- Some people may sometimes express the desire to recall
past lives either out of curiosity or as a proof of the concept of reincarnation.
As we all know, most people do not have vivid recall of their past lives.
In fact, the concept of reincarnation is foreign and unimaginable to some
people. But we do reincarnate, not once, but many times and it is for our
own good that we don't always have vivid memory of our past lives. We all
know how difficult it is sometimes to deal with the experiences of current
life. Imagine what a burden it would be if we were able to remember our
past lives and having to deal with all of those experiences.
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- Past experiences, like the experiences of this lifetime,
are not always what we would like them to be, imagine what a burden it
would be to not only have to deal with the unpleasant experiences of this
lifetime, but also of some past lifetimes. That would be a burden too heavy
for most people to bear in any one lifetime. In addition, many of our present
experiences are directly related to those past lives and it is much safer
for us to not remember those past experiences. For example, imagine how
difficult it would be for two people to recall their past lives only to
realize that one will have to devote almost a lifetime caring for a disabled
child. Then for the child to recall that her mother, who was her sister
in her previous life, killed her out of jealousy by pushing her over a
cliff.
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- Imagine the fear this type of recall would instill in
the child, and how difficult it would be for her to trust her mother not
to cause her any harm in this life. The blame and guilt that both people
will have to deal with, whether or not that past experience has direct
bearing on their current experiences. As a result of that past action of
one sister against the other, they are related this time as mother and
child, so the one who committed this act against her sister would now care
for her sister, now her child as a consequence of her actions. And for
the one being cared for to recall she had abused a crippled person in a
previous life and taken advantage of a crippled person and has to experience
what it feels like to be severely crippled.
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-
- But wait a minute! Before you arrive at a conclusion
or point a finger of blame for your current situation if you find yourself
in a similar situation to this made-up illustration, you should examine
the illustration again more carefully. The crippled child is destined to
come back crippled as a consequence of her own actions, whether or not
she was pushed over a cliff. If her sister, now her mother, didn't push
her over a cliff, she would still be born crippled to another family so
that she and the family would both learn from their mistakes. Similarly,
the mother is destined to care for a crippled child and one would come
to her whether or not the child was her sister. So, whose fault is it then
that they both find themselves in the situation they are in? I am sure
you already know the answer to the question, which is: nobody's fault.
It simply means that cosmic laws are being fulfilled in each of their lives,
not as a punishment, but for their learning experiences and for the lifting
of their souls to a higher level from where they started. If there's a
finger of blame, then it should be pointed to both people for their respective
parts in bringing about their current experiences.
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- This example should indicate that contrary to certain
misconceptions about destiny, it is not "an eye for an eye" as
some people tend to believe. In other words, if one person pushes another
person over a cliff to her death, it does not mean that the perpetrator
of this act will be pushed over a cliff in another life. It does not mean
that a person who shoots and kills another person will be shot and killed,
or that a person who commits suicide will always commit suicide.
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- Imagine also what it would be like to know that in your
past, you had a very painful and unpleasant experience with the person
you are involved in a relationship with in this lifetime, or for that person
to know that he/she is suffering or very unhappy now as a result of past
life relationship with you. If the two people are able to recall their
pasts, chances are that they would both try to avoid being in a relationship
now or having anything to do with each other due to those painful memories
of the past. Nature is orderly and spiritual laws govern our very existence.
Among these laws are the law of compensation (the subject of America, Here
I Come) and the law of manifestation (the subject of Seeds of Luck). These
laws are independent of each other and operate consistently for all. The
law of compensation ensures that whatever we sow, we reap. There is no
escape from the fulfillment of this or any other cosmic laws. Avoiding
the relationship in this lifetime in the second illustration would mean
that cosmic laws would not be fulfilled in your lives. If we had full knowledge
of our past, the present, and the future, we would be very grateful that
we do not have a clear and complete recall of our pasts so we can focus
on the present.
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- NOTE: The two examples above are made up to illustrate
the point I'm making. They in no way reflect anyone's experiences. Anyone
who finds him/herself in a similar situation as in the examples above should
not assume that their situation is a result of past life experiences or
that their situation is a punishment for past actions. Situations and reasons
for those experiences are different and do not necessarily reflect past
actions. It could be that everyone in situations similar to the examples
is there for their own learning experience, spiritual growth, or in preparation
for very important future "cosmic responsibilities." Therefore,
I would strongly advice against anyone arriving at any conclusion as a
result of the above examples.
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- What I call Cosmic Responsibilities will be examined
in the book when it is published. It is human nature to be curious and
to want to experience past lives. If for no other reason, to prove one
of the manifestations of nature's laws that govern our existence. There's
nothing wrong with that. However, as most people who have had many of these
past lives experiences would admit, it is not all rosy and we shouldn't
expect it to be. For example, take a look at your old photograph from your
childhood and notice your initial reaction to some of those pictures. Imagine
how much you've changed and possibly how different you look today. If our
physical bodies can undergo such a change in one short life, then we should
expect the other halve of who we are, the immaterial, to hold even more
surprises and sometimes disturbing knowledge of where we've been.
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- This is one of those situations where people should be
careful what they ask for, they might get it and it may not be what they
would like. After having many past lives experiences, you would agree that
it is better to take the "need-to-know basis" approach. Yes,
there are times when knowing who we once were or specific experiences we've
had may help us understand or explain our present experiences and help
us deal with present situations and experiences. Isaac Nwokogba is the
author of two recently published books, "America, Here I Come: A Spiritual
Journey" and "Seeds of Luck: The ABCs of Creating Your Heart's
Desires" and several articles. Previews of his current manuscript
are available in series, free-of- charge, to anyone who is interested.
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- Copyright (c) 2001 by Isaac E. Nwokogba This article
is adapted from the preview of the author's current manuscript
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