SOULS-R-WE
                                         A Primer on
        " The Concept of REINCARNATION"

I have labeled it a "concept" so we can explore together the thought that is behind such a belief before it becomes just that: A belief.

First and foremost I am going to state that it would serve mankind very much if we were all to accept or at least entertain the possibility of reincarnation.  But I am not here to ask that  you abandon your current beliefs. I am asking that you open your mind and add unto your present beliefs to awaken your own soul's knowing.

WHY is Reincarnation an important factor?  Well,  just think about the questions that you have running around in your head.......those philosophical ones that you just don't share with a casual acquaintance.......like "Why are we here?"  Reincarnation is the beginning of the understanding.......the stepping off point in spiritual awareness.


             
Karma ....... Who-Do Voo-Doo ?
Karma implies reincarnation.......
What the heck IS Karma, anyway? Ever since the hippies bantered the word about in the sixties the main stream thinking in our Western Society was that of invalidation or "who-do-voo-doo".
Most just chalked up the concept of Karma  to a dazed and confused counter culture due to sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll being at the heart of the hippie mind set.

Certainly the hippies did not have an insight to such spiritual concepts in Western society ....... surely the "make love not war" crowd didn't get a glimpse of anything that the previous generation hadn't known already!  So....... "Karma" was ignored and not openly taught.

The dubious hippies made their mark in history, alright, but never got their due with the generation that was still immersed in the horrific memories of World War II. (or "WWII" as my Dad had the right to call it)  And rightfully so!

With the onset of the United States' involvement in Viet Nam during this time, the so-called Peace Movement was a source of political irritation. Because it was conceived in the minds of the perceived drug-infested ones of society, the movement merely added salt to the already gaping wounds of the politically in-charge generation at that time. So, why would anyone who made any sense of things at all give stage to the concepts of the long-haired draft dodgers? ( as they were referred to in the day)
Hey! But wait just a minute ! That was MY generation that had to listen to all of the negative comments and endure all of the disrespect and invalidation from the "greatest" generation ! At the time, there was a huge divide between the generations. We grew up with the philosphy to "not trust anyone over thirty!"  That certainly was a reflection of the Boomers wanting to make changes and take charge of their own future and not validate much of what our parents' generation had accomplished.

                What a FINE how-do-ya-do ?!!!

This caused a stalemate of sorts between the "Greatest Generation" and the Boomers .........little did we know that all of this perceived (positive or negative) interaction, this give and take between the two generations, was by Divine Design and would set the stage for a very powerful shift in consciousness for the new millenium.

Presently, my generation, the BOOMERS, give our aging if not deceased, parents our love, sincere forgiveness, understanding, devotion and appreciation for the background that they provided for all of the new discoveries and accomplishments that we have made both personally and globally in our lifetime !

Due to the wars that our parents fought, the mistakes that they made, the laws that they passed and the social and family matters that succeeded and failed, the Boomers are who they are because of or in spite of our parents ........ it goes without saying that this is how it has been all throughout time. The previous generation always sets the stage for the evolution of the next.

This is the direct result of the Law of Karma and resulting in Karmic relationships. We choose our parents, most times our siblings (or not) our earthly bodies to house our spirit and most of  the details of our birth, such as date, name and time while in the spirit world .......  or Heaven as it is known.

Our choosing all of these details results in more opportunities that will assist in our spiritual evolution. Karma helps us with that growth. Each time that we are given an opportunity to settle (or not) a Karmic situation ....... it puts more "notches" on our gunbelt, so to speak.  It always aligns us with that spiral of growth that all of us are seeking.
Again, we are all growth-seeking beings or we would NOT be in the physical. We would NOT have chosen to reincarnate upon the earth plane and we would NOT have chosen to burden ourselves (our spirits) with the undaunting task of learning how to manipulate energy in this dense, dense material world in the vehicles that we call bodies.

We are all  absolutely amazing in that we have come to earth because we knew (and still do at a soul level) the benefits of not only adding to the growth  & evolution of our individual spirits....... but we also knew that just by our coming to earth  housed in physical bodies & living life's experiences, we would also contribute to the growth & evolution to  All That Is .......Our God. We are important beings out here on the cutting edge !!!!!
So, again, what the heck is .......Karma?
Most spiritual teachers say that it is simply "cause and effect" . We are not to perceive the  meaning of the word Karma as bad or good ....... but view it as "it is what it is"....... Meaning, it is a spiritual law that is for our spirit's evolution, expansion or growth and not to be perceived as good or bad in of itself.  Karma comes into play whether we believe in it or not. Karma is in effect by default.

                    KARMA HAPPENS !   :)

Because of Karma, there is a consequence (a result) with every thing that we think, say or do.......sometimes, the result is considered appropriate and other times not so appropriate, but the word Karma, itself  is not perceived as good or bad only the results of Karma.

In the documentation of Jesus' teachings in the Bible the word Karma was all but stated in His words that "As you sow so shall you reap". He clearly is referring to what other cultures call Karma. The Law of Karma is also at the heart of the "Golden Rule", that "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you." (Matthew 7 )

Jesus wanted to teach us about Karma (cause and effect) because He knew that  the Law of Karma was so very binding in the eyes of God or "All that is". Jesus also knew that because  of our agreement prior to coming back to earth (while in the spirit realm) we most likely FORGOT about this crazy little law called Karma.

Being the Beloved Brother in Spirit as He was, Jesus was compelled to come to the earth plane to remind  us humans and give us a sort of "heads up" on this law. Jesus appealed to all of us to understand that our thoughts, words and deeds all offered consequences to us as individuals as well as to the entire human race, no matter what the laws of man at the time happened to be.  Jesus wanted us to understand the Law of Karma at the level of our  heart, mnind and soul.

Since all is energy, we can then, say that Karma is nothing more than "energy that needs balanced".  It is what it is and has been collected over many lifetimes. "What comes around goes around."  "Like begets like."  No one, absolutely no one can escape the Law of Karma !

All that we think, say and do is "recorded" or embedded on our soul's
path of  spiritual evolution. Karma is not angry or designed to punish.

Again, it is what it is .......It  all will be added to the evolution of our spirit.......and every bit of it will affect our current and future lives, whether you beleive in reincarnation or not. It just makes it easier if you DO, at least understand the concept, so you are not wandering haplessly and aimlessly while you are in this physical body.

Since Karma is cause and effect, wouldn't it be to each of our advantage to begin to settle our Karma during this lifetime? Even if you are not a believer that our spirit re-cycles and that we have lived on earth before and will again if we choose....... wouldn't it be to our benefit to live this (current) life as if  we did have some control over what "happens" to us? "Do unto others......."

Oh, sure.......the majority of us has Karma to "settle" when we first walk upon this earth or there would be not much  NEED to return.  BUT........ if we are cognizant of this law, maybe just maybe, we can spend the rest of our lives with the purposeful intent of settling our Karma while here in this lifetime....... as well as not creating even more Karma to settle now, in Heaven or in future incarnations here upon the earth plane. Let's revisit our hippie days ....... and extract the  concepts of love and peace once again as we explore the concept of Karma and its role in each of our lives. Do we want to settle the Karma from our past lives or do we want to continue with the old established patterns that have proven not to serve us?  And  then if we knew that we had the choice, would we choose to make even more Karma ? Well, now you know ...... we DO have the choice ...... and it's all yours! What's it gonna be? 
Karmic Relationships
Reincarnation
Karma
Karmic Relationships
Random Rants of Wisdom
Each one of us knew that each lifetime upon the earth was of the greatest value to the greater good.  Each lifetime was an opportunity to be both student & teacher ....... & we also knew that we could not possibly get it WRONG or ever get it DONE. We knew that life is eternal & forever seeking growth.
Transition
Reincarnation Tidbits
When you accept the concept of reincarnation you then, further understand the explanations of most of the teachings of Christianity.......the true teachings of Jesus.

Reincarnation is a fact. Every human being on earth has lived before.......and most of us many, many times!

Reincarnation is also a key factor in understanding how we are to conduct ourselves here on Planet Earth. With this comprehension you can come to the realization that the earth plane is a physical classroom for the soul...... and that each individual spirit is eternal.......and every soul transcends all lifetimes and all deaths.

Life is eternal. YOU are eternal. "Birth" is the choice to come back to the  physical classroom to evolve or expand the spirit which resides in each one of us.
And death from the physical is not an end....... but merely a respite for the reflection of the soul's physical lifetime that just concluded.

Once we cross over to the spirit realm after each lifetime we rest, rejuvenate, relax and  study. Then we begin to plan our next lifetime in the physical.......IF we choose to do so. Some of us will not come back.

Just like the many differences with the people here on earth, the spirit world is full of many spirits or souls, who factor in different scenarios for their evolvement.......so, I cannot "blanket coverage" the details of every soul's experience on the other side, but I have been shown many examples of  what it's like through the sum total of the conscious events which composed my lifetimes as well as those of my clients.
Traditional religion got it right when it was taught that Jesus came to save the world.......He most certainly did! (along with some of the other great spiritual teachers throughout History) But not in the context that the traditional churches would have you believe. Jesus is not the ONLY son of God.......and Jesus did not come to the physical wanting to start, yet, another religion or church.

He wanted to save his brothers and sisters, all of equal value in the eyes of God, from ourselves. He was not promoting Himself nor more religious dogma.

Jesus wanted the souls of the earth plane, living in the vehicles of the human bodies to know that there are certain universal laws that, if applied, could enhance and assist the growth of
the collective soul or collective consciousness  while helping each  individual soul to expand and lessen their cycle of times to reincarnate in the earth's classroom.

He knew that  every soul begins with a specific mission in mind  during the planning stages while in the spirit realm .......and although there are an infinite ways of achieving that mission ....... the original intention of every individual soul or spirit who decides to reincarnate on the earth is to expand or evolve their individual soul, or consciousness or spirit or the God Self or Inner Being........ or whatever you want to call it (and I will interchange those labels often, so it is understood that it is all the same) while raising the collective consciousness, also.
REMEMBER :
                         We are growth seeking beings!

You would not be taking the time to read these words if you did not already feel that urging to learn and expand in your very own soul. We are continually propelled forward in our quest for spiritual knowledge.

The reason that we chose the earth classroom while in spirit over the other possibilities is to experience  DUALITY .

Duality is the state of opposites or contrasts such as:               
     male/female, good/evil, hot/cold,  
     love/hate, up/down, war/peace etc........

Universally speaking, earth is the only place that offers duality. We chose to originally incarnate (then to reincarnate) here to experience all that duality has to offer for our soul's growth and evolution because it is not offered anywhere else in the Universe. You have heard earth being called "the insane asylum of the Universe"....... well, that just may very well be true ! (but only in the sense that it presents such contrast ....... & contrast is what propels us forward in our spiritual growth. In order to know what we DO want ....... we need to ascertain what we do NOT want first. The material world is a perfect stage in which to study as there are many challenges.

One would scratch his head and  wonder at the decision to come to earth  subsequent times when we knew from the first incarnation that it truly was a rough place to inhabit in an emotional sense! But, while in spirit, those of us who are here now on earth yearned for that unique, exhilarating & contrasting experience that only earth can deliver!

Yeah, call us crazy, but every one of us who were or are on earth  .......*CHOSE this one-of-a-kind experience....... all inclusive no exceptions. 

I would like those of you who are still not buying any of this to,  just for fun.......go back and read the Bible from this perspective: Open up the Bible anywhere. It could be a favorite verse or book or chapter of yours. Or you could go to Psalms and read one of the lovely poems there.......but what I would like you to do is just read from the Bible and as you do so, think from the perspective of knowing that reincarnation is an absolute truth.

Does that  make you abandon your current beliefs as you read the passages or does it merely add unto the foundation of your beliefs and give you a deeper, more empowering understanding of this age-old text as a tool for life and not a mandate threatening punishment?

If you now view the Bible as a gentle and loving persuasion to guide you to the most fulfilling and wonderful life that can be had on earth ....... that is your soul crying out with excitement. You are on your way to discovering the answers to your many questions that you have accumulated over this lifetime. But YOU, from WITHIN your very soul ....... not from any of the traditional dogma on the outside....... will be the one in the pilot's seat. YOU and YOU alone will  experience overwhelming joy to lift the rocks in the stream of life one by one to uncover the answers to the questions that have gone unanswered for you all of these years.......all of these lifetimes.
No disrespect meant ....... I have a huge respect for traditional religion. Both sides of my family had  Protestant ministers in their midst. My paternal grandmother taught Sunday School and played the piano for her church. My Aunt was a Church Secretary, my Dad the Treasurer of our church and every adult family member on both sides attended church regularly. Of course, all of us kids were prodded to church every Sunday and taught by, yet, another aunt without fail. That was the way it was .......and my story was no different than my friends' story in the 50's and 60's in our small town. The only difference was that some of my friends were Catholic and others were Protestant.  But we all were raised with the basic understanding of the teachings in the Bible and the beliefs that there is a God .......and also life after death. A good foundation for sure. But ....... none of us  actually spoke of the possibility of reincarnation.

When I had my NDE, it was discussed merely from the perspective of how "lucky" I was to have been revived . I could not offer to even my closest and dearest friends the real story; The real reason that I felt appreciative or lucky....... That "coming back" from the other side with  wisdom that I had not had prior was an exhilaration that I had never imagined ....... and I could share it with no one.  But it totally shaped my perspective about every phase, every moment, every experience in my life from that day forward. Life was awesome and to be treasured!

In the 60's reincarnation was just not accepted and anyone who breathed that word was regarded as a tad unusual to say the least. I did not want to put myself "out there" and risk how my family, friends and community viewed me, so I just remained silent about the true details of it all.

Going about life in the traditional sense just made much MORE sense to me than allowing my life to be dissected from the perspective of critics who may have never had the opportunity for a similar experience.  So, I chalked the NDE up as just that, an experience, and shelved pursuing the whys and wherefores  until later .

It was at the time that I began to lose people that I loved in my life to the thing that we call death....... that I resurrected and pursued the meaning of my being shown the NDE to begin with...........

Like so many, it takes tragic situations, death, illness and other catastrophic events and changes in our lives to awaken us. In other words, most of us NEED "hit up the side of the head with a hammer", like the old saying goes.

DEATH does that to us.......we are never the same once we experience the death of someone close to us. Death is the great leveler. Each one of us, experiences the very same feeling when we lose someone to death. We may go about displaying those feelings differently.......but, ultimately, the inner grieving is the same world-wide.

The times when we lose family members and friends are, yet, another opportunity for our soul's growth. Our grieving process includes those deep, evocative, gut-wrenching questions.......the biggest one being
"Why" ?

Even as adults most of us are not prepared to deal with the death of someone we love.........nor are we ever given emotional tools with which to cope.......and that is where tradional religion drops the ball.

Traditional religion just does not give us the true coping skills that our Brother Jesus meant us to have while here in the physical for many areas of our lives.

Jesus incarnated here on the earth plane so He could give us the key to our salvation here in the physical as well as our understanding of our path back to our true home in the spirit world.

Reincarnation was one of the truths that Jesus and His followers recognized. At the time of Jesus, the belief of reincarnation was a "given"....... He knew that most people of His time and before, knew reincarnation to be an engrained fact of their belief system.       

Jesus used reincarnation as a sort of springboard for everything else that He taught. Reincarnation, I will say again.......was the basis for the teachings from which Jesus gave mankind to cope with this physical classroom of life.

Jesus knew that humans were unnecessarily faltering and suffering with the collective souls' path here on the earth plane.  His own path, His reason for incarnating, was to help give us the TOOLS to move toward the very reason for our souls coming to earth in the first place: To evolve and expand our consciousness without needless suffering.

He knew that our beliefs were a precursor to the actual manifestation OF our lives here on earth. At that time (not unlike today) the beliefs that mankind held, in general, were not serving the human population. Jesus charged himself with the insurmountable task of teaching  Universal Laws to the  human masses even before His birth here in the physical. He came to earth on the specific mission to teach mankind WHY WE GET WHAT WE GET in our earthly experiences.
Jesus came here because the people on earth (remember..... the people were spirits housed in the bodies of man, then, too!)  at that time were asking more & more for the answers to their dilemmas.  The people on earth created such an inner asking that a savior HAD ao appear.

When critical mass asks ........ critical mass gets answers.

Jesus was that great teacher, that savior, that was summoned by the minds & hearts of many souls  during that time.

I am a Past Life Regression Therapist. I have been on both sides of the therapy; as the facilitator and the client. And each and every time that I am witness to a Past Life Regression Session.......I am in total amazement and moved so much as to the wonderment of it all!

Becoming a regression therapist and being privy to the process of such a healing modality was a lifelong dream of mine ....... ever since I was "shown" that there is life after death and that we truly do live many lives on this earth plane.

In my mid-teens, I was stung by a bee and went into anaphylactic shock and almost died. I had a Near Death Experience (NDE) that changed the way I viewed life. That NDE handed me the keys to the knowing that there is much, much more to the story of our lives here on earth than traditional spiritual teachings and religions impart.
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In Mathew, while delivering the Sermon of the mount Jesus tells us of the Karmic Law (without calling it "Karma") by stating , "With the judgement that you make you will be judged and the measure that you give will be the measure that you get."

Jesus then goes right to what we call the Golden Rule and says, "In everything do to others as you would have them do unto you; for this is the law of the prophets." His entire sermon pertains to teaching the crowd the consequences (or effect) that every thought, feeling, word and action has on self and each other.

Jesus spoke to that crowd in a time that only the basics could be understood as it was a time for basic survival in this physical world. So the basic Universal Laws (God's Laws) were relayed by Jesus in a basic manner and basic language to the people of that time because, although their souls yearned for spiritual understanding, they could only assimilate BASIC concepts .......

                             All Part of God's Plan !

It was only fair that the spirits inhabiting the physical earth plane were exposed to the Universal Laws because these spirits, in physical vehicles called bodies, had to understand why they were "getting" (all of the suffering and hardships ) what they were getting! Jesus' heart ached to witness such crisis on earth just because the souls, here, had FORGOTTEN the Universal Laws.

Jesus incarnated to bring His Father's, OUR Father's Laws back to the people, so suffering could be minimized while His brothers and sisters inhabited the earth's classroom.

God did not want man to suffer unnecessarily. He had given man free will and would not interfere with man's choices. However, over time....... the Universal Laws (which included Free Will) had been forgotten. All of the laws that were understood to be truths in the spirit realm (Heaven) had not been brought forth into this physical existence that we call earth or just plain forgotten.

Jesus saw the need to come forth into the physical from the spirit realm to bring with Him the teachings and truths of the universe. Jesus was God's messenger ....... our Savior in the sense, that His teachings of God's Laws, the Universal Laws, would enlighten us and therefore, SAVE US from the suffering that  was witnessed on earth at that time ....... as well as future times.

Each time Jesus relayed information to the masses, He had to customize the sermon to the crowd, much like the politicians of modern times do for every different town on their campaign stump. Well, Jesus was no different ....... He had to speak in parables, in stories, in symbols, in a narrative that every community at the time could comprehend based on their BELIEF systems.

Let me explain, briefly, what a BELIEF actually is ....... it is ANY THOUGHT that is thought over and over in one's mind until that particular thought becomes embedded in the individual's perspective of what is TRUTH for him. (not the masses, but for the individual) Communities, like families, tend to believe similarly. That is really no surprise, is it? Like minded people (souls) tend to travel together ........ it is evident in every area of our lives. It's fun to observe this and make note of it at every opportunity.

"Belief" does not necessarily pertain purely to faith or religious ideology. A "belief" is what is truth in our individual reality ....... for example: (this is a wild example! ... :))

If one would begin the thought that bananas could cause his not seeing yellow school buses on the highways ....... and he kept thinking it over and over again and conditioning his mind (self or guided hypnosis) to think that if he ate bananashe would not see or acknowledge yellow school buses on the highways, he would eventually quit eating bananas  because his BELIEF would not permit him to do so. That belief would harbor fear that the individual would not see a yellow school bus on the highway and possibly cause injury or death to innocent school children. The BELIEF that eating bananas would cause this ....... would, then, govern the individual's actions in this area and limit or even eliminate his experience of eating bananas !

Most times, one's beliefs restrict an individual from advancing or evolving in a particular lifetime as quickly as intended. This is the reason most of us choose to reincarnate again and again ....... because with each incarnation,  some of what we intended to gain in spiritual understanding is not achieved or we just fall short so we choose to repeat...... just to keep up with the spiritual commitments with ourselves and others. But keeping an open mind to add unto (not abandon) our current beliefs can benefit us greatly in every lifetime.

So....... like with all things, to begin with, BELIEFS are THOUGHTS !!!

When Jesus was alone with His Disciples (His followers, students, pupils) He could speak more freely as the understanding was there. All of the Universal Laws were a "given".......all of the "beliefs" were in place and there was no need for rehashing what the laws were or what they meant. Jesus and His Disciples were, for the most part on the same page with thoughts and beliefs.

In Jesus' inner circle, it was noted that the job at hand was to arm the people of the day with information to add unto their current belief system so that with those beliefs, they could be delivered from unnecessary anguish and suffering.

      Since most people in the time of Jesus, accepted reincarnation as a "given", a belief, a truth ....... it would benefit and serve them greatly to also take into their belief system the Law of Karma. That way, people would understand their lot in life more clearly and not perpetuate the suffering due to ignorance of this law. Karma "happens" whether by intent or default.

It is not different today in that respect. The Law of Karma still exists whether we have forgotten it or just choose to not acknowledge it.

What IS different during these times of instant communication is that we have immediate access to information. There is absolutely no excuse to remain ignorant on a particular topic if we are guided to it. Spiritually speaking, if we are shown the truths but refuse to take them into our hearts as truths due to our free will, we are still responsible for our thought, word and actions and cannot claim being a victim under any circumstance. We cannot blame God ....... only ourselves once we have been exposed to the Universal Laws. We are no longer ignorant. We are responsible for manifesting what we want in our lives and Karma and how we respond to our Karmic contracts has absolutely most everything to do with what "happens" to us on earth.

Our intention of coming forth into the physical (birth) at this time is so that we can fully understand and remember the Universal Laws. When we understand the Law of Karma, for example, we can observe our lives without judgement for self or others, and then execute forgiveness which promotes healing. Healing is something that each one of us needs. If we do not heal, we will create even more unbalanced energy or  Karma, within our physical and emotional selves.

Karmic Relationships are most proprietary. Every relationship affects us in the here and now because they are, basically, the exchange of energy. Relationships are also brought forth from past lives .......

Understanding this fact can be  a major breakthrough for many of us.  With each life, yes, we have free will, but ....... with each life, we have the "residue" of old Karmic "stuff" ....... that unbalanced energy, which includes relationships with others as well as places and things.

I will tell you, though, from personal experience, even when you know and understand Karma and Karmic Relationships, it is most difficult to relate it to your own personal Karma as you encounter some of the more difficult or challenging events or relationships in your lifetime.

At times, you truly cannot "see the forest for the trees" ....... Just ask my hubby. :)

                                                                                  ~ Holly ~