The longer I have studied and worked in the ‘Mind, Body and Spirit’ field, the more I have become convinced that our lives here on the Earth are but one facet of our existence. That’s a basic tenet for most of those reading this I should imagine, but in what way and how does this work?
It’s noticeable that the more the world plunges itself into chaos and destruction (which it continually has through our history) the more people are drawn towards the spiritual, in whatever manner is right for them. This may be through established ‘religion’, exploring Earth-based approaches (the ‘Pagan paths’), or Spiritualism and so on. My sense in all this is that this is because there is an inherent pull towards what we intrinsically ‘know’, somewhere within ourselves, that there is more to this life than just the acquisition of goods, making children and having a career. As John Lennon said ‘You can’t take it with you when you go’, and so we have an inbuilt instinct to look for something deeper and more fulfilling.
This of course, can be something different for each of us. This brings to mind the oft misquoted maxim of Aleister Crowley: ‘Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law, Lest It Harm None’. It is at this level of our will that I feel there is a need to discover the purpose and requirement of our life on the Earth, this time round.
I use that phrase ‘this time round’ deliberately, since for me, it is a necessity to embrace the concept that we live many lifetimes on the Earth, as one part of our soul’s existence, in order for each of us to grow, learn and develop. If we really wish to discover what this is this time, then we need to make a connection with ourselves at this ‘soul level’, to become consciously aware of why it is we have chosen to incarnate here and now, so learning what we need to focus on and in what way we should live our lives.
To do this fully and effectively, we need to look at the bigger picture of who we are and our lifetimes led on this Earth. This means looking ‘back’ at who we have been, and learning something of what we have done, why, and how we have responded to all this in successive lifetimes. In this way we can come to see ourselves and our lives as a cumulative thing, rather than judging or measuring our merit on our bank balance, ‘flashness’ of car or size of house.
Regular readers will know that much of my work has been with the Tarot and I have always found this to be the spine of my spiritual quest. Whichever path I have gone down, looked at and learned from, the Tarot has always been able to make sense of it. This is also the case when we come to look at the concept of ‘Past Lives’.
The Fool card (or The Seeker in the card illustrated below) is usually depicted with a knapsack over his shoulder, or carrying a bag of some kind. The contents of this bag have provoked much debate amongst Tarot scholars, but a popular theory is that this contains the memories of his previous existences, whether on this Earth or not. This is in line with the point made above; that we carry with us this natural pull towards the spirit and the longings of our soul to learn and grow. The Fool is numbered 0 in the Major Arcana of the Tarot, the circle of the number representing the continuity of life and that it is endless, Death (and indeed Birth) being only a shift in situation and circumstance.
When looking at the concept and purpose of Past Lives we can also benefit from considering Time. First among this large subject is that we need to realise that it is a human thing, and exists only on the Earth in the way we know it, this being a linear thing, where a second leads to a minute, to an hour, to a day and so on.
At a different level of dimension and existence, this concept simply does not exist. This dimension, often referred to as the Otherworld, Spirit world or the ‘higher dimensions’ we can see as the level of our soul. The idea here is that we live a life on the Earth, then return to this higher realm, connect with our soul fully once more, then when it is right to do so, incarnate physically on Earth once more for the next chapter in the story of our soul. (Those wishing to learn more on this are directed to Murry Hope’s excellent book ‘Time, The Ultimate Energy.)
For this reason, our Past Lives are not necessarily a logical process, and it is not so important to learn who we lived as, where and when, absolutely fascinating as this is – and all useful as we uncover the path our soul is taking. More important are the actions we took and what motivated them, and whether we have absorbed the lesson we need to from them.
One of the major influences in our lives can be those with whom we (choose to) share them with. It can be the case, especially with family members that we share part of what is known as our ‘soul group’ and so the unfolding of our shared lifetimes is done through the different roles we can play in successive lives. So it may be that our parents or grandparents in this life could have been your children or even partners in a different lifetime!
There are clues which can be quite easy to follow to begin the process of ‘reading’ the story of your soul. Such traits as a pull towards a certain period in history or a real longing to visit a particular place can of course indicate that you once lived then and there. The attachments we can sometimes form with someone so swiftly and easily, with a known familiarity, can be a pointer towards a previous life shared. Such things as a particular way of looking or style of clothing, type of artwork, even settings of some films or dramas can also give us clues along the way.
To look deeper than this however, we can need to journey into our soul and immerse ourselves in the pages of our particular book. I have always held to the belief that we all have a story to tell, and with the addition of the knowledge of our previous lifetimes, we can even write a whole series! How will yours begin?
Steve Hounsome has 35 years’ experience in this field and is the author of nine books, two Tarot decks and 15 Meditation CD’s.
Steve is a Spiritual Regressionist and is launching a new Course beginning February 2019 in Past Lives - ‘The Story of Your Soul’. This takes place one day per month for a year in Poole, Dorset and offers you the chance to discover your Past Lives and the purpose of your soul’s existence, in this life and others, with techniques and exercises along the way to help you integrate these to your self.
For Prospectus and Enrolment details visit www.tarottherapy.co.uk/courses, email Steve at steve@tarottherapy.co.uk or call him on 01202 740019 / 07852 980199
Card image taken from ‘The Gamble-Hounsome Tarot: The Tarot of Gnosis’.
