I am not a spiritualist, but just wanted to say that this has been an interesting thread with some good posts from Giles and Mac. As someone here has said, none of us will know any of this for certain until we ourselves pass through that experience.
Many years ago, a friend gave me a book by Spiritualist healer Betty Shine. The book was full of common sense, like her saying to people that they must not go to mediums, trying to contact the deceased person, as this all holds the deceased back from progressing.
Shine wrote that haunted houses etc are where an individual is so materially minded that they cling to earth and to the material and are afraid of progressing higher. She encourages praying for them to release them from fear. Also she says that this sometimes happens with a sudden or traumatic death.
Mary Baker Eddy observed:
Death will occur on the next plane of existence as on this, until the spiritual understanding of Life is reached. Then, and not until then, will it be demonstrated that "the second death hath no power."
The period required for this dream of material life, embracing its so-called pleasures and pains, to vanish from consciousness, "knoweth no man . . . neither the Son, but the Father." This period will be of longer or shorter duration according to the tenacity of error. (Science and Health 77)
This is a link to a video of child who had vivid knowledge of a dead airmans life. It is very sincere and quite thought provoking.
[url]11 year old boy reincarnated FOX 8 News - YouTube[/url]
Do I think it proves reincarnation? No! I think that Mary Baker Eddy gives a good explanation of what is going on here.
Though individuals have passed away, their mental environment remains to be discerned, described, and transmitted. Though bodies are leagues apart and their associations forgotten, their associations float in the general atmosphere of human mind. (Science and Health 87)
To me, that is the explanation of the child (who was obviously very sensitive to the airmans mental environment) not that the airman has reincarnated in the child. I think it was telling that after the closure of the little service for the airman, the 'memories" left the child.
Love and peace,
Judy
Selenegreen,
Find another group to join if your circle isn't speaking to each other. First point.
Second point: ask, ask, ask your medium teacher about reincarnation. Some believe it, others don't but it's not a tenet of Spiritualism per se. This is why you need to be speaking to each other.
Mac & Giles,
I have had first hand experience of past life regression: once, to determine a fear I have of fire and why it was so (burned at the stake as a witch in Great Baddow Essex and later found the record in Chelmsford Archives) and another with my ex-husband to find his guide. Found the record for the guide in a place called Shaw-cum-Donnington, Berkshire. These were many years ago.
Judy,
Betty Shine, as a Spiritualist healer, would have known that spirits come to a medium, not the other way round. I don't know why she advised people not to visit mediums, since she was a healer herself. Doesn't make sense.
Love,
Patsy.
xxxxx
Selenegreen,
Find another group to join if your circle isn't speaking to each other. First point.
Second point: ask, ask, ask your medium teacher about reincarnation. Some believe it, others don't but it's not a tenet of Spiritualism per se. This is why you need to be speaking to each other.
Mac & Giles,I have had first hand experience of past life regression: once, to determine a fear I have of fire and why it was so (burned at the stake as a witch in Great Baddow Essex and later found the record in Chelmsford Archives) and another with my ex-husband to find his guide. Found the record for the guide in a place called Shaw-cum-Donnington, Berkshire. These were many years ago.
Judy,
Betty Shine, as a Spiritualist healer, would have known that spirits come to a medium, not the other way round. I don't know why she advised people not to visit mediums, since she was a healer herself. Doesn't make sense.
Love,
Patsy.
xxxxx
It was quite a surprise to be notified that there's a new posting in this old thread! I'd have to go back to refresh my memory over what I'd written but I suspect - hope! - it wouldn't have been much different from what I'm saying now.
Many individuals have exprerienced so-called past life regression. Many tell of their being other individuals, having recalled earlier lives and sometimes in the context of current-life problems/issues. I don't doubt that some find help for their problems but whether that's proof, or even sound evidence, of a particular lifetime they experienced is not clear cut. But if individuals are convinced, and indeed helped, by what they experience then all to the good. Whatever gets you through the night...
If that sounds harsh I hope you will consider that member mac's not a naysayer or disbeliever of life-beyond-death or reincarnation. But the subject of so-called past lives is one where other explanations are not hard to find....
As for Spiritualism it isn't an important part in its teachings which are primarily concerned with helping the bereaved find comfort through evidential mediumship.
It was quite a surprise to be notified that there's a new posting in this old thread! I'd have to go back to refresh my memory over what I'd written but I suspect - hope! - it wouldn't have been much different from what I'm saying now.
Many individuals have exprerienced so-called past life regression. Many tell of their being other individuals, having recalled earlier lives and sometimes in the context of current-life problems/issues. I don't doubt that some find help for their problems but whether that's proof, or even sound evidence, of a particular lifetime they experienced is not clear cut. But if individuals are convinced, and indeed helped, by what they experience then all to the good. Whatever gets you through the night...
If that sounds harsh I hope you will consider that member mac's not a naysayer or disbeliever of life-beyond-death or reincarnation. But the subject of so-called past lives is one where other explanations are not hard to find....
As for Spiritualism it isn't an important part in its teachings which are primarily concerned with helping the bereaved find comfort through evidential mediumship.
Hello Mac,
I am glad that you replied. I've returned to HP after an absence of 2 years and am working my way through posts that might interest me.
Like you, (and as any good Spiritualist medium will know) evidence plays a great part in these things and like a good medium, I wanted to find out if my regression was authentic. I had heard stories of people claiming to be reincarnations of all sorts of folks, from Napoleon Bonaparte to the old biddy at the bus stop. I did mine because I am utterly fearing of fire, almost obsessional about it: a lovely warm fire in the grate is inviting and cosy, but the thought of my house being on fire, my car, even cremation was utterly shocking and I'd had this fear from babyhood. Even watching a film with a car on fire gave me nightmares. So, when I could, I decided to find out why. This story of being burnt at the stake gave so much information that my regressor and I decided to look into it further.We paid a visit to Chelmsford Archives and found a record of the 'person I was' having been executed for witchcraft in 1645. I was utterly shocked. It hasn't cured my fear, but at least I know now where it comes from. It is also interesting that having been burnt for witchcraft, I am now a Spiritualist medium.
You are right about Spiritualism being there to help the bereaved. In many cases, a medium has brought more comfort to bereaved people than a counselling session has and has in fact, turned some from suicide.
Love,
Patsy.
xxxx
Hello Patsy - I suspect I might recognise your name from before. I'm now an infrequent visitor to HP because 'it ain't wot it used to be' and I suppose I ain't who I used to be either!
Thanks for your well-considered response. It's clear you've approached things as I would so I have absolutely no doubt that you've rightly been persuaded of the authenticity of that particular past life. I have no doubt about accepting your account either.
There was a time, though, when I heard so many accounts of previous lives that I became dismissive - there were just too many, and too colourful, accounts. Later I began to move to a point where they were neither to be dismissed out of hand nor accepted without questioning. The actuality of so many situations falls between the two extremes!
Your fear of fire and your investigations led - directly or indirectly - to your becoming a medium and that's a great outcome. 🙂 I wonder how much of that was planned and orchestrated and how much was chance, incidental or serendipity? 😉