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10 things everyone should know about reincarnation

Published 10 Jul 2009 Reincarnation , Spirituality7 Comments Tags: Reincarnation, Self, Soul 

Around the world, many people—perhaps the majority overall—accept a belief in reincarnation

as part of their religion. 

Not many people in t he West believe in it, though. In fact , m any scoff at t he very idea and regard it

as nonsense.

This is largely because in the West we are enamored with the benefits of scientific knowledge and

increasingly scept ical of the old religions—right ly so, in my view. The knowledge science provides can

be systematically checked to ensure that it is valid and reliable. This is why it is of such great value.

But it is not necessarily the only source of knowledge that is valid and reliable.

Besides, what science can see is limited to that which is physical and objective. Reality itself is not

necessarily so lim it ed. If we limi t our understanding of what realit y can be to just what science can 

see , we are leaving ourselves half-blind.

Thanks to a combination of channelled teachings, after-death communications, insights from

near-death experiences, reports of hypnotic regression and even scientific research into past

lives, it is now possible to put together a very clear picture of reincarnation. 

Whether one regards such informat ion as fact ual knowl edge or as loony nonsense depends upon one’s

openness to non-physical sources of informat ion.

Interest ingly, i n light of this accumulation of knowledge, we can now see that even wit hin those

Eastern cultures that believe in reincarnation, many people’s understanding of it is confused by all

sorts of religious doctrines that are just plain wrong.

So, here are ten things about reincarnation which I think are valid and reliable and which I believe

everyone—East or West—would benef it fr om knowing:

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10 things everyone should know about reincarnation

1. The soul exist s.

•  All human beings are a combination of physical, mortal body and non-physical, immortal

soul. The soul isn’ t j ust a myt h or an il lusion or a reli c of pre-scientif ic supersti t ion. Your

soul is the absolute essence of you — the only t rue answer t o the quest ion, “ Who am I?”

It i s who you always are regardless of how you feel or what you believe or how youperceive yourself.

•  From t he body’s perspective, t he soul is the conscious, animat ing life f orce wit hin it .

From the soul’s perspective, the body is a vehicle for inhabiting the physical world and

experiencing physical existence.

•  The soul is pure consciousness, pure energy, pure be ing. It is our innermost self . It exists

on a timeless, non-physical level of realit y. It is a piece of Spiri t or God or Source, a

spark of divine li ght and love, a fragment of absolute per fect ion.

2. The soul evolves.

•  All souls are on a mission t o evolve (grow, develop) t hrough thei r own experiences and

eff ort s. To evolve as a soul is to become increasingly self -aware and self -capable as a

unique expression of Spiri t . By evolving, the soul changes in i t s level of beingness and

consciousness, from new-born innocence to greater and greater levels of love, power

and wisdom. In effect , that w hich is created rej oins the Creator — aft er eons of

evolution.

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3. The soul evolves most ef f ect ively i n physical f orm .

• Evolution of the soul comes about through choice — making choices big and small, andexperiencing the eff ects of each choice.

•  A soul evolves most eff ect ively by f acing and making choices as a separate individual, a

distinct physical form. To do so, the soul incarnates — that is, the soul fuses wi th a

human body for a whole lif et ime, from birt h to death. By doing so, t he soul gets to

experience being physically limited and physically separated from others and from all-

that-is.

•  This is actuall y an illusion, a t rick of the senses, as the soul it self is never reall y lim it ed

or separate. But the ill usion creates enough desire, fear and other pressures to cause

the soul to experience conflicts and dilemmas and to make choices. It also puts the

soul’ s own percept ions, f eelings and decisions under t he microscope, as it were.

•  The experiences and choices of a l ifet ime serve as lessons for the soul once t he li fe is

completed. Aft er death (t he soul’ s exit from t he physical realm), t he soul and its guides

review w hat happened during the l ife and what lessons can be learned from it . The soul

not only review s it s own exper iences and choices but also discovers the eff ects of i t s

own choices on others during the life. For example, the decision to steal a sum of money

at one point may have caused the victim significant hardship and anxiety. The soul

learns that all choices have consequences, not just for the self but for everyone.

4. The soul under goes t he f u l l r ange of m eaningful human experiences 

and choices by reincarnat ing.

•  One human lifet ime is not enough to experience the whole gamut of li fe circumstances

and to make all choices. For example, the soul needs to experience life as both male

and female; as both vict im and perpet rator; as both student and teacher… Hence, t he

soul re-incarnates many times over in order t o experience the full spectrum of lif e.

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Being human again and again wit h a dif ferent body (and different lif e circumstances)

each time enables the soul to experience the full range of possible perspectives and

relationships and all the lessons that these entail. Through many different human

experiences, t he soul gradually becomes more self -aware, gradually discovers more of

it s true capabilities and gradually l earns how t o overcome t he illusory lim it ations of

being physical.

•  Generally, t he soul learns best through a “ compare and cont rast ” process, not through

blind repet it ion. Hence any given lifet ime may be completely dif ferent in some way

from the last one. From t he soul’ s point of view, t here is lit t le value in repeating the

same kind of lif e again and again (unless, t hat i s, t here is a specif ic lesson wit hin t hat

lif estyle which has yet to be learned — in which case, Groundhog Day is an excellent

metaphor). Each human lifetime is an opportunity to learn specific lessons. One

lif etim e, f or example, m ight focus on learning greater self-responsibilit y while t he next

might focus on being kinder t o others. If i n one lif etime t he soul experiences being a

man wit h a lot of power over women, say, it w ould then be of value to contrast that

with the experience of being a powerless woman. The soul has no preference for one

side of t he equat ion or the ot her, since both sides help draw out diff erent aspects of t he

soul.

5. The soul has no nat ional i t y, creed, r ace or gender .

•  There is no such thing as a Jewish soul or a Chinese soul or whatever. We are just souls,

and as souls we are free to experience the whole variety of human cultures across the

planet. We choose our birth location, race and nationality to suit our purposes for any

given lifet ime. Somet imes race and creed are a deliberate choice; at other t imes they

are merely incidental t o what the lif e is about. Because t he soul learns through a

process of “ compare and cont rast ” , one who has j ust experienced a lif e as (say) an

Israeli soldier might decide to be a Palestinian in the next.

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•  There is no such thing as a male soul or a female soul. Gender is a biological

phenomenon, not a spiri tual one. Human beings are of t wo sexes and so we have t o

choose which one to be before each lif e begins.

•  Because we want to experience, compare and contrast all possible perspectives, we will

choose to experience lives as both men and women. We can be male or female as often

as we please. We can be male in one lifet ime and female the next . Or we can be male

for ten lifetimes and female for the next fifty lifetimes. It is all a matter of choice. Even

if we have a st rong preference for one gender, w e will st ill t end to incarnate as the

other gender every now and then, j ust t o maintain a balanced perspective.

6. The soul st icks t o one species at a t im e.

•  Contrary t o cert ain teachings, t he souls of hum an beings reincarnat e only as human

beings. There may be rare exceptions where one experiments with being a dolphin, say,

but as a rule w e do not ret urn as insects or cows or blades of grass or what have you.

The soul’s mission is to expand in consciousness, and there is no value for the soul

already at t he human level in experiencing lif e at a “ sub-human” level of consciousness.

We are spiri tual beings on a human journey, l earning to be ourselves through human

experiences, human relat ionships and human choices.

7. Each l i f et im e is pr e-planned.

•  Before t aking birt h, t he soul (along wit h it s guides in spirit ) w ill decide what experiences

and choices the life should include. The appropriate circumstances and relationships will

be chosen and set up wit h t he cooperation and agreement of ot her souls who w ill be

involved.

•  For example, let’s say the soul wants to experience being compassionate towards

children. The soul may decide that t he lif e t o come should include its own childhood

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experience of abandonment by t he mother. This would help dri ve the personalit y in

adult l ife t o want t o help abandoned children. Another soul will t hen agree, out of love,

to be the mother who abandons this soul in childhood.

•  Most maj or events in life are pre-planned: t he birth, the family, t he school, t he

relat ionships, the career and so on. This includes deaths, accident s and ill nesses. There

is, however, plenty of room for unplanned things to occur. No plan is set in stone.

Agreements do not have to be kept. Choice overrides “ dest iny” .

•  The body is also chosen by t he soul before bir th. Souls are aware of w hich foetuses are

viable and which are not, and which are going to be term inated before birt h. (Hence,

abort ion is not really ‘ murder’. )

•  Some lif etimes are explicit ly set up for the soul t o undergo a particular l earning

experience (such as being a teacher, for example), while some are actually undertaken

for t he benefit of others’ learning experiences. For example, w e might opt to live a lif e

as a much-loved child who suddenly dies while still young, purely in order to help

another soul undergo the experience of t ragic loss.

8. There is a law of karm a…

•  … but it is not l ike many people think it is. If soul A kills soul B in one lif etime, t hen in a

later lif etime soul B wil l kill soul A. That is the ef fect of karma. But karma is not (repeat

not ) about cosmic j ust ice or divine ret ribut ion. From t he perspective of Spirit , t here is

no need for cosmic j ust ice because t here is no such t hing as cosmic inj ust ice. Karma is

really about “ entanglement” . If I do something in physical life t hat violates your free

wil l, w e become entangled. We both feel t he lack of equilibrium bet ween us. It’ s like

we have become t ied t ogether by a rope. The only way t o restore equilibrium is to undo

the entanglement —by having you violate my f ree wil l in a similar way. That w ay, we

both know fr om experience what i t i s like to be both t he violator and the violated.

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•  Souls tend to commit karmic acts in the early stages of their reincarnations when they

have less experience of human existence. Typical karmic acts are: murder, rape,

dismemberment, imprisonment, abandonment. In all cases, one person imposes

something on another against the other’ s wil l. There is no karmic entanglement for act s

that are accidental or not by choice.

9. Reincarnat ion has a beginning and an end.

•  Contrary t o certain t eachings, w e are not t ied t o a wheel of endless death and rebirt h,

to be saved only by renouncing the world and seeking spiritual liberation. The whole

 j ourney of evolving through reincarnat ion begins wi th us at a cer tain level and ends once

we reach another level. It t akes (t ypically) wel l over 100 lifet imes. From fir st human life

to last requires thousands of years, depending upon the availabilit y of physical bodies.

•  In spirit , t he whole path is clear to us and we know exactl y what we are doing. Each

lif etim e is a deliberate adventure and is undertaken out of l ove and a desire t o evolve.

10. Ther e is no urgency.

•  Contrary t o what many teach on t he subject, there is no ur gency for us to become

enlightened, or to complete our reincarnational cycle. It is not “ bet ter” to evolve

quickly over a few lives than to evolve slowly over many lives. Reincarnation is not a

challenge t o reach the end of evolution as quickly as possible. We are not “ caught” in

the cycle of human death and rebirt h. The physical world is not a hell-hole to be

climbed out of. God is not wishing we would get a move on.

•  From the perspective of Spirit, there is no passage of time. Time is just a perceptual

phenomenon for us while in physical form. Souls literally do not care how many

thousands of years it t akes t o get from one level of r eincarnation t o another. The

passage of t ime in human t erms is, t o t he soul, irrelevant.

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A final word

I would also add one more correction to certain teachings: souls do not norm ally r eincarnat e 

instantly after death . Usually there is a period of several years between one life and the next, during

which the soul recuperates, considers the lessons learned f rom t he last lif e and plans it s next one.

It should come as no surpri se t o learn t hat w e have had a past lif e, or even many past lives. The only

ones who haven’t lived a previous lif e are t hose at the very beginning of t he reincarnat ional cycle.

The only ones who aren’ t coming back after this lif e are those at t he very end of t he cycle.

Reincarnation is the norm for all human beings. It is universal. It is what we are all doing here.

 ____________________________________________________________________  

Further reading

For more information on t his website, see -

•  The Michael Teachings 

•  Reincarnat ion: the 35 steps of soul evolut ion 

See all m y blogpost s tagged “ reincarnat ion”  , i ncluding these popular posts:

•  Michael Jackson – the reincarnat ion of Mozart?

•  John Lennon – the reincarnat ion of Branwel l Brontë?

The best off-site link on reincarnation in general is probably this one:

• The Reincarnation FAQ 

- barr y  

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7 Responses to “10 things everyone should know about reincarnation” 

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1.  1Carol Hubbard16 Feb 2010 at 1:39 am 

One comment: From the many books I’ve read (especially the detailed past-life regressionrecords kept by researchers such as Dr. Michael Newton and Dr. Brian Weiss), Person Akilling Person B does not mean that B WILL kill A in another life (because, after all, B maybe a highly evolved soul who would never do such a thing); but, rather, that A will need tobe on the receiving end (be the victim) at the hands of some person (whoever that is)who’s still at a level where he/she will commit such an act. Thanks. — Carol Hubbard,ReincarnationTruth.com

Reply 

1.  2- barry -16 Feb 2010 at 8:17 am 

Great – thanks Carol.

I’ve also read (I forget where – maybe Roger Woolger) that B could “return thefavour” through some non-violent act. For example, let’s say A once killed B with aknife to the stomach. In a later life, A is a woman about to give birth in hospitaland B, who is now a physician, gives her an emergency C-section.

- barry

Reply 

2.  3La Quishia N.07 May 2010 at 6:32 am 

We are not “caught” in the cycle of human death and rebirth.

But why do I feel that I am?

Reply 

0.  4barry07 May 2010 at 10:11 am 

I would say it’s partly that we all feel ‘caught’ in our bodies — we are seeminglylocked into our bodies for the duration and we do not (easily) recall making thechoice to be here in this form. So from the perspective of the ‘locked-in’ humanconsciousness, existence is a mystery and death is a tragedy. But I would alsosuspect it’s partly because of a widespread belief that incarnation itself is a sign of one’s supposed spiritual failure or incompleteness (“if I was perfect I wouldn’thave to be here”) — and one that is visible to everyone else — together with a

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feeling that the end of reincarnation is the ultimate trophy in terns of self-worth.But the soul sees the bigger picture and isn’t troubled by such issues.

Reply 

3.  5Gayle20 Nov 2010 at 3:46 am 

 “The only way to restore equilibrium is to undo the entanglement—by having you violatemy free will in a similar way. That way, we both know from experience what it is like to beboth the violator and the violated. ” 

You forget about forgiveness…that which throws a big honkin monkey wrench into the

whole karma tit-for-tat, and breaks entanglement threads with wild abandon

Reply 

0.  6barry20 Nov 2010 at 10:52 am 

Yes, you’re right. Though apparently it’s not very common:

 “In rare instances, the energy imbalance is neutralized through “grace,” in whichthe murderer fully realizes his infringement, and both parties are able and willingto forgive the karma without acting it out physically.” — Shepherd Hoodwin

(http://www.michaelteachings.com/karma.html) 

- barry

Reply