The Encyclopedia of Crystals, Herbs, and New Age Elements: An A to Z Guide to New Age Elements and How to Use Them - Adams Media 2016

Past-Life Recall
The Power of Insight: Divination Systems, Tools, and Practices

ORIGINS

In various cultures, it is believed that the lives we are currently living are not our first—or our last. Hindus and Buddhists, for example, believe in reincarnation, the rebirth of the soul (or spirit or consciousness) in another body after death. Many who believe in reincarnation also believe that it is possible to recall our past lives through various practices such as hypnosis and meditation. Past-life recall is the process of remembering those former lives and gleaning information from them that can assist us in the present.

HISTORY/LORE

The Upanishads, a collection of ancient Vedic Sanskrit texts that contributed to the theology of ancient Hinduism, mention both reincarnation and past-life recall, specifically past-life regression, a form of past-life recall using hypnosis. The French psychologist and philosopher (and contemporary of Freud) Pierre Janet (1859—1947) is recognized as one of the first people to make a connection between the events in a subject’s past life and his or her present-day trauma. Both Janet and Freud experimented with past-life regression as a therapeutic tool.

USES

In a New York Times article from 2010, Cornell-trained psychiatrist Dr. Paul DeBell stated that belief in reincarnation “allows you to experience history as yours. It gives you a different sense of what it means to be human.” If this interests you, then past-life recall is for you. You can explore the practice on your own or with the assistance of a hypnotist, therapist, or other specialist. There are countless books, websites, and other resources that offer information on past-life recall for beginners, including specialists who are practicing in your area. As discussed in Chapter 1, amber and opal are two stones that can be used in meditation to help remember past lives. Burning rosemary during meditation or dream work also aids in past-life recall (see Chapter 2).