The concept of reincarnation can be challenging, especially if you grew up in a religious household. I grew up in a Christian household, and until very recently the concept of reincarnation was foreign. This post is not meant to change anyone’s minds. Instead, I am hoping to share my point of view on a very subjective and intricate topic.
Growing up as a Christian, I never questioned my belief in the fact that we only have one life to live. I also never questioned that we need to use this life to earn our salvation. I never questioned it, that is, until I went through a period of existential depression.
Often, our lowest moments open us up to a new level of awareness. As Einstein said, you cannot solve a problem in the same level of consciousness that it was created.
This period of deep depression led me to one question: Why? It was a question that, no matter how long I searched, Christianity did not answer (to my satisfaction, anyway). I was left feeling like there was something more, something deeper that I was missing.
Enter spirituality.
My belief in reincarnation began by reading Journey of Souls by Michael Newton. In this book, Newton, a hypnotherapist, accidentally stumbled upon past-life regression during one of his sessions. Despite not being spiritual in any way, Newton decided to follow this path and see where it led him. The ensuing regression sessions led to a fascinating story.
Each person he regressed, in some for or another, told the same story of life after death. The book details the soul stages between life, death, afterlife, and, eventually, the next life.
This is where my skepticism broke. How is it that every person told a version of the same story, down to the detail? Colors, sizes, and even adjectives were repeated so clearly by each person that Newton was able to construct a timeline of what happens after death.
Could it all just be a coincidence? Absolutely. Do I think it is? Not at all.
That book changed my perspective of not just life, but of the world itself. The structure of our suffering, the hardships we face and how we deal with them, all glowed with a new light of understanding. I read more about theories of reincarnation, and gradually crafted an understanding of life after death, or rather, the end of the illusion of living.
In another post, I will explore the different theories behind reincarnation, and perhaps go into detail about my own personal viewpoint. This post, however, is a brief overview of the reincarnation theory presented in Journey of Souls.
We are here to learn. Earth is, in essence, a playground.
When children play on a playground, they swing, and slide, and, eventually, fall. But once they fall, they get back up. They learn their lesson and move on to their next experiment.
This is a broad metaphor for earth. We, as spiritual beings, all have lessons to learn. We are in a constant evolution, striving to return to our state of pure love and light. As we continue through this progression, we have to face challenges, because it is only through challenges that we get to grow.
These challenges, and the lessons we need to learn, are completely individual. Just as we all have flaws and faults that we need to work on has human beings, our souls have areas that need growth as well.
Ultimately, our soul mission is to connect once again with Source, God, or the Higher Power (whichever you personally believe in). We begin as light, and, eventually, we will return to light. There are many fascinating theories about why we need this evolution in the first place, but that is for another post.
In order to evolve, our souls need time.
Not just one lifetime, but many. Gifts of the spirit like compassion, peace, empathy, kindness, patience, and self-control take time to establish on a soul level. Don’t forget, who we are and what we experience as humans is a shallow reflection of what we experience as souls. Think of it this way: our human experience is a water droplet, and our soul experience is the ocean.
So how does reincarnation play into this? The lives that we experience each offer a unique opportunity: a carefully picked experience that will lead us to the lesson we need to learn. In this sense, the hardships we face really are lessons. The times you are pushed to the breaking point are there to let in the light.
This is just the surface of reincarnation theory, and while it may challenge some of your beliefs, it does provide a valuable opportunity. To see our challenges and the struggles we go through as lessons to be learned from offer a chance to grow, instead of a chance to suffer.
