Do you believe in reincarnation?  I’m on the fence myself, but anything is possible and it’s an interesting postulation.  There is a theory that all souls belong to different groups that remain together during multiple life times.  Your father could have been your sister and your brother could have been your aunt in other lifetimes, but these relationships all belong to the same “soul family”.  I don’t remember who coined that phrase, but if anyone knows, I’ll gladly give credit where credit belongs.  I find this theory interesting, compelling, and creepy all at the same time.  I could much easier embrace the idea of reincarnation not thinking that my husband could have been my mother in a different life.  I like the idea that we reincarnate and go on to do whatever it is we need to do to further our spiritual growth and progression…..without the ‘family’ connection.  I’d like to think that we can still all be family, but go our own separate ways when we reincarnate to do whatever it is we need to do and then get back together again when possible, on the other side, to talk about our progress or lack of it.  And then — have a couple of beers together.

I do think there are some things that could suggest previous acquaintance, though, and perhaps they need to be considered.  Did you see the movie The Matrix ?  One of the lines went something like “deja vu is a glitch in the matrix”.  Don’t remember who said it, but have you ever really thought about that statement?  If we live in a matrix, that could be true. Or,  perhaps,  deja vu is a quick flashback to a previous life situation.  So then the question becomes what was going on during that episode in a past existence?  And, how does it relate to this present life situation?  Can the two be part of the same learning experience?  I think deja vu is a link between this life and a previous one – if we had one.

Another thing that could be important to understanding our past lives is paying attention to the interactions we have with other people.  Have you ever met or seen anyone that you feel you know?  Have you talked with someone else and the conversation seems familiar, but you can’t put a time or place with it?  These could be glimpses into another lifetime.

Eye contact is another reminder.  How many times have you made eye contact with someone you don’t know, but feel you’d like to talk with them?  Maybe you should – you could share a story.  The Universe works in mysterious ways and gives us opportunities that we totally ignore.  I don’t think we should.  There could be something valuable to learn.  We’re all in this together and talking with someone we don’t think we know could be a wonderful experience to learn so much more about the things around us and ourselves.  If someone doesn’t want to talk with you, it’s o.k., but don’t stop trying.  You never know what good things these communications can unveil.  How much can you learn about yourself and possible past lives?  It’s worth the effort.

Other insights can be received from colors and smells.  Does an aroma remind you of something that you can’t quite put your hand on?  Does it remind you of something that happened, but you have no recollection of where or when?  Does a color suddenly spark a quick memory, but you can’t quite define what it is?  Maybe it wasn’t this time around.

Did you live a past life or lives?  It could be possible, but the only one who can answer that is you.  Meditation and quiet time can help bring some things that have been buried in our mind to the surface.  If we do reincarnate, there has to be a ground base of memory.  How else can we know what progress we’ve made and how much we’re growing?

–  ashanta