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Past lives, reincarnation work, past life regression… We can’t be certain whether these are actual memories, our subconscious minds weaving a story in hope of telling us something, or simply a vivid level of our own imaginations that we rarely reach without help in guiding us there.
Call it what you will, but it was something that drew me in as a young seeker. After reading Paramahansa Yogananda’s book, “ An Autobiography of a Yogi” I wanted to know if it were possible to learn from these pasts.
In my musings since those early days, I have “seen” many lifetimes. I have covered the gamut: from being an enlightened buddha to being a depressed murderer. A queen in Russia and a dark, annihilating Lord of the universe.
These “inner journeys” have helped me to navigate many difficult crossroads. Perhaps it was because I saw myself from so many different perspectives, in different time periods, as different genders, from different cultures that I could more easily see the repetition of themes and patterns prevalent in my life.
The lifetime where I saw myself as a depressed man who killed his wife and child allowed me to view my own low-grade depression with compassion. I felt the biochemistry of his depression, the heaviness and what the fallout of World War II, in rural Poland could do to someone lacking education, nutrition, and support.
The parallels between that lifetime and my late teens and early twenties were quite apparent. The anxiety and depression I felt as a young woman were the same as in the lifetime in Poland. It was like a part of me was still caught up in that vacuum, feeling that there were no options for me but sadness and failure.
Viewing both lifetimes allowed me to rise above the perceived limitations and see other options.
Clearing the themes opened up new vistas and a sense of breathing in huge gulps of life enriching air.
The lifetime as a buddha allowed me to viscerally experience the sensations of enlightenment, not just in the mind, but in the body too. I sensed the peace within me and the beauty of life. I felt myself connecting to plants, trees, rivers and sky.
During the session, I knew that I was one with everything and that when I looked at the world around me I was seeing it from depths deeper than the oceans. My mind alert, awake unmoveable.
Experiencing the buddha lifetime introduced the possibility of connecting to my inner voice and knowing. More importantly, it showed me a pathway to peace and gave me the desire to seek it within me.
In the end, it doesn’t matter whether or not you believe in reincarnation or whether these are memories, fantasies or dreams. Even if you never experience any of this, there are still stories enough in this lifetime for you to decode and set free.
What matters is the willingness to be curious about, and to broaden our relationship with ourselves and how we relate to life.
“Why do I feel anxious?”
“What does success look like for me? Is that enough to make me feel joyous and at ease with life?”
“What does a real loving relationship look like for me? Am I truly ready for that?”
These kinds questions are a beginning point to self-realization: “Ahhh, time for myself makes me feel full. I like that.”
“I’m not that into continuing with my career. That was more for my parents. What I want for me is meaningful friendships, good food, health and relationship with my partner that includes great sex. When I say that out loud, my body relaxes”
Is there a pattern or theme you are ready to untangle by enquiring within? Do you feel possibilities percolating within you that you cannot seem to free?
I would love to help you to discover yourself and the stories that set you free.