Dr. Ian Stevenson (Oct. 31, 1918 - Feb. 7, 2007)

During his life he investigated over 3,000 cases of children who remember previous lives, creating the strongest evidence for reincarnation ever discovered, and in my opinion, the strongest evidence of life after death.

Ian Stevenson said "A rational man can, if he wants now, believe in reincarnation on the basis of evidence rather than simply on the basis of religious doctrine or cultural tradition."

Now that we no longer need them to believe in life after death, I think it is high time to reconsider some of our religious doctrines and cultural traditions. I see that a lot of them are causing unscientific assumptions, bigotry, unnecessary fears, and dividing us against one another. Especially here in the US.

Just something to consider on this fine man's birthday!

Okay so I have 2 questions in 1 and I genuinely hope anyone can help me with this. For a bit of background: almost 4 years ago I got a puppy with my then-boyfriend. This puppy was truly the love of my life (sorry to my ex lmao) and he turned out to be such an amazing dog. Even though I wished we had done a few things differently (he was the first puppy we raised on our own so of course we had a few things to figure out), I couldn’t imagine life without him.

Last year, at the start of the summer, tragic struck and he was “stolen out of the house” and found dead a few days later, not even 10km from where my ex lived. We don’t know what really happened, the story does not add up how you twist or turn it. My ex’s sister contacted an animal communicator to ask what happened and if he could reincarnate etc. He communicated that he would love to do things over again.

In the past year we broke up due to several reasons and I got a new boyfriend. We decided pretty early on we wanted to get a dog, his dog is extremely sick and my heart was/is still aching from the dog I had with my ex. Now we have an 11 week old puppy and I want to know how I can know this is the same dog I had with my ex. It’s a completely different breed so I hope this doesn’t make it impossible? Little fun fact: yesterday I asked him where the dog I had with my ex was and he became quiet and sat still for a second, almost as if he was thinking about how he should tell me something and then he threw himself on the floor and tried to roll over on his back (he bumped into a basket so he couldn’t roll very far lmao). Now this seems silly but throwing himself on the floor and rolling on his back from left to right, preferably while chewing on a toy, was very typical to the dog who died. I had also asked my ex’s sisters dog where his brother was and he grabbed a toy, ran to the garden, threw himself on the ground and started chewing while rolling left to right.

Since this happened twice now, is it confirmed that it was my dead dog who came through? Also how can I contact this dog and ask him things?

I’m sorry this is so long lmao but I genuinely hope someone has answers!

So a little background, I see myself as primarily agnostic. I can't be an atheist as I've experienced things in this life that are a bit too difficult to rule out in a kind of disbelief that can only try to explain it away with present understanding of science.

I'm also trans, so the idea of reincarnation has always been appealing to me as it presents the idea that even though there are things about my body that are difficult to bear in this life, that there may be a future for me after this life where I can know the joy and happiness involved with having a body the way I want it to be.

Anyway, I've never actually had any past life memories in this life. I've had moments where there have been people I don't recognize who seemed to know me already, and they would bring up connections between me and past historical figures. I'm not really sure why, they never really explained it and it's usually a bit cryptic when I have those kinds of interactions.

I have wondered though, about why the former version of me would have chosen this life, and specifically what they chose. The way I was raised to believe (LDS Mormon), is that we all existed as spirits in a pre-existence and that we then came here to get our bodies (and be tested by God).

That never really sat well with me and I didn't understand until I was older and had come to terms with being trans. The way I see it, if there was a version of myself that wanted to be in this body specifically, and they chose this life because they wanted the opportunity this body offered (especially the sex), then their desire was frustrated and never fulfilled. Not because I didn't receive it, but because the person/self that desired it was utterly obliviated and basically killed by the process. There's no reward in being born into a life if it requires your identity death in receiving it. Unless the identity death is what you want, but then you'd have no attachment to the body really.

~~~

So getting to the point, I've always wondered what it would be like to know what they were thinking (if there was someone that chose this). But I've also always been skeptical of the idea of past-life regression as I think there's just too much opportunity for it to be contrived and for me to just imagine a narrative that I would like to believe in. Additionally, at this point I've kind of reached a mindset of "if I haven't remembered by now then the person who chose this, if it was chosen, probably wanted to forget who they were permanently and I'm not supposed to remember".

If a set of new memories came to me now, unbidden or otherwise, I don't think I could trust them as authentic memories for my soul's past. As far as I know, they would far more likely be contrived and created by the past life regression experience, or planted by consciousness that wants to influence me in one way or another (inception).

So for those that have done past life regressions, I'm curious as to why you trust those experiences and anything that has been presented as past life memory. Did you do something along the lines of inviting the consciousness of your past self to share those memories with you? Or was the experience just guided by someone who talked you through it according to their beliefs on how that experience should go for you?

During the experience while bringing up what you were seeing in your mind's eye, did it feel like a true memory or did it feel like you were imagining a connection that was rewarding in some way to have?

I guess I'm still interested trying a past life regression for myself, especially to find out if there is a self there that wants to be remembered. But I am also curious to see if I have a close connection to the historical figures that were brought up to me by others. But for all I know regarding the times when these connections were brought up by others, we were just enjoying a moment together while high and they were saying crazy shit as people sometimes tend to do while high.

And with some of these historical figures, it just feels a bit narcissistic and egoic to try and draw a connection between me and them. So I feel that if I did do a past life regression and it led to a connection to those lives, then that is where the experience could possibly end up coming from (narcissistic ego self), and not from a true history that a recent past version of myself experienced.

Like when people express that they were a famous person in a past life, how much do you think it is true and how much do you think it is narcissistic ego self that just wants a connection that builds self pride in how 'special' one's experience is?

Also, how much do you think past life practitioners feed into this behavior and exploit that narcissism within the ego? Or do they typically warn about that nature of the self instead, prior to diving into the regression?

Then there's also the possibility that it's being contrived as a form of coping with the life you presently have. For example, if I did a past life regression and imagined a memory of choosing this life, it might make me feel better as it supports the idea that I am in control and my path is governed by my free agency. But would that be a true memory, or a contrived one just because it's a form of coping?

Do past life practitioners warn about that and to not just leap to conclusions? Or do they not care, as if it is a coping mechanism that helps then that's all that matters in their eyes anyway? Personally, I would rather have truth over a lie, no matter how sweet the lie may be to hear. So I prefer to guard myself from self deception.

What are your thoughts? And what have been your experiences if you have done a past life regression? How did you get clarity about whether it was real and truthful or not? Do you still question it or was there an experience there that is extremely difficult to doubt and question?

Greetings everyone, hopefully you'll doing great. As of the last two years I've reincarnated Ayrton Senna but to my and his surprise we haven't been contacted by anyone and not just that but since I lately tried to reach out to some people who he was related on his past life I was severely ignored in most cases. Is there a place where a reincarnation can be reported and if so where? I can dive deeper into this but I'm very curious to read your thoughts!

Do we have the option to not reincarnate? Or are we stuck doing this forever?

I've had this question in my head for a long time and I'm curious to see some answers.

I'd like to start things off with I've never delt with such a dilemma and I definitely wouldn't believe something like this to be true before this but here I am. Just over 6 months ago my male cat Bella (we thought he was a female for the first two weeks) had passed away right here in the Livingroom while we were home. He was young about year and 3 months. We got him at 16weeks old. Around 2 months ago a cat started coming around my doorstep and Poarch area of my apartment building. Being on the 1st floor we have a deck to ourselves with a window going directly to it, in the Livingroom. Strays are normal around here, but most keep to themselves or already have someone taking care of them. This one came around for a few days until we had to install our window ac unit in that window. So, we hadn't seen him/her for a while in the window only occasionally around the block (good to know he/she is okay). this past week we took the ac unit out of the window as its cold enough outside. The very night we did he/she came to the window. Keeping in mind we do have a 2 1/2 yo male cat Draco in the house whom I've had since 4 weeks. I've started giving him/her food outside and water and I put a box out there, but he/she has more interest at coming inside than anything. Not only is this cat a tiger(moggy) just like Bella, but he/she has the same eyes and facial features. I might just be delusional but the way this cat acts and looks I just have this feeling it might be Bella coming back. Or just another looking for a home. Maybe cats do have 9 lives after all?

18 year old, old soul here just starting on a spiritual journey.

I have a bad case of thanatophobia, and have been looking at reincarnation as a way to cope. But I'm still really fearful, and have a lot of questions. My mom and stepdad are my best friends and biggest supporters, and I'm worried we'll never meet again. When reincarnation happens, will be born to my mom again? Will I have to suffer an abusive home? Will I know she was my mom? Will my stepdad still be in our life? Will we reincarnate into different things, or all stay the same species? And what happens when the world ends? How will we reincarnate then? I have so many questions and I'm afraid they can't be answered solidly.

If there is Karma (cause and effect) (not necessarily good and bad, but just cause and effect)

and Reincarnation (life after life, for the purposes of learning)

and Free Will

How does BPD / Cluster B play into this?

BPD / Cluster B seems to destroy a person's "Free Will" to make proper decisions, and inclines them to make poor choices, abuse others, sabotage, and run from therapy and go into deep denial.

If BPD / Cluster B affects "Free Will" -- then Karma is affected, too? "Cause and Effect" is easy -- for every motion there is an equal motion, what you cause to others you will cause to yourself -- however, this does not always seem correct for BPD / Cluster B (NPD, HPD, ASPD) and the victims of their abuse.

If BPD / Cluster B affects "Free Will" and "Karma" -- and distorts "Free Thinking" and "Common Sense" and "Making Decisions" and "Stunts the mind and emotions" (and so on, per the DSM) -- then how can one learn and grow in "This Life" ?

How can a "Soul" grow, if it / the mortal human mind is afflicted with BPD / Cluster B ?

It seems BPD / Cluster B (per the DSM) holds back most of personal growth ?

How would you reconcile (if you believe in it) BPD / Cluster B and Karma / Reincarnation / Free Will ?

The cause of death was usually a fall, and I increasingly accepted that it was over: "okay, that's it, there's nothing more to do, so now I'm going to die, okay." The feeling of acceptance was peaceful. Peaceful is the feeling that since I can't do anything in the world, so there is no need to do anything in the world. It was as if I had experienced this feeling many times. I always woke up at the moment of hitting the ground.

I would like to know if anyone has similar experiences?

(Sorry if what I have to say is difficult to understand, my English is not that good.)

I just want to know if anyone remembers being reincarnated after killing themselves..

Don’t take this otherwise, I am just curious.

I read Dr. Ian Stevenson and Dr. Jim Tucker's work, and most children who recall past lives report having lived in the same country they were born in. Honestly, I hate that idea, I’d really not want to end up in the same place again.

a lot of times people discuss about their newborns that they believe they are someone in their family who died and came back.

There are also a lot of instances of people discussing coming back as their own grandchildren,etc.

Do you believe that family trauma cycles and patterns are evidence of this?

Thought I'd share a few months after the event in case of interest. The session was over Zoom, 90 minutes and was with a reputable regression therapist with an established academic record and popular podcast. Not sure if the "lives" were in chronological order either.

I wasn't sure what expect so I just went with it. First life I experienced was as a male (I'm female) - felt like the end of the Gold Rush in the States, I was sort of a "cowboy", and I wasn't a nice person, I was a racist. I died alone of old age after internally realising I had been a dick (but never apologising to anyone for it) , learned to craft deftly with woodwork, pretty banal.

Second: I was a member of a tribe in Eastern Europe, or poss Mongolia, lots of snow. A joyful exuberant 20yo male. The memory was of my wedding, joyful, feelings of belonging, hope. This life ended suddenly I think when I set off to a larger town to find work to feed my family. It felt like a sudden death.

Last "memory" was of being a relatively old woman in Ireland, poor, working the land and struggling to eat. Feeling bitter about how life turned out, estranged from adult children for some reason. This life ended somewhat happily, reconnected with my daughter who moved in with her family, I died in front of the fire, satisfied and no longer hungry. Felt like a life with limited introspection.

So all in all pretty humdrum and I don't feel connected to any of these "lives" - yet during the session I felt the respective emotions viscerally. Interesting experience.

Here is a video from more than 25 years ago (back when I had hair, LOL). The program was called Beyond Death and was shown on the History Channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n76qNarSuyk&t=47s

But not being a soldier ,for example being a Jew ,or a child ,wether being Auschwitz ,I don't know could be anything And do you remember your death?

I came across cherish perrywinkle / gabriel fernandez today and felt heart broken.

I read many times in this sub ( was just a lurker then, dint even join) that soul decides what they want to learn / experience in this life. These kids had abusive childhood and horrific ending. what could justify this? how would any soul want it?

Im trying to mentally prepare myself to go and meet God and tell him that I can’t take it anymore and for him to assign something else for me to do in Heaven. Im tired of living this narrative of a lonely, homeless and in debt bipolar black girl.

Just wondering if all that happens to us in this life was part of the plan, or some weren’t in the original plan and simply happened because we have screwed up the plan. And if so is there any indications of which one is which?

Hi! I host a book podcast and we’re discussing reincarnation for our December episode. The concept of the pod is that we pull a theme from a recent read and discuss it in general for the first half (no spoilers, no book discussion) then for the second half we discuss the theme in relation to the novels, characters, etc.

For the first half on reincarnation, I’m curious what the most important thing to dive into is in your opinion? Maybe things that get missed or glossed over when it’s typically discussed? Looking for a starting place for my research because I haven’t had much experience with this but I’m very interested to learn more! Thank you in advance!

I'd love your opinion on what happened here. I believe I am pregnant, awaiting results.

But I had a dream the other night, there was a male laying on a bed I couldn't see the face just the stomach/torso I remember saying to myself "it's .... it must be because in real life he is dead but here he is resting, let's give him some privacy because he is resting"

That's all I remember from that dream.

Then the other night right as I was about to fall asleep, I felt my whole body go cold and then I felt from over my shoulder a soul enter my body. I was confused and a little freaked out but i had a calm feeling too it and feel straight to sleep.

Now this is where I'm putting things together I had a tarot reading of the letter T coming back into my life in October and got told I'll be having a little boy in my life very soon.

I never believed in reincarnation really until this point. Coincidence? Or has my partner blessed me with bringing my grandpa back to me?

So let me take you back to my childhood (I was probably about 7) . I dreamt that I was about 17 or 18, and my brother was 12, or somewhere along those lines. They were all mixed-matched, so I do not know them in chronological order, but I can guess some. The first dream I had was a tall yellow room. You could not reach the ceilings. The table was also orange, and yellow. I don't know where I am, I remember a back door to the right, a window above the sink. The stove had three burners, and for some reason, it had cabinets above it that were attached to the stove. The table was metal and had some weird plastic on the top of it. I remember my brother was locked upstairs and I was locked with a chain downstairs and if I wanted my brother to live, I had to be a housemaid to this weird guy in uniform. That was the first dream I had, and another dream was either a green or brown tent, there was no floor- and they had tables lined up with papers all on them. Then it went to these weird houses, and dirt everywhere, and mud. I remember running up to this uniformed man and asking him to spare my brother. It was about four of them, and he laughed and pushed me down, but then made a mockery stating he would if I was his servant. The thing was I don't know much but these things played a lot when I was younger. They stopped as I got older, and I could just be crazy you know? I know that I was not in the USA, but I know I traveled to the USA and in my dream, I was old, alone, and in a state like Ohio. I remember prior to being there that there were things that sounded like sirens and bombs going off. He grabbed me but left my brother, and I never knew if my brother was okay the entire time. Which makes me sad if you think about it. The whole reason to be a servant was for him. But tell me what you guys think. It could have just been repetitive dreams right?

I have lots of friends and have no problem making new ones but the differences in maturity and life experience can make me feel lonely and isolated. I’m already 1-2 years older then everyone at my university because I took a gap year, but on top of that I have already lived a full life of 56 years, I remember an older world that is long gone, I already had a career and got married and had kids. I remember how it was like to be in your 20’s and that helps with some things but it’s become hard to connect with other people my age, especially when it comes to romance.

People in their 20’s are figuring out who they are, what they like and what they want. I already know who I am, and exactly what I want from this life. So when I find someone I’m interested in, their indecision and uncertainty about life makes us incompatible. To them I am too confident, too emotionally stable and it makes them feel insecure. To me they are too young for me emotionally and maturity wise (even though I’m only 1-2 years older in this life.) I don’t care about the things other young people care about, I deeply value my friends and family while they’re focused on getting high, experimenting and making money. They’re all rushing to get where they are going, while I hang back and enjoy what I have, because I know life doesn’t get better it just gets harder. I also struggle to look forward to what is waiting for me after college, I know how truly lonely and depressing it can be to be a working adult. They all think the grass is greener on the other side, that if they make enough money or find their soulmate they will find some secret to happiness. But I know material stuff can only take you so far, and marriage can be a struggle.

When you count up the years of my last life and the years in this life I am 80 years old…an old man. And though I may look like a 24 year old I act older than my years. It throws people for a loop. I’ve been told my coworkers and friends before that I’m a weird person or that there’s something off about me but they just can’t place it. It hurts to hear them say those things but I understand why they say it. I’m an anomaly and I shouldn’t be here.

It always confuses me why the twilight vampires just went back to high school over and over again. Because let me tell you, feeling older than everyone around you leaves you isolated and bored. And people can seem very shallow and fake since you see through their fake laughter and other BS. I wish I felt 24, but I don’t. I wish I could look forward with some false sense of optimism, but I can’t. I see the world how it is not how I want it to be.

Asumming the life you're reincarnated into is based on some sort of Karmic scale, I must have been just as absolutely jackass of a person. Just a terrible human being. Considering I managed get hit with not one, but two incurable degenerative diseases. If in stick to the comment trend associates with said diseases, it'll be dead before 50. It's just a matter of which gives our first. My lungs or my heart. Both pretty important for continued life...what I'm saying is, just who was I...?

I have family members who were born into a better life. They’re pretty and on top of that, never abused. Always loved and cared for. This helped them thrive in life. Achieving goals and getting everything on time. Career/money, love, marriage, house, kids, etc.

Then there’s me who was born into an abusive family. My father is an alcoholic narcissist, but it’s both my parents. Both of them together. My mom also beat us up a lot. I remember being 3 years old and being beat to a pulp by her. I was a curious and brave child. I asked her if I can go to the neighborhood park by myself but she said yes in her sleep. So I took it as permission to go. I went and played alone and came back. She was furious because “something could’ve happened to me” and beat me up. Idk how the neighbors didn’t hear my cries and screams. I was THREE years old. They hit me and told me not to cry. How is that logical? My three year old brain thought mom said it was okay. I might be autistic so I take things literally sometimes. I’m also a people pleaser and wanted to not upset them and make them proud. I was an obedient child even without the beatings and abuse, but I became more fearful of everyone and the world. That spunky and brave child died inside of me with each abusive action, and I have been having trouble finding her since. I learned to hide myself and be invisible and make myself small to avoid trouble. I wouldn’t talk in any situation for fear of being perceived and judged and punished in the form of ridicule or worse. I now have a fear of trying and failure because I might look stupid and fail and be ridiculed and embarrassed. I think I might also be autistic so that’s another layer.

She also called me names like Buffalo, blind girl, stupid whore. I think she hated being a mother sometimes. I was her first unplanned pregnancy very soon after marriage. She hated her marriage to my narcissistic, alcoholic abusive father. She took it out on me. She blamed me a LOT for their problems. Even told me a couple times they fight because of me. She’d emotionally abuse me and make me cry a lot by saying things were my fault. Though she never did what was best for her kids. My brother and I suffered because she time and time again, picked her idiot husband and what society would think over her kids well being. Many times she stood and watched him abuse us, too. He choked me a few times and she looked disturbed but kept watching and there was no consequence for him. I’m still mentally and emotionally exhausted from all the abuse. He made creepy comments and STILL stares at my body and tries to control me and make me feel small and uncomfortable. She doesn’t care and doesn’t tell him to stop. She and him both triggered my binge eating by calling me fat when I wasn’t and emotionally abusing me more and taking away food and forcing me to exercise. They’ve never taken any of my health conditions seriously. Turns out I had PCOS that was probably triggered by the intense stress and cortisol in my body ever since I was in the womb.

Anyway, there’s countless instances like that. And then my alcoholic narcissistic father trumps most of those. Even my mom was afraid of him and his rage tantrums where he’d abuse us in every way. He’d be violent and physically, verbally, mentally, emotionally abusive. She abused us what she could and he abused the rest. Once he was hitting her and I was tired of living under eggshells so we called the cops. He got out on bail, then punished me for it. He continued terrorizing us. My brother was never the same after and became severely depressed after all this violence and tyranny in the house. He got into drugs and was suicidal. He eventually killed himself at just 22. This wasn’t even that long ago. It feels like my life has been falling apart even more ever since.

No one else I know has ever had to suffer this much. What did I do wrong in a past life to deserve this and everyone around me gets the life of their dreams? You say it’s karma, you say life is what you make it. But it’s EXTREMELY difficult to overcome a life like this. I don’t know why I have to suffer and my cousins and other family get a good life that keeps on getting better. Sometimes it’s hard to watch while I have to suffer and try to process the pain and pick up the pieces. I wish very much I could have a life like theirs. If only we could switch places.

I've heard things about birth marks. Some say it's reincarnation some say it's how you died in a past life. I'd love to really know I have a huge coffee birthmark on the back of my neck

THINK about it: A Hindu practitioner dies and gets reincarnated in a Buddhist house. Now their new reality would be thinking Hinduism might be wrong.

Same if some Buddhist dies and gets reincarnated into a Hindu or Jain house. Now they might think that Buddhism is a wrong/misguided path.

Jains don't eat meat but Buddhists do—does it mean that whatever sacrifices they made in last birth are now meaningless?

To what degree calling them meaningless is justified?

Even if we say that somehow they might get some inspiration to change the faith they were born into and convert to some other faith, do we have a for-sure answer that the faith they choose to convert is the correct one?

What justification do we have, and what basis do we have to judge other faiths as right or wrong?

If the answer is nothing, then what is stopping us from following the customs, practices, and rituals of other faiths as well?

What is stopping a Jain from eating meat or a Buddhist from praying to Hindu gods?

And why limit it to Indian faiths only why not include religions like Druze or Pythagoreanism, and Platonism?

Why not behave like their followers do?

If you say that we follow and respect their gods as well but don't behave like others do then it's just cherry-picking!!

NO cherry-picking can unveil the truth to us !!