Our Past Lives, Ourselves

In tandem with the concept of free will there is the idea of past lives and how they intertwine with karma. In Sanskrit, the word karma means “action.” Every one of our actions has a meaning which ripples through our very fabric.

Some of us may know about one or more of our past life already. Others may have only experienced bits and pieces: images seen in a dream, or inexplicable patterns that emerge in our lives. We may wonder why we always seem to be unlucky in love or needing a challenge at work. Every lifetime we get is the universe trying to teach us. What we perceive as hardship or bad luck is really a learning opportunity!

Discovering these patterns can be surprisingly easy. Start meditating and keeping two journals: one for waking and one for dreams. Are you noticing certain colors, smells, sounds? Are you drawn to a particular period in history? These are all clues to discovering your own karmic past.

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

You may never discover exactly who you were, but you will start to get a sense as to what lessons need to be learned now. For example, if you feel a connection to the Italian Renaissance, read books or watch films set in that time. You may start subconsciously discovering clues. Even better, if you can afford to, travel to the area in question.

Our friends and the family we choose are also our karmic markers. We find ourselves drawn to people for various reasons. We may have known them in one of our past lives. They may be able to teach us important lessons.

Have you ever had a friend whom you wondered, “Why her?” That’s a big clue! If the friend will agree, meditate along with her, or journal separately and compare notes. Also: don’t make the mistake of confusing karma (the path of knowledge, self-discovery, and the meanings of actions) with running across a soulmate or soul-marker. This is a common mistake.

As we go along the path of karma in our own lives, we have to remember that we are alive for a reason. If we lived exclusively for ourselves, we would neither learn or contribute anything. Take a long, spiritual look at yourself and try to answer important questions. If we face challenges such as illness, poverty, or discrimination, this can be hard. At the same time, the universe is trying to teach us by the minute, and its intentions are clear. The universe wants us to be enlightened. That’s why we are all continually reborn!

I did not begin when I was born, nor when I was conceived. I have been growing, developing, through incalculable myriads of millenniums… All my previous selves have their voices, echoes, promptings in me… Oh, incalculable times again shall I be born ~ Jack London

You may be wondering what you can possibly do to influence your own karma. The best advice is that with all things, start small. The tiny butterfly flapping its wings can influence a storm thousands of miles away. It doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing effort. Considering you will probably be born hundreds or thousands more times, do you think you’ll get it all right in this one? Probably not!