(Shared information)Past Lives and Reincarnation~Is it possible you've lived before?Many members of the Pagan and Wiccan communities are interested in past lives and reincarnation. While there's no official standpoint on past lives (as with many other issues), it's not uncommon to find Pagans and Wiccans who believe they have experienced past lives. Among those who do, there are often some recurring themes.What is a Past Life?In many modern Pagan religions, the notion of a past life is an intriguing one. Typically, someone who believes they've had a past life (or lives) also believes that they have learned various lessons from each lifetime. Although someone may believe they have led past lives, there is no way to prove this. Because knowledge of past lives is obtained through hypnosis, regression, meditation, or other psychic methods, knowledge of past lives is considered Unverifiable Personal Gnosis (UPG). You can be certain beyond a reasonable doubt that you've lived before, but that doesn't mean everyone else is required to believe you.In some Eastern religions, such as Hinduism and Jainism, reincarnation is specifically referred to transmigration of the soul. With this philosophy, it is believed that the soul continues to learn "life lessons," and each lifetime lived is another step on the road to enlightenment. Many modern Pagans and Wiccans accept this concept, or some variation on it, as well.How Do Past Lives Affect Us?For many people, past lives are a cumulative set of lessons that have been learned. We may have carried over fears or emotions from previous lives that impact our existence today. Some people believe that experiences or feelings they have in this lifetime can be traced to an experience in a past incarnation. For example, some people believe that if they're afraid of heights, it could be because in a past life, they died after a traumatic fall. Others might think that they reason they're drawn to working in the medical profession is because they were a healer in a previous lifetime.Some people believe that if a person or place seems familiar, it may be because you've "known" them in a past life. There is a popular theory that souls tend to reunite from one lifetime to another, so someone you loved in a past life may appear in the form of someone you love in this lifetime.In some Pagan traditions, the concept of Karma comes into play. Although traditional Eastern religions view Karma as an as ongoing cosmic system of cause and effect, many Neopagan groups have redefined Karma to be more of a payback system. There is a theory, in some Pagan faiths, that if one has done bad things in a previous life, that Karma is what causes bad things to happen to the individual in this lifetime. Likewise, there's the concept that if we do good things this time around, we're somehow building up "Karma points" for our next lifetime. Your interpretation of this will vary depending on the teachings of your particular tradition of Paganism.Discovering Your Past Lives~If you believe you may have had a past life, or lives, many people recommend actively trying to discover what information you can about those lives. Knowledge obtained from learning about past lives can help open doors to self-discovery in our current existence. There are several different methods you can use to delve into your past lives.Past Life Regression: Typically done by someone with regression therapy experience, a past life regression is one in which the Seeker is guided through a hypnotic state by another person. The guide, or leader, will gently take the Seeker back through the current lifetime to previous ones. People who experience this often report feeling as though they have left their body and are watching it from another plane. During a past life regression session, it's not uncommon for the Seeker to feel that they are in another location, or of the opposite sex, or even speak in another language or with an accent.Meditation: A past life meditation is an exercise you can do on your own, although it may take some practice (and more than a couple of attempts) to get anywhere. In a past life meditation, the Seeker uses meditation techniques to travel back to previous lifetimes. You can achieve this by allowing your mind to wander back through your current lifetime, to earlier memories, and then telling your mind to go back to the lifetime before. Although this doesn't always work for everyone, you may find yourself experiencing memories from what seems to be another lifetime. If you have trouble doing this on your own, you may find it helpful to use a past life regression CD, such as those by Brian Weiss, MD, or Doreen Virtue.Dream Analysis: Some people believe they can learn about their past lives from dreams. Are there recurring events or places that show up in your dreams? Perhaps you've never been to Paris in this lifetime, but you continually dream of running through the city's streets. Maybe you have a repeating dream in which you're tilling a field or riding a horse. Keep a Dream Journal to help you look for and recognize patterns in your dreams.Once you've learned about what you suspect may be a past life, it can be enlightening to do some historical research. Although this will not (and cannot) confirm the existence of a past life, what it can do is help rule out things that might be just wishful thinking or the product of your imagination. By confirming timelines and history, you can help narrow the field a bit. Remember, past lives fall into the category of UPGs - Unverifiable Personal Gnosis - so while you may not be able to prove anything, it's entirely possible that recall of a past incarnation is a tool you can use to help become more enlightened in this lifetime.Past Life Meditation Exercise~By Rin OtoriI am going to share with you an advanced meditation technique used for the sole purpose of taking a look into your past life. Do not become discouraged if you have trouble with this exercise, it does take practice to get the hang of.1. This meditation will last roughly about 30 minutes, you will want to get in a comfortable position that you can maintain for this length of time.2. Begin by closing your eyes, and take three deep breaths. Fill your lungs with air to their fullest capacity.3. With each exhale, imagine a white light entering your body. Visualize this white light running through your body from the top to the bottom ridding your body of all stress and negativity.4. Keeping your eyes closed, visualize your pituitary gland. This is the small gland found at the middle of the forehead, right above the brow. This is said to be your third eye, and the door to your higher consciousness. Keep focused on this point.5. Visualize a brightly lit tunnel, while keeping your focus on your third eye, imagine your spirit leaving your body and entering into this tunnel.6. As you enter the tunnel you come across a glass door. With each step closer, you feel more relaxed and at peace, you feel uplifted and connected to the universe.7. As you approach the door, they automatically open and invite your soul into this realm of enlightenment. Beyond the doors your spiritual sanctuary awaits.8. Now open the door and go inside.9. Begin to imagine your spiritual self conducting a spiritual meditation. As you relax, you arrive deeper into the spiritual realm. As you inhale, mentally say to yourself "I have arrived" and as you exhale " I am home".10. Imagine your higher self closing your third eye and reopening it.11. ( Your eyes still closed) Take a moment to explore your surroundings with your third eye. What do you see? Be sure to keep your mind free of any distracting thoughts. Allow any visualizations or memories from the past life to naturally manifest. Don't worry if you do not notice anything the first time this takes practice.12. Take in a deep breath, begin to feel your body, become more and more aware of your surroundings, have a nice long and hard stretch, then open your eyes.For many people, it requires years of intense practice in meditation before one acquires the skills to even get a glimpse into their past life. Most people become discouraged and simply give up on their goal to see their past life or former self and simply dismiss it as impossible. However, it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE and meditation is simply a much harder route to take to achieve this.