Why does the majority remember nothing about past lives and what is the point of this life if you take away 0?

[SeaAndSky]

Hi Cat,

There is a lot that the Cathars did not get right IMO. But, right or wrong, they would have been 100% behind the soul trap viewpoint. However, even within that viewpoint, there seems to be little from the "teachings" received of them through the hands of their murderers and detractors that points to any rhyme or reason in the reincarnation process. Instead of the benign teaching process affirmed by many, reincarnation was merely the means of keeping us from rising into the realms of light and instead returning us over and over again to this world of forgetfulness and pain under Satan's dominion. From that standpoint, the process can be one of pure chance so long as it keeps us from escaping. Interestingly, there are some in the present day that propose that the Tarot Trumps, which originated a century or so after the Cathars were (for the most part) annihilated, are a crypto teaching summary of their viewpoints. I.e., a resource hidden in plain sight that could be used by the few remaining Cathars to teach and instruct. More than a little far-fetched I suppose, but every time I look at the "Wheel of Fortune" Tarot Trump card, I wonder. The "wheel of birth" would be like that wheel of chance, sometimes up, sometimes down, rich or poor, sick or well, etc. And, all without very much in the way of rhyme or reason. (The current discussion on Judy Garland's possible past lives would give one VERY GOOD example of this). So, you takes your turn and you takes your chances. Spin the wheel, for better or worse, rich or poor, happy or sad, you are back here again.

Cordially
S&S

 

[cloud potato]

Hi,

I can not speak to everything that has been shared in this thread. I can only share my personal attitude at this time. Specifically, addressing the title of the thread...

We must realize we are born into this world free from preconceived notions. I believe no baby is born evil. We also realize we are born with limitations. For the first two years, a newborn has a terrible sense of spatial awareness- it's as if they must recalibrate their understanding to comply with the demands of their host body.

We are taught what the various shapes and forms are dancing about us by our peers and our environment. We are also taught what is considered desirable or undesirable. We are also taught, by way of experiential wisdom, the ways of this particular world we are born into. There is so much thrown upon us.

And it seems there are countless ideas to validate whatever school of thought we find ourselves presently entertaining.
There are still so many unanswered questions. I do not believe it is possible to know everything from such a limited view point. Can we fathom the wild array of life that might extend beyond our solar system?

What might life be like for a being endowed with over 100 senses? What about time? Can we imagine time being different from how we experience it here on this planet?

I have had ideas attached to me in my youth that do not matter so much now as a middle aged adult. I have had ideas change as well, and ideas that have never left me- that propel my curiosity in the desired direction. No matter the age, or the school of thought, revelation is at all times possible.

So... To your question, what is the point? I believe, experiential wisdom is a part of the point. More important than that, is the developing relationship with the self.

We must also recognize that we have different words and beliefs to describe the same thing. Where one sees opportunity for emancipation, another sees imprisonment.

Personally, I prefer to use the word God. But this attempt to answer your question is not a battle of wits, semantics or whose version of reality is right. It's just an attempt to share. I think of God as a Living and Loving Intelligence. Have you tried praying on your question? Have you tried taking time in stillness? People think prayers go unanswered, but I do not believe that to be the case either.

Answers don't always happen in the manner we hope for, or expect. But we can learn to sense with our Hearts. It's the act of turning inward. We do it at a young age, when we give faith taking our limited bodies from crawling to walking. And have you seen the joy exuding from the newborn who finally accomplishes such a feat?

And how quickly do we forget this monumental accomplishment, only to become preoccupied with the next challenge presently occupying our thoughts?

I do not believe the takeaway is 0.

------
To make it even more personable...
I came to these forums with the belief that perhaps I had a life from another planet. At the time, such talks were not allowed here. So I did not push too much. I also had feelings and memories that might be associated with fallen angels. I thought a being was influencing my ideas and that may very well be the case.

When I read your inquiry on famous past lives, I thought- even if the information the person is receiving is true, how much of it is an attachment to an idea versus it being a persons actual past life? But this attachment to an idea is not meant to be a negative, if we choose to entertain it- it is very much a reciprocal relationship.

It doesn't negate the reality that you are as well, the human personality you presently find yourself exploring. And in the grand scheme of things, fair or unfair- wise or unwise... Things may not make sense to us, from our limited vantage point. We are already so preoccupied with learning or even, unlearning...

To me, the point is recognizing that partnership with the Living Intelligence. Answers come, answers change. At all times, revelation is possible. That turning inward alongside walking the path of experiential wisdom. At a certain point, a great leap of faith must be taken in order to move forward. The baby so graciously places Faith in those who care for it, who nurture and guide it. And the greatest joy a baby may find comes from placing faith in itself, and seeing the fruits of such decisive action. The parents can not walk for the baby, the baby must choose to walk.

I believe the human sojourn is not the end for me. That there are lives on other worlds, realities that mean evolving ever closer to that Guiding force. I have Faith in that reality.

But for now, I am here... And I do the best with what I got. . And I believe that right now, we have the opportunity to learn in the manner our sense-endowments allow... I can not speak for everyone. And my ways may not make sense to some at this time. But I believe on some level I chose to learn here. It is not always easy. I fall. I struggle. I hurt. But all the while, I develop that personal relationship within... We are given taste of inspiration in the development of our relationship with a Living God. We then seek the desired path... We choose to walk.

There is a point. But wherever you find yourself, simply allow yourself to feel and listen with your Heart. That is your best guide and compass. And know that if you decide something contrary to what I am sharing, that too is true and just.

Have Faith that answers will come, and allow yourself to be inspired.

 

[There and back again]

But, how can anyone learn anything if each time you are born your memory is wiped clean? Can you elaborate on that? Because to be honest, it does not make any sense to me. Oh, BTW; this place we are trapped in is NOT a school, it is designed in every possible way to destroy a soul rather than grow. It is a typical New Age propaganda that remembering previous life or who we are would interfere with the ''current learning process."

A lot of the new age is just sugar water with some truths mixed while people are spoon fed a little here or there by trickster spirits. This world from how people experienced isn't for spiritual growth and much more like a holding place or worse energy farm. Depriving souls of their memories is a cruel fate never mind designing lives loaded with needless pain and suffering.

 

[baro-san]

Why does the majority remember nothing about past lives and what is the point of this life if you take away 0?

An analogy ...

Let's say that I attend a school and I take a course, let's say arithmetic. I learn more or less of what I'm taught there, going through a series of predetermined lessons and exercises, presented in various formats, I get some concepts easily, others are more difficult.

At the same time and successively, I take other courses too: a foreign language, history, philosophy, geometry, physics, drawing, piano, chemistry, ... at different levels.

From each course I learn something, I distill the information into knowledge. I've learned to count, in a foreign language too, but it doesn't matter what specific example, lesson, teacher thought me. I forgot that because not only that it doesn't matter, but because remembering those specifics is actually counterproductive, ir would be mechanistic learning. I need to accumulate knowledge that I can use in any circumstances, and it isn't necessary, nor useful to remember how exactly I acquired it.

To me, it seems to be the same with remembering past lives.

On the same idea: I walk, I talk, I think, ... It doesn't matter how I got to be able to do these.

 

[SeaAndSky]

An analogy ...

Let's say that I attend a school and I take a course, let's say arithmetic. I learn more or less of what I'm taught there, going through a series of predetermined lessons and exercises, presented in various formats, I get some concepts easily, others are more difficult.

At the same time and successively, I take other courses too: a foreign language, history, philosophy, geometry, physics, drawing, piano, chemistry, ... at different levels.

From each course I learn something, I distill the information into knowledge. I've learned to count, in a foreign language too, but it doesn't matter what specific example, lesson, teacher thought me. I forgot that because not only that it doesn't matter, but because remembering those specifics is actually counterproductive, ir would be mechanistic learning. I need to accumulate knowledge that I can use in any circumstances, and it isn't necessary, nor useful to remember how exactly I acquired it.

To me, it seems to be the same with remembering past lives.

On the same idea: I walk, I talk, I think, ... It doesn't matter how I got to be able to do these.

I agree overall with your point and life really does work that way. However the foregoing does not keep us from remembering what went on in class much less all the other things that were going on in our lives at that time. Even if we have the distilled knowledge it doesn’t explain the erasure of context much less the erasure of everything else that happened during the same time period.

Cordially
S&S

 

[baro-san]

I agree overall with your point and life really does work that way. However the foregoing does not keep us from remembering what went on in class much less all the other things that were going on in our lives at that time. Even if we have the distilled knowledge it doesn’t explain the erasure of context much less the erasure of everything else that happened during the same time period.

Cordially
S&S

I agree that It doesn't explain, but it shows it isn't important and it isn't an impediment for what we are here for: to learn and grow.

The past lives information, and much more, is stored in the subconscious, and it can be accessed. Part of our growth is to become able to do it if and when we want that. What most of us perceive us to be, and believe us to be able, I believe that it is much less than what we actually are and the potential we have.

Think about the predicament of a kid who goes to school everyday not knowing that he is there to learn, who gets distracted by sideshows. This happen to most of us every morning when we wake up, and forget our overnight instruction during sleep and dreaming. Everyone will eventually, in this or after a number of other lives, figure it out. We learn both from our and others' successes and failures, aware of that or not.

Obviously, it isn't that every educated person is beter than those less educated. But a properly educated person is better than his own uneducated version. Being part of a framework in which education is the primary objective rubs on us unconsciously, even when we aren't best students.

 

[Ministargazer]

I think most people can't handle remembering. If the point of life is learning a spiritual lesson, remembering will only get in the way. As you said, if someone remembered their past life family and trauma, how is that going to help them get through this particular lesson? I imagine that would be like dwelling on your chemistry test while you're taking your French test. Remembering a difficult past life seriously threw me for a loop. I think humanity has to evolve spiritually before most of them can deal with past trauma that could be very severe. It's one thing remembering a past life in heaven, when you don't have the trouble of making your current life work. Life is hard on this planet, because it really is a test.

And sometimes, remembering your past lives can be helpful when you encounter tests you failed and must face again but this time knowing that you must not go that way again. I've found that knowing or being aware in this lifetime, of the past, has been a blessing. When karma comes knocking you can know that you are meeting yourself and it's not just an act of God. This places all of the responsibility on yourself and yourself only but it's something I can accept. The key is to detach yourself and yet be aware while you are living this lifetime and also be aware that what you are putting out now will be the pattern of future lifetimes! That's exciting in itself because the talents you are working on now can be further developed in future. That would inspire us to be putting everything positive into the moment - including our thoughts as thoughts are things that also manifest. This ties in with the teachings of Jesus who told us to turn the other cheek. If we must meet our karma so be it but don't react in anger for past difficulties - simply move on without bitterness and forgive the ones who did you wrong.

 

[baro-san]

An explanation for not remembering (some) past lives:

VOICES FROM THE PAST (from "Chrystal River Flowing", Marilynn Hughes)

Mary, Tom, Andy and I went to a dimension of existence where it was dark, and we huddled together around a campfire. Mary had been feeling bad about some of the past- lives we had uncovered recently, especially the lifetime as Tom's mother.
Spirits hovered above us and told stories about our pasts.
Focusing on the less-than-illustrious lifetimes, we all began laughing at the horrible people we have been in the past, and thanking the spirits for helping us to become what we are today! She calmed, as she understood that it was okay and that her past had no hold on her in the now. She was free, and all was forgiven, of all of us.
Upon return, I could not remember any of the lifetimes we had been told about. This was probably to insure that none of the rest of us allowed ourselves to become upset about our own unevolved lives.

 

[baro-san]

Another interesting quote from the same book:

Page 53

After we were through, my guides took me into my own future. Living through my planned death, I had to make a final decision as to what I wanted to do.
It was only about two weeks away from the present. Three big men quickly grabbed me in a crowded parking lot, and threw me into their car. Driving for several hours, we ended up in Indiana. A bunch of rednecks, they didn’t do anything to hurt me, but they were careless drivers and we all died in a head-on collision on the highway. There was no pain as | died, only a feeling of freedom. But after I left my body, I was upset that those in the physical could not hear or see me.
Asking to be taken back to see my husband and friends, | watched from above. Apparently, they didn’t even know for sure that I was dead.
To them, I was missing, as my body was not identified correctly.
Mary knew, though, that I had moved on. “Don’t worry,” she told them. “Marilynn wouldn't create that sort of reality.
She’s moved on, and she’s okay.” Trying to communicate with them, I channeled, poked, jumped on their backs and put my hands over their face. But all to no avail. Looking at the spirits, I asked, “They won't be able to communicate with me?” Calmly, they replied, “They are not yet ready to do that, Marilynn. Do you now remember why you chose to incarnate?” Laughing, I said, “Probably so I could get them to pay attention to me.” “Exactly,” the spirit said. “It is much easier to manifest with a physical point of power on the earth-plane. You chose to return for that very reason. This is also why you chose to create this possible time of departure. You never liked the limitedness of the physical plane.” The spirit began to chuckle.
“Well, I’ve changed my mind,” I said. “If I can’t communicate with them from here, than I have to go back.” The spirit got serious for a moment. “Are you sure that is what you want to do?” Pondering a moment, I answered, “Yes.
There is too much to be done for me to bow out now.” He reiterated, “You are making your final decision now.
Are you sure?” “Yes,” I said confidently, “Iam.” Looking at the three guys who had kidnapped me, I asked, “Is it okay if we call it even? We can all go back and agree that our karma is balanced.” Agreeing wholeheartedly, they nodded their acceptance of the offer.
Suddenly, a whooshing sound was heard as I was rushed back to my present state. A new choice had been made. The messenger would not be returning for quite some time.

 

[Whitey]

This is my opinion on this topic. Excuse my bad English.

1. There is a reason why we do not have direct memory of past lives. Most of them were very traumatic experiences and forgetting is a blessing in that case. Imagine, for example, that you were a victim from Auschwitz, or perhaps even worse, a Nazi from that camp who killed small children, babies, people in general. It is difficult to say which is worse for the soul in that case. So, to repeat once more, forgetting such lives is a blessing.

2. If we were to directly remember all past lives it would create great confusion in our psyche. We would no longer know whether we are a soldier from ancient Egypt, a peasant from medieval France, a soldier of the Wehrmacht or what we are now. As a straight man, it would be very uncomfortable for me to remember intimate moments with men from those lives in which I was a woman.

3. I don't have time to explain how I know, but I'm pretty sure that my past life is connected to WW2, Nazi Germany and Poland. Only those two countries, nothing with England, France, etc., only Nazi Germany and Poland.
I have been doing various past life memory exercises including the exercises from this forum trying to remember details from that past life. The more exercises I did, the stronger the feeling I got that opening that Pandora's box wouldn't do me any good. That's why I stopped using those methods. This confirmed to me on a personal example that my opinion about forgetting as a blessing is correct.

 

[Whitey]

I want to add something else. As you all know, memories of past lives are not completely forgotten, but are locked somewhere in our subconscious.
It is up to each of us to decide if we want to look for the key at our own risk.

 

[Totoro]

To find some answers to questions like this, I use to listen to or read about testimonies of astral travels, NDEs, OBEs, pre-birth memories, also to what some psychics and regression therapists have experienced with their clients.

Sometimes I will choose one or two random YT interviews per day. I find most of them to be really positive and encouraging, so this can really make your day when you are in doubt about the sense of life etc. Recently, I found this interview of a Life-between-life regression therapist. She was trained in the method and teachings of Michael Newton, which are well known to some people here on the forum. So this might be especially interesting for those.

Listen from 13:00 to 38:20, if you don’t want to watch the whole video. These are the most relevant parts.

I’m really short on time these days, but I might share some of my own thoughts later on.

Follow-up---

I would be remiss if I failed to mention another possibility. Newton (and others) have mentioned that new souls have a very hard time, at least initially. So, I can understand that they might not want to come back, and that some were forced. Using the school analogy, I can honestly say that I really disliked the beginning of the school year and the end of Summer vacation throughout my childhood. You could even say that I was forced, since I had no choice in the matter. After a while, I got used to it and took it in stride. However, it was never something I looked forward to until college years (when the beginning of school brought a lot of positives--as well as an end to working full-time in the hot Florida sun).

However, even with this added into the consideration, two questions remain: (1) Why did this LBL therapist (and seemingly others she knew) get many such types; and then (2) have this type cut off? I still can see no answer other than the one posited above. This doesn't mean there aren't any, but I'll leave them for others to propose.

S&S

I adressed this in the other thread, but I think it's worth repeating..

First, this is not a prison and nobody was forced to come here, initially. As @lesserwatch was discussing here about the many houses or planets of soul eveoloution, the Earth is actually the last stop, not the first.

The many worlds before the earth, souls aren't fully incarnate. In the easier worlds, they simply exist as energy and the more moderate ones, they are able to merge with physical form and then return to a pure energy state to rest and finally, here on the earth, we are fully merged with our bodies and we are not able to leave them under normal cicumstances.

All of the souls that came here (to the earth), did so and incarnated while remaining sovereign under their own free will.

The entire karmic process is moderated and mediated by spirit guides and other helper souls and it works how you'd expect through so many common experiences... A person dies and returns to the other side. There, they have a life review, think about what they did or didn't acocmplish, things they want to work on in their next life, they meet and confer with spirit guides, elders and sometimes a council.

This process worked as intended for a long time, 2-300,000 years since modern humans evolved here.

However, since the turn of the century, the process reached a critical limitation: it lacked the necessary criteria through which to evaluate a soul's readiness for graduation from the karmic looping (cycles of birth, death, rebirth) process.

This is why the researcher states she met so many souls who didn't want to be reborn... they didn't need to or want to, but "the system" had no criteria to interpret their rediness for exit and they simply relooped them back down to the earth, as they had no choice.

Please note, the soul was not forced to reincarnate. They initially agreed to incarnate on the earth and enter its karmic looping system. Free will was not violated.

The fault was with the system, which lacked the criteria to allow souls to exit the system and given this, "they" the spirit guides and others that work within the system, had no choice of their own, except to loop the soul back through the system.

However, in 2010-1, a template or rubric for a soul's rediness to exit was registered within "the system" and since then, there has been a massive depature of souls from the earth and the karmic system and an equally massive influx of new ones, ready to experience fully embodied incarnation.

This is what's behind the massive shift the researcher said she and others "across the board" experienced.

And as a further aside, the people that work in the karmic system, are just souls. Normal souls like you and me. They are not aliens, deamons etc. just normal souls.

And as for the souls that exited the system, they can choose to return to the source, some may return to the easier worlds to relax, some may visit with family and friends over there.. and some hopefully will begin work within the karmic system as spirit guides and other "administrative" types, lending their experience to improve the system and prepare it for it's next phase.