Past life recall lesson 1

Lesson 1 - Awakening Memories

(The exercises are at

the end of the chapter.)

     Have you ever stepped outside on a warm spring night and found that the balmy air and the light fragrance of early blossoms awakened feelings almost too deep to describe? Or maybe you’ve had the experience of hearing a particular song from the past come on the radio, and all of the sudden that song transports you to another time and place. You not only remember what you were doing when you first heard the song, but you can even remember what you were thinking and feel what you were feeling then. The sounds, sights and smells around us - they are powerful influences on our memories and emotions, and so individual in their effects on us. The same song can bring a happy memory for one person and a painful recollection for another. One person might feel a restless sense of adventure at the sound of a train whistle in the night, while another feels lonely desolation. Even the most common, everyday experiences can produce very different feelings in different people. For example, when you hear a telephone ring, do you experience anticipation? Annoyance? Some other reaction? Or maybe nothing at all? What is it about the sounds, sights and smells around us that brings forth such a variety of responses from people? Is it something in these perceptions themselves that causes us to react differently from one another, or is it something in us? Just the briefest reflection will tell us that we respond differently because we are different. As individuals with unique experiences and memories, we go through life responding to the world around us on the basis of what we’ve seen, done and felt in the past. In the same way that we are constantly unconsciously associating sounds around us with earlier memories from this lifetime, we may also be reacting to stimulation that triggers past-life emotions and attitudes. Becoming aware of these automatic responses to sounds, sights and experiences is one very fruitful way to uncover memories of previous lives. Most of the time, such reactions arise without any obvious connection to a specific set of past-life circumstances. In order to get an idea of their origin, we must observe them carefully and consider them in conjunction with other clues to our remote past. In other instances, an automatic response of this sort can evoke a definite readily identifiable experience from an earlier incarnation. According to the information in the Edgar Cayce readings, the recall that comes when we spontaneously react to events in this life is perhaps the most accurate memory of all. Often, people who came to Edgar Cayce for readings reported such spontaneous responses, wondering if they were actually the result of past-life memories. Their readings confirmed that these responses had indeed been glimpses of former incarnations.

     Since these individuals were ordinary people, not necessarily possessing psychic gifts, we can assume that we, too, may happen upon times when actual memory of a past experience comes to mind. At times these memories, or fractions of memories, seem to be like pieces of film that have been inserted somehow into our normal thoughts - bits and pieces of memory that fleetingly pass through our mind as we go about our daily routines. Sometimes they catch our attention; often they go almost unnoticed. Those who are lucky enough to be able to travel to other countries often tell of unusual happenings that may be related to memories from the distant past. Some people experience a vague sense of having been there before. Others feel a sense of belonging, a sense of peace, as if they were coming home. Many travelers find that they have an unexplainably acute sense of direction. They know what is around the next bend; know what is down that certain side street. Still others experience uneasiness, tingling sensations, or despair; some even find themselves crying intensely for no apparent reason. It seems as if our interest in and fondness for certain countries might also indicate a past-life in those places. Even circumstances beyond our control, such as a business trip, a military assignment, or a chance layover, give us opportunities to open the door to old memories. Maybe we just happen to travel to countries where we have lived before. Even without extensive travel, sights near to home can trigger recall. The Cayce readings report that often we tend to incarnate in localities close to where we have lived previous lives.

        Movies and television provide an opportunity for each of us to travel to far-off places. In addition to documentaries and travelogues, the authentic backgrounds to many historical movies and on-location programs enable us to steep ourselves in other cultures and customs. All of this serves to kindle in us sparks of memories. Books and stories also have a way of reaching us and transporting us to other countries and other periods of time. We can pick up valuable clues as to where we might have spent some of our prior lifetimes by noticing the types of countries we like to read about. The Cayce readings encouraged those who wanted to recall past-lives to study certain areas and countries in which they were interested. Not only in history, but geography, maps, and pictures of scenery were recommended to foster recall. Sometimes we can start with a hint of a past-life experience and then expand that inkling through study. One person who has worked with recalling former incarnations finds that her dreams will suggest countries she has lived in. She enjoys learning the languages of those countries and finds that she encourages further remembrance by doing so. Whenever you feel that you have had an experience in a certain time or place, use your imagination to fill in the details of those past-lives.

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EXERCISE A

Without even being aware of it, most of us have definite feelings about certain places. Of course, this could be the product of earlier conditioning in the present lifetime. But often the roots go deeper than that. Let’s get in touch with your feelings and your imagination now. Take a few moments to consider this question:

If you could visit any foreign country in the world, where would you go?

Now, if you have your place to visit in mind, it is time to use your imagination to fill in some of the details of what you would expect to find there. Take as much time as you need to let your mind explore. Don’t worry about the accuracy of your image of this country; what’s important is WHAT YOU EXPECT TO FIND. Allow yourself to free-associate, and cover a wide-range of areas of life. When you are through constructing your mental picture of your chosen country, answer that following questions:

1) Where did you choose to visit?

2) List some of the things you imagined that you would find there. Let yourself come up with a variety of impressions from a number of different facets of life. Consider such things as places, objects, moods, types of people, colors, painting and architecture, music, and any other aspects of this country that suggest themselves to your imagination.

3) List some of the feelings these things awaken in you. Do you find a range of feelings - some good, some not so good?

4) What stories have you ever read about this place? How did they make you feel?

5) Do you like movies and/or television programs set in this country? Note any that stand out and the emotions they evoke in you.

6) Do you associate certain foods with this country? Do you have a taste for these foods?

7) Are there items in your home that remind you of this place? What are they, and where in your home are they located?

8) Are there other areas in your life in which an interest in this country is expressed? Consider such items as articles of clothing and other elements of personal adornment (hairstyle, for example), a liking for the music that you associate with this country, an interest in reading non-fiction books or news items about it, an enjoyment of museum exhibits or other cultural displays that portray this area. Etc?

9) Have you ever known people who have traveled to this country, who have lived there for a period of time, or who were born there? How did you feel about these people and about their relationships with them?

10) Have you ever visited this country yourself? If so, list a view of your strongest impressions from your trip. If not, list some of the things you associate with this area that make you feel you would

like to go there.

11) Is there any particular period from this countries history that holds a special interest for you?

12) Take a few moments to make up a little story about the type of person you might have been if you had lived in this country during a previous lifetime. Once again, rely on your imagination rather than your factual knowledge of the area to fill in the details. Allow your mind to free-associate and explore a wide scope of possibilities. When you’ve made up your story, you might want to jot it down for future reference.

13) Are there any other comments you’d like to make concerning this exercise?

Were there some questions that you were unable to answer? Sometimes the questions we cannot answer are as important as those we can readily answer. Often, for example, people report that they don’t know what foods come from the countries they’ve chosen. These are a good opportunity to use the imagination and try to see what comes spontaneously to mind. Another possible approach is to use this uncertainty as a point of study. If your past-life puzzle pieces start to point to a specific country, this might be a good reason to explore the foods of that country, perhaps through reading and studying, learning a new type of recipe, or even broadening your range of restaurants for a special night out.

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EXERCISE 2

Let’s try another exercise in imagination, but this time we’ll our native country. Think about the stay in following question:

If you could visit anywhere in your own country, where would you go?

*Repeat the same questions as you used in exercise

1, and apply them to this new area of interest. *

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        Many people find that these two exercises yield a lot of memories, feelings and observations. Processing them is one of the most important parts of this exercise. There are several possible ways of doing so. If you are working on the course with a group of people or with a friend, or if you are working alone and have a mate or trusted companion with whom you can share some of your past-life clues, this may be a good time to stop reading for a while and talk about some of your feelings. If you are more comfortable working alone, you may find several ways to reflect upon your responses to this workshop. Maybe you’d just like to allow yourself to relax and let your mind drift. You may want to close your eyes and take a nap. You may prefer to write a few paragraphs about your experience. Or maybe you’d rather write a letter to an imaginary friend relating some of the feelings and clues you’ve discovered in your preferences for certain areas I the stories you’ve made up. In analyzing your responses, be sure to look for tendencies that are similar to current-day situations.

         Our stories can also present very useful suggestions to us when they portray conditions that do not parallel those in our daily lives. When awakening memories from any past experience, you need to use good judgment and discretion as to what you choose to awaken. If a certain remembrance brings hopefulness and helpfulness into your experience, try to incorporate it into your lifestyle. If memories are brought out that are not helpful to you in this lifetime, lay them aside. Past-life memories and talents are used to enhance the present life. You should not use them as escapism or as a detour from the road that you have chosen for yourself in this lifetime.

Sincerely,

Laurasia