Why Examine Your Past Lives?The source of all our problems today is what we were unable or unwilling to
resolve in the past. We are a composite of our yesterdays, the past is not
separate from us. Everything that has occurred to us is affecting what we are
experiencing today and how we respond to everything. Similarly, what we
do today determines what will happen tomorrow and in the future. Ignorance
of the past creates problems because everything in life is a product of actions
and reactions, cause and effect relationships. Therefore, it is impossible for
us to resolve our present problems without examining the past.Absolutely nothing in life is singular. Everything exists because of its
relationship to something else. The relationship between your parents
created you and profoundly influenced your life. Similarly, you have a
relationship with life. Seeing and understanding that relationship allows you
to live in harmony with life. Ignorance of that relationship causes you to
unknowingly be in conflict with life. Examining your past and your past lives
helps you to develop your "relational sight" . . . your ability to see
relationships. That ability assists you in understanding yourself and your
relationship with life.Our inability to see and understand our relationship with life has caused us to
inherit the unresolved problems of our parents, our grandparents and our
ancestors. Like our parents, our inability to see and understand our
relationship with life prevents us from resolving our problems. In turn, we
pass our unresolved problems and those we inherited on to our children.
What is going to change or prevent our children from passing on their
unresolved problems and those they inherited to their children?We may not be able to see or understand our predicament, but we can
observe how it affects us. What we experience in life and how we respond
to what we experience allows us to see where we are in harmony with life
and where we are opposing it. The amount of frustration, conflict, anxiety,
misery, and suffering we experience reveals how much we are opposing life.
Debating, defending or attempting to prove the accuracy of our perception
does not resolve anything. These actions create conflict and prevent us from
understanding ourselves and our relationship with life.
WHY AM I NOT AWARE OF MY PAST LIVES?
We only become interested in something when we need to know it for
everything we learn in life is based upon our need to know. For example,
there is no need for you to know about your previous lives if you are
overwhelmed by this life. Any knowledge about your past lives would
increase your burden and make it more difficult for you to effectively deal
with this life. Similarly, there is no need to know about your other lives if you
are unable or unwilling to examine this life.Awareness begets awareness. The more you attentively observe how
everything affects you and how you respond to everything, the more you
develop your awareness. In turn, that awareness assists you in making other
observations and examinations which develops your awareness even more.
You become sincerely interested in your past lives when you can effectively
deal with your past while taking care of your present life. Experiencing your
past lives is a natural unfoldment. It does not have to be pursued for it comes
to you when your soul knows you are ready for that experience. As you
examine your past lives you see relationships that assist you in effectively
dealing with your current life. In turn, more of the past is revealed to you.DISCOVERING YOUR PAST LIVES
If we are a composite of our past, then every aspect of ourselves reveals
something about our past. We are unable to see that fact because it is
obvious. We are unable to see the obvious because it does not get our
attention. Attention defines focus and develops interest. In turn, interest
develops awareness. Consequently, we develop our awareness by
observing and examining the obvious. We develop that ability by attentively
observing how everything affects us and how we respond to everything.The following list of clues focuses our attention on the relationship between
our current live and our past lives. Contained within that relationship are
additional relationships and contained within them are even more
relationships. Our ability to observe relationships is the key to being
consciously aware of our past lives. The more we develop our "relational
sight," the more we understand how we became the individual we are
today. In turn, that understanding allows us to create the individual we
desire to be.1.Our interests. Examining our interests is a good place to start our
investigation because we are only interested in what we know.
Knowledge stimulates interest. If that knowledge was not acquired
in this life, then it was acquired in a previous life.2.Unexplainable talent and abilities. Experience develops talent
and abilities. If that experience was not gained in this life, then it was
gained in a previous life.3.What we collect. There is a reason why we collect artifacts from
different countries and cultures that we have not experienced in this
life. That reason can be found in our past.4.Vivid and unforgettable dreams. We can only dream about what
we know. If that knowledge was not acquired in this life, then it was
acquired in a previous life.5.What is attracted to us. The Law of Attraction causes us to be
attracted to everything that is contained within us. Likewise, that
which is attracted to us is determined by what is contained within us.
The most obvious thing contained within us is our memory, whether
it be of this life or a previous life.6.Who we immediately like or dislike. There is a reason why we
immediately like or dislike someone we meet for the first time in this
life. That reason can be found in our past. Similarly, the reason why
we feel as if we have always known someone we just meet can also
be found in our past.7.Deja vu experiences. Although these experiences appear as they
happened before, these are future life experiences in that they
pertain to the future rather than the past.8.Our personality. The characteristics of our personality are not
intrinsic to the human body. That means that our personality was
neither created by our perception nor our behavior. Often the latter
prevents us from seeing our personality.9.Our intrinsic values or virtues. Experience, resistance and
challenging the known develop our values. Therefore, they cannot
be taught or learned through knowledge.10.That which repeats itself. Everything that repeats itself is
anchored to past, either in this life or a previous life. The past will
continue to repeat itself until it gets our complete attention and is
properly handled.11.Where we live. It is not by chance, accident or coincidence that
we live where we do or were born where we were born. Here again
these are determined by the Law of Attraction.12.Our job or occupation. In addition to the Law of Attraction, there
are many relationships that determine our employment and our
employer. At one time or another, the employees of most small
businesses have experienced similar relationships with each other in
former lives.13.Our friends and relatives. We have known almost all our friends
and relatives before. Our parents have also been our children, we
have been the brother or sister of our spouse and many of friends
have also been our relatives.14.Our pets and plants. The unconditional love of our pets and plants
causes them to follow us from one incarnation to another. Our dog,
cat or horse has not always been the same type of animal it is today.
That same applies to our favorite house plants.15.What we tell others. It is not by chance, accident or a slip of the
tongue that we say: "You don't look like a Jane." or "Why do I want
to call you Bill instead of by your real name?" Others are: "You
should be in a different occupation." and "For some reason you look
taller, thinner or different than I had pictured you."16.How we are different. For example, some of people have lived
their entire life in the South but do not have a Southern accent.
Having physical features or characteristics that are different than our
nationality or heritage is another example. Some are difficult to see
like freckles, they reveal that you have changed your race.Obviously, there are other clues. I have not mentioned them so that you
could enjoy the excitement of discovering them yourself. The more you
discover about your present and past lives, the more meaning, purpose and
value your life has.. . . David Zimmer
(Ma'at's note: Mr. Zimmer's website -- www.whoisdavid.org -- is a wonderful resource for this difficult topic.)