The word incarnation comes from the Latin in carne which literally means "in the flesh," or "having a physical body." Reincarnation means to be born more than once into Earthly existence.

There are various theories about what happens when we die. Many people believe that we come back in different bodies so that we can have lots of experiences and learn new things. Eventually, there comes a point when, in spiritual terms, we don't need to come back to Earth again and we can move on to the next stage of our personal journey.

Being Reborn

Some people say it makes sense that we should be reborn several times, to experience famine and riches, fatherhood and motherhood, community and loneliness. In our many visits to Earth, we might have lived in different parts of the World and in more than one period in history. We might experience living in different cultures, be born under a new astrological sign, be rich in one lifetime and poor in another. We could meet all sorts of different people, and adopt different attitudes to those we have in this life. A variety of existences would give us a much fuller experience of what life has to offer.

Past Lives

Many people, particularly in the Eastern countries of the World, believe in reincarnation and multiple lives. Those who do also often believe in the idea of karma, which is that all actions have a consequence of some kind, and not necessarily in the same life. If you do something that doesn't seem to have any consequences in this life, you'll probably find that they happen in the next. For example, if you were cruel to someone, you might find that in a later life you are treated cruelly by someone else. On the other hand, if you're generous and kind to others, including animals, you won't always be thanked, but you'll be building up good karma for the next life, so you'll benefit eventually. It's not always as obvious as that, of course, but we all have lessons to learn, and for people who believe in karma, there is simply not enough time in one life to learn them all.

Have you ever visited somewhere new but felt as if you'd been there before? Have you met someone for the first time but sensed a strong bond and a familiarity? People say they feel drawn to certain periods in history, or are fascinated by a particular subject yet don't quite know why.

These could all be instances of past lives you've had, which have left a ghost of a memory in your awareness that's reawakened when you visit that place or meet that person. We may even have phobias about certain things because of an event that happened in a past life.

It is possible to remember your past lives through hypnosis or psychic development. Hypnosis is probably the preferred method because you are slowly led back through time by a professional. It's also the easiest for individuals who have had no prior intuitive training.

As you are regressed, you will experience various stages of 'being'. At the first stage you may only see blurred images and sureal environments. As you progress through the stages the images will become clearer and you will actually begin to feel as if you are truly in that space and time as an observer. At the deepest level of regression, you are no longer merely watching events occur, you are 'there', feeling and seeing everything as it happened, completely unaware of anything in present time.

Past life regression can allow you to see patterns of various lifetimes and this is helpful in determining your purpose or mission for this lifetime. The regression can also help in resolving a dilemma or challenge that you are facing and is especially successful for releasing phobias.

Karma

Many people, particularly in the Eastern countries of the World, believe in reinarnation and multiple lives. Those who do often also believe in the idea of karma, which is that all actions have a consequence of some kind, and not necessarily in the same life. If you do something that doesn't seem to have any consequences in one life, you'll probably find that they happen in the next. On the other hand, if you're generous and kind to others, including animals, you won't always be thanked but you'll be building up good karma for the next life, so you'll benefit eventually. It's not always as obvious as that, of course, but we all have lessons to learn, and for people who believe in karma there is simply not enough time in one life to learn them all.

Some information on this page is from The Element Pocket Encyclopedia of Mind Body Spirit & Earth by Joanna Crosse

For more information on reincarnation, check out these resources:

Past Lives / Other Lives at Elevated Therapy

Past Lives

Past Life Readings

Children's Past Lives