incarnation
Reincarnation And The Karmic Journey Of The Soul
Reincarnation — the belief that the soul experiences multiple lifetimes through a continuous cycle of birth, death, and rebirth — is embraced by many spiritual and religious traditions worldwide. Wisdom traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and various indigenous belief systems integrate reincarnation deeply into their teachings.
For those who embrace the concept, reincarnation offers a transformative perspective on life and mortality. When we believe that our soul consciousness continues beyond this life, death is no longer something to be feared. Instead, it becomes a transition — a doorway to new opportunities for growth and evolution. Reincarnation provides a rich and expansive framework for understanding the soul’s journey.
Whether you fully embrace the concept or explore it with curiosity, reflecting on the interplay of karma and rebirth can inspire greater mindfulness, compassion, and purpose. In this view, death is not an end, but a passage — a gateway to continued exploration and spiritual progress.
Belief in some form of continued existence beyond this life is widespread. A 2011 Ipsos Global Advisor survey of more than 18,000 people in 23 countries found that 51% of respondents believe in an afterlife that includes beliefs in heaven, hell, and reincarnation. Specifically, 7% of respondents said they believed in reincarnation.
In the United States, a 2021 Pew Research Center survey found that approximately 33% of adults believe in reincarnation. This belief is more prevalent among younger adults under 50 (38%) compared to those aged 50 and older (27%).
Did Your Soul Choose Your Life Challenges?
“Oh, why do I have such terrible karma?” or “Why does the universe keep throwing me curveballs?” or “Is God punishing me?” These are questions that clients often ask me when they face struggles in life.
Spirit has repeatedly shown me in many readings over the years that we all have a kind of “architect’s plan” that we design before we incarnate into this life. This soul plan for our life journey lays out the lessons we’re going to learn and the experiences we’re going to have.
This spiritual principle is known by various names (depending on the context or belief system), including our spiritual blueprint, life design, divine plan, life script, soul contract, predestined path, and so on.
I prefer “architect’s plan” because it reminds me of the careful, meticulous planning an architect does when designing a new structure, long before the practical, hands-on construction takes place on site.
Like architects, we calmly and clearly create a plan for our life journey before we incarnate. It is only when we are here in the physical world to embody our plan that we fully experience the intensity and the many dangers and pitfalls that are part of our chosen journey, including all the fear, love, pain, hardship, joy, suffering, and everything in between.
Yes, it is hard to believe that we actually choose to face challenges and difficulties in our lives. But various spiritual traditions and esoteric philosophies tell us that our soul’s path is predestined or planned before we’re born, or at least that we have certain free will choices and options along the way.
Extraordinary Evidence Of Reincarnation And Past Lives
Have you ever felt an irresistible desire to visit a certain foreign country? Are you obsessed with a certain culture or have you always been fascinated by a certain period of history? Do you collect certain objects or paraphernalia that represent some kind of ancient spiritual tradition or esoteric practice?
Our inexplicable interests and unusual hobbies often reveal much about our past lives.
Reincarnation is a topic that has captured the imagination of people since ancient times as a thought-provoking perspective on life, death, and the soul’s journey through many incarnations. Physical life is not a singular experience, but a cycle of rebirth, learning, and evolution.
The concept of reincarnation is the belief that our soul, or non-physical essence, is reborn into a new life after we die.
Central to Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, this spiritual concept is also found in certain streams of Judaism, among indigenous peoples of the Americas and Australian Aborigines, and in neo-pagan religions such as Wicca.
Various esoteric and mystical religious traditions, such as the Druze, Rosicrucians, Theosophy, and Anthroposophy, also incorporate ideas of reincarnation and the evolution of the soul.
In Kabbalah, the mystical branch of Judaism, reincarnation is also an important belief, referred to as gilgul neshamot, or the “cycle of souls.” Kabbalists teach that souls reincarnate to achieve spiritual redemption or tikkun, allowing individuals to correct mistakes from previous lives and fulfill their unique spiritual missions.
The Miracle Gift Of A Reincarnated Pet
Do animals reincarnate? As an animal lover and pet owner, I believe they do!
John Edward, the famous psychic medium, once told how his dog came to him in a dream after he died. Apparently, the dog told him that he would be the new dog “with the black spot.”
Soon after, he went to a friend’s house who had a litter of puppies. He really bonded with one of the puppies – it followed him everywhere. However, none of the puppies had a black spot? Edward’s wife took pictures of him with the puppy because she also felt the connection. They left without taking any of the puppies.
When the film was developed, there was a black spot on one of the photos! The black spot appeared in the picture over the puppy he had such a special connection with. Edward immediately went back and got his beloved “new” dog.
My friend’s dog, Inky, was all white with an unusual dark spot on his back. He also had a strong personality and would follow her on her daily walk to work until she turned and said, “Inky, go home.” When he passed away at a young age, my friend was devastated. I remember her saying that she lay on the floor for days, crying, curled up in a fetal position.
A few months later, she walked by a pet store. There was a bunny in the store that looked exactly like Inky. It was all white, with the same distinctive ink pattern on its back. My friend adopted the rabbit, who also turned out to have the same personality as Inky. He would follow her on her way to work until she said, “Bunny, go home.” Continue reading
Understanding The Higher Self
In modern spirituality and metaphysics, the concept of the “higher self” is generally considered a cornerstone of spiritual awareness and conscious living.
The idea that we have a “higher self” is found in many spiritual and mystical traditions, although it may be called by different names and understood in different ways.
Despite these differences, the underlying idea is that there is a higher, more enlightened aspect of our being that we can connect with and embody.
Often mentioned in discussions of intuition, mindfulness, enlightenment, and the search for deeper meaning, the higher self is seen as a guiding force or eternal soure of wisdom that transcends our everyday consciousness.
Yet despite the common use of this term in modern spiritual communities and teachings, there remains a great deal of confusion and variation in how the higher self is understood and interpreted. There are many different opinions and beliefs. Some see it as our inner connection to the divine or universal consciousness. Others see it as the true spiritual essence, free from the limitations of the human ego. And some simply see it as an alternative term for our eternal spirit or soul identity.
In my experience, most of the confusion and misunderstanding arises because the higher self is mistakenly seen as a distinct and separate entity from the soul or spirit. From this perspective, the higher self is seen as entirely separate from our soul, representing our connection to something greater than ourselves, to the divine or universal consciousness.
Exploring Your Past Life Memories
Have you ever had such a strong sense of déjà vu that you just couldn’t shake it? Or have you had a strange yet familiar dream about a particular place or time in history? Chances are you were experiencing a past-life memory.
Both our physical body and our soul essence carry deep echoes of the past. We inherit cellular memories from our ancestors that are embedded in the genetic code of our bodies, while our souls carry energetic imprints and karmic wisdom from our previous incarnations.
Our soul is eternal and transcends individual lifetimes, accumulating wisdom, experiences and lessons across multiple incarnations.
Intense traumas, transformative events, and extreme hardships experienced by both our ancestors and ourselves in past lives are etched into our physical and spiritual DNA.
The legacy of these cellular and soul memories sometimes resurfaces in our present lives in a variety of ways. For example, it may manifest as an inexplicable behavior, an irrational phobia, an unusual talent, or a strange preference that can be traced back to past life experiences.
Why Some Souls Depart This Life Early
In over 15 years of doing spiritual readings, I’ve had to deal with some very difficult questions from clients who have suffered extreme loss or trauma.
One of the most heartbreaking, however, is making sense of the death of an infant, child, or young adult, sometimes after a cruel and very unpredictable death.
Grieving the death of a young person can bring up some of the most profound and challenging emotions. While it is never easy to address this kind of loss with grieving parents and relatives, Spirit has been consistent in its guidance over the years.
Although I have been spared the loss of someone so young in my own life, I am no stranger to it. I have supported many families in this regard over the years, both professionally and in my personal life.
The first time I realized how fragile life really is, was when I was only 12 years old. I was looking forward to the summer vacation from school. One of my classmates who lived down the street and her family had relatives visiting for the summer. Two of the visiting cousins were more or less our age, so I had a nice group of girl playmates for the season!
There was also the younger brother of the visiting cousins, who was only six years old. He was an adorable child with blond hair, bright blue eyes, and a freckled face full of mischief. He followed his two sisters, my girlfriend, and me wherever we went during those carefree days. I did not mind having him around and even encouraged the others to let him play hide-and-seek and many other childhood games with us.