LIFE PATTERNS and BLOOD LINES:
Reincarnation for the Western Mind
© Paul Vernon Young 2014
This article first appeared in New Dawn Magazine, Special Issue Vol.9 No.6, December 2015
Reincarnation for the Western Mind
© Paul Vernon Young 2014
This article first appeared in New Dawn Magazine, Special Issue Vol.9 No.6, December 2015
LIFE PATTERNS and BLOOD LINES
The majority of cultures in the East have long accepted that part of the subconscious self is capable of surviving without embodiment, advancing from one lifetime to another. This part of our nature is believed to be a life-force energy field possessed of awareness which, once created, never ceases to exist. In the Western tradition, the first and most famous exponent of the concept was none other than Pythagoras in the 6th century BCE. Both he and the later philosopher, Empedocles, spoke openly about their previous incarnations and, later still, Plato discussed it in ‘The Republic.’ They used the term metempsychosis, meaning transmigration. But weren’t the ancient Greeks renowned for introducing ‘logic’ to the world? Most assuredly they were and, just like all universal laws, reincarnation follows a rational process, in accordance with logical rules.
The Law of Reincarnation is not the property of religion anywhere in the world, least of all in Western society where it was dismissed for so many centuries, only to become accepted again in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by a public who had learned to think for themselves. The modern Western thinker either accepts or rejects the existence of the Higher Self, according to their own conclusions. To those who find the tenet palatable, reincarnation often finds favour as a more logical probability than a one-off, make-or-break shot at existence. If, as a universal law, we deem it to be ‘logical,’ wouldn’t its characteristics and rules of application be discernable to us? The answer is yes, reincarnation possesses observable, orderly features, some of which we will examine here.
Seasons of the Soul: The 144-Year Cycle
A key insight in understanding rebirth is the propensity of the Higher Self to reincarnate in 144-year cycles. That is to say there is an average of 144 years from one birth to the next birth. Just like life, there are seasons that continue in between lives, until we are ready for rebirth once again. So a person who was born in 1926 and died at the age of 74 in 2000 would probably be due to be reborn in approximately 2070, after dwelling on a ‘between-life’ dimension for 70 years.
It needs to be stressed that these are approximate lengths of years. In the case of an infant or child whose life has been prematurely cut short, they may well be reborn quite soon afterwards and continue their life journey as a different person, thereby actually completing two lifetimes within the one 144 year cycle. It is claimed by some clairvoyants that suicide victims return to earth in a very short period of time. Universal laws of karma would prevail in any of the foregoing circumstances, with an outcome being reached in line with the purpose of the Higher Self and its right to exercise free-will.
It is sometimes said that time does not exist on the higher and lower planes as it does on earth. However, in the afterlife dimension time is experienced in terms of one’s unfolding consciousness and can be understood, measured and checked against earthly time. So while the exact length of each life-span might vary, it should work out that a personality which has been going through the cycles of rebirth in this world throughout recorded civilization would have had seven incarnations in the past 1,000 years, fourteen since the time of Christ and twenty-eight since 2,000BCE. That particular period presents an interesting timeline to reflect on: 4,000 years ago was when Abraham lived in Ur; Rama existed in India; the Olmecs flourished in Mesoamerica; the Xia Dynasty ruled China; the Twin Dynasty Wars flared in Egypt; the ancestors of the Latins arrived in Italy; Stonehenge was completed in England.
The 144-year cycle may not sit well with those who prefer to believe that they reincarnate instantly, time after time, without pause. It is common to read of people who claim they have been born on earth hundreds or thousands of times. According to the cycles we are speaking of here, one should only have experienced 80 to 85 rebirths since the end of the last ice age. That is not to deny the possibility that we may have lived in pre-historic times, that Atlantis may have existed, or we dwelt on other worlds, but those discussions fall outside the scope of our work here.
Should you do an on-line search for ‘144-year cycles of reincarnation,’ you will find a number of reference sources and, among them, you will most likely be directed to the book, ‘Mansions of the Soul,’ by H. Spencer Lewis.[i] Dr. Lewis covers a lot of ground regarding reincarnation, including the 144-year cycle and linking it to Western thought and Christianity. Where his creed diverges from that of this writer is in the understanding of what New-agers commonly call Soul Groups – but can also be termed Inter-Dimensional (ID) Families - collections of personalities who maintain connections with, and often reincarnate at the same time as, other individuals either because of compatibility, or to work out old karma. Dr. Lewis believes that family blood and family trees are strictly matters of the physical body and that when that body dies, we lose all connection and association with earthly relations. According to anecdotal evidence, that goes against the instincts of many who embrace the doctrine of reincarnation. Such associations and attractions are logical on earth and there is no compelling evidence that logic must be suspended or abandoned in the afterlife dimensions.
Life Patterns
Given that you’re reborn at regular intervals and repeatedly meet up with the same members of your ID Family, it is logical to assume that you ought to be able to make connections between your physical family tree and your previous incarnations, thereby identifying some of your past lives and people with whom you associate from one lifetime to the next.
At the very heart of this Life Pattern lies the proposition that there is a reason why you associate with the people you do, throughout your life. This is especially true of those you are close to, including the family you are born into. More than that, it applies to anyone who has a major influence on your life path and vice-versa. The Life Pattern suggests that we all belong to other-worldly clans and, taking that a step further, we reincarnate with the same individuals from one lifetime to the next, over and over again. These associations form our ID Families.
Why delve into these Life Patterns? Consider the benefits of knowing the reasons why you are attracted to certain people and places, yet repelled by others. A sense of confidence and reassurance arises within us, once we start identifying the key players in our lives. There is an internal warmth that comes with discovering who is part of our ID Family, while a new understanding dawns on us when we realize a particular person is not part of that group, just someone we once crossed paths with and we now need to work through some karma with them.
Just as there are laws that govern nature on the physical plane, there are cosmological rules operating on the higher and lower dimensions. But it must be emphasised that, unlike the laws that govern planetary orbits or the seasons and the tides, any rules applying to human beings are flexible because we exist under the law of free-will. You are the master of your own destiny.
Blood Lines: The Tree, its Branches and Nests
The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating, and it is possible to do some practical exercises in the search for our own former lives, as well as other members of our ID Family, with the objective of taking greater control in this life. These aspects are more applicable to recent generations, let’s say the past few hundred years, because that is about as far back as most of us can trace our genealogy. However, your understanding of the 144-year cycle will allow you to go back to any time in history to which you feel drawn intuitively and see if it coincides with your own cycles. Some readers may feel they lived before as somebody famous and, conceivably, many eminent persons from history could well be living in other bodies today. If you feel attracted to a particular era and personality, there must be a reason for it: either you were the person you think you were, or at least you were associated with them or lived during their lifetime.
Step number one, as you would expect, is to research your own ancestral heritage, going back as far as you possibly can on both sides of your tree. The internet is the quickest way to launch your investigation, however the websites that offer the best resources do not come cheaply. Look for one that suits your budget and needs. Starting with yourself and calling your parents the first generation backwards, notice that the number of grandparents, great grandparents and so on, doubles at every tier until, when you reach the tenth generation back, your ancestors total 1,024 persons, those persons being your eight-times-great grandparents. And those are just the parents. If you were to begin scouting around to identify other members of your ID Family, you would want to consider brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins, so your tree will become a forest.
Looking at the line(s) you have followed back, highlight those that have occurred in increments of approximately 144 years prior to your present birth. As we have noted, these timespans can vary and the 144 year cycle is an average, not a cosmic mandate. The variation is likely to be more pronounced in your very recent incarnations, so scout around for personalities that have existed from fifteen years before, to fifteen years after your projected target year. This will put you within the same generation that you’ll want to examine. And for those readers who find the dates on their family tree are either too difficult to ascertain, or too vague, use the rule of thumb and seek increments of five generations.
Our next step is to examine the charts to find where we may have been incarnated in our family tree before. It might take a little getting used to the idea that we may actually have lived as some of our own ancestors, but stay with it and see if the Life Pattern gradually emerges for you. It is always best to proceed in order, starting firstly with your most recent 144-year cycle before looking back to earlier cycles. You may be fortunate enough to have already identified two or more candidates who fit your previous reincarnation periods, approximately at 288 years, 432 years and so on, but it’s recommend you study the latest one to begin with. In some ways it is easier to single out the members of your ID Family who surround you today than it is to pinpoint your own previous lives on the family tree. You can make comparisons between yourself and living family and friends by checking interests, tastes, beliefs, goals and even certain physical attributes.
Images are great starting points, whenever they are available. Unless you are still young now it is improbable, although definitely not impossible, that photographs will exist of your ancestors born prior to a century and a half before your present-life birth year. This will depend on the country they lived in and at what age they passed. Anyone alive during or after the mid-1800s could well have been photographed. Paintings and sketches are equally as valuable and some families have been fortunate enough to have inherited portraits dating back centuries. There is much anecdotal evidence from people who have identified previous incarnations, saying they find a striking resemblance in facial appearance, even when the deceased subject was of the opposite sex. Other clues that we find are recurrence of first-names, careers, travels, talents and achievements.
As you identify the members of your circle, opportunities arise to complete unfinished business and get on with your real purpose of this incarnation: the goal that your Higher Self has set out to achieve. The real meaning of life comes much more sharply into focus once you see who you are really associating with and why you are with them. It should be noted here that not everyone in your ID Family will be in your current earthly family. They might be your teacher/pupil, boss/employee or your secret lover, although they may have been in your immediate family in previous incarnations.
Your Position and Disposition
What factors determine the person you are incarnated as today? The first rule to be applied is that of free will. Your Higher Self has chosen your present circumstances, including the family you have been born into, their culture, social status and location. Naturally it is acknowledged that many of our personal characteristics and much of our physical appearance are genetically based. But part of our unique personality is impressed with karmic influences from previous lifetimes. Our Higher Self plays a large part in shaping our circumstances, attitudes and, partially at least, in producing certain bodily attributes. This is perhaps best explained by the Theosophists:
“Where does heredity fit in? The reincarnating ego, drawn to its prospective parents, selects from the gene pool provided by them that which will express itself. There is no chance involved. The child, therefore, inherits first of all -- himself. He did not inherit his Self from his parents. He brought that with him, it is he. But the parents provided the genetic possibilities for him to reimbody all his particular strengths and weaknesses, faculties, talents. These may be similar to or different from either or both parents; most important, the DNA pattern in the fertilized germ cell will reflect the unique potentials of the incoming soul. It could hardly be otherwise since this pattern is shaped by and formed around the incarnating energies seeking to express as nearly as possible the multifaceted person coming to birth.”[ii]
It is at the level of our DNA that an interchange takes place between our Higher Self and our physical Self. There is still much to be learned about the human genome, especially what is commonly called ‘junk DNA’ (or, more correctly, DNA that does not encode protein sequences). As it progresses during this century, it will likely be another area where science meets mysticism. What is clear is that our DNA has an inter-dimensional counterpart that carries traits from one lifetime to the next.
There is a mystical maxim that states, “Spirit evolves through matter,” which signifies that there are laws of evolution on the non-physical plane too. As a result of these laws, there is no chance that a human entity will reincarnate as an ant, a butterfly, a fish or a dog. As always, the rules demonstrate logic, and superstitious beliefs to the contrary only serve to undermine our understanding of an orderly, logical law. Different creatures vibrate at different frequencies and humans, as the most highly evolved species on earth, do not descend or devolve to lower genera. However, the laws of progression allow for conscious life-forces of advanced mammals - ones that have close contact with humankind – to migrate to human beings. This was rare in antiquity but reached a major turning point in the mid-18th century, followed by a quantum jump in the mid-20th century, resulting in a groundswell of ‘novice’ personalities on certain parts of the planet today. This can be a contentious issue for some peoples’ spiritual convictions and discussions can be found online.[iii]
Gender is an issue that some will grapple with. It is often said that we switch from female to male and back again as we reincarnate and, while that may be true for many, there are also those who choose to incarnate predominantly, or even exclusively, as the same sex, life after life. The Higher Self is sometimes declared to be androgynous, neither distinctly male nor female, although the slightly different term of ‘hermaphrodite’ could be more appropriate, as it is capable of living as either one or the other as needed.
Once a particular lesson has been learned, according to the mission the Higher Self has set itself and based on free will, it may then be born into the body of the opposite gender to embark on a new experience. If, however, the lesson has not been completed in the last lifetime, it would seem sensible and logical to revisit the issue as the same sex next time, rather than avoid it. Unless you have had a past-life regression and/or feel that you already know the gender of your last life, approach your investigations with an open mind. Look at both spouses/partners in each tier of the family tree as you check the birth-dates against your ‘144-year Soul Season’.
The Invisible Zones
The same cosmic impulses that influence the body to seek periods of sleep between its waking activities also incline the Higher Self to take intervals of respite between earthly lives. During these ‘seasons’, the personality has a period of review during which it assesses how it has been doing with regard to its higher purpose and mission. While incarnated, the memory of previous lives is limited to the deep recesses of the subconscious, except in people who have highly developed psychic faculties, whereas the non-physical being that has returned to the afterlife dimension after death can once again perceive the bigger picture. During these interludes the Higher Self tends to keep the same form and personality as the body it last lived in, and quite often the same name.
While there are many advocates who have written about reincarnation, not all of them have developed their psychic senses and quite often you will read conflicting accounts of the ‘life between lives.’ When reading the narratives of others, it is wise to apply intuitive discernment to test whether it resonates with one’s own inner truth. For the past thirty years this writer has followed and admired the literary output of Jaime Licauco, Filipino journalist and author of 16 books, and had the privilege of a long discussion at a meeting in his office at Makati, Manila, in March 2005. Having first heard of him while in Baguio City (Northern Luzon in the Philippines), receiving psychic surgery from the renowned healer, Placido Palitayan, in late 1984, his research on the paranormal provided much guidance and inspiration. After that, reading Jaime’s ‘Inner Mind” column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer became compelling and absorbing reading.
Jaime Licauco asserts that, after death, we go into a state of existence called the Astral plane, which has several sub-planes, and we stay on that plane compatible with our degree of soul evolution or consciousness[iv]. Dr. H.S. Lewis also wrote about different planes and levels, which he referred to as Mansions of the Soul, obviously referring to the words of Christ, “In my Father’s House are many Mansions.”[v] As we keep meeting up with the same members of our ID Family, we could expect that, over the ages, they would all be roughly at the same level as we are. Naturally there will be exceptions where one or two of our associates will either lag behind, or perhaps take a great leap forward, in one lifetime. But since we work together in the teaching, learning and balancing of our karma, the others with whom we have strong attachments should be approximately level with us of over a number of lives – let’s say, several hundred years.
Jaime Licauco has also written at length about the entities that inhabit the lower astral dimensions, the ‘elemental spirits’ whom he says have no soul. He has quoted the 16th century Swiss physician and mystic, Paracelsus, whose texts explain that elementals were created before humankind and who exist to protect their respective elements. For personalities on their sojourn between lives there is little chance of being deceived by elementals, as we all dwell on our appropriate level, surrounded by our ID Family. But for people who are presently incarnated in this material world and who come into contact with elementals, either purposefully by practicing astral travel, or accidently by having an out-of-body experience or a ghostly encounter, he warns there is every chance of being the victim of trickery.
What is it like then, this afterlife/between-life dimension? It is very similar to the material world - the two are closely interwoven and overlap at certain points. According to both religious traditions and ‘ancient-alien’ theorists, beings of both levels of existence have carried on relationships, mated and produced offspring, which can then dwell on either plane, according to their traits. Inter-dimensional beings can look like us, eat, drink and carry on activities which mesh with our physical pursuits. The main difference is that they can control action by consciousness, by thought, by directing their willpower. They can travel at the speed of thought and communicate mentally. They are beings of energy of a higher frequency than ours, and it is said ‘spirit precedes matter’ in the overall scheme of things.
So, according to the length of your present life, you may expect to dwell on one of those dimensions for a calculated period after this life, until your next season for rebirth comes around. Many of us who have had near-death experiences (also known as NDEs) know that there is an immensely joyful experience awaiting us ‘on the other side,’ and there is the reunion with those that we have genuinely loved who have transitioned before us. Likewise, those we leave behind can look forward to meeting us again, providing the bond has been genuine. A true understanding of this work alleviates most of the fear we have about passing over – the word ‘most’ being used because some will still fear the trauma or pain that may arise according to the cause and nature of their death. But those of us who have been through that pain and then been revived know that it passes, it is put behind us, makes us stronger both physically and spiritually and, if processed the right way, does not have to be repeated ever again in the same way.
Look for the Signs, Listen to your Heart
For those wanting to delve further into their own past lives, there is a range of options: hypnotism and past-life regression, consulting mediums and clairvoyants, meditation and visualisation, induced dreaming and, of course, reading the accounts of other researchers. There are a vast number of books available to those who wish to see how wide-spread the belief in reincarnation is in today’s world. As a starting point this writer recommends you try the works of Dr. Paul Brunton, Dr. T. Lobsang Rampa, Dr. H. S. Lewis and Dr. Brian L. Weiss.
How do you decide what to accept and what to discard? When something or someone resonates within you, it is a valid form of knowledge, like a tuning fork vibrating in sync with your heart. Déjà vu is a great example. It is defined as the feeling that you have already experienced the present moment, but many of us know it as more than a feeling - it is a confident sense of knowing. This is a personal, experiential validation check. There are things you have been taught to accept; things you know first-hand to be 100% true; things you strongly suspect are the truth; things you believe in. Think of the times when you knew something was right for you: a person you were meant to be with; a place to live that was just perfect for you; a job that was exactly what you were looking for; an interest you clicked with; an “aha” moment when you knew you had stumbled onto a truth. These are examples of intuitive resonance that will aid your investigations into your own reincarnation Life Pattern.
“It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is resurrection.” ― Voltaire
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FOOTNOTES
Source references:
[i] ‘Mansions of the Soul,’ by H. Spencer Lewis, Ph.D., Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, 1930
[ii] http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/reincar/re-jvms2.htm
[iii] To read further on the animal-to-human transmigration, see such websites as http://www.fst.org/animals1.htm http://www.kuthumischool.com/en/teachings/volume8/animals.php http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/death-and-reincarnation/can-the-soul-of-a-person-take-an-animal-form-in-its-next-incarnation-after
[iv] ‘Exploring The Powers Of Your Inner Mind,’ by Jaime T. Licauco, Inner Mind Development Institute, 1992
[v] ‘Mansions of the Soul’, by H. Spencer Lewis, Ph.D., Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, 1930
The majority of cultures in the East have long accepted that part of the subconscious self is capable of surviving without embodiment, advancing from one lifetime to another. This part of our nature is believed to be a life-force energy field possessed of awareness which, once created, never ceases to exist. In the Western tradition, the first and most famous exponent of the concept was none other than Pythagoras in the 6th century BCE. Both he and the later philosopher, Empedocles, spoke openly about their previous incarnations and, later still, Plato discussed it in ‘The Republic.’ They used the term metempsychosis, meaning transmigration. But weren’t the ancient Greeks renowned for introducing ‘logic’ to the world? Most assuredly they were and, just like all universal laws, reincarnation follows a rational process, in accordance with logical rules.
The Law of Reincarnation is not the property of religion anywhere in the world, least of all in Western society where it was dismissed for so many centuries, only to become accepted again in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries by a public who had learned to think for themselves. The modern Western thinker either accepts or rejects the existence of the Higher Self, according to their own conclusions. To those who find the tenet palatable, reincarnation often finds favour as a more logical probability than a one-off, make-or-break shot at existence. If, as a universal law, we deem it to be ‘logical,’ wouldn’t its characteristics and rules of application be discernable to us? The answer is yes, reincarnation possesses observable, orderly features, some of which we will examine here.
- Reincarnation occurs in cycles, at specific intervals.
- These cycles are sometimes synchronous with our family trees.
- We have recurring connections and attractions to others.
- Free-will is exercised in most aspects of reincarnation.
- An inter-dimensional interchange occurs via our DNA.
- Like day and night, we have gap periods in ‘between-life’ dimensions.
- There are ways to track former lives and identify associations with others.
Seasons of the Soul: The 144-Year Cycle
A key insight in understanding rebirth is the propensity of the Higher Self to reincarnate in 144-year cycles. That is to say there is an average of 144 years from one birth to the next birth. Just like life, there are seasons that continue in between lives, until we are ready for rebirth once again. So a person who was born in 1926 and died at the age of 74 in 2000 would probably be due to be reborn in approximately 2070, after dwelling on a ‘between-life’ dimension for 70 years.
It needs to be stressed that these are approximate lengths of years. In the case of an infant or child whose life has been prematurely cut short, they may well be reborn quite soon afterwards and continue their life journey as a different person, thereby actually completing two lifetimes within the one 144 year cycle. It is claimed by some clairvoyants that suicide victims return to earth in a very short period of time. Universal laws of karma would prevail in any of the foregoing circumstances, with an outcome being reached in line with the purpose of the Higher Self and its right to exercise free-will.
It is sometimes said that time does not exist on the higher and lower planes as it does on earth. However, in the afterlife dimension time is experienced in terms of one’s unfolding consciousness and can be understood, measured and checked against earthly time. So while the exact length of each life-span might vary, it should work out that a personality which has been going through the cycles of rebirth in this world throughout recorded civilization would have had seven incarnations in the past 1,000 years, fourteen since the time of Christ and twenty-eight since 2,000BCE. That particular period presents an interesting timeline to reflect on: 4,000 years ago was when Abraham lived in Ur; Rama existed in India; the Olmecs flourished in Mesoamerica; the Xia Dynasty ruled China; the Twin Dynasty Wars flared in Egypt; the ancestors of the Latins arrived in Italy; Stonehenge was completed in England.
The 144-year cycle may not sit well with those who prefer to believe that they reincarnate instantly, time after time, without pause. It is common to read of people who claim they have been born on earth hundreds or thousands of times. According to the cycles we are speaking of here, one should only have experienced 80 to 85 rebirths since the end of the last ice age. That is not to deny the possibility that we may have lived in pre-historic times, that Atlantis may have existed, or we dwelt on other worlds, but those discussions fall outside the scope of our work here.
Should you do an on-line search for ‘144-year cycles of reincarnation,’ you will find a number of reference sources and, among them, you will most likely be directed to the book, ‘Mansions of the Soul,’ by H. Spencer Lewis.[i] Dr. Lewis covers a lot of ground regarding reincarnation, including the 144-year cycle and linking it to Western thought and Christianity. Where his creed diverges from that of this writer is in the understanding of what New-agers commonly call Soul Groups – but can also be termed Inter-Dimensional (ID) Families - collections of personalities who maintain connections with, and often reincarnate at the same time as, other individuals either because of compatibility, or to work out old karma. Dr. Lewis believes that family blood and family trees are strictly matters of the physical body and that when that body dies, we lose all connection and association with earthly relations. According to anecdotal evidence, that goes against the instincts of many who embrace the doctrine of reincarnation. Such associations and attractions are logical on earth and there is no compelling evidence that logic must be suspended or abandoned in the afterlife dimensions.
Life Patterns
Given that you’re reborn at regular intervals and repeatedly meet up with the same members of your ID Family, it is logical to assume that you ought to be able to make connections between your physical family tree and your previous incarnations, thereby identifying some of your past lives and people with whom you associate from one lifetime to the next.
At the very heart of this Life Pattern lies the proposition that there is a reason why you associate with the people you do, throughout your life. This is especially true of those you are close to, including the family you are born into. More than that, it applies to anyone who has a major influence on your life path and vice-versa. The Life Pattern suggests that we all belong to other-worldly clans and, taking that a step further, we reincarnate with the same individuals from one lifetime to the next, over and over again. These associations form our ID Families.
Why delve into these Life Patterns? Consider the benefits of knowing the reasons why you are attracted to certain people and places, yet repelled by others. A sense of confidence and reassurance arises within us, once we start identifying the key players in our lives. There is an internal warmth that comes with discovering who is part of our ID Family, while a new understanding dawns on us when we realize a particular person is not part of that group, just someone we once crossed paths with and we now need to work through some karma with them.
Just as there are laws that govern nature on the physical plane, there are cosmological rules operating on the higher and lower dimensions. But it must be emphasised that, unlike the laws that govern planetary orbits or the seasons and the tides, any rules applying to human beings are flexible because we exist under the law of free-will. You are the master of your own destiny.
Blood Lines: The Tree, its Branches and Nests
The proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating, and it is possible to do some practical exercises in the search for our own former lives, as well as other members of our ID Family, with the objective of taking greater control in this life. These aspects are more applicable to recent generations, let’s say the past few hundred years, because that is about as far back as most of us can trace our genealogy. However, your understanding of the 144-year cycle will allow you to go back to any time in history to which you feel drawn intuitively and see if it coincides with your own cycles. Some readers may feel they lived before as somebody famous and, conceivably, many eminent persons from history could well be living in other bodies today. If you feel attracted to a particular era and personality, there must be a reason for it: either you were the person you think you were, or at least you were associated with them or lived during their lifetime.
Step number one, as you would expect, is to research your own ancestral heritage, going back as far as you possibly can on both sides of your tree. The internet is the quickest way to launch your investigation, however the websites that offer the best resources do not come cheaply. Look for one that suits your budget and needs. Starting with yourself and calling your parents the first generation backwards, notice that the number of grandparents, great grandparents and so on, doubles at every tier until, when you reach the tenth generation back, your ancestors total 1,024 persons, those persons being your eight-times-great grandparents. And those are just the parents. If you were to begin scouting around to identify other members of your ID Family, you would want to consider brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins, so your tree will become a forest.
Looking at the line(s) you have followed back, highlight those that have occurred in increments of approximately 144 years prior to your present birth. As we have noted, these timespans can vary and the 144 year cycle is an average, not a cosmic mandate. The variation is likely to be more pronounced in your very recent incarnations, so scout around for personalities that have existed from fifteen years before, to fifteen years after your projected target year. This will put you within the same generation that you’ll want to examine. And for those readers who find the dates on their family tree are either too difficult to ascertain, or too vague, use the rule of thumb and seek increments of five generations.
Our next step is to examine the charts to find where we may have been incarnated in our family tree before. It might take a little getting used to the idea that we may actually have lived as some of our own ancestors, but stay with it and see if the Life Pattern gradually emerges for you. It is always best to proceed in order, starting firstly with your most recent 144-year cycle before looking back to earlier cycles. You may be fortunate enough to have already identified two or more candidates who fit your previous reincarnation periods, approximately at 288 years, 432 years and so on, but it’s recommend you study the latest one to begin with. In some ways it is easier to single out the members of your ID Family who surround you today than it is to pinpoint your own previous lives on the family tree. You can make comparisons between yourself and living family and friends by checking interests, tastes, beliefs, goals and even certain physical attributes.
Images are great starting points, whenever they are available. Unless you are still young now it is improbable, although definitely not impossible, that photographs will exist of your ancestors born prior to a century and a half before your present-life birth year. This will depend on the country they lived in and at what age they passed. Anyone alive during or after the mid-1800s could well have been photographed. Paintings and sketches are equally as valuable and some families have been fortunate enough to have inherited portraits dating back centuries. There is much anecdotal evidence from people who have identified previous incarnations, saying they find a striking resemblance in facial appearance, even when the deceased subject was of the opposite sex. Other clues that we find are recurrence of first-names, careers, travels, talents and achievements.
As you identify the members of your circle, opportunities arise to complete unfinished business and get on with your real purpose of this incarnation: the goal that your Higher Self has set out to achieve. The real meaning of life comes much more sharply into focus once you see who you are really associating with and why you are with them. It should be noted here that not everyone in your ID Family will be in your current earthly family. They might be your teacher/pupil, boss/employee or your secret lover, although they may have been in your immediate family in previous incarnations.
Your Position and Disposition
What factors determine the person you are incarnated as today? The first rule to be applied is that of free will. Your Higher Self has chosen your present circumstances, including the family you have been born into, their culture, social status and location. Naturally it is acknowledged that many of our personal characteristics and much of our physical appearance are genetically based. But part of our unique personality is impressed with karmic influences from previous lifetimes. Our Higher Self plays a large part in shaping our circumstances, attitudes and, partially at least, in producing certain bodily attributes. This is perhaps best explained by the Theosophists:
“Where does heredity fit in? The reincarnating ego, drawn to its prospective parents, selects from the gene pool provided by them that which will express itself. There is no chance involved. The child, therefore, inherits first of all -- himself. He did not inherit his Self from his parents. He brought that with him, it is he. But the parents provided the genetic possibilities for him to reimbody all his particular strengths and weaknesses, faculties, talents. These may be similar to or different from either or both parents; most important, the DNA pattern in the fertilized germ cell will reflect the unique potentials of the incoming soul. It could hardly be otherwise since this pattern is shaped by and formed around the incarnating energies seeking to express as nearly as possible the multifaceted person coming to birth.”[ii]
It is at the level of our DNA that an interchange takes place between our Higher Self and our physical Self. There is still much to be learned about the human genome, especially what is commonly called ‘junk DNA’ (or, more correctly, DNA that does not encode protein sequences). As it progresses during this century, it will likely be another area where science meets mysticism. What is clear is that our DNA has an inter-dimensional counterpart that carries traits from one lifetime to the next.
There is a mystical maxim that states, “Spirit evolves through matter,” which signifies that there are laws of evolution on the non-physical plane too. As a result of these laws, there is no chance that a human entity will reincarnate as an ant, a butterfly, a fish or a dog. As always, the rules demonstrate logic, and superstitious beliefs to the contrary only serve to undermine our understanding of an orderly, logical law. Different creatures vibrate at different frequencies and humans, as the most highly evolved species on earth, do not descend or devolve to lower genera. However, the laws of progression allow for conscious life-forces of advanced mammals - ones that have close contact with humankind – to migrate to human beings. This was rare in antiquity but reached a major turning point in the mid-18th century, followed by a quantum jump in the mid-20th century, resulting in a groundswell of ‘novice’ personalities on certain parts of the planet today. This can be a contentious issue for some peoples’ spiritual convictions and discussions can be found online.[iii]
Gender is an issue that some will grapple with. It is often said that we switch from female to male and back again as we reincarnate and, while that may be true for many, there are also those who choose to incarnate predominantly, or even exclusively, as the same sex, life after life. The Higher Self is sometimes declared to be androgynous, neither distinctly male nor female, although the slightly different term of ‘hermaphrodite’ could be more appropriate, as it is capable of living as either one or the other as needed.
Once a particular lesson has been learned, according to the mission the Higher Self has set itself and based on free will, it may then be born into the body of the opposite gender to embark on a new experience. If, however, the lesson has not been completed in the last lifetime, it would seem sensible and logical to revisit the issue as the same sex next time, rather than avoid it. Unless you have had a past-life regression and/or feel that you already know the gender of your last life, approach your investigations with an open mind. Look at both spouses/partners in each tier of the family tree as you check the birth-dates against your ‘144-year Soul Season’.
The Invisible Zones
The same cosmic impulses that influence the body to seek periods of sleep between its waking activities also incline the Higher Self to take intervals of respite between earthly lives. During these ‘seasons’, the personality has a period of review during which it assesses how it has been doing with regard to its higher purpose and mission. While incarnated, the memory of previous lives is limited to the deep recesses of the subconscious, except in people who have highly developed psychic faculties, whereas the non-physical being that has returned to the afterlife dimension after death can once again perceive the bigger picture. During these interludes the Higher Self tends to keep the same form and personality as the body it last lived in, and quite often the same name.
While there are many advocates who have written about reincarnation, not all of them have developed their psychic senses and quite often you will read conflicting accounts of the ‘life between lives.’ When reading the narratives of others, it is wise to apply intuitive discernment to test whether it resonates with one’s own inner truth. For the past thirty years this writer has followed and admired the literary output of Jaime Licauco, Filipino journalist and author of 16 books, and had the privilege of a long discussion at a meeting in his office at Makati, Manila, in March 2005. Having first heard of him while in Baguio City (Northern Luzon in the Philippines), receiving psychic surgery from the renowned healer, Placido Palitayan, in late 1984, his research on the paranormal provided much guidance and inspiration. After that, reading Jaime’s ‘Inner Mind” column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer became compelling and absorbing reading.
Jaime Licauco asserts that, after death, we go into a state of existence called the Astral plane, which has several sub-planes, and we stay on that plane compatible with our degree of soul evolution or consciousness[iv]. Dr. H.S. Lewis also wrote about different planes and levels, which he referred to as Mansions of the Soul, obviously referring to the words of Christ, “In my Father’s House are many Mansions.”[v] As we keep meeting up with the same members of our ID Family, we could expect that, over the ages, they would all be roughly at the same level as we are. Naturally there will be exceptions where one or two of our associates will either lag behind, or perhaps take a great leap forward, in one lifetime. But since we work together in the teaching, learning and balancing of our karma, the others with whom we have strong attachments should be approximately level with us of over a number of lives – let’s say, several hundred years.
Jaime Licauco has also written at length about the entities that inhabit the lower astral dimensions, the ‘elemental spirits’ whom he says have no soul. He has quoted the 16th century Swiss physician and mystic, Paracelsus, whose texts explain that elementals were created before humankind and who exist to protect their respective elements. For personalities on their sojourn between lives there is little chance of being deceived by elementals, as we all dwell on our appropriate level, surrounded by our ID Family. But for people who are presently incarnated in this material world and who come into contact with elementals, either purposefully by practicing astral travel, or accidently by having an out-of-body experience or a ghostly encounter, he warns there is every chance of being the victim of trickery.
What is it like then, this afterlife/between-life dimension? It is very similar to the material world - the two are closely interwoven and overlap at certain points. According to both religious traditions and ‘ancient-alien’ theorists, beings of both levels of existence have carried on relationships, mated and produced offspring, which can then dwell on either plane, according to their traits. Inter-dimensional beings can look like us, eat, drink and carry on activities which mesh with our physical pursuits. The main difference is that they can control action by consciousness, by thought, by directing their willpower. They can travel at the speed of thought and communicate mentally. They are beings of energy of a higher frequency than ours, and it is said ‘spirit precedes matter’ in the overall scheme of things.
So, according to the length of your present life, you may expect to dwell on one of those dimensions for a calculated period after this life, until your next season for rebirth comes around. Many of us who have had near-death experiences (also known as NDEs) know that there is an immensely joyful experience awaiting us ‘on the other side,’ and there is the reunion with those that we have genuinely loved who have transitioned before us. Likewise, those we leave behind can look forward to meeting us again, providing the bond has been genuine. A true understanding of this work alleviates most of the fear we have about passing over – the word ‘most’ being used because some will still fear the trauma or pain that may arise according to the cause and nature of their death. But those of us who have been through that pain and then been revived know that it passes, it is put behind us, makes us stronger both physically and spiritually and, if processed the right way, does not have to be repeated ever again in the same way.
Look for the Signs, Listen to your Heart
For those wanting to delve further into their own past lives, there is a range of options: hypnotism and past-life regression, consulting mediums and clairvoyants, meditation and visualisation, induced dreaming and, of course, reading the accounts of other researchers. There are a vast number of books available to those who wish to see how wide-spread the belief in reincarnation is in today’s world. As a starting point this writer recommends you try the works of Dr. Paul Brunton, Dr. T. Lobsang Rampa, Dr. H. S. Lewis and Dr. Brian L. Weiss.
How do you decide what to accept and what to discard? When something or someone resonates within you, it is a valid form of knowledge, like a tuning fork vibrating in sync with your heart. Déjà vu is a great example. It is defined as the feeling that you have already experienced the present moment, but many of us know it as more than a feeling - it is a confident sense of knowing. This is a personal, experiential validation check. There are things you have been taught to accept; things you know first-hand to be 100% true; things you strongly suspect are the truth; things you believe in. Think of the times when you knew something was right for you: a person you were meant to be with; a place to live that was just perfect for you; a job that was exactly what you were looking for; an interest you clicked with; an “aha” moment when you knew you had stumbled onto a truth. These are examples of intuitive resonance that will aid your investigations into your own reincarnation Life Pattern.
“It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is resurrection.” ― Voltaire
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FOOTNOTES
Source references:
[i] ‘Mansions of the Soul,’ by H. Spencer Lewis, Ph.D., Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, 1930
[ii] http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/reincar/re-jvms2.htm
[iii] To read further on the animal-to-human transmigration, see such websites as http://www.fst.org/animals1.htm http://www.kuthumischool.com/en/teachings/volume8/animals.php http://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/death-and-reincarnation/can-the-soul-of-a-person-take-an-animal-form-in-its-next-incarnation-after
[iv] ‘Exploring The Powers Of Your Inner Mind,’ by Jaime T. Licauco, Inner Mind Development Institute, 1992
[v] ‘Mansions of the Soul’, by H. Spencer Lewis, Ph.D., Supreme Grand Lodge of AMORC, 1930