decisions you will achieve those goals. If you make other decisions, you will still be learning other lessons.
After speaking to the council you make your final choice. If you don't want to take their advice, you can go ahead and be some corrupt glamorized rock star who makes a lot of money, has a lot of sex, and does a lot of drugs. You probably will not make any spiritual progression this way though. If you take the advice of your guide and the council you will be on a path of spiritual development. After seeing your future life, you confirm it with them, and then go to the preparation stage. In the preparation stage, you figure out with others from your soul group as to how you are going to meet up in the next life. Certain cues are given and you study hard so when these cues come along in the next life, you will know you ahve met a soulmate. You study your life, the decisions that you should make, and what you are supposed to learn / what your purpose will be. For those of you on this forum who have figured this out in this lifetime, good for you. I haven't yet, i'm only 21, but i'm well on my way. Once final plans have been made with your soul group mates, I believe you reincarnate, forgetting everything that you studied in the soul world, but of course keeping your soul identity and karmic lessons you have ever learned with you in your soul memory, which will be with you in the next life. You just have to remember it.
This description does not do Newtons description justice. But i hope it gives you a basic idea of what happens. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting his book journey of souls. it had an amazing spiritual impact on my life and his work with clients had a tremendous and eye-opening impact on theirs. More to come when I have more time, prob in a week or so. Til then, take care.