WHAT AUTHORITY DO I HAVE TO TEACH?

None. I AM NOT A GURU! I am just a seeker after knowledge, the same as you are. I have no authority; I have not studied at the feet of any master. But I have taken my information from people who know far more than I do. I am standing on their shoulders, so that I can see the horizon.

WHAT IS REINCARNATION?
   The belief that after death the soul is reborn into another body.

   What is written on this website, is only a primer -- a sketchy outline of reincarnation. There are already hundreds of books written about reincarnation, if you think there is something in this philosophy, you should seek out and read books. If you go to THE REINCARNATION FAQ website there is a list of books you can read.

Many millions of people around the world, particularly in Africa and Asia, have a corrupted idea about reincarnation. What they call reincarnation is usually defined as TRANSMIGRATION (although some dictionaries treat the words as synonyms). The difference is fairly simple, in transmigration it is believed that humans can be reborn as animals, insects, plants or even stones. This is a primitive distorted concept. Evolution goes forward, and that is the basis of reincarnation: spiritual evolution.

In reincarnation a human is never reborn as less than a human. It is simple as that. Life is continuous and the movement is towards development, evolution, and growth.

There is another distorted concept promoted about reincarnation: that we are bound to the "wheel of rebirth" and must live in body after body regardless of our wishes.

In fact we are drawn to rebirth for different reasons. The first is that there are lessons and experiences we need to have for our spiritual development. And these can be best learnt while we are in the flesh -- in this rather harsh, confusing world. There are so many opportunities for us here to help others, to learn compassion, to overcome anger, weakness, materialism and to learn the oneness of human life.

Another reason to be reborn is simply to experience the sensations of the body: movement, desire, vision, sounds. Remember how wonderful it can be to swim in cool water on a summer's day, to listen to the sound of a birdsong, to feel the breeze on your face, the touch of a loved one, or the sensations of driving a car on the open road, the music cranked up, the road swirling towards you effortlessly? There are many experiences, especially in the modern world, that we crave.

When one person chooses to be reborn it is common for friends to wish to be reborn at the same time, so that they can experience life together. It then becomes possible to play out little dramatic roles within families so more experiences, more unfoldment of our true nature can occur.

Some people choose to be born simply to help others along their evolutionary path. Sometimes these souls are far advanced from the majority, but they are reborn to act like a beacon, a guidepost for those living at the time, and for future generations.

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF REBIRTH?
Spiritual evolution! That is what it is all about. You will have noticed that all our lives we are learning -- from people around us or from life itself. Sometimes it can be difficult to learn the lessons life gives us. Never mind, if you don't learn the first time the lessons will be presented to you again, sometimes in a different form.

Each day could be considered as a "reincarnation". You learn and experience during the day, struggling, weeping, laughing; then at night you recuperate and evaluate the things you have learnt. The following morning life begins anew -- what you didn't learn the first day you repeat.

Life moves in cycles, just as electrons move around the nucleus, atoms revolve in molecules, planets around suns, suns around galaxies, and galaxies revolve around super-galaxies. Electricity revolves around a circuit; the Earth revolves on its axis; our blood revolves around the body. Life is a series of cycles: tides and seasons, the menstrual cycle which starts life, the plant cycle from seed to flower, the weather from rain to evaporation. Reincarnation is another cycle: birth, death, rebirth.

HOW DOES THE REBIRTH OCCUR?
The person who wants to be reborn is living on another plane, somewhat like the common view of heaven, yet more earthly ... a kind of utopian world. After death this is where the soul goes to -- this is the "other side". Souls spend about 40 years living here before wishing to be reborn into the flesh. This figure is very approximate, just to give you an idea. Sometimes people are reborn within weeks, sometimes not for hundreds of years. But around 5-50 years seems to be the "usual" time span.

The desire to be reborn grows stronger, but sometimes the soul is afraid, nervous, or doubtful about rebirth. Generally, the soul will consult with a more advanced being whose task is to match the soul with its future parents and society. This is not so simple, for the purpose of the soul's rebirth has to be taken into account. If it is to learn humility, then a particular family in a particular country might be the best place to learn this lesson. But there is always agreement all round before the birth.

During the mother's pregnancy the new soul will visit the foetus for a while, as if inspecting a new home. Then go back to wait until the birth day arrives. Most souls do not join or inhabit the foetus until a few days before birth*. Until they are born there is nothing they can really do. When the soul attaches itself to the foetus it falls into a sleep, losing its consciousness. The soul slowly awakes within the mechanism of the baby where it must learn the whole process of living and learning. The soul stays attached until death. At death the soul leaves the body, and the body decays to organic matter from where it came. The cycle is complete.

When the soul leaves, it goes to "the other side", the utopian place. There is not just one "heaven" but a multitude of heavens to suit the development of the particular soul. For each soul is at a different stage of development, rather like school, where there are not only different classes and schools, but differing abilities of pupils within the same classes.

© Marcus Clark
August 2003

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NEXT: REINCARNATION 2

FREEDOM OF CHOICE?

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BOOKS DEALING WITH REINCARNATION:

* For detailed explanation of this read: LIFE BEFORE LIFE, Helen Wambach. Bantam 1979

LIFE BETWEEN LIFE, Scientific explorations into the void separating one incarnation from the next; Dr Joel L. Whitton PhD, Joe Fisher

LIFE AFTER DEATH: Neville Randall, Corgi 1975

LIFE AFTER LIFE, Raymond Moody Jr MD, Bantam books 1975

REFLECTIONS ON LIFE AFTER LIFE, Raymond Moody Jr MD, Bantam 1977

TWENTY CASES SUGGESTIVE OF REINCARNATION, Ian Stevenson, M.D., University Press, Virginia, ISBN 0-8139-0546-X (first edition 1966).

REINCARNATION - The Phoenix Fire Mystery, Compiled and Edited by Joseph Head & S.L. Cranston

AN EAST-WEST DIALOGUE ON DEATH AND REBIRTH FROM FROM THE WORLDS OF RELIGION, SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY, PHILOSOPHY, ART, AND LITERATURE, AND FROM GREAT THINKERS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT. Julian Press/Crown Publishers, Inc., New York 1977, ISBN 0-517-52893-2


THERE IS A RIVER (the story of Edgar Cayce) Thomas Sugrue, Dell Publishing

THE OTHER SIDE, Bishop James A. Pike, Abacus 1975

MANY MANSIONS, (Edgar Cayce Story on reincarnation) Gina Cerminara, Signet 1950

FOURTEEN LESSONS IN YOGI PHILOSOPHY, Yogi Ramacharaka, L.N. Fowler

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   If you have read this far you will probably have a lot of questions. Well fortunately there is a site -- THE REINCARNATION FAQ -- which has answers to many of these questions. In fact if you are interested in reincarnation at all I recommend you have a look at it.

Here are some of the questions they deal with:

Are there any Bible verses which support reincarnation?
What views do major religions and philosophies take on reincarnation?
Why does nobody I know seem to have past life memories?
Does everyone just keep reincarnating forever?
How can events or memories from a past life affect people in this life?
Can past life regression be used for healing?
If people have lived previous lives, wouldn't they remember them?
Why do so many people into reincarnation seem to remember being someone famous?
If there's only a fixed number of souls, how has the world population increased?
Isn't reincarnation heresy if you're a Christian?
How many people believe in reincarnation?
Are people supposed to look like their past life self?
If people remember a past life as a foreigner, why can't they remember their past life language?
What factors decide where people are born in their next incarnation?
Why can't everyone remember their past lives?
Why does nobody I know seem to have past life memories?
What views do major religions and philosophies take on reincarnation?
Don't some Bible verses conflict with reincarnation?
How can people try to find the details of their past lives?