In honor of my newest book release NO MATTER WHAT, a paranormal thriller based on the concept of reincarnation, I thought I’d post some thoughts on this controversial topic.

People either believe in it pretty strongly or they don’t buy it at all. Some might be on the fence about it but even they are more skeptical than not. There was a time, though, when the majority of the human population believed in reincarnation. Now, I could quote books that cover this subject and try to state my case in why I believe in it with data from others, but why? I have found that our beliefs are strengthened through personal experience more than anything else. So, I want to share MY experiences and thoughts on it and I’d love for others to share theirs as well. I would. The subject is fascinating!

So anyway. I first heard of reincarnation from various paranormal and occult books I picked up in high school (we had a pretty decent school library, I have to say!). I was doing some research on the paranormal because of that haunted house I was living in at the time (I’ve published several blog posts on my ghostly encounters if you’re interested!). I was determined to learn what I could about the spirit world and reincarnation was often mentioned. Many ancient cultures believed in it and most Eastern religions still do today. In fact, some cultures didn’t just BELIEVE it, they accepted it as a known FACT! I mean…ever watch those fascinating History or Discovery Channel shows on the Egyptians? They took the whole thing quite, quite seriously.

I have to say, though, that is was the book Audrey Rose that really fired up my interest! I don’t know why but I really identified with that story!! Sure it was a work of fiction but after reading other books about non-fictional accounts of Past Life memories, it seemed pretty darned plausible to me. I mean, here’s our hope that we aren’t all doomed for hell! I try to live by a decent moral code but I am no Mother Theresa. So, am I destined for hell? I enjoy a drink on occasion (those new Whipped Pinnacle Vodkas are going to be my downfall!), I have a temper and (dare I admit it?) let loose on a few choice words every now and then that would be better left UNSAID! I can be pretty critical about anything and everything (and then I get on my own case about it!). It is no fun airing my faults but the fact is, most of us have some, and many of those vices or faults we fall victim to are considered SINS! (sigh)

As for one of the really bad sins, well…I haven’t killed anyone DIRECTLY but I was in the military and I can’t say for sure that any of the weapons I prepped for the pilots to use didn’t end up taking a life or two. Does that make me guilty by association? Are the military exempt? Some say yes, others say no…who is right? Does it matter? Not if reincarnation comes into play!

My favorite authors on this subject are Edgar Cayce the Sleeping Prophet (he’s truly amazing!!) and Dr. Brian Weiss who is on a book tour right now for Miracles Happen: The Transformational Healing Power of Past-Life Memories.

Another reason I came to accept this belief is my own gut-feeling on the subject. When I read about it, there was this sense of acceptance deep within. Now, your gut feeling might tell you otherwise. And if that’s the case, whose gut is right? Now THERE’S a question! My belief is this: regardless what we believe, if it’s true, then it’s true and if it’s not, then it doesn’t matter much because we won’t be back to ponder the question again! (smile) Will believing in it send us to hell if it isn’t true? Good Lord, I think our LOVING God is more merciful than that. I’m sure he’ll straighten us out when we get over “there” (on the “other side”).

Other than all the stories I’ve read on it, I’ve had a few amazing dreams that have helped me along with this belief. I was still in high school when I had this dream that I was a male soldier (I guess our genders don’t much matter in the whole reincarnation process) and in the middle of a war battle. I didn’t recognize the uniform I was wearing but later I was able to match it to those similar to those worn during the World War I/II era. So anyway…I was right in the middle of battle, shooting at the enemy when suddenly we were getting overrun! We were told to retreat but I stumbled and fell. Knowing I could not get away, I tried to play dead. The enemy wasn’t having it. They surrounded me, lifted their guns and shot me several times. Now really, I’m thinking THOSE soldiers committed the worst deed but I’ll leave them to their Karma and worry about my own. I remember feeling very HOT and then I was suddenly floating over my body and feeling no sense of attachment to the bloody mess below me! I woke up right after that and my feet were literally burning! I had to jump out of bed and walk around on the cold floor to cool them off. That dream seemed so real and unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Interestingly enough, when I joined the Air Force right after high school and had to shoot a gun for the first time ever, I missed qualifying as an Expert Shot by a couple points! Not to worry…I made up for it the following year!! (smile)

The general thought on reincarnation is that our current lives are influenced in one way or another by previous life experiences. Scared of heights though there’s no explanation for it? Maybe you fell to your death in a previous life! Afraid of water? Maybe you drowned in another life! I really address this very thing in my newest book No Matter What.

Another dream I had was even more amazing! I dreamed an entire LIFETIME in one night! I went through it all…birth, childhood, teenage years, young adult, marriage, children, grandchildren. In that dream I died of old age surrounded by my large loving family! As soon as I died in the dream, I woke up and I couldn’t shake those memories for quite some time. It was so bizarre! So darned REAL!

But, what really clinched the whole reincarnation belief for me was my son. He wasn’t yet two years old when he came to me one day while I was preparing dinner in the kitchen. He tugged on my pants to get my attention and I looked down at him. He had a very puzzled look on his cute little face. “What, Wes?” I ask and he cocks his head to look up at me and very seriously he asks, “Where is my wife?” Now, I didn’t even know Wes knew what a wife was! (and just so you know…he had a great vocabulary for his age!). I say to him, “What wife?” and he shakes his head in frustration because he really, truly wants to know. “My wife. You know, when I was a man and I had a wife? Where is she? I miss her!” and I tell him I don’t know where she is. He turns away all dejected and heads for the couch where he sits down to cry. I go to him and try to offer comfort. He continues to tell me about how he used to be a man and now he’s a kid but when he was a man he had a wife and he really liked her. Now, Wes often made similar comments about being “a man”. He’d say stuff like, “When I was a man, I drove a truck.” or “When I was a man, I did this” or “did that” or whatever. Because I believed in reincarnation, I did not ridicule or dismiss Wes’s comments and questions. I also was careful not to “feed” them.

I remember one afternoon while driving down a country road, Wes suddenly spoke up all excited. “Mommy! I remember this place! This is where we had the accident.” Now really, should a two-year old kid be talking like that? “What accident?” I ask. “When I was driving the car and the truck hitted us. You know, when I was a man.” and then “Where is my wife? I miss her.” He was always so sad when mentioning his wife. I wish I’d tried to look it up about there being a car accident in the area Wes identified but I didn’t.

I think the incident that bothered me the most with my son was the night I was tucking him into bed and noticed how sad he was. I asked him what was wrong. His big brown eyes looked into mine and he said, “I don’t want to die again. I don’t like that.” Then he tells me that he liked being a man and wanted to know why he had to be little again. For a two-year old, Wes was pretty obsessed with death. He hated to watch anything on TV that involved it. He would get so upset and cry and then we’d have to talk about how the stuff on TV wasn’t real and no one really died. In fact, my son talked about being a man so much and had such an obsession about death that my friends were often “weirded out” by him.

The general consensus among believers is that very young children often do remember snippets of their past lives. But as they age, the memories fade. The last time Wes talked about his past lives was when he was about four. He claimed he was a pilot in the Korean War and died getting shot down! He knew far more than a little kid should know about aerial dog fights and honestly, where would he even hear of the Korean war? I NEVER watched war stories and I certainly didn’t let Wes watch them. I think that pretty much set it in my mind.

One of the things on my Bucket List is go undergo a Past Life regression. I’d love to find out who I’ve been before. It might explain a lot about myself. In any case, it would satisfy my curiosity!

The subject has truly fascinated me since I first learned of it and I love stories that involve the concept. I first came up with the story idea for No Matter What when I was in high school. I started it but never finished it (as was the case with many book ideas). Twenty years later I found the notebook containing the partially written story on my bed and took it as a sign from the Universe to finish it! So I did. What I loved about writing that story was the fact I could explore a lot of my beliefs through the characters. Hauntings interest me…there’s a ghost. Numerology interests me…one of the main characters dabbles in it! As for the reincarnation theory…well, there are several reincarnated souls all working on current life issues that stem from their past life actions!

My hope is that when people read that story, they find some hope that nothing is hopeless! Because it isn’t. No matter what, we are all going to heaven. Eventually. After a few lives or so!! (smile)

Okay, that’s it for now. What are your thoughts? Have you had any experiences with this? I’d love to hear your stories, beliefs, arguments…whatever. Until next time! Many blessings and Peace Out!

Have a GREAT HALLOWEEN!! May it be truly SPOOKTACULAR.

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