"The soul comes from without into the human body, as into a temporary abode, and it goes out of it anew...it passes into other habitations, for the soul is immortal."—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82)

Have you lived before?

The answer to that question is yes. As a human soul you have lived before; many of us have even experienced many lifetimes upon this planet. As human souls we are beings of light and are immortal - humanity possesses the spark of God or the Creator that comes from the heavens above.

So, what really happens when we die? What becomes of the soul? There are many of us who wonder about death, and perhaps even fear it. It is a fear of the unknown.

During the process of birth, the human soul settles into the physical form, just before the birth of the new born child. There is an energy called Spirit Energy, or Nous, that hovers around the child; this energy acts like a magnet and keeps the human soul in the physical form. All three elements (the human soul, the physical body, and the Spirit Energy) work together in maintaining the soul's presence within the body.

Now, when someone is close to death, the Spirit Energy starts to leave the body and disappears. When this occurs, there is no cohesion or magnetism available to the keep the human soul within the physical form. Essentially, the soul will slip out of the body and not be able to return into it. The human soul then hovers about the room and ultimately returns to heaven above. Death has now occurred.

While in heaven, the human soul—the eternal soul—will review that last lifetime, heal, and then rest for awhile. Eventually, we (in our soul form), along with the help of spiritual elders in heaven, make arrangements for the soul to return to earth. Think of it as a soul contract—it is always for our soul's greatest growth that this process occurs. As a human soul, we will be born into a small child's body, live, and then die once again, returning to the heavenly fields above. This happens over and over again; the birth to death to birth cycle will continue until the eternal soul has become enlightened. The enlightened soul will now remain in the heavenly fields on a permanent basis. This is the true goal of enlightenment that we should all work towards.

While resting in heaven, the soul will be taught many things by spiritual teachers and angelic helpers. The human soul will visit teaching temples, communicate with loved ones who have passed over, visit healing temples and beautiful gardens, and even explore the Universal Library or Akashic Records. The Universal Library contains all the knowledge and wisdom that has ever existed; this includes our Soul Records, which contain all of our past life information.

How many lifetimes have we lived before? That is hard to say; each person is unique and different. Some of us may have experienced a dozen incarnations on earth, and many of us have lived a hundred lifetimes before. We cannot generalize and say that all of us have had a specific number of previous lifetimes.

Were you famous in a previous lifetime? Many of us believe (or would like to believe) that we have been someone famous and powerful in a past life, such as Cleopatra or Leonardo da Vinci. The fact of the matter is that most us were not famous in a previous incarnation; I have regressed well over 1,500 people in over twenty years, and I have found that very few of them were famous in past incarnations. Most individuals were farmers, priests, soldiers, and everyday people in the past.

For those skeptics among us who question the validity of reincarnation, the following words should help provide an open mind about this fascinating phenomenon.

Most of us believe that we have an eternal soul that enters the physical body at the time of birth, and that the soul resides in this material form during your lifetime. At the moment of death, that very soul then leaves the body (the shell) and journeys back to heaven. So, if we accept this concept easily, why not the concept of reincarnation? After all, if the immortal soul can come down to earth and join with a physical body once, why not a second or even a third time? I hope this provides some food for thought.

Our eternal souls are connected to the heavenly fields, where angels, departed loved ones, and beings of light exist. The power of divine energy from above can come through us when we seek our spirituality and become more enlightened. As humans we are multi-dimensional beings. We can learn to operate in both the earthly and heavenly realms if we choose to, and exploring our previous incarnations is a part of all this. We can learn who we were in a previous life and add that experience to who we are now.

Reincarnation answers so many questions regarding both where we came from and who we are now; even our traits and characteristics originate from previous lifetimes. Fears and phobias that plague us in this lifetime can sometimes be traced back to a previous incarnation. Perhaps you have always had an intense fear of heights; when you explore your past lives you may recall or experience a lifetime when you were thrown off the side of a cliff. When we are able to pinpoint an incident in a past life that can give us understanding to a current and unexplainable phobia, it brings us closer to healing that current fear.

Exploring our past lives is one of many ways that we can work towards our spiritual enlightenment, bringing the realization that we are eternal, unique, and special, and becoming more spiritually awakened. The latter is the ultimate goal that we should seek—when we become more enlightened, we can assist others to do so as well, creating a heaven on earth.

My book, Past Lives for Beginners, answers the above questions (and many others) clearly and concisely. There are also many exercises found within the pages designed to help with the recall your previous lifetimes; these are proven techniques that I, as an experienced past-life therapist, have used successfully for years on hundreds of clients.