Past Life Memories

[idgy]

Just out of interest, has anyone out there ever experienced during their sleep what they think may be a past life memory?

[Jennings]

Possibly, but I am uncertain, and it has been a number of years since the dream that the memory has almost receded. I recall being chased and killed by a person with a shotgun. I recall vividly the place of death, my apprehension knowning that I could not avoid being caught or killed, that I was being chased by more than one man dressed in hunting gear and I recollect their determination but have no idea why. I believe that it took place in northern France. The dream was in colour and amazingly vivid and real. It was the type of dream that left the sense of fear behind upon awaking; even thinking of it now the same fear reguritates itself. I cannot recall having any life crises at the time of the dream that could cause such a dream and I am mostly an optimisticly happy person who can shed worries quickly. It did occur to me at the time that I was experiencing some kind of life regression. I guess I was in my late 30s at the time of dreaming.

[idgy]

Jennings,
Thank you for your reply. That’s really interesting. What you described was quite similar to what I experienced in that you knew it was something that you could not avoid. I felt exactly like that when I found myself in a long dress, walking to be beheaded by a sword. I felt all the sensations but no pain. I know that I could not run away from it and that I just had to go through it. I was trying to feel no fear. Did you actually go through the death at the end? If so, can you remember what happened after you went through it?

At first I thought it was definitely a past life death, but then I went through a number of awful deaths, so I wasn’t sure. They can’t all be past life deaths can they?

The other experience I had a wonderful one. I was a Buddhist monk doing a silent retreat in a cave. I found myself looking out over a magnificent view, thinking that I must remember this place. I think it was in India. I walked down through the village and saw all the children. I also met with some other monks. I remember feeling it was really hard, but I was also really happy.

What I find different about these experiences is that although you are lucid, you are in a body and have no control over what is happening. Did you find this to be the same for you?

[pepper]

is there anyway of knowing of you have had a past life or not?

[Jennings]

To cover the points that you both raised; I seemed to recall being aware that the shot was fired but cannot recollect having heard it and thereafter nothing until I awoke. The dream was vivid, indeed, appalling and terrifyingly life-like. It certainly left me feeling confused for some considerable time therafter. I have not had another dream of that calibre. I am not religious, in fact, I am anti-religious but I do accept that there is a spiritual side to nature but it is certainly not as is taught by Christianity so I hesitate to go along this road for hopefully obvious reasons. I have said in another post that during infancy, probably around the age of three, I was such an unhappy child that I wished fervently to die.

On one occasion while asleep I had one of those, what is termed today, as near-death experiences. I cannot recollect its beginning but do recall being in a wide tunnel and being sucked into its darkness. It was a frightening experience over which I had no control. I arrived at a forked junction at which time I was required to decide which way to proceed and I had the feeling that this choice was important. The next that I recollect today is continuing into an even narrower tunnel yet all was pitch black but as my apprehension was increasing I saw what seemed to be a white spot directly ahead of me. Upon continuing, the white spot became larger and lit the sides of the tunnel when popping out from those sides (just as if they were sticking part of their bodies through) where all those whom I seemed to have known in life (even at the age of three) and they were greeting me as I passed along. I am not able to add more to this particular aspect to the dream owing to the memory having faded but on reaching the end of the tunnel it opened widely into this wonderfully warm white light which embraced one in a loving, caring, and healing manner where all one's wordly problems seemed to be cleansed. Regretfully, I cannot recall anything after that except to say that when I did awaken I was so disappointed to find that I had not died.

Around the same period I also dreamt another dream of passing-over; and while I have no recollection of the dream's beginnings today, I do recall being in what appeared to be a hospital bed in a public room not dissimilar to the Victorian type hospital wards and being attended to by two or thee women who seemed to be nurses; that was the impression but detail was absent. Those nurses seemed to be discussing the validity of my position and one certainly felt that I should be taken over and at the point of what appeared to be the severance, a more senior female figure arrived and chastised the nurses for what they were doing and insisted that I be returned and returned immediately as if time was crucial. I recall vividly this senior female saying, "He has a long way to go yet"! Today, I am 77 and in excellent health and still believe that I have a future. How amazing! I simply do not feel old.

I recall an emminent child psychiatrist on tv who advocated, and taught his students, that no one has a memory prior to the age of three! I guess then I can lay claim to being unique (except that he is mistaken) as I can recall as far back as when I was in my pram and possess a number of early life experiences prior to this age.

There was another dream that occurred later in life with the similar theme but I cannot recall my age; what I can say is that on this occasion I seemed to have passed-over and joined, not my secular family, but a spiritual family whom I recognised. It seemed that we had recollections of past lives and that we occasionally met each other on the secular plain without knowing it. We collectively appeared to be aware of what was occurring on the secular plain and each of us had the choice to return. It seemed to me that when I elected to go back, I was taken to this ancient cobbled-like square in some town. To the left was a high solidly built wall with large heavy-like wooden gates. There were numerous others congregating when we were instructed to crouch down and face the wall. From those gates was a roadway. We were instructed that whatever appeared to happen we were not to look until after whatever event it was passed. We were also instructed that there would be empty spaces appearing in the crowd after the event and those would be the ones who were reborn. We all knelt in the crouching position with faces to the ground and hands cupped over it. As we held this position a rumbling noise could be heard which rapidly got louder and it clearly felt like horses pulling a chariot. The noise reached a crescendo then passed along in the direction of the gates. I do not recall anything thereafter.

To my amazement, when later reading the first book by the late Robert Monroe (cannot currently recall its title) on OOBEs he related almost the identical dream. In his legacy there is this Web site: The Monroe Institute. Today the institution that he setup has become technical and over-commercialised but there is still things to learn from it.

My life experiences have been peppered with many interesting psychic or paranormal events which scientist deny simply on the basis that they cannot be quantified which only serves to prove the limitations of science.

Collectively, my experiences satisfy me that Christianity has either got it wrong but, more probably, that its message has become distorted with the interference and/or input of others. Why, as a convinced disbeliever in religion (and even satan), do I continue to have contact with another intelligence; but that's another story.

[Laucashel]

I think I have dreams of my past life. I dreamed 18th hundred year ancient time in chinese temple some I know were past because of the people and the place, the way of life not modern. So confusing sometimes that you don't know if your dream is past or future.

[Paul3]

I have dreams, though haven't had one in quite a while, of WW2 and running from the nazis being shot at. Scares the hell out of me.

[Jennings]

In view of what you have both experienced which raises the question of reincarnation which our logic minds find easy to reject, one has to be aware that humanity has advanced considerably since our hunter-gatherer days and while we continue to have traces of our ancient past and are no longer part of the wild kingdom yet we possess distinct traits of our tribal background. It is probably our tribal beliefs, which have their roots in antiquity, that is the genesis of religion, remembering that tribes believed in a spiritual existence but not in that guy from Nazareth.

What I am about to relate, almost everyone will find incredible even disbelievable which is one of those indignities that one has to bear. Twice I have witnessed apparitions, one being my youngest daughter when in her infancy (1965). What she was probably having at the time I saw her was an OOBE. The other (1968) was of an elderly gentleman whom I did not recognise but he could have been a grandparent.

Twelve years ago I lost a 16 year old granddaughter to an epileptic fit; ten years ago I lost my first wife after 45 years of togetherness to BC; four years ago I lost a 45 year old daughter to cancer, which were crosses one had to bear.

My late wife and I shared common beliefs in the spiritual aspects to nature although she was, otherwise, an orthodox Christian. Eight weeks to the day (but not the hour) after her passing, it was a bright but bitter cold December morning and the time 10.30am. I was imbibing a cup of tea, sitting in an easy chair by the sitting room widow and watching the street (residential area) outside which was deserted. It was a quiet and peaceful occasion; indeed, one was aware of the prevailing silence. I then felt an outside pressure at the crown of my head which slowly and gently came down the sides and back of my head to my shoulders. It fascinated but did not frighten me. My late wife's voice then spoke and she sounded exactly as if she was standing by my side. This is what was said, "I have come to say goodbye. I have to move on. Louise (our granddaughter) has already moved on. Your friends (our title for our spiritual entites) who have always looked after you will continue to do so". I replied explaining how dearly I missed her and wished her a good spiritual journey. The pressure lifted although I felt her presence around me for the next 3 hours but by the fourth hour I knew she had gone. She has never returned. That experience was like a second bereavement.

After the passing of my middle daughter I would frequently feel the grief late evening usually when surfing the Net. I would be overwhelmed with it for around half-an-hour and surprisingly this grief was still raw for up to alomst 2 years after her passing. One evening I recognised that the grief I was feeling was not mine but something external. It struck me that possibly my daughter was attempting to communicate with me so I asked her what it was she was trying to say and like a flash the thought came into my mind, just as if her voice was speaking to me, and to my surprise she asked for my forgiveness. I asked what had I to forgive and it appeared that she was aware how she often ignored the wisdom and advice of her mother and I which subsequently lead to her demise. While I certainly did forgive her, I did explain that it was not necessary. Almost immediately the grief lifted and I felt this external happiness surround me which remained for around 30 minutes. Indeed, I felt good for a few days afterwards. There has been no further communication since nor raw feelings of grief.

I leave those thoughts with you.

[idgy]

Thank you for all your replies.

Pepper,
I don’t know for sure any way of knowing that you have had a past life or not. It’s just that the dreams that I had that could be are such a different experience from a normal everyday dream. It’s like being in a body where the current ‘you’ is looking out.

Jennings,
You certainly have had a lot of experience during your sleep. I should imagine that is the reason you are here on this website. I agree with you totally about the religion thing. I would go one step further though and suggest that it has been put into place to keep the masses dumbed down and purposefully away from being spiritual. Sorry to hear that you have had such a difficult childhood. But I find it interesting what you say about not wanting to come back. This seems to be a common feeling amongst NDEs. I really admire your positive attitude to life despite your losses.

Laucashel
This dream obviously stands out for you from other dreams. Do you recognise any of the people there or the place itself?

Paul3
That sounds quite traumatic. Can you remember if you felt the shot, or do you wake up before?

[Jennings]

Thanks Idgy for the feedback; it is refrershing when one receives it.