Past Life Connections

[kokopelle]

A LJ friend of mine wrote about how people get wrapped up in romantic interpretation of past-life connections. My one or two paragraph answer turned into something much longer.

I believe in past lives. I also believe that there is a possibility of having innumerable past lives, past and future (depending on a person's view of time). IMO these only become a factor in the present life when they are impeding on this life. An unreasonable fear or prejudice can be cleared when past life baggage is addressed. Otherwise, the vast majority of past lives belong where they are, in the past.

The topic of past life connections, especially the 'true love' type, is an interesting avenue. It is my opinion that past life connections are not an approval stamp on present life connections. Where you lovers, enemies or family members with someone close to you now? Perhaps. This does not mean that you have to replay that role. In fact, it is probable that the role will not be replayed.

There are those who believe that we are all 'buddies' in the astral plane. There we make up life skits, assuming different roles in each of our incarnated lives. Our roles in each life will vary as the life skits vary. Putting too much of an emphasis on a past life can muck up the present. Allow me to illustrate this with a TV analogy. Let’s say that two actors spend several years on a series. The relationship between the characters is defined during the run of the show. The series ends, and the two actors find themselves working together on a movie. It would not work if one, or both, of the actors suddenly reverted back to their TV characters and the relationship of that show. The emphasis is on the movie of the moment and not the now cancelled TV show. While the actors may have a personal relationship outside of their acting, the task at hand is the assuming of new roles for the completion of the movie.

IMO we are asked to fully honor the current lifetime. The past-life connections should not dominate the present connections. We may have astral ongoing astral relations with some people. There may even be remembered past-life connections. These take a backseat to the power and potential of the moment. The other life connections only color and inform the present. The important stuff is contained in the right now.

A past life connection can become a present life connection. The fallacy I see people embracing is that this is an inevitable outcome. From what I know, a past life lover could just as easily now be the boss, enemy, mother, cousin, or postal man. Assumption of a role in the past does not lead to embracing that same role in the present. There seems to be a strong romantic streak in interpretations of past-life connections. This is laudable, but the present asks for its due attention. Undue attention to the past will dilute and misdirect the present. Can we truly know what the astral skits are? No. It is a safe bet that people in your life are suppose to be there. It does not matter if you remember a past-life connection. The life skits are working on the now and should be honored as such, irregardless of what past-life connections may or may not be there.

Comments

[sunfell.livejournal.com]

The vast majority of my 'past lives' have been nasty, brutish, painful, and short. I either died as an infant or child, or died in childbirth, or died in some war, famine or plague. I mark them as periods of semi-consciousness, because I was not permitted the time or health or leisure needed to gain true consciousness, or if I had the seed, I was not permitted to live long enough to see it germinate. But I have a memory of those sleeper lives, even if they only exist as a half-forgotten dream in my own dreams.

This life is different. I call it a Prime Life- I survived my childhood, got educated in spite of being female, and most important was permitted to choose my fate as far as marriage and childbearing was concerned. This last is extremely important- it is the female that carries the spiritual legacy, but who is rarely permitted to actually live it to its fullest potential. Women (and girls) who are freed (or mostly free) of gender bias generally do quite well- even if they do not become famous.

My current life is one of full consciousness and actualization, freedom of education, freedom from childbirth and childrearing, marriage, starvation, illness and pain. I am doing what I can to make the most out of it.

[r-monoxide.livejournal.com]

You know, I'm pretty skeptical about a lot of people's past life memories. Just about the only ones I hear people talk about is lives where they were rich or famous or powerful or otherwise living the life they don't have today. And then people that claim to know each other from past lives? I believe that some people really do have soul connections that allow them to reincarnate near each other, but yeah all this nonsense about true love and such is so saccharine that I want to barf.

[lupagreenwolf.livejournal.com]

I think you summed it up pretty well with the acting analogy here. We are infinite beings temporarily inhabiting certain points in space and time, and each one deserves to be its own experience.