How do I deal with past life memories

[Medievalthyme]

Hi everone, I’m a catechumen and have been studying with my deacon for several months now and I also listen to Catholic Answers and Catholic Youtube videos as much as I can. I understand the Catholic position on reincarnation in that we are born only once and that we will eventually be reunited with our physical bodies in Heaven (God willing).

My problem is that since I was a child in the sixties I have had what I call glimpses of past lives, sometimes vague and sometimes vivid and detailed. None of these past lives were really momentous, so it isn’t a personality disorder like delusions of grandeur.

Is there someone on here who is Catholic who has had a similar problem and has been able to reconcile themselves with their experiences or somehow explain them away? I really don’t want to lie to myself. I truly love God, Jesus, Mary, the Holy Ghost and all the saints and angels, every word in the Apostle’s Creed, except for the possible exception of the resurrection of the body.

Thank you and God Bless.

 

[Medievalthyme]

I’m curious to know why or how you define your experiences as “past lives”.
Do the details link up to specific people who lived before you and are now deceased?

.

I have never tried to link them up, ie prove them like Jess Stern did or other researchers did - they are more like vivid remembrances attached to deep emotions. It’s hard to describe. One of them is I’m hiding in a camp of people who are wearing a lot of plaid and rough weave clothing. I’m a little girl and I’m very afraid. Another one I remember being in a clay type dwelling with simple clay oil lamps. I also have memories of the 19th century in Paris. Nothing tremendous, but I want an explanation.

 

[MaryHelp777]

Hi everone, I’m a catechumen and have been studying with my deacon for several months now and I also listen to Catholic Answers and Catholic Youtube videos as much as I can. I understand the Catholic position on reincarnation in that we are born only once and that we will eventually be reunited with our physical bodies in Heaven (God willing).

My problem is that since I was a child in the sixties I have had what I call glimpses of past lives, sometimes vague and sometimes vivid and detailed. None of these past lives were really momentous, so it isn’t a personality disorder like delusions of grandeur.

Is there someone on here who is Catholic who has had a similar problem and has been able to reconcile themselves with their experiences or somehow explain them away? I really don’t want to lie to myself. I truly love God, Jesus, Mary, the Holy Ghost and all the saints and angels, every word in the Apostle’s Creed, except for the possible exception of the resurrection of the body.

Thank you and God Bless.

Either that is from God (and not about reincarnation), your imagination, or its satan.

If you have been involved in new age, black magic or fortune telling then this is from satan. If so Confess.

Or it could be God telling you about your ancestors in Purgatory who need prayer.

Ask your bishop can you meet with the exorcist trained for your diocese, to have deliverance Prayer in case it is demonic.

And see what happens.

Wear a miraculous medal, brown scapular, and Benedict medal. Pray the St Michael prayer daily.
Use Holy water to bless your room each day.

Command the experiences to stop in the Name of Jesus if they are not from God.

Belief in reincarnation is a mortal sin, under the three conditions. A Catholic disbelieving in any catholic doctrine is in an automatic state of excommunication.

 

[GEddie]

Every child has a very powerful imagination and a set of vivid early memories.

While it is easy for the childhood mind to add 2 plus 2 to get 22, and produce “past life” recollections (particularly with adult assistance), the truth is that there is no reincarnation and that this is just a kind of imagination. It belongs in the same filing system as dream images.

ICXC NIKA

 

[pianistclare]

Every child has a very powerful imagination and a set of vivid early memories.

While it is easy for the childhood mind to add 2 plus 2 to get 22, and produce “past life” recollections (particularly with adult assistance), the truth is that there is no reincarnation and that this is just a kind of imagination. It belongs in the same filing system as dream images.

ICXC NIKA

+1

Close this chapter in your memory.
From the Catechism:

1013 Death is the end of man’s earthly pilgrimage, of the time of grace and mercy which God offers him so as to work out his earthly life in keeping with the divine plan, and to decide his ultimate destiny. When “the single course of our earthly life” is completed,586 we shall not return to other earthly lives: "It is appointed for men to die once."587 There is no “reincarnation” after death.

 

[mikekle]

I have never tried to link them up, ie prove them like Jess Stern did or other researchers did - they are more like vivid remembrances attached to deep emotions. It’s hard to describe. One of them is I’m hiding in a camp of people who are wearing a lot of plaid and rough weave clothing. I’m a little girl and I’m very afraid. Another one I remember being in a clay type dwelling with simple clay oil lamps. I also have memories of the 19th century in Paris. Nothing tremendous, but I want an explanation.

I have heard of this more than a few times, actually it would be easy to figure out, try to ‘link them up’ with historical records and you should have your answer.

It would not be possible in any situation for a person living today to ‘just know’ intricate details about someone or multiple people who lived decades or generations ago, its true we do not believe in reincarnation, but it may be something different, something we dont yet understand or recognize.

 

[GEddie]

I truly love God, Jesus, Mary, the Holy Ghost and all the saints and angels, every word in the Apostle’s Creed, except for the possible exception of the resurrection of the
body.

Curious, why is that an exception for you?

ICXC NIKA

 

[Robert_Sock]

Many Orthodox Jews believe that our soul can be reincarnation with a body up to 4 times, or until it has performed all 613 mitzvoth. It’s the same soul that gets reincarnated, but the bodies are unique. In the World-to-Come, the same soul will accompany each of the different spiritual bodies.

 

[Cory]

Why do you think they are past lives specifically? I mean they could be first person visions of other people. Since there is no reincarnation, I would suspect the latter first. However, they may just be memories you have. Perhaps you were in a clay building with candles. Ever been to a mission in the Southwest? Perhaps you were as a baby and you don’t even remember.

But if not, they could be visions. Pray the rosary and discern God’s will. But remember, they are not past lives. Tackle this issue from a different perspective.

I don’t think the devil is giving your visions so long as you love the Lord and ask his protection. Remember the direct advisory of Satan isn’t God but St. Michael.

Say this prayer:

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen…

 

[GEddie]

Many Orthodox Jews believe that our soul can be reincarnation with a body up to 4 times, or until it has performed all 613 mitzvoth. It’s the same soul that gets reincarnated, but the bodies are unique. In the World-to-Come, the same soul will accompany each of the different spiritual bodies.

Very interesting. So on this interpretation, each Jew has up to four bodies in the Olam Haba?

Since presumably, each body has an accompanying mind, how is this different from simply four people?

ICXC NIKA

 

[GEddie]

Why do you think they are past lives specifically? I mean they could be first person visions of other people. Since there is no reincarnation, I would suspect the latter first. However, they may just be memories you have. Perhaps you were in a clay building with candles. Ever been to a mission in the Southwest? Perhaps you were as a baby and you don’t eve

I had some rather elaborate sensory memories that I couldn’t place until, as a teenager, I returned to the Northeastern region of my infancy.

ICXC NIKA

 

[MaryHelp777]

I have heard of this more than a few times, actually it would be easy to figure out, try to ‘link them up’ with historical records and you should have your answer.

It would not be possible in any situation for a person living today to ‘just know’ intricate details about someone or multiple people who lived decades or generations ago, its true we do not believe in reincarnation, but it may be something different, something we dont yet understand or recognize.

God.is showing you what it would have been like to experience life as those people, visions, because those people are in Purgatory asking for your prayers.

Get a Family Tree mass said for.the Souls in Purgatory.
You may have the charism.of visions,
God is giving you first hand experience of what those people felt

Get a holy spiritual director who can talk to you and decide what God is saying to you.

 

[Medievalthyme]

I hear ya. Do the experiences happen when you are asleep or awake?
Do they feel like regular dreams do, or different than that?

.

These are waking experiences. However, now that you mention dreams, I have had two prophetic dreams - one shortly before 9-11 where I dreamed about two identical apartment buildings collapsing and I was trying to get everyone out, and then another shortly before the big Indian Ocean tsunami where I dreamed of a tsunami. I don’t know if that has any bearing on this discussion, but I thought I’d throw it out there.

 

[Medievalthyme]

Either that is from God (and not about reincarnation), your imagination, or its satan.

If you have been involved in new age, black magic or fortune telling then this is from satan. If so Confess.

Or it could be God telling you about your ancestors in Purgatory who need prayer.

Ask your bishop can you meet with the exorcist trained for your diocese, to have deliverance Prayer in case it is demonic.

And see what happens.

Wear a miraculous medal, brown scapular, and Benedict medal. Pray the St Michael prayer daily.
Use Holy water to bless your room each day.

Command the experiences to stop in the Name of Jesus if they are not from God.

Belief in reincarnation is a mortal sin, under the three conditions. A Catholic disbelieving in any catholic doctrine is in an automatic state of excommunication.

Thank you. First of all, I can’t confess because I’m not yet baptized. I find it interesting what you say about my ancestors in purgatory. I’ve never heard that before.

As to whether or not I’ve been involved in the occult - yes, in fact. I had a neighbor, a foster child who was a few years older than me, who taught me how to hypnotize. I was nine or ten I think. Then a few years earlier than that my mother had a psychotic breakdown due to a drug prescribed to her. She was seeing angels and other strange things. My memory is not good enough to p(name removed by moderator)oint when I started having these strong feelings about past lives. I also had some Ouija Board experiences around 10 or 11 and I got some answers to questions that nobody else could have guessed (and my hand wasn’t on the planchette). I used to worry a lot about letting demons in because our church taught that just thinking about it could get you possessed. After I left that church in my twenties I practiced Wicca for several years and worked with various divination tools like dowsing, scrying, palm reading, fortune telling cards, astrology, etc. I don’t do any of this now, by the way, but maybe there’s something there attached to me that’s giving me this kind of information…

 

[Medievalthyme]

Every child has a very powerful imagination and a set of vivid early memories.

While it is easy for the childhood mind to add 2 plus 2 to get 22, and produce “past life” recollections (particularly with adult assistance), the truth is that there is no reincarnation and that this is just a kind of imagination. It belongs in the same filing system as dream images.

ICXC NIKA

What about children whose past life memories cannot be explained away? I’ve read about some extremely detailed and traceable memories, including names and places, facts about living people’s lives that can be verified. I also watched a documentary about four Australian women who were regressed and they gave past life information that was then tracked down and verified. There were details in these lives that could not have been obtained any other way (knowledge about dead dialects, architectural details not known to the general public, etc. Additionally, people have been healed of their maladies by coming to terms with the way they had died, such as a person with severe neck pain who was cured when they were regressed to a life where they had been beheaded.

I’m not saying this to be argumentative, though. I just want to give you all the information that I have a the reason why I’m struggling so much with this issue.

 

[Medievalthyme]

Curious, why is that an exception for you?

ICXC NIKA

It’s a possible exception because of my struggle with past life memories. If I had lived in other bodies, it wouldn’t seem feasible to be reunited with several bodies at once. It isn’t a compatible belief, right? I guess what I’m saying is, this particular thing is a stumbling block for me right now.

 

[Medievalthyme]

Many Orthodox Jews believe that our soul can be reincarnation with a body up to 4 times, or until it has performed all 613 mitzvoth. It’s the same soul that gets reincarnated, but the bodies are unique. In the World-to-Come, the same soul will accompany each of the different spiritual bodies.

That’s interesting. Is there something in the Torah that gives them that idea, or is it from some other teaching, like Caballa or Zohar?

 

[Medievalthyme]

Why do you think they are past lives specifically? I mean they could be first person visions of other people. Since there is no reincarnation, I would suspect the latter first. However, they may just be memories you have. Perhaps you were in a clay building with candles. Ever been to a mission in the Southwest? Perhaps you were as a baby and you don’t even remember.

But if not, they could be visions. Pray the rosary and discern God’s will. But remember, they are not past lives. Tackle this issue from a different perspective.

I don’t think the devil is giving your visions so long as you love the Lord and ask his protection. Remember the direct advisory of Satan isn’t God but St. Michael.

Say this prayer:

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen…

Thank you, I say that prayer almost daily (whenever I say the rosary). As for the memories possibly being experiences as a baby, it’s certainly possible. I was raised in Southern California and there are lots of old mission churches out there.

 

[Medievalthyme]

God.is showing you what it would have been like to experience life as those people, visions, because those people are in Purgatory asking for your prayers.

Get a Family Tree mass said for.the Souls in Purgatory.
You may have the charism.of visions,
God is giving you first hand experience of what those people felt

Get a holy spiritual director who can talk to you and decide what God is saying to you.

Very good advice, thanks!

 

[GEddie]

It’s a possible exception because of my struggle with past life memories. If I had lived in other bodies, it wouldn’t seem feasible to be reunited with several bodies at once. It isn’t a compatible belief, right? I guess what I’m saying is, this particular thing is a stumbling block for me right now.

If you become Catholic, you must perforce reject reincarnation, whatever tricks your head may play on you.

As such, the only body you have had or will have is the body you are breathing in now. Which makes resurrection beautiful and simple.

ICXC NIKA