Reincarnation - Part 1

     Brian Weiss, author of "Many Lives Many Masters", was in Atlanta this past weekend and several of my friends went to see him.  Thus, reincarnation seems to be a topic of current interest and conversation in my circle. Several years ago a friend asked me why I believe reincarnation is real. When I met this person there was a very deep and instant connection that I could explain in no other way than if we had known each other in many other lifetimes. My new/old friend acknowledged the unusual and immediate sense of familiarity; the instant feeling that we'd known each other for many years.  He had never considered reincarnation and it was not a part of his belief system. Thus the writing down of my thoughts and experiences on the subject.
     Is reincarnation real? First, let’s clarify that people do not reincarnate, souls do. So, the first question you must ask yourself is “What is a Soul”? Generally, most people identify themselves so strongly with their physical bodies, their minds (or thoughts), and egos (the “I” former, which identifies itself with our positions and possessions) they are really not very connected to the core essence of their being, or their soul.
     So what is a soul? Deepak says the soul is non-local, acausal, quantum mechanical, interrelatedness. In more understandable words this means the soul resides outside of space and time, has no particular location, there is no cause and effect, things are non-linear, and everything is instantly correlated, and inseparably connected and correlated with everything else on this level.
     How do we connect to our soul? One of the best ways to connect with our soul is through meditation. During meditation we occasionally slip into a place, sometimes referred to as “the gap”, where we glimpse our soul. When you slip into “the gap” you transcend space, time and causality. What happens when you begin experiencing this state of consciousness? You start realizing there is more to reality than we experience in the first three States of Consciousness (deep sleep, dreaming, waking). You will notice you have more intuition, you inner world and your outer world establish some connection. You will notice your senses become enhanced or refined, your relationships improve and toxic habits fall away.

     What do we know about different states of consciousness? We know that knowledge is different in different states of consciousness, reality is different in each state, and our biology is different in different states of consciousness. Our brain waves are different in each state of consciousness. Our physiology also changes with regard to heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, perspiration, release of stress hormone, etc.

     I do believe that our souls reincarnate, and some souls may even have a choice about whether to reincarnate, but people and personalities do not. Just as we play out a variety of roles during a lifetime, our souls play out a variety of roles in each incarnation. They find themselves in a different body, which changes throughout a lifetime, different roles, which also change throughout a lifetime, with different personalities and situations.

     Though the belief of reincarnation has been around for thousands of years, modern day Christianity does not generally accept reincarnation as part of its doctrine, and some even consider it heresy. However, I have discovered that deeply hidden within its history, especially the writings of Mystic Christianity, reincarnation was part of that belief system. I found a tidbit of history confirming that reincarnation was originally a Christian tenent but was rejected at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 CE. Reincarnation is a part of both the Hindu and Budhist beliefs, as well as others.