The wild stories of traditional religion are something we’ve gotten used to. A virgin birth? Walking on water? Fishes and loaves? Raising the dead? They don’t seem so crazy, do they? Or at least not when we view them through the lens of traditional religion.
But we don’t feel the same way about pagan gods, do we? Or the sun god. Or native American spirits. Traditional society is so far removed from all those beliefs they seem fantastical.
The same is sometimes true of New Age spiritual beliefs, like reincarnation.
Past life stories that are verifiable, like children who have memories of specific prior lives they’ve had and can give factual detail? It’s hard NOT to believe them. After all, the facts are objective. We do love our facts, don’t we?
So when the opportunity to have a between-lives regression came up, I took it.
A between-lives regression is a light hypnosis session that takes the sitter back to a period of time between lives and usually, their guides will help them understand the purpose and planning that went into this life.
Oh, wait. Did I mention that I believe in reincarnation?
So the thing about me is that I have no fear of regression, but I find it difficult to visualize things that are not in this world. Shamanic journeying? Hard for me. Native American journeying? I was able to do it once and not a second time with the same medicine woman. So I was concerned that during my regression, my monkey mind wouldn’t shut off and would chatter incessantly, saying things like: You can’t do this. You aren’t really doing this. You’re making this up.
I relaxed a little when the regressionist said, “If you feel like you’re making this up in your imagination, go with it anyway.” It makes sense: what is imagination, anyway?
When the session began, guess who started talking?
Morocco, 2012
Yes, monkey mind. I tried to ignore it as I struggled and finally brought to my mind’s eye a very narrow slice of a past life as a young woman with a child in the first half of the 20th century. I worked way too hard to bring it up on my mind’s screen. I could feel myself thrashing on the couch as I labored to bring this life into focus. I couldn’t see the setting. But I did feel emotion as the regressionist asked me questions about my life and what I learned from it. I cried. And then, when that life ended, the regressionist brought me into the spirit realm.
To my surprise, monkey mind disappeared and so did my struggles. All of a sudden, I had a lot to say about my job in the spirit realm, those I worked with, what I did. I mentioned symbols and structures that I later discovered had meaning and were not unique to me but instead, pretty common descriptions of the spirit world across regressions. As well-read as I am on afterlife matters, I was not well-read on these details; they were new to me.
At a deep level I understood the meaning of M’s return to my life, something that I just hadn’t been able to grasp before. All of that came so easily! There were tears, there was laughter (spirits are very playful and funny!) and there was a certainty about my role and my work there and about who I am here and who I’ve always been.
Yes, I know. Some of you think this sounds crazy or demonic. I can assure you that it’s neither. Instead, it’s a deeply personal spiritual experience that’s part of my spiritual evolution and another step on a spiritual journey that I’ve always been on, although I didn’t realize it.
What fear-based religions say.
The fear-based traditional religions have never connected with me. I don’t believe in a devil or hell or that there is only one way. Nope. I don’t believe it. I don’t believe the Divine cares who we sleep with or where we worship. The closest I get to a religion I related to is Hinduism, but even that doesn’t really do it for me, not fully. Spirituality, not religion, that’s my orientation.
You’re curious to know what I found out in my regression, aren’t you? I would be, too.
I’d love to share details, but they are so deeply personal that they don’t belong on a blog. Instead, they’re a conversation and I’m glad to have it with you upon request.
But meanwhile, I’d love to know what you think in the Comments section below.. Yes, even if you think it is demonic.
How wonderful for you, Carol. I don’t believe in past life. No, let me correct that, it doesn’t interest me. But I see no evil in people following the spiritual path they are called to.
And I’m glad that you are daring to follow where you are being led! You inspire me!
Very simply, Carol, I believe that after death we all fall into the safe arms of an everloving God. What happens thereafter is something that I haven’t thought about deeply.
However, there’s too much evidence about past life for me not to believe in it. At the present stage of my spiritual journey it doesn’t interest me. I can’t say about how I’ll feel in the future.
I love how you continue to explore different areas that you are fascinated with, going beyond what a lot of people would consider doing. You keep the avenues of belief open. That is the sign of a very curious mind (to say that least!)
This sounds fascinating, and I’m sure you’ll continue to explore this. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Carol
Yes, Carol, you are so right, this was quite an adventure that you went on. My faith journey has evolved over my entire life and it is certainly still a process. I consider myself a Christ-follower and hope to emulate his life as I live out my own. I believe FAITH is the belief in things unseen.
Monkey-Mind is a curious thing, isn’t it! Glad you were able to settle yours down, if only for a short time. I enjoy reading your posts and find them inspiring.
I was reading the comments above and it always intrigues me how people blindly believe what they have been spoon fed their whole lives. To me, reincarnation makes much more sense than the stories we have grown up with all of our lives. Maybe it is the Native American in me, I don’t know, we have this argument here all the time. I just can’t believe and I spent many, many years trying to. I am fascinated in this journey you’ve taken and you know I am dying to hear more about it!
Faith comes in many colors. I believe everyone walks their own journey and we all end up the same place, anyway, so… if what we believe helps us live better and comforts us, then it’s all good. The result will surprise some people ! LOL My husband and I talk about that element of surprise all the time, as he was atheist, now agnostic. I depart, though, from this idea of a punishing and vengeful God. I can’t think of any circumstance where that makes sense. It’s the antithesis of “God.”
Fascinating…I love the concept of reincarnation but have never really explored it. I’m basically a heathen (according to most established religions, anyway, since I was never baptized or brought up in a particular faith). But, like you, I consider myself spiritual — and just because I can’t “see” it doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Great food for thought here – thanks for sharing your experience!
What an exciting experience. I would love to hear about it in greater detail. I’m on board with you. It’s always jaw-dropping to hear those stories about children remembering their past lives. I think we bring a lot of suffering to this life from our past lives every trying to learn the essential lessons.
I believe in past lives and I’ve done regression like you describe. She called it a reading. I was sceptical of her ability to get anything from me. But in the end, amazed at what came out of my mouth.
Sort of like when I’m on a very good therapists couch:)
I love this post. The person who I did my EFT training with last year does past life regression sessions. It’s something that really fascinates me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Fascinating reading. Past lives are something I’m really interested in. The person who I took my EFT training with last year holds past life sessions and it’s something that I’d really like to do. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Carol, I am always learning something from you. I absolutely loved reading this post, thank you for sharing what you did. I would love to sit with you one day over a cup of coffee and learn more.
I loved this post, and your blog in general. I appreciate how open you are, and your take on issues. I am spiritual rather than religious. I’m very interested in reincarnation and after life. It’s fascinating. Thank you for sharing your experience.
I am neither a believer or a non-believer. I am trying to keep an open mind about the great hereafter since no one really knows. I admire your quest to explore the possibilities, Carol.
The only people who know are those who have had near death experiences, and since I sure don’t want one of those, I am exploring as far as I can go without actually crossing over, yet. But one side benefit is that I am slowly, but surely, losing my fear of death.
Great post! I’m not sure what all I believe in. Like you I don’t believe that there is a devil and I don’t like the fear part of religin. I do want to believe in reincarnation so I can come back and do the things that I didn’t get to do in this life.
I am glad that you found a path past the monkey mind and into the realm of your core identity. You description of emotional intensity combined with playfulness and insight sounds very healing and inspiring. Thank you for sharing part of your experience.
Carol, Reincarnation has always made sense to me. It’s seems logical that we keep coming back to learn lessons. I’ve never, however, had any connection to any past life I may have had. I have found a church that is open to my search for truth, the Unitarian Church. If you’ve never checked out a Unitarian Universalist church out, you might enjoy it. I like the community it provides and it’s a guilt-free place. I would still love to get together with you, maybe someday we’ll be in the same city.
What a beautiful journey! I wish I was brave enough to take one myself. I am a Jesus follower ( I sometimes struggle to call myself a “Christian”- as there are many things that I don’t feel in my spirit are right that the Christian religion follows.) While I feel God cares who we sleep with, it’s not the issue of homosexuality or not, I believe he wants us to have loving, growing, and healthy relationship, I can fully agree that he doesn’t care where we worship, I’ve had better connections and more divine revelations when I was outside in nature, then I ever had in a church building. As an empath and someone who sees spirits & believes in fairies, there are times that I feel I’d be better suited for Buddhism, but out of frustration I’ve kind of decided to stop trying to label my faith, and just live it, if it aligns with my spirit, I will embrace it, if it strikes and ill cord within me I’ll simply throw it away, or take it to God and ask him to help me understand. I do believe there is only one God, however I also believe there are MANY different facets of him, much like a diamond, and I refuse to let an ancient book written by men, keep me from experiencing as much and as many sides of Him that I can. Your past life journey sounds amazing and I would love to hear more about it.
Carol – thank your for sharing your experience. I do believe in past lives. And I believe that souls travel together so I know that the people I love I have known before. Having said that I am very respectful of people’s beliefs and can totally appreciate that people believe other things. That is the whole point of “faith” – believing in something despite the absence of evidence.
I have never had a past life regression and would love to experience that. I do believe we are here to learn something and it is a journey to find out the “lesson” or meaning for our lives. I am still searching and open to the lesson I am supposed to learn in this life.
It just hit me that the sign about staying on the path and snakes was at the entrance to the huge stand of old growth bamboo and what was the symbolic begining for some to a journey into a deeper place. There are nay-sayers and those who will cut another down for exploring just a bit deeper or diving into places they just don’t know what they will find. As you say, it does take all kinds but we have to be really careful to step over and around those snakes don’t we?
Yes. But you know, it doesn’t really bother me. Like I always say, everyone’s journey is their own. They get where they get in their own time, their own way and that’s ok. It’s part of our soul’s journey, all of it. When I look at it that way, I can’t really judge. I can only say what’s right for me.
Although I am a cradle Catholic, a very spiritual person, and share many beliefs with Native Americans, reincarnation makes sense to me. In my world, God sort of hands out souls (to put it simply) and I believe those souls have things to accomplish using whatever body they are given. If that body ceases to exist, for whatever reason, I wouldn’t dream of limiting the one I call God. He surely can recycle that soul into another body should He choose to do so. Sometimes I think we make such things more difficult to understand than we need to.
I too am recovering Catholic. I have had to past life experiences 1 during a church meditation (not a regression) where it was revealed to me I was a very old woman during the time of Jesus Christ. The second was a couple of years later during a healing breath work session. This life came up again and was extreamly emotional. I don’t need anybody to be convinced. Because this is my truth and part of the fiber of Who I am. I’m still trying to make sense of it.
How very lucky for you that you got to have this experience. Thank you for sharing as always!
I think religion is important. Our society is too fact based you’re right. Faith and openness need to be a bigger part of our human experience. I’m glad you’ve found a path that is right for you.
It’s great that you are finding and exploring what feels right to you. I’m not sure if we have past lives or not but if we do, I hope mine was amazing!
One of the greatest things I believe we are given is the gift of curiosity. I don’t believe we are meant to just blindly accept faith, religion, etc. We are to be curious, explore, question; it is through these things we learn at the deepest level who we are, where we belong and grow in our faith.
I enjoyed reading your experience. Thanks for sharing a bit of you with all of us!
Hi Carol! I think I’ve believed in reincarnation (in some form or expression) for as long as I can remember. It answers SO many questions about life. And I’ve always been a big fan of Edgar Casey–fascinating stuff for sure. With all that said I’ve never had a past life reading…just never ran into anyone with all my seeking that seemed like the right person at the right time. Would love to talk to you about it….are you going to BAM? If not, one of these days I think it will happen. ~Kathy
What a beautiful post that hits me right in my heart. I am fascinated by your experience. I was raised and Episcopalian and due to events over the years, I found myself questioning a lot of what I was taught to believe. Several years ago, I started to walk more to the spiritual beliefs of Paganism, specifically Asatru. Still I find myself unable to fully believe in anything. By declaring I’m spiritual, not religious, it allows me to believe in what I want. Just for the record, I do believe in reincarnation.
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Very interesting. Personally I do not believe in past lives. It does not line up with my Christian Biblical beliefs.
Yes, beliefs are super-personal. I was raised Catholic.
How wonderful for you, Carol. I don’t believe in past life. No, let me correct that, it doesn’t interest me. But I see no evil in people following the spiritual path they are called to.
And I’m glad that you are daring to follow where you are being led! You inspire me!
Now that is intriguing, Corinne–that divide between belief and interest. Now I want to know more about your views!
Very simply, Carol, I believe that after death we all fall into the safe arms of an everloving God. What happens thereafter is something that I haven’t thought about deeply.
However, there’s too much evidence about past life for me not to believe in it. At the present stage of my spiritual journey it doesn’t interest me. I can’t say about how I’ll feel in the future.
I love how you continue to explore different areas that you are fascinated with, going beyond what a lot of people would consider doing. You keep the avenues of belief open. That is the sign of a very curious mind (to say that least!)
This sounds fascinating, and I’m sure you’ll continue to explore this. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us, Carol
Thanks, Cathy. I’m super curious….;-)
Yes, Carol, you are so right, this was quite an adventure that you went on. My faith journey has evolved over my entire life and it is certainly still a process. I consider myself a Christ-follower and hope to emulate his life as I live out my own. I believe FAITH is the belief in things unseen.
Monkey-Mind is a curious thing, isn’t it! Glad you were able to settle yours down, if only for a short time. I enjoy reading your posts and find them inspiring.
There’s so much to explore out there, isn’t there? Yes, I never knew what faith was, never got it at any level, till a couple years ago.
I was reading the comments above and it always intrigues me how people blindly believe what they have been spoon fed their whole lives. To me, reincarnation makes much more sense than the stories we have grown up with all of our lives. Maybe it is the Native American in me, I don’t know, we have this argument here all the time. I just can’t believe and I spent many, many years trying to. I am fascinated in this journey you’ve taken and you know I am dying to hear more about it!
Faith comes in many colors. I believe everyone walks their own journey and we all end up the same place, anyway, so… if what we believe helps us live better and comforts us, then it’s all good. The result will surprise some people ! LOL My husband and I talk about that element of surprise all the time, as he was atheist, now agnostic. I depart, though, from this idea of a punishing and vengeful God. I can’t think of any circumstance where that makes sense. It’s the antithesis of “God.”
Fascinating…I love the concept of reincarnation but have never really explored it. I’m basically a heathen (according to most established religions, anyway, since I was never baptized or brought up in a particular faith). But, like you, I consider myself spiritual — and just because I can’t “see” it doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Great food for thought here – thanks for sharing your experience!
It was such an unexpected experience. Like I say, I don’t go out of this world all that easily!
The older I get the more I believe and the more sense this all makes.
Yes, that’s one of the things about maturing…ok, getting older! LOL
What an exciting experience. I would love to hear about it in greater detail. I’m on board with you. It’s always jaw-dropping to hear those stories about children remembering their past lives. I think we bring a lot of suffering to this life from our past lives every trying to learn the essential lessons.
We are here for soul school, that’s so true!
I believe in it. Light hypnosis sessions are wonderful !
I plan to do another one at some point….
Interesting post, but I have to say, I don’t believe in past lives. 🙂
Neither did I, so I get it.
So fascinating. My husband believes in past lives and reincarnation, and I’m sharing this post with him.
I’d be glad to answer any questions he has, Lois.
I believe in past lives and I’ve done regression like you describe. She called it a reading. I was sceptical of her ability to get anything from me. But in the end, amazed at what came out of my mouth.
Sort of like when I’m on a very good therapists couch:)
I know–that feeling where you can’t believe what you’re saying…whoa!
Very interesting … though not something I believe in.
I only believed it after my own experiences…
I love this post. The person who I did my EFT training with last year does past life regression sessions. It’s something that really fascinates me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
The possibilities are intriguing!
Fascinating reading. Past lives are something I’m really interested in. The person who I took my EFT training with last year holds past life sessions and it’s something that I’d really like to do. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Carol, I am always learning something from you. I absolutely loved reading this post, thank you for sharing what you did. I would love to sit with you one day over a cup of coffee and learn more.
And we shall do that!
I loved this post, and your blog in general. I appreciate how open you are, and your take on issues. I am spiritual rather than religious. I’m very interested in reincarnation and after life. It’s fascinating. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Thank you, Amy, for such a nice compliment. I am definitely an explorer in the spiritual realm and glad to meet kindred spirits!
I am neither a believer or a non-believer. I am trying to keep an open mind about the great hereafter since no one really knows. I admire your quest to explore the possibilities, Carol.
The only people who know are those who have had near death experiences, and since I sure don’t want one of those, I am exploring as far as I can go without actually crossing over, yet. But one side benefit is that I am slowly, but surely, losing my fear of death.
Great post! I’m not sure what all I believe in. Like you I don’t believe that there is a devil and I don’t like the fear part of religin. I do want to believe in reincarnation so I can come back and do the things that I didn’t get to do in this life.
I’m not sure what I believe these days. But your journey sounds fascinating.
I am glad that you found a path past the monkey mind and into the realm of your core identity. You description of emotional intensity combined with playfulness and insight sounds very healing and inspiring. Thank you for sharing part of your experience.
Carol, Reincarnation has always made sense to me. It’s seems logical that we keep coming back to learn lessons. I’ve never, however, had any connection to any past life I may have had. I have found a church that is open to my search for truth, the Unitarian Church. If you’ve never checked out a Unitarian Universalist church out, you might enjoy it. I like the community it provides and it’s a guilt-free place. I would still love to get together with you, maybe someday we’ll be in the same city.
Yes, my H.S. bestie was a member and I know about it. I think reincarnation makes sense, too, logically. If that makes sense. LOL
What a beautiful journey! I wish I was brave enough to take one myself. I am a Jesus follower ( I sometimes struggle to call myself a “Christian”- as there are many things that I don’t feel in my spirit are right that the Christian religion follows.) While I feel God cares who we sleep with, it’s not the issue of homosexuality or not, I believe he wants us to have loving, growing, and healthy relationship, I can fully agree that he doesn’t care where we worship, I’ve had better connections and more divine revelations when I was outside in nature, then I ever had in a church building. As an empath and someone who sees spirits & believes in fairies, there are times that I feel I’d be better suited for Buddhism, but out of frustration I’ve kind of decided to stop trying to label my faith, and just live it, if it aligns with my spirit, I will embrace it, if it strikes and ill cord within me I’ll simply throw it away, or take it to God and ask him to help me understand. I do believe there is only one God, however I also believe there are MANY different facets of him, much like a diamond, and I refuse to let an ancient book written by men, keep me from experiencing as much and as many sides of Him that I can. Your past life journey sounds amazing and I would love to hear more about it.
I love your point of view, April. I have more posts coming on this subject so maybe you might consider subscribing…
I am Catholic and I believe in the afterlife without a doubt. I have not worked out my reincarnation beliefs yet, still working on it.
Carol – thank your for sharing your experience. I do believe in past lives. And I believe that souls travel together so I know that the people I love I have known before. Having said that I am very respectful of people’s beliefs and can totally appreciate that people believe other things. That is the whole point of “faith” – believing in something despite the absence of evidence.
I have never had a past life regression and would love to experience that. I do believe we are here to learn something and it is a journey to find out the “lesson” or meaning for our lives. I am still searching and open to the lesson I am supposed to learn in this life.
It just hit me that the sign about staying on the path and snakes was at the entrance to the huge stand of old growth bamboo and what was the symbolic begining for some to a journey into a deeper place. There are nay-sayers and those who will cut another down for exploring just a bit deeper or diving into places they just don’t know what they will find. As you say, it does take all kinds but we have to be really careful to step over and around those snakes don’t we?
Yes. But you know, it doesn’t really bother me. Like I always say, everyone’s journey is their own. They get where they get in their own time, their own way and that’s ok. It’s part of our soul’s journey, all of it. When I look at it that way, I can’t really judge. I can only say what’s right for me.
“I can only say what’s right for me.”
And you said it very well. Loved this post.
Although I am a cradle Catholic, a very spiritual person, and share many beliefs with Native Americans, reincarnation makes sense to me. In my world, God sort of hands out souls (to put it simply) and I believe those souls have things to accomplish using whatever body they are given. If that body ceases to exist, for whatever reason, I wouldn’t dream of limiting the one I call God. He surely can recycle that soul into another body should He choose to do so. Sometimes I think we make such things more difficult to understand than we need to.
I too am recovering Catholic. I have had to past life experiences 1 during a church meditation (not a regression) where it was revealed to me I was a very old woman during the time of Jesus Christ. The second was a couple of years later during a healing breath work session. This life came up again and was extreamly emotional. I don’t need anybody to be convinced. Because this is my truth and part of the fiber of Who I am. I’m still trying to make sense of it.
How very lucky for you that you got to have this experience. Thank you for sharing as always!
I don’t know what I believe but I do think that no one can say they are 100% right about anything.
I have experienced hypnosis for solving health related issues yet never had done a regression you are brave.
I’ve always found the idea of past lives to be interesting. I believe it’s possible.
I don’t believe I have one but it’s fun and interesting to think about, right? The what ifs and the mysteries of life. 🙂
This definitely gets you thinking! I don’t believe in reincarnation but I do know we lived before this earth and will again!
not sure i have had a past life. If I did i must have been healthy as I’m not in this life. it’s very interesting though.
I think religion is important. Our society is too fact based you’re right. Faith and openness need to be a bigger part of our human experience. I’m glad you’ve found a path that is right for you.
It’s great that you are finding and exploring what feels right to you. I’m not sure if we have past lives or not but if we do, I hope mine was amazing!
One of the greatest things I believe we are given is the gift of curiosity. I don’t believe we are meant to just blindly accept faith, religion, etc. We are to be curious, explore, question; it is through these things we learn at the deepest level who we are, where we belong and grow in our faith.
I enjoyed reading your experience. Thanks for sharing a bit of you with all of us!
Hi Carol! I think I’ve believed in reincarnation (in some form or expression) for as long as I can remember. It answers SO many questions about life. And I’ve always been a big fan of Edgar Casey–fascinating stuff for sure. With all that said I’ve never had a past life reading…just never ran into anyone with all my seeking that seemed like the right person at the right time. Would love to talk to you about it….are you going to BAM? If not, one of these days I think it will happen. ~Kathy
What a beautiful post that hits me right in my heart. I am fascinated by your experience. I was raised and Episcopalian and due to events over the years, I found myself questioning a lot of what I was taught to believe. Several years ago, I started to walk more to the spiritual beliefs of Paganism, specifically Asatru. Still I find myself unable to fully believe in anything. By declaring I’m spiritual, not religious, it allows me to believe in what I want. Just for the record, I do believe in reincarnation.
Yes… isn’t it interesting how our spiritual beliefs evolve as we age? I’m so glad you shared this.