85% of the religions on this planet have a fundamental belief in reincarnation and past lives...that they will actually admit to.

There are usually 3 basic reasons for people to seek a Past Life Journey and these are: Curiosity (i.e., who was I, where did I live? Etc) Spiritual growth (discovery of life blue print, acceleration of one's spiritual growth through the viewing of past mistakes/lessons) and Therapeutic (resolving current issues which originate in past incarnations - unfinished business).

Dr. Edith Fiore was one of the pioneers of Past Life Therapy and said that over 95% of people's current issues result from Past life experiences, in the form of unfinished business, unresolved experiences etc. These issues can include such things as fears, phobias, physical ailments, weight, addictions, abandonment, self image issues, relationship difficulties etc...

Prior to entering into a new incarnation, we make various decisions relating to our upcoming life. These decisions include gender, race, geographic location, religion, appearance, karmic lessons, disabilities and unresolved issues. These provide the bulk of our "free will" choices and are actually made prior to us even getting here!

As Spirits, we are completely responsible for making our own decisions, however, although we make these choices prior to birth, and even conception, they are buried deep within our unconscious mind which means that they are not consciously remembered once birth occurs. Our soul, however, remembers and if these are the choices that we have made and the lessons that we have come here to learn, then this is what we must do. Free will does not come into it as far as whether or not we will learn these lessons or have these experiences. We are destined to do so. The only choices we now have in this regard is how long it will take us. We can resist our path for as long as we like if we wish to do so. We can choose to back track or stop completely, however, when we do decide to move, our path will invariably continue as we chose it to be in those pre conception days.

As Souls, once life begins, we retain individual choice and the accountability for those choices. With this in mind, we are able to change our minds and so, although, for example we may have chosen to come to learn about trust, experiences and changing circumstances may mean that it takes us more than one incarnation to do that. Nevertheless, the lesson is eventually learned...the easy way, or the hard way.

In exploring Past Lives in a Soul Light Journey, it is important to distinguish between Past Life Regression and Past Life Therapy. A Soul Light Journey is usually initially undertaken for curiosities sake, however, this can become therapy when it is used to provide resolution and healing of past life issues and events. Belief in reincarnation is unnecessary for this process to work.

Past Life memories may come to us in many ways eg/dejavu about people or places, recurrent dreams or an unexplained fear or phobia. Quite often, people who fear water, public speaking or heights, etc., etc., uncover traumatic past life experiences that explain them. As these traumas are explored and resolved in past life therapy, the phobias often cease to exist.

Actual occurrences from beyond our current lifetime are recorded in the deep subconscious part of ourselves. These events affect us just as events of significance from childhood do, even though we don't remember them. Ancient memories from previous existence's can have the same prayerful impact on our current lifetimes.

Past life patterns can influence a persons behavior, attitudes, likes and dislikes, relationships, phobias and almost every other aspect of life. Soul Light Journeys can assist a person to uncover past life events which could be the cause of unwanted and non-useful behaviors and chronic health and life style problems in this incarnation. Once the cause of a behavior is discovered, it can be resolved and healed.

Resolution of past life trauma can ease or resolve present life conflicts, by eliminating residue from the prior incarnation. Healing of this trauma in the present moment involves the resolution of the unfinished business from the past incarnation, which continues to influence a person's emotional balance.

Many emotional problems and conflicts can be quickly and effectively resolved through Soul Light Journeying.

Within a Soul Light Journey relating to past lives, the subject is guided to locate the source or cause of the problems from which they are suffering. Their own guides will reveal the time, place and circumstances and we will set about making new belief statements, which will set aside mental residue.

During this process, the entire meaning of an event or lifetime can be changed leaving no emotional charge on these formerly traumatic events.

Issues that are often encountered and successfully treated through Soul Light Journeys include unfounded fears, phobias; eating disorders; relationship issues; physical ailments; finding the life purpose, recovering lost talents or exploring lifetimes in historic times of interest.

With the knowledge and wisdom gained through Soul Light Journeys and the power of forgiveness the emotional residue of past incarnations can be healed, allowing people to live more fully in the moment and the best part about that is that it is a direct and swift way of reaching issues, allowing them to be resolved immediately with lasting results.

Reincarnation
(Portions Taken from Skyhawk's Book - "The Pagan Book of Living and Dying")

Death is not a final end. It's simply a part of a wheel that includes rebirth. Death is simply transformation, not termination. In Wicca, we are not striving to get off the wheel or to get beyond the need for rebirth. Rebirth is the Goddess's great gift to us, and we embrace it. Despite the emphasis on rebirth, death is still a great loss. Our essence, our Deep Self, is reborn, but our particular personality is wedded to a body, a gender, an ancestry, a life history. That personality will dissolve at death. Lessons we have learned will become part of our essential being. But much of what makes us unique in this life will be gone. This is much like when your personality changes thoughout your living life. Your environment and life challenges can often change your personality. For example, in this life your dignity is beaten down everyday by someone. Your personality is likely to be one of someone that feels they have no self worth or contribution. Now lets say in your next life you are born into a family that loves you very much and appreciates you, only touching you in a loving manner. Your personality in that life is likely to be one of someone that feels loved, has self worth and tackles the world with their head held high.

Suicide

Suicide is not a neutral act: it causes harm to family, partners, and intimate friends. It is not a solution to problems such as depression or despair; it simply transfers them to another plane and intensifies the challenges the soul faces. For these reasons, suicide is strongly discouraged. When someone does commit suicide, however, we attempt to view the act with the same compassion we would accord any other mistake. The person is still considered part of our community, entitled to the same spiritual aid, guidance, and rites as anyone else who has died.

Crossing Over

When you die, anything that you believe in does exist in the other world; the spirit crossing over goes wherever it expects. If you believe you will go to Avalon and walk with the Goddess beneath her flowering apple trees, then you will. You create your own "Heaven" in your mind. If you would like more examples, and a really good movie to watch, *grin* I suggest you check out "What Dreams May Come" starring Robyn Williams ©1998. This movie is the closest thing I've been able to find to these beliefs.

One Wiccans Point of View

(Written by Griffonstone) Many people have various opinions on what death is and what exactly happens to us when we die. I too have an opinion on this one. I have studied death and dying for the majority of my life and I have even experienced a few (yes, a few) near death experiences and out of body experiences. I guess you can say I've been there. So I will share what I have learned in my great adventure that I call life (and death). Well, as you might have already guessed, death is by no means the end of everything. It is certainly not the end of us! In fact, it is only the beginning of our new life, life anew, in other words. We are certainly immortal in our souls and this is something that we must learn to accept as it is something that we cannot just "ignore". There is no reason to fear death! But, to actively seek out death will cause you problems both here and on the other side alot more than you can imagine!

If we so choose, we can either stay on the other side (eternal life on a "higher" plane, that is to say: Heaven, The Happy Hunting Grounds, Nirvana etc.) or we may choose (yes, it is a choice) to reincarnate either back here on Earth or some other place. I do not feel that we have to worry about reincarnating into a slug or something like that but, we will reincarnate into someone that will best help us learn and understand what it is we need to learn or experience at that time. We will know what is needed to be done. There is no Hell or judgment. The multiverse is far too gigantic to worry about such trivial things. Ever wonder why there is the saying " you are your own worse judge?" I think that I will be far harder on myself than anyone else I can think of. For those who seem to have no conscious, the laws of Karma will be very active in your life. I believe that Karma is alive and well in our lives long before we die. Like I said, there is no judgment. We do have responsibility and consequence though. Just look around in our world and/or your own backyard for this one! I believe that life has a great plan and scheme for all of us and we are intimately entwined to it and each other. We all come from the God and Goddess; we are all their children! We will learn from our parents and ourselves. This is another reason for no Hell and judgment after life. You can let that one go now! (The whole Hell and judgment thing). Reincarnation is the God and Goddess's way of letting us explore their creations from many different points of view. Our parents want us to fully understand and enjoy what it is they have created. We can learn many wondrous (and often difficult) lessons in our development by fully utilizing their gifts and wonders. Remember, not all wonders are made of gold; we must accept the bitter with the sweet. The variety is what makes life worth experiencing, whether we see it or not.

Reincarnation - Edgar Cayce

Have We Lived Before? Just what is the nature of humankind? This same question, framed in dozens of different approaches, was asked repeatedly of Edgar Cayce. His answers-insights into our relationship with God, one another, and ourselves-have served as a foundation for comparative studies between the East and the West for decades.

From Cayce's perspective, we are not simply physical bodies or even physical bodies with souls, but are instead spiritual beings who are currently having a material experience. As souls, we have manifested in the earth in order to learn lessons that will enable us to return to our former state of spiritual awareness. At the same time, one purpose we all have in common is to bring the spirituality of the Creator into the earth. A soul can choose to be born into either a male or a female body in any given lifetime or, as Cayce called it, an incarnation. A soul selects that environment (parents and family, location, personal obstacles, etc.) which will best allow for the learning of lessons it needs for completeness. The goal is to fully express love in all the challenges which physical life offers. One's experiences are subject to the choices made with free will. As one grows, he or she learns-or rather remembers-his or her true relationship with God and one's heritage as a spiritual being. With free will, we can turn the challenges life presents to us into stepping-stones toward growth, or we can see them as obstacles and stumbling blocks. Either way, we reap what we have sown. We constantly meet the consequences of previous deeds and attitudes.

One frequently misunderstood concept regarding reincarnation has to do with karma. From the standpoint of the Cayce material, karma is not destiny; it is only memory. These memories are generally unconscious and influence our abilities, our faults, even our relationships with others, but with free will we can meet this memory as a positive or a negative experience. Karma provides us with the potential to learn a lesson we need in order to grow at a soul level, and free will determines whether or not we choose to learn it at this time. The choices we make determine the next set of potential experiences we encounter.

Much more than simply a concept that applies to a limited segment of the world, reincarnation is a philosophy that has-at one time or another-been embraced by all the major religions of the world. It's a concept that can allow us to have compassion for one another because ultimately we are all equal-there is only one God, and we are all His children. From Cayce's viewpoint, it doesn't really matter if an individual believes in reincarnation or not. For some it can be a helpful concept, for others confusing. The main purpose is to allow individuals to become aware of their true spiritual nature and their ultimate relationship with one another. In fact, if we can think for a moment about the one person in our life whom we love most of all. then we will get an inkling of the goal of reincarnation: to be able to love every single soul, even ourselves, with the very same love.